Comments on: Why Blacks Don’t Play Baseball

By: JiveFood Left » Speed Links

JiveFood Left » Speed Links — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 14:23:35 +0000

[...] Here is an interesting article regarding Gary Sheffield’s comments and the reasons why blacks don’t play baseball [...]

By: rey

rey — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 15:22:59 +0000

I think the best argument you make is the one about not being able to start a pick up baseball game. When I was growing up I played a lot of football and basketball on the streets. There wasn’t a park I could go to near my house. We never had enough players or space to get a good game of baseball in, so we didn’t play much.

I played baseball for one season in high school but sucked at it and was bored at the games. After that I lost all interest in baseball for good.

By: brotherbrown

brotherbrown — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 16:19:12 +0000

My father’s from southern Alabama, Prichard to be exact. Famous baseball players from his area and era are Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, and Willie McCovey. He played all sports and had my brothers and me playing all sports. My older brother gravitated to football and track, while I did basketball and track, and my younger brother didn’t really pursue sports. My father loves baseball to this day, and while I used to get into it, after that last strike, when the WS was cancelled, baseball kind of lost me as a fan.

My kids took my love of basketball. My daughter tried softball for a couple of seasons, but like me, needs to be running around and being in the physical flow. Baseball misses that, I think.

Basketball is popular everywhere in the world now. We just got a new park in my neighborhood, with a 94 x 50 court, three point line and regulation glass backboard with heavy duty collapsible rims. I’m out there often as I can, looking for a pick-up game but practicing by myself if no one is around.

By: Chanda

Chanda — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:10:13 +0000

Great blog! I never thought about why many blacks didn’t get into baseball until reading this. It makes a lot of sense. I was able to play it (or softball, the girlie version) simply because of where I went to school and where I grew up and the facilities available. And you are right, it is easier to get a pick up game of basketball going than baseball.

By: Villager

Villager — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:42:32 +0000

All of your points are well taken. I grew up in Los Angeles and I used to listen to the Dodgers on the radio. I would take a bus with my buddies on the block and pay for a General Admission ticket for $1.50 or something equally ridiculous. We would sneak downstairs by the 4th inning and watch the game from the good seats. We had favorite players. We stayed after the game to get autographs. We played ball on our block and the palm trees were the bases. Guy hits a grounder and you had to hit the palm tree with the ball before he got there to get an out. We developed our throwing accuracy with those rules!

Today, it’s much as you describe. However, my 7-year old son came home today from school with a baseball glove and a ball in his hand. And he and dear-old-dad went out and tossed the ball around. He wants to play baseball next year (he played football last year and will play again beginning next month).

Baseball is still a fun game.

peace, Villager

By: tootsie

tootsie — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:38:03 +0000

Damm good research Doc,when I first heard about Shefield comments I was watching cnn headline news in which the sports are repeated every half hour.The commentator leads in to the story saying shefild will get in trouble for his remarks;(dah)what trouble?for giving his opinion.As your research prove the schism between Blacks has been simmering since Richie Allen aqnd Roberto Clemente.This subect needs an intellectual effort that you can give,it touches all bases from parenting to urban renewal;I’m retired and coach 10 and under basketball I put the word out to coach baseball the offer came from a fraternity Bro to help in the suburbe I wanted to coach in the city.