Absence of African - Americans in baseball: Crisis or Fact of Life?

C. C. Sabathia - the only African-American player on last year's Cleveland Indians' roster - looks around the Indian's locker room (and baseball fields everywhere) and observes something painfully obvious:

"There aren't very many African-American players, and it's not just in here, it's everywhere. It's not just a problem -- it's a crisis."

The Cleveland pitcher contends that the problem is not limited to major league rosters:

"I go back home to Vallejo [California] and the kids say, 'What's baseball?' It's not just an issue for my hometown, it's an issue for the whole country. I think Major League Baseball should do something about it. I don't know exactly what they could be doing, but I know it's not enough."

SI.com - MLB - Sabathia makes pitch for more black players - Wednesday March 14, 2007 7:56PM

Sabathia, of course, is not the first person to make this observation.  The critical question is: "Should Major League Baseball do something? And if so, what?"  Other baseball fans and executives have asserted their point of view.

One baseball executive, with long familial ties to the history of the game, team owner and master promoter Mike Veeck addressed the question in one of his regular columns, "The Hustler's Angle," in the premiere edition of 108 magazine last summer.  In the column, Mike notes the distinct lack of recognition MLB given by has to one of his father's favorite players, Larry Doby - the second African-American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era (first in the AL). 

In the column, Mike observes:

The decline of African-American players over the last 20 years (currently one of 11 as opposed to one out of four) coincides with Major League and Minor League teams losing the determination to market their product to this specific segment.  How can we begin to impact the African-American community, and attract youngsters to the wonderful game of baseball, without veering into condescension?

He calls on baseball execs to stop using oft-repeated obstacles (e.g., lack of diamonds in urban areas, paucity of African-American owners and senior marketing personnel) as excuses.  He calls on them to produce "compelling advertising campaigns that speak to, and not down to, the African-American community."

As a first step, Mike calls for baseball's powers to "use Mr. Doby as the focal point for a marketing effort designed to attract African-Americans" back to the game."  In particular, MLB should hire Larry Doby, Jr.

to represent Major League Baseball on playgrounds and at schools and ballparks across the country. ... Have him make stops in a hundred major and minor league towns - meeting the kids and spreading his father's gospel of unbending pride and determination.  Let him gently hustle them into a love of the game.

The observation made by both Sabathia and Mike (as well as by others) is obvious and undeniable.  The open question is whether they are correct that something should be done, and if so what.  Mike Veeck has given his opinion, the invitation is open for anyone else to give theirs.  What about you?

Comments

[Tim]

In addition to what is discussed in this article:

MLB and the teams should make a concerted effort to build ballfields in the inner city, to market better not only to African Americans but to everyone (they have the worst advertising that I have ever seen and they seem only to run it in baseball-related programming.) I see basketball-realted ads everywhere. MLB needs to learn from this.

They should use players like Sabathia as ambassadors to help open these fields formally and have players (of all ehtnic backgrounds) adopt a field and come give tips to the kids who use it. The clubs could buy equipment for the youth programs.

They should set up an office to help baseball players get endorsements (which would give players more money without blowing up the salary structure further.) And they should do an outreach for every club like the Yankees did in the 1960s after they stopped winning.

It was called the Con Ed Answer Man program. They had Con Ed buy a bunch of tickets, get them free to inner-city kids who might otherwise never get to see a major-league game. the kids went in the company of former major-leaguer Earl Battey, who was a combination chaperone and "the Con Ed Answer Man." (He answered their baseball questions.) I'm sure someone could be found in each MLB city to serve in such a capacity, and they could pay the person a nice salary to do that and other promotional work. It reaches out to minority kids and it also helps take care of some former players. (In addition, it helps build the fan base.)

They could also help support college baseball programs (including predominantly minority schools) and perhaps work with the NCAA to extend the college season so players get more experience, meaning that when they sign they're a little better trained and a little more experienced than now. This could also help restore baseball at places like Howard University, for one, which abandoned baseball.

Unfortunately, MLB seems more interested in internationalization than in the situation that is right under its nose.