MLB creating committee to study decline in African-American players

[Deberg_1990]

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.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

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?

Exactly plus there was a study within the last few years and they asked like 2,000 black youth about baseball and nearly 80% said they found it slow and boring.

Are we now going to force kids to play a game they don't like to "balance" things out?

This country really sucks with all the PC and Wusification. Just let people be and do what they like not what some jackass politician or official THINKS they like.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by scho63

This country really sucks with all the PC and Wusification. Just let people be and do what they like not what some jackass politician or official THINKS they like.

...

[houstonwhodat]

Originally Posted by scho63

Exactly plus there was a study within the last few years and they asked like 2,000 black youth about baseball and nearly 80% said they found it slow and boring.

Are we now going to force kids to play a game they don't like to "balance" things out?

This country really sucks with all the PC and Wusification. Just let people be and do what they like not what some jackass politician or official THINKS they like.

Bingo.

It's called free market capitalism.

The dollars speak.

[Demonpenz]

I remember Nascar doing the same kind of research and they found out it's because you can't race low riders.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

I remember Nascar doing the same kind of research and they found out it's because you can't race low riders.

Uh...That's pretty much what NASCAR does...

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Needs more midgets

[Demonpenz]

You know why there aren't more germans playing baseball? cause their dum

[houstonwhodat]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Uh...That's pretty much what NASCAR does...

Ricky Bobby.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

You know why there aren't more germans playing baseball? cause their dum

I'm convinced...

[ptlyon]

Oprah has single handedly ruined this ****ing country

[mikey23545]

Originally Posted by stonedstooge

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.

There's no way to spike a home run.

[CrazyPhuD]

It's because most inner city African American's are afraid of the Three Strike rule.

[Thig Lyfe]

Originally Posted by houstonwhodat

Yes.

We must have a committee for this.

And also we cannot:

say the word Christmas
no Easter Bunnies
no Washington Redskins

etc, etc, etc.

HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED DOING SATIRE PROFESSIONALLY BECAUSE YOU ARE A NATURAL

ALSO PLZ POST TITTY PHOTOZ FOR ME TO YANK MY DOODLE TO, THX

[kcxiv]

Baseball has nothing but guaranteed contracts, you make more money and less taxing on your body. It should be a no brainer.

[Thig Lyfe]

Originally Posted by Fruit Ninja

Baseball has nothing but guaranteed contracts, you make more money and less taxing on your body. It should be a no brainer.

Also if you're satisfied with just making a living playing sports and don't need all the fame and glamour, there are way more job opportunities in baseball. There's gotta be like 1,000,000 active minor league players, AT LEAST.