Racism: America’s Pastime

There seems to be no better feeling compared to a black family coming on an episode of Family Feud. As a viewer, the answers the family gives aren’t as important as their sheer presence on the television screen. When two black families are on, nobody leaves their seats for that 30 minute time period. Viewers may be torn over which side to root for, but satisfied to witness other black people succeed. That same pride should crossover to baseball.
As October approaches, Major League Baseball is preparing for postseason competition. In doing so, history may have a chance of repeating itself. In 2016, for the first time ever in professional baseball, two black managers, otherwise known as the head coaches, faced off in a playoff series: Dusty Baker of the Washington Nationals and Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers. This series ended a drought that lasted over a century. With both teams guaranteed a spot in the National League playoffs, it is only a matter of time before both teams could be going head-to-head again.
An article on ESPN’s, The Undefeated, details that Baker and Roberts currently serve as the only two black managers in the sport. In an era where baseball is noticeably less impactful in the black community, this could be the momentum needed to bring in more attention. The viewer may be torn as to which side to root for, but satisfied to witness other black people succeeding.
Baseball’s problem goes beyond attracting black audiences.
The Los Angeles Times cited in a May article that Opening Day 2017 featured 62 black athletes across 30 professional clubs. To put this into perspective, each club is permitted to have a maximum 40-man roster, meaning that there are 1,200 players in the Major Leagues at any given time.
The recent uptick in racial tensions has not made it any easier for the isolated 62. On September 14, ESPN reported an incident where a group displayed a large sign reading “Racism is as American as Baseball” during a game at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The sign was displayed over the notorious ‘Green Monster’ one of the most iconic structures of baseball. Earlier this season, an outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles was subjected to racial slurs from the crowd, with no immediate disciplinary action given.
In order to change the narrative for the future, commissioner Rob Manfred will need to do a better job of creating opportunities for black involvement. In today’s urban communities, there are higher chances of football fields and basketball courts on playgrounds compared to baseball diamonds. Building places for youth to become exposed to the game is the first step.
Another strategy is giving the black athletes a platform to express themselves and pitch the prospect of baseball to the neighborhoods they grew up in. Many people are unaware of how lucrative a career in baseball could be. It has the global presence of basketball, combined with the passionate fans of American football. You may be torn as to which side to root for, but encouraged to witness those 62 players and 2 managers succeeding.