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I’ve heard a few stories in recent years, often in conjunction with celebrating Jackie Robinson, that the percentage of black baseball players has really declined a lot in recent years.

And the liberals who write such stories lament that decline.

so perhaps they will say that baseball is somehow racist now. See where they go with this.

Anecdotal evidence is that there are far more players from Latin America and the far east than we saw in previous decades. That could be part of the reason for decline in black players.

It’s basketball and the NBA.

All you need is a ball, a pair of sneakers and a hoop to play.

And then there is the thug culture that MLB is horrified about and the NBA embraces.

I believe that the number was artifically high in the late ‘70’s because dark skin Latinos were actually categorized by the league office at the time as ‘black’ players. Before we had non white Hispanics or whatever. But the actual percentage now legitimately at a 4 year high which leaves plenty of work but is worth a counterpoint to articles like this.

that the percentage of black baseball players has really declined a lot in recent years.

Actually, I don’t think it has. The percentage of black American baseball players has declined, but the black players from the Caribbean don’t count as ‘black’ for purposes of the ‘lament’.

There is no question, Black participation in pro baseball has dropped off the table. No mystery— Most Black athletes with career ambitions go for basketball and football, hoping to get rich in the draft. And, there is a plentiful supply of high quality Hispanic players from all over Central America and the Caribbean happy to pick up the minority option.

I’ve heard a few stories in recent years, often in conjunction with celebrating Jackie Robinson, that the percentage of black baseball players has really declined a lot in recent years.

Yes, there are few black players anymore. They have bought into the lie that baseball is too "white" or a "white man's" game. And, those you see are more than likely to come from an Hispanic background.

I laugh when I hear people talk about baseball being "too white". What century are they living in. If anything, it is way too Hispanic and foreign. It saddens me that native-born Americans are not playing the game from an early age. The Seattle Mariners has some "white" players. There is one young black guy, Dee Gordon, who plays 2nd base, and is a very exciting player to watch -- his base-running is something to behold. But, most of the players seem to come from the Carribean or Central/South America.

So, I don't know where they get this idea that baseball is as "white" as it used to be in the 40's.