By Erick Smith
A while ago, there was a soundbite heard over the air of a game between the Miami Marlins and the Detroit Tigers. When you listened to it, it sounded like a racial slur. Major League Baseball conducted an investigation and stated that the word that was said was the name of the mascot of the Colorado Rockies. Although it seems that the controversy is over, it made me think about how baseball has changed from a very popular sport in urban areas to losing Black athletes at an alarming rate.
When I was given this assignment, I was conflicted. I wanted to write something about this because I feel that baseball has done nothing to help its cause. However, I feel that baseball is a sport that used to support the urban community but has left it by the wayside to make it more appealing to its fan base: middle-aged white men.
I noticed how MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson on one end; showing his courage in the face of bigotry while still being very tone-deaf when it comes to issues in the Black community. I believe that this is one of the many reasons why the Black community has left baseball.
The first and most important reason is financial. The cost to play baseball is expensive. Also, there are no financial backers in baseball. On the upside, Major League Baseball just committed $150M over the course of a decade to build a variety of programs to grow participation in baseball, mentorship and employee development. This is scheduled to begin in 2023. Although this is a step in the right direction, the problem is that it might be too little too late for baseball as it competes with the popularity of the NFL and NBA.
There is also the “policing” of the “unwritten rules” of baseball. The Atlanta Braves were playing the Milwaukee Brewers. Carlos Gomez hit a home run. He stood and watched the ball leave the playing field. As he trotted around the bases, the Braves players got mad at him and told him to not “show up the pitcher.” Before he crossed home plate, catcher Brian McCann confronted Gomez which started a brawl on the field. The “baseball police” as I call them began to try to show the younger players “how to play the game.” It got so out of hand that it was no longer appealing to younger players who chose different sports so that they can show their exuberance without being chastised.
Finally, there are the owners and general managers in MLB. There are only two Black managers in MLB, no general managers and one minority owner who is African American.
Right now, baseball is in the late innings trying to pull off a comeback to bring back the community it has taken for granted for so long. For baseball’s sake, they hope this will end up a grand slam instead of a strikeout.
On The Cover: Tony Kemp is the only Black player for the Oakland A’s and he plays in one of baseball’s most culturally rich markets.
