Why So Few Blacks in Baseball?

Blacks make up 76% of NBA players and 69% in the NFL. They make up only 9% in Major League Baseball, well behind Latinos, who make up 26%. The high for blacks in MLB was 27% in 1974, and has been declining steadily since.

"There are some that say baseball is boring," acknowledged Jeff Whitlow, 17, a senior at Detroit Country Day High who will attend Stanford on a baseball scholarship. "They don't have the appreciation for it. ... Anyone who is big and strong can play football. There's a finesse to baseball."
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"Most African-Americans like to play basketball or football," Gates said. "They like the physical sports. They like the attention. They think baseball is a soft sport."

That's an experience shared by Young.

"When I was growing up" in California, said Young, 31, "baseball was perceived as a white man's game. You know, only white guys play baseball and black guys play basketball and football.

I don't know what to say. I guess there's no bling-bling in baseball.

 

Comments

[joe o]

Baseball is boring.

[Jeff Culver]

Your article while interesting failed to address some well known factors that also contribute to fewer blacks in baseball. Specifically, equipment and space.
1. Equipment generally isn't cheap and a lot of people need to have it in order to have the numbers for a good game.
2. If you live in a city how easy is it to get to a field and play?

I'm not saying that blacks don't have the money to buy equipment but it is easier and cheaper to get the necessary equipment to play either football or basketball. Also, its easier to get to a basketball court or play football in a limited space than baseball.

Another factor that has little to do with race is the number of people needed to get a decent game going. You can play basketball one on one if you want and I've played a lot of three on three football growing up but to actually play a good game of baseball you probably need about six people to a side.

You did well to address the perception that baseball is a white man's game. I agree that this is a valid point, because perception means a lot. But I also think that a big problem is the ease of which someone can get started. People like doing sports that they're good at. The amount of time you can play, practice and gain confidence plays a big role in whether you pursue something. If you understand a sport because you've done it a lot and understand the intricacies you won't find it boring, bling-bling aside.

[Bill Price]

My comments are directed to the best athletes and the percentages that speaks to this. Each year the MLB All Star game is voted on and the best athletes by position are sent to the game by a primarily "white fan base". Dispite this the percent of black players selected jumps from 9% (2005 numbers) to usually over 25%. Another fact is the percent of blacks in the baseball Hall Of Fame is much, much larger than of whites. Both of these facts speaks to the issue of "are blacks better athletes. I am a white male that just wonders if we are seeing baseball played at its highest level.

[Brandon Holt]

Personally, I am fed up with people discussing the dumbest topics. Too much time on your hands people. I would rather watch true baseball players than to watch a couple of scrubs just to quote "Even" out the ethnic groups. It's funny how you hardly hear baseball players committing crimes compared to the NFL and NBA. I'm not saying baseball players committ crime, but come on; OJ Simpson, Rae Carruth, Ray Lewis? Please give me a break America. Oh yea and don't forget Stonehead Ricky Williams.

[Daniel Caswell]

That posting by Brandon (July 4, 2006) clearly reflects the ignorant baseball fan base. The bottom line is that the likelihood of black youth or a young black man to be interested in playing baseball is zero, or close to it. Black culture during the 70's, 80's and 90's has evolved, along with the perception of baseball, making it less likely that an African-American, whether from an urban life or upper-class suburbia, would ever want to play that sport. Whether it's soft, less appealing than football or basketball, or just over-run by whites in high-schools and colleges (further discouraging the young black man), there are plenty of reasons. MLB has greatly sold their image as a white/latino dominated sport. Most lockers are filled with latin music playing in the background.

That's just the way things are now. Now, as for crime's in the NFL and NBA, check yourself Brandon. In a sport nowhere nearly as physically demanding as the NFL or NBA (regardless of how many games one plays in the MLB), why is there such widespread use of steroids? Baseball is on it's way down.

[Cleavon Bennett]

Just wanted to post that there are still brothers out there that still love baseball. I like how C.C Sabathia and others are bringing up the crisis of the black-shortage in the MLB. I do agree that MLB must get involved along with black players in the MLB. We need more baseball exposure in the inner city. Also for fantasy baseball players reading this I have a FREE league " Brothers_Still_Love_Baseball "in ESPN. I will be starting a couple of them within the next two weeks. Any questions you may contact me at cleavonb@yahoo.com.

[Billy Bob]

I've often wondered why so few black kids develop any interest in baseball- and I don' think it's because baseball doesn't try to get kids involved. On a local level where I live, there is an aggressive effort to get black males between the ages of 9-14 involved in little league. Free equipment, rides to the practices and other efforts are made- but with little success. When I have asked a few of these kids who decline to participate their reasons- I usually hear something like- "man, that's a pu**y game", or "that's boring as h*ll". Wonder what the great Henry Aaron or even the not so great Barry Bonds would think of these comments?

I disagree that baseball is on the decline, but certainly it is an evolving game. In 15-20 years, there will be almost no blacks in a game dominated by Dominican Republic and Southern California players.

[Ann]

If the percentage of blacks in baseball over the last 50 yrs was compared to the percentage of parks in black communities
what would the figures show?

[JERRY HAYNES]

Who cares....

Anyone complaining about the lack of non-black guys in the NBA?

It's friggin' reeeediculous!!!!

[Jim]

Coming from the inter-city, where blacks out number whites, yet almost every team is white or latino. I have to say that the reason most blacks don't play baseball is, there is no adult males there to incourage them to play. Who taught all of you to play baseball? Your fathers. They have no one to look up to in this sport, the most famous black man playing baseball today is Barry Bonds, a man who is shrouded in doubt about steroid use. Are they suppose to look up to? Him? Gary Sheffield? or god forbid Delmon Young? Not to say that all white players are role models...Jeremy Giambi is a know cheater and Curt Schilling is baseball's biggest cry baby.

If more black players stepped up to be role models, like Ryan Howard and more men in their neighborhoods, maybe they'd want to play more baseball.