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What has caused the decline in black people playing baseball in the US?

r/

Why didn’t black MLB players since the 90s like Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr, Derek Jeter, Aaron Judge and Mookie Betts help encourage black people to play baseball rather than football or basketball?

Comments

  1. TheNarrator5 Avatar
    TheNarrator5

    Probably because influx of Hispanics in sports

  2. EUGsk8rBoi42p Avatar
    EUGsk8rBoi42p

    Baseball fields being less maintained due to rise in crime, etc.

    Baseball fields used to be more common in city parks, which were overtaken by homeless etc, used for crime, while football fields are almost always on school property, and thus more protected by law.

    Not a total reason, but definitely solid contributing factor.

  3. aloofman75 Avatar
    aloofman75

    Because basketball and football got more popular, culturally resonant, and lucrative by comparison. Both sports have some inherently telegenic advantages over baseball.

  4. Folksma Avatar
    Folksma

    I would actually be interested in finding out, from a statistics perspective, if black Americans have ever actually made up a notable percentage of MLB players

    Pre integration in 1947, there were quite a few NL baseball teams, but they disappeared with integration. I’m sure the data has been collected, but I’d be curious the historical comparison between baseball, basketball, and football.

  5. LozaMoza82 Avatar
    LozaMoza82

    Culturally it’s not as popular as football or basketball.

    It’s also rather cost-prohibitive, especially in more competitive leagues.

  6. EffectiveNew4449 Avatar
    EffectiveNew4449

    I think a lot of it had to do with the impact of college football on racial relations. Baseball didn’t have that same background.

  7. winteriscoming9099 Avatar
    winteriscoming9099

    Several reasons.

    1. It’s expensive to play baseball. Bats aren’t cheap, gloves aren’t cheap, other gear isn’t cheap.
    2. In order to play at a high level, the current structure often needs travel ball, summer ball, showcases, etc, which become really expensive. It’s way cheaper in a relative sense to play basketball or even football where schools provide gear.
    3. There is less baseball infrastructure in urban areas, and less maintenance of it, and black people make up more of the population in urban areas. Basketball needs less space.
    4. Baseball isn’t seen as cool necessarily – its current demographic is quite old and white. Basketball is more young and popular, and football is always ever-popular.
  8. BoseSounddock Avatar
    BoseSounddock

    There hasn’t really been a decline. Basketball and football have always dominated black youth sports in America.

    When I was playing little league baseball in the mid 2000s, most of my teammates were white except for a few Hispanic kids.

    When I was playing YMCA League basketball and Pop Warner Football, my teams were 80% black and 20% my baseball teammates.