The annual story that circulates throughout baseball and stirs conversation for about a week is where is the African-American baseball player? The numbers for black players have gone from a high point of 24 percent of the players who played Major League Baseball to 8 percent as the game is played in 2015.
The excuses range from African Americans are now playing football and basketball to the further development of players from the Caribbean islands as well as South America and the Pacific Rim. The fast-growing element of travel or select baseball teams has also reduced the opportunities for African-American kids, as it can be cost-prohibitive for inner-city kids to participate.
Most of these excuses are just that, lame excuses. Baseball has bigger problems than having black players on the field in the big leagues. The minor leagues are not much better as most teams’ top 10 prospects seldom include players of color, and front offices typically have no real plan to include decision-makers who are African American. There are only two African-American general managers in the major leagues and even fewer directors of scouting.
But the NBA also has a problem.
The NBA is comprised of 78 percent African-American players, but what about the white American player? He shares the same plight that his black counterpart deals with in baseball. Yes, there are white players in the NBA, but many are not Americans. They now hail from various countries in Europe, South America and Australia. If you look at the rosters of the remaining teams in the NBA playoffs, you will be hard-pressed to find more than two white American players on any of the final four teams.
So where is the white player? Is he playing baseball? Perhaps hockey? Or the NFL?
The stereotypes that have been set forth by white general managers who say the white American player cannot run, jump or shoot are sad, if not embarrassing. How is it that white European players are that much better? They are not.
In both sports, many front office personnel love to find untapped sources for new talent, no matter what corner of the earth they have to visit. To watch teams spend thousands, if not millions, of dollars in scouting and eventually overpaying a player from some other country, instead of investing into the local talent, is where this starts.
Yes, there are some very good players who come from other countries in both sports, but what about the players in this country who no longer get the fair shake? They are saddled with labels that are borderline insulting, and yet the media takes the bait. They too want to be in on the great catch. Black and white American athletes are being phased out and being replaced by international players who have grown to admire and emulate great American players.
So what is the answer in addressing this issue? For baseball, it is more challenging, as the game has looked the other way so long that general managers are now comfortable in not having African Americans in their organizations. To require teams to have African Americans would go the way of the NFL’s Rooney Rule that requires teams to interview African Americans as part of the search process for a head coach. It has now become a near joke, as teams fall just short of interviewing the janitor of the team’s facility, only to say they had a candidate. There is a list every team shares with African-American names on it, but none has a chance of really getting a job.
For the NBA, perhaps they should take up the rule that many of the international leagues have, setting limits of two foreign players per team. It has worked for them of over 40 years and there is no change imminent.
Before you start the “ugly American’ chant here, let’s get a few things straight. I love the international flavor that both sports provide, because we all want to see good players play. My issue here is that local athletes are not getting a fair shake in the evaluation process solely because they are considered easy to find.
