Gary Sheffield knows why African-Americans are disappearing from MLB

I'm wondering if you have some examples of injustices and insensitivity (about race) being blown out of proportion by white folks on behalf of black folks who were unwilling participants in the outrage and hysteria.

 

When was the last time a public figure made a provacative, intelligient and controversial statement on race that led to anything but acrimony and name calling? And if they were white and said it, they didn't get threatened with losing their job?

 

I think there's truth in the fact that MLB has had zero to no initiative to foster interest of the game to potential African American athletes, rather choosing to exploit their economic leverage in acquiring latin ballplayers.

The problem here is the initiative on major league baseballs part. I gave my reasons earlier on why I believe the game left my community. Considering what African Americans have brought to the game of baseball, MLB has done zero to make up for it, rather putting emphasis on importing cheaper, impoverished players, signing them at younger ages, giving them smaller signing bonuses than what an American ball player, regardless of race, would garner.

Why do they even bother to celebrate Jackies accomplishments when doing nothing to retain the fanbase that got him in the majors in the first place?

It's all fluff.

I find myself feeling the same about the neglect of the white american ball player who hasn't been catered to.

 

Hey big chip - how do you feel about NASCAR - do they have enough initiatives in place to attract African American Drivers?

 

When has NASCAR ever had the relationship baseball once had to the African American community for this question to even have relevance?

Once again, you're trying too damn hard.

 

Now that is an interesting point. And I'm not sure if you are wrong or right, but there is some logic to it.

Too bad Sheffield is not articulate enough to put it that way, because I believe that is close to what he meant.

More importantly, it is unfortunate that on this thread you spent too much time insisting that those who criticized Sheffield did so out of dislike for the man rather than actual disagreement with what he said. This is an interesting debate worth having, but that doesn't mean Sheffield was not out of line.

You say it is just one word...compliant. In this contest, the way he said it was offensive. Words have power, even just one word, and I think you are smart enough to know that. You just don't want to admit that word choice matters in this particular case because it doesn't serve your argument.

Why not just admit that while there may be some truth to what Sheffield was saying, he said it in a way that was offensive to Latinos?

 

Exactly - In calling the latins "compliant" Sheff was clearly using word in a pejorative manner.

 

I thought I spent more time talking explaining the reasons why baseball left the Black community and the MLB's lack of initiative in keeping interest in the game to the AFrican American community.

I'm not dwelling on how people feel about Sheff.
I also said Sheff isn't too literate and used a poor choice of words.

 

Again big chip refuses to be compliant.

 

If Sheffield honestly feels that MLB is intentionally ignoring African American youth in developing talent, why doesn't he got to the Players Union and demand that the union create significant outreach programs to his lost community? Let the union develop the supply of labor.

 

Good grief, a lot of people here are getting really bent out of shape over the words of an idiot. Or, as Jeff Pearlman called him, a moron. Jeff, who knows a thing or two about morons spouting off about one thing or another about races other than his own, put this whole unnecessary media storm in perspective with this column. Basically, it says that Sheff is a dope & we should ignore him.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/070605&sportCat=mlb&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab6pos1

And just my two cents about this whole "lack of blacks in baseball" issue.

1) Basketball & football are way more popular than baseball. Basketball is extremely easy to play, as far as finding equipment, space and players. Football allows players to unleash their anger better than most other non-combat sports (wrestling, martial arts, etc...).

2) The pace of baseball does not mesh well with today's mile-a-minute pace. Not a lot of flash or pizzazz (yes, I realize that I'm 25 years old and I just used the word pizzazz) that can be marketed as well as what you find in basketball & football.

3) You have people like Bud Selig running the show. Not only has he and whoever he's put in charge of marketing dropped the ball in terms of reaching out to the black youths of our country, but more importantly, I think Selig might be a little more concerned with getting the best product on the field, so who gives a shit if the guy is from Philadephia, Punxatawney or Puerto Rico?

None of these comments are brand new ideas & they've probably already been mentioned, but I felt that they needed to be restated. The next time an idiot says something along these lines, whether he's white, black, Hispanic or Asian, just tell him to shut the fuck up and move on b/c he doesn't matter.

 

Great point.