Why are few African Americans playing professional baseball?

[unit321]

This is old news.
There was an article out last year about the increased number of Hispanic players in the MLB with a decline in both white and black players. It's like the game is still there, but kids are growing up making decisions to play other sports. Basketball and football being the main competition. There are a number of high school kids who are athletically gifted and they play more than one sport and excel at all the sports they play in. Then when they in their senior year, they have a choice to make, which sport to play. That or their parents tell them they can only do one varsity sport while in high school so they make their choices then.
Anyway, the MLB is going to filled with Hispanics and Asians in a couple of decades. Baseball stadiums are going to be serving burritos and ramen instead of hot dogs, which isn't that bad.

 

[Urahara_Kisuke]

Because young black males don't want to wait to get their money.

In the NBA & NFL, once you are in the pros at around age 21 -- you get the big payday. In MLB, most times you have to slowly climb through the minors where you don't make as much money. It's an instant-gratification world we live in now.

 

[L&HH]

Word. Dude from ND a couple years back, Jeff Samarjsomething, did that. Sure he's made at least double what he would have made in football

you talking about the te/wr I always wondered what he's been up to in the mlb

 

[J-Fire]

cause baseball got boring...end of story. way too many games. I force myself to try to watch it...but when ya hometeam was the orioles coming up their losing ways are hard to watch and we made camden yards with a low wall to hit home runs, lol.

fans go to games just to get drunk and eat food....it's a hangout spot. I'm 27 and I barely know hardcore baseball fans....I know tailgaters that like to have fun, haha.

 

[NYC Rebel]

Tons of lazy answers in here.

 

[King Poetic]

1..No black fathers in the home

2. sportscenter

3. look at TV and the commercials -- majority of it shows black basketball and football players

4. A lot of black males mindset think u can have more glamour and fame plus the females love football and basketball players

Probably one of the most reasons is there isn't black baseball leagues in the hood. the black baseball players u see today majority come from areas where baseball opportunities was there growing up especially in high schools

is there baseball in inner city high schools today?

 

[NYC Rebel]

1..No black fathers in the home

2. sportscenter

3. look at TV and the commercials -- majority of it shows black basketball and football players

4. A lot of black males mindset think u can have more glamour and fame plus the females love football and basketball players

Probably one of the most reasons is there isn't black baseball leagues in the hood. the black baseball players u see today majority come from areas where baseball opportunities was there growing up especially in high schools

is there baseball in inner city high schools today?

At this bullshyt.

 

[BLAZO da GAWD]

Because baseball is boring as fukk. 90% of it is standing around and chewing tobacco and sunflower seeds.

 

[superunknown23]

I'm willing to bet that the MLB wouldn't have guaranteed contracts if blacks dominated the sport the way we do NFL/NBA.

Believe me, they would make *some* argument to fukk them over....and niccas would be dumb enough to get fukked over.

Seeing young nikkaz with money bothers a lot of people
That's why you hear about age limits for the NBA but not NHL or MLB

 

[King Poetic]

At this bullshyt.

so whats the truth is??

 

[NYC Rebel]

so whats the truth is??

The head of Puerto Rico's sports said the same thing about MLB having no interest in PRican players has opened the door to young possible players now being interested in other sports. PUERTO RICO!!

The same shyt happened in the U.S.

You had the Reds who signed 18 players alone from the city of Oakland back in 1964. Those same scouts later went to the Caribbean and stopped searching for black ball players. So our interest went to other sports. The same thing happened in Puerto Rico when they fell under U.S. commonwealth rules and had to be paid similar to American players. So you know what MLB did? They left and went to the DR and elsewhere....so LIKE BLACK AMERICANS, Puerto Rican youth are no longer interested in baseball because baseball lost interest in them.

There are only 12 puerto rican baseball players in the majors.

It's all about economics, not these bullshyt sociologist theories of fathers not being there and other nonsense.

 

[Oville]

I think its good for baseball that they will be getting a new commissioner in 2015. Bud Selig, has been a good commissioner for baseball for the most part. People will disagree but attendance growth, total revenues, labor peace, and competitive balance has made the league grow. But one thing Selig wasn't good at was taking a proactive approach to market the game to a youger, or urban audience. David Stern knew how to market his player in the most modern, cutting edge way and I think that affects the general perception that many young african americans have of the sport. Hopefully for the sport, the new commissioner will find ways to appeal to these demographics.

 

[yoyoyo1]

boring? if blacks dominated baseball there'd be just as many threads about "damarcus johnson's 98mph fastball" and "anthony jackson's 15 game hitting streak" as these garbage threads about basketball in the coli, dont kid yourselves

 

[kingofnyc]

 

[who_better_than_me]

Because young black males don't want to wait to get their money.

In the NBA & NFL, once you are in the pros at around age 21 -- you get the big payday. In MLB, most times you have to slowly climb through the minors where you don't make as much money. It's an instant-gratification world we live in now.

This is one of them. I know a lot of nikkas that was In the minors and did it for lil minute before quitting it and getting a regular job. Nigguh's ain't bout that minor league life.