USA Today stirring the race relations pot with Americas pastime

[belcffub]

African Americans in MLB: 8%, lowest since integration era

The African-American percentage in baseball this season has dropped to 8.05%, which is less than half the percentage of 17.25% in 1959 when the Boston Red Sox became the last team to integrate their roster. It's down from 8.5% last season, and a dramatic decline from the peak of 1975, when 27% of all rosters were African-American. Even as late as 1995, the percentage was 19%.

I don't see them running articles about basketball having 18% whites...

[fishwax]

1. Today is the 65th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut in MLB, so the subject is timely.

I don't really understand your objection.

[belcffub]

3. And a nice article about that would have been fine...

They could have reminded a new generation where we came from the battles to get here... they could have even stated the numbers but to have the whole article discussing the lack of African American representation in the sport is only designed to get people upset...

[fishwax]

4. I still don't understand the objection

[provis99]

2. I'll bet the percentage of whites in baseball has fallen too.

Hispanics have composed an increasing percentage of baseball players since the 1970's.

[Elwood P Dowd]

5. Most young black athletes today are more interested in football and basketball.

I remember growing up in the 1950s and 1960s when all the young kids, both black and white, worshiped Major League Baseball players. That started changing in the 1970s, and today there is nowhere near the interest in baseball there was in the old days. MLB now goes all over the planet to find MLB talent.

[rufus dog]

6. that has been the trend for the last 20 to 25 years

Basketball and Football are the premier sports in inner cities. Additionally track stars now can make millions, in the 50's and 60's it was purely amateur, so athletes with great speed may have fined tune baseball/football skills but now can see a future in track and field.

The dimensions of major league stadiums has also changed putting a premium on power hitting and less on defensive skills.

[Odin2005]

7. I think it's a cultural thing.

African Americans nowadays are more interested in basketball than baseball (everyone likes football). It didn't used to be that way back when Baseball was still the national passtime, but now football is the national passtime and basketball has become associated with the inner city while baseball and soccer are more "suburban".