MLB creating committee to study decline in African-American players
 

Why has it been on the decline with African Americans? Too much competition with other sports?

MLB might be the most diversified of all major american sporting leagues. Its an International league now.




http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/ey...erican-players



Major League Baseball is creating a committee to study why fewer African-Americans are playing baseball, reports Tyler Kepner of The New York Times. The first meeting will be held on Wednesday in Milwaukee.

“I don't want to miss any opportunity here,” [commissioner Bud Selig] said in a telephone interview from his office in Milwaukee. “We want to find out if we're not doing well, why not, and what we need to do better. We'll meet as many times as we need to to come to meaningful decisions.”

(snip)

“I really think our history is so brilliant when it comes to African-Americans,” Selig said. “You think about the late 1940s, the 1950s — wow. And you look at that and you say to yourself, ‘Why did it not continue, and what could we do to make sure it does continue?' ”

According to Kepner, only 8.5 percent of players on this year's opening-day 25-man rosters were African-American. The reigning world champion Giants are one of several clubs with zero black players. Recent research by Mark Armour from the Society of American Baseball Research says the highest percentage of African-American players in baseball was 19 percent in 1986.

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski will be chairman of the committee. Former Mets manager Jerry Manuel, Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir and senior director of the MLB scouting bureau Frank Marcos will also serve on the committee, in addition to several other front office employees from around the league.

I think at least part of the reason the number of African-Americans in baseball has declined has to do with the lack of baseball scholarships colleges can offer. NCAA Division I schools are allowed only 11.7 baseball scholarships, and many fund fewer. Other sports like football (85 scholarships in the FBS) and basketball (13 in Division I) can offer more, which may be luring young athletes -- of all races, not just African-Americans -- away from the diamond.

There is no shortage of star African-American players in MLB today. Andrew McCutchen won a fan vote to be on the cover of the MLB 13: The Show video game while others like Matt Kemp, CC Sabathia, Prince Fielder, Michael Bourn and Jimmy Rollins are household names. Perhaps better marketing of these guys (and others) will help influence young African-Americans to play baseball.

Missing out on a lot of talent. I wish the kids would start playing baseball again instead of basketball. The opportunities are there, just not enough glamour

I agree. Its too bad....i feel like baseball has really dropped the ball (heh) the last few decades. Or maybe the NBA and the NFL have done a better job appealing to youth in general?

It's the urban black culture. Nobody there likes baseball all that much. I see no reason to blame MLB on that. What did they do to cause that?

I worked at a school for adjudicated youth for 3 years that was mostly populated by inner city kids(of all colors) who were gangbangers. Many, when you asked them about baseball, gave you a look like, are you kidding me? They said the opportunities to play were there, but it just wasn't a cool thing to do. At that time, about 15 years ago, is seemed to be a cultural thing as much as anything. I did some research on it at that time and the effort was still there to get them to play. I'm not sure if it's still there though.

Maybe Latino players are beating them out? About a year ago, I read somewhere that poorer black families in the US can't afford to send their kids to the baseball camps and leagues that showcase talents. Maybe a combination of both?

Reading this makes me want to club baby seals......

Who cares? Anyone do a study on the decline of White players in the NBA? It's still land of the free, do we need a committee for everything now?

Nice to see Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson fill the void left by Yuni Betancourt for Royals black players.

BREAKING!!!!!!!
 

This just in.............

no1curr

It's pretty obvious. Baseball isn't a cool sport any more with kids, especially kids in the inner city. Basketball is the cool sport.

I feel that with baseball, there are too many hoops to jump through to make into the majors. (A, AA & AAA minor leagues)

Basketball & Football, it's high school-college-majors, so I think it's more appealing than being brought up through a farm system before you get a sniff at the pros.

Hockey has the same problem as baseball but now they are starting to just play these 18 & 19 year old kids from the start & bypass the minors.

Blacks may not be but through the years there have been alot more Asian and Hispanic players coming up.

It's also very expensive. The cpmpetitive little league team I managed went through $7000 a season and we didn't even travel. Many parents can't afford that for their kid to play a game in the dirt and grass.

Blacks as a whole care mostly about basketball and football. In the inner cities, basketball is the game of choice. Much more individualized as well.

Will be interesting to see what Monte Harrison from Lee Summit West does. Very good football and basketball player but is excellent baseball player... Could be a 1st rounder in the MLB draft!