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I have noticed since I started playing and got done play that African Americans are turning away from baseball. I feel like basketball and football are pushing young black males to play those sports and not baseball. Now granted, the black players I have seen play baseball have been great talent. But what is the reason for the drop in African Americans in baseball and is there any way to pull African Americans back into baseball?

 

african-american players

LCLefty i can't speak for all African-Americans but i can give you what i believe are some of the reasons. I would think that most of the boys you see playing baseball in tournaments their parents are in their middle to late forties. Our fathers and mothers loved the game and they passed it on to us and we pass it to our kids. The young parents today grew up loving football and basketball and that is what they are putting their kids in. When i was little league to high school age, the neighborhoods where minorities were the majority you had well kept baseball fields where we could play ( i played at Revolution park in Charlotte) , their is now a big pretty football field. Basketball and football has also done a much better job in promoting their sport than baseball in the African-Americans neighborhoods. I know a lot of people don;t want to admit it but baseball has slowly become a very expensive sport, close to becoming damn comparable to golf, swimming, etc. as far as cost is concerned. When you factor in AAU, Showcase teams, equipment, inter and intra state travel to play, hotels and team costs, this has driven not only blacks but other minorities to football and basketball. I go to my son college games he is usually the only black on the field, my youngest son tournament games their might be 3 or 4 other blacks playing and it has been that way since they have been playing. To me it is disturbing because the Jackie Robinsons and Hank Aarons went through hell to get us the opportunity to play this great game. I personally don't see the scenario changing because of the strangle hold that Football and Basketball has on the black community.

 

African-American Players

I echo the sentiments of Pirates05. I coach baseball at an HBCU (Historically Black College or University for the "uninitiated") and I can tell you that it is a daunting exercise to find quality African-American baseball players. While we certainly look for the best players, we also must consider the original purpose of the University - to provide educational opportunities to deserving students who would not otherwise get the opportunity. Our baseball team is reasonably close to a racial mix of 50-50 which is not at all unusual for HBCU baseball programs.

I have coached city recreation league baseball, AAU, USSSA, Showcase and college. The observations are the same throughout. In a lot of ways, baseball has become expensive. Some families feel that baseball is worth the sacrifice and do whatever it takes to afford their son the opportunity.

I have never been involved in AAU Basketball or Pop Warner football but I can surmise that each has its associated costs - either teams fees or travel expenses. The families of these kids feel that the sport is worth the sacrifice and do whatever it takes to afford them the opportunity. I do not necessarily believe that cost is the determining factor.

In order to see more African-Americans playing at the high school level, we need to keep them involved in baseball beyond the age 10. One way to do this is for more African-American Adult Males who have played/loved the game take the iniative to get involved with these kids and stay involved. I believe that if we reach kids early, we may have a chance to influence their sports decisions.

I spend a lot of time talking to young people about my love of baseball - sharing stories and explaining the positive effects baseball has on my life. My own son played basketball, baseball, ran track and was on a bowling team. Although I enthusiastically supported him in all of these sports, it was my love for baseball that ultimately influenced HIS choice. He now plays college baseball.

I tell my pitchers that if you want to throw harder, do what it takes to throw harder. If we want to see more African-Americans on the baseball field, do what it takes to see more African-Americans on the baseball field.

 

Obviously the last two posters personal experience adds to the validity of their posts. I can not express how happy I am to have them as members and to share their experiences. They can bring a viewpoint that can clearly address a problem that most see as cloudy.

I would like to see more programs like the RBI program. RBI, backed by major league baseball, is an excellent source in providing minorities an opportunity to play travel baseball at the highest level. Some of the players participating are some of the most talented players in the US and each player has an interesting story to tell.

I agree 100% with pirate that the biggest obstacle to overcome is the lack of interest by the parents of this generation and the generation coming up. Many did not play baseball and do not have the passion or the experience to teach the game. As most of us know, it is not a game that you can dominate simply because you are strong, fast, unique jumping ability or inordinarily tall. It's a unique game to learn and difficult to master. If you are not taught while you are young, it's not something you can be succesful learning as a mid teenager.

More programs like the RBI organization is needed and finding coaches willing to participate in youth programs geared for minorities are a must. Otherwise, in my opinion, you will continue to see a decline in interest from all minorities.

As Pirate mentioned, it's an embarrassment to the pioneers like Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson to endure the hardships they overcame to help provide opportunities for others; only to see their sacrifices are being wasted.

 

My son plays aau baseball and it has been so hard to find a coach to judge him on the basic of his talent and not his color. He is always the only black kid on the team . And the coaches assume he fast and should play out field or the look at his body type and position him. He only 13 and love baseball, why can't they just let him be him. People tell me how talented he is other coaches always trying to recruit, but I'm afraid pretty soon he is going to walk away. Black kids at school tease him about playing so he is starting to turn to football and basketball

 

I have heard that many times that peer pressure can be tough. What area are you from? It would be great to have a mentor (a current HS African American baseball star) speak to him about their common concerns. By knowing what area you live in we can provide credible sources and advice for your son and yourself. This is what TBR does best...providing helpful information either publicly or privately for our members.

 

Also, at his age, it is not important what team he plays for. What is important is to get him competent instructions and development from the many excellent teachers/coaches this state has. There are many HS, College and professional coaches in our area that are striving for the opportunity to help teach a young coachable minority youth.

 

We live in the Triad area, he would love to have someone that could help him.

 

Great, as I'm sure others will be willing to do, I'll contact some people that can get your son someone to talk to and give guidance as well as some quality coaches that would be willing to donate their time to help.

One way to get this started is to arrange for him to attend a quality tournament (such as Impact) near you. I can have people lined up to assist you with introductions and to allow your son to meet some quality players that share in his experience. I have learned that an older player can play a huge role in leaving an impression on a young person.

 

Dang...I can be so stupid (don't even try to reply Stretchy). cbsconsult, who has replied in this thread, is an excellent contact to speak to you and your son. You will not receive any better advice. And guess what....he lives in Raleigh.