A Jackie-inspired take by Junior
The recent league-wide celebration of Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier served as a reminder of an ugly time in American history and an acknowledgment of progress made in an effort to rectify the situation. But any remembrance of No. 42 can't sidestep an accompanying reality. Black baseball players are a steadily shrinking contingent. As one of the elder spokesmen for that minority (on and away from the field), Ken Griffey Jr. offered theories ranging from the lack of black players being marketed (MVP runner-up Matt Holliday got more Nike love than actual MVP Jimmy Rollins), the equipment's durability (meaning fewer items to sell 24/7) and baseball's slower pace in not appealing to the MTV generation (Griffey's kid digs James "Bubba" Stewart more than James Anthony Loney). All of these observations were hard to deny, especially considering Griffey once spent time as arguably the face of baseball's marketing machine. But another theory Junior floated caught my attention in an "I-ain't-buying-it" kinda way:
Today's young African American athletes are shying away from baseball because of media coverage of Barry Bonds.
In discussing the issue with Yahoo!'s Jeff Passan, Griffey noted how the most prominent black presence in baseball over the last several seasons has been Bonds. And for the benefit of those who spent that time period living under a rock without basic cable, coverage of the home run leader hasn't necessarily been drenched in positivity. In Junior's opinion, the bad press may be putting off the younger set's next Hank Aaron or Willie Mays.
"Who’s the one person people read about and saw on TV last year?” Griffey asked. “Who’s the one person, if you’re a kid, you saw front and center on everything?”
“Exactly,” Griffey said, “and it makes it tough, because that’s somebody they look at and ask, ‘Do I want to go through that?’ Whether it’s right or wrong, (kids think) ‘They’re going to talk that way about me.’ Do they talk that bad about basketball players? Football players? All last year, he was beaten up.
“I get that question all the time: How come they keep talking about Barry?”
To his credit, Griffey didn't present this concept as the primary reason for dwindling representation. Nor did he boil down Bonds' negative press as a purely black and white matter (literally and figuratively). Rather, he simply relayed how the admitted complexities of Bonds' situation (twisty in large part by Bonds' own doing) could fly right over your average 12-year-old's head. "They just see the end," Griffey said. And in his opinion, gravitate toward another sport. Between the Barroids headlines and 24/7 talk of Balco, needles, the Mitchell Report and suspensions, young people see increasingly fewer reasons to lose themselves in baseball and its often ugly limelight.
But is it really any more off-putting than the one sometimes shining down on black stars in football and basketball?
Maybe I'm missing a larger point or element, but it strikes me as odd that these same black adolescents would be so turned off by the media presentation of Barry Bonds (fair or otherwise), yet still find themselves drawn to the NBA after coverage of the Palace Brawl, Kobe Bryant's rape trial or the "talking head" criticism once lobbied at Allen Iverson's decidedly hip-hop appearance and attitude. What about the NFL and Michael Vick's legal issues, which sparked racially tinged talk on everything about the QB feeling a need to cut his braids for court appearances to white mainstream America's fundamental misunderstanding of a culture where dog fighting is as normal as a game of sandlot ball? A period in both sports existed where these were the biggest headlines, plots not easily let go or ignored. Why would these news stories' presentation somehow fail to repel black youngsters from football or basketball, but Bonds' treatment make baseball unappealing? If, according to Griffey, these kids are too young to understand the complexities involved with Bonds' situation, why would they be able to view Vick's or Iverson's as anything less than racist persecution? Why would African American youths accept (on some level, at least) prejudice in other sports traditionally popular within their culture but turn their backs on baseball? It just doesn't make sense to me.
Personally, I think the reason behind the decreasing number of black athletes in baseball has more to do with factors Griffey touched upon (the game's methodical tempo, marketing both within the sport and compared to others) and economics (whether the dirt-cheap overhead required to play pickup hoops or how much quicker one becomes a millionaire in basketball or football vs. baseball) than any media treatment of Barry Bonds. Maybe if Barry were more charming and personable outside of his controversies, I could buy the explanation. But a guy whom even his staunchest defenders concede is basically as prickly as his rep? A guy with virtually zero inherent charm or charisma (outside of the pure force of his skills)? Were Torii Hunter's temperament receiving such a portrayal over the steroids issue, I could believe (if not necessarily agree) with Griffey's theory. Dontrelle Willis? Also more credible. But Bonds, an athlete unparalleled in his seeming indifference toward gathering fans, much less fans that would shun a sport over his dilemma? That's tough to swallow. If anything, I'd have an easier time picturing Bonds himself doing more to turn off young black athletes from baseball than any slant regarding his coverage. Mind you, I don't actually think Bonds is the reason for a drop in numbers, either. But by comparison, it feel like less of a stretch.
Of course, I've also never been a young black man, nor can I profess to understand how one would see the world. Is there more to the story than my eyes can see? Do Griffey's words contain more validity than I can possibly understand? Or do you agree that he's swinging for the fences with this theory and failed to keep his eye on the ball?
AK
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I never really focused on this regarding Matt Kemp, but I just noticed that he has "0" walks this year, and has only drawn 25 walks in 488 lifetime at bats. As good as he is, I wonder how good he can really become if he begins to develop patience at the plate. He's made a lot of progress in handling breaking pitches (and there is still room for improvement), and he's begun to drive more balls up the middle and to right field.
I get the impression that Kemp takes to instruction well. If he plays everyday, and is given the chance to get really comfortable, I believe he will gradually begin to refine his game. I think the sky's the limit.
Posted by: Brooklyn Dodger | April 17, 2008 at 08:43 PM
Great post AK, and I think your point to the prickly Barry may be the reason. Also, it could be because of the number of games played in a season.
All it will take is for someone to catch the publics fancy to change the tide.
I pose this questionto the wise sages of this blog, who is the biggest star in baseball now?
I guarantee there will not be a unanimous consensus and that's probably more of the issue.
Posted by: benzojones | April 17, 2008 at 08:43 PM
oh and my vote... REPKO!
Posted by: benzojones | April 17, 2008 at 08:43 PM
The decline in African-American baseball players has nothing to do with Barry Bonds, at least not yet. Professional baseball players, even young ones, have been playing baseball for many years, much longer than the time that Barry has been a "media darling."
I agree that the media's portrayal of bonds (deserved or not) may have an effect, but it may not be measurable for years.
Posted by: Scott | April 18, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Biggest Star in Baseball?
I would have to say A-Rod or Jeter. Huge talents, Huge team, Huge market.
Posted by: GUS2327 | April 18, 2008 at 08:42 AM
I think young white kids will be staying away from baseball because of the negative coverage of Roger Clemens. Nobody wants to go through Congressional hearings just for being the world's greatest pitcher of all time. You can already see the mass exodus of white players.
Come on, Junior. Get serious. Barry was treated poorly because Barry is an a-hole. It has nothing to do with his race. You're a black man and you don't get treated that way because you're NOT an a-hole. That's all there is to it.
There are plenty of good guys and plenty of asses of all races. Sports is one of the few arenas where talent generally wins over prejudice.
The reason there aren't more black playing baseball is because baseball requires a lot of equipment and a lot of space, neither of which are abundant in poor black urban communities.
But Latino players are from poor communities, aren't they? Yes, but generally not from inner city neighborhoods. They're from places where there are sandlots, open fields, and meadows rather than subway stops, high-rises, and alleyways. You can put up a basketball hoop anywhere and work on your crossover and jumpshot. Baseball, as Matt Kemp is learning, requires so many different skills: running, hitting, throwing, catching, sliding, most of which are hard to practice in a playground by yourself.
Baseball is more colorblind than most American institituons. If you want to talk about race, please do it in the context of some truly unfair arenas like Congress, the boardroom, or the front office.
Posted by: SaMo | April 18, 2008 at 09:45 AM
What a load of you know what!!! Even if Bonds DID get treated badly because he is black, Then so did Michael Vick and Kobe Bryant. And they got it much worse. As others have said its the slow nature of the game and the BIG wait for the payoff that is a turnoff. So if you are good in more than one sport why choose baseball. As for Latin players they are not playing much football in the Dominican Repblic, and you do not have to go to college like most Football or basketball chances. Finally, and I want to choose my words carefully, baseball is about tradition, rules, decorum, showing respect , while inner city culture(black white, hispanic) is about show, being flashy, not being respectful, showing up your opponent, taunting etc. All traits that fit in better with football and basketball than baseball. I appologize in advance if I have offended anyone.
David
Posted by: David S | April 18, 2008 at 10:39 AM
The reason why there aren't a shortage of Latino players in MLB is because baseball actively recruits and trains young kids overseas in Latin America and the Caribbean. It's not like the league is targeting inner city Hispanic kids to play baseball over their black counterparts.
For all the money MLB is pouring into China, I wonder why they haven't set up baseball academies in African countries to develop and scout talent? I'm sure there are many natural athletes to be found, and young kids willing to take a risk at a chance to make millions of dollars playing a sport.
Posted by: Makoto Ueno | April 18, 2008 at 11:36 AM
there's currently one black baseball player not on anyone's roster who could surely spice up the dodger's anemic offense and also reinforce the fact the Dodgers' front office doesn't care about its fans:
Barry Bonds.
Sign him immediatley, stick him in the middle of the line-up and put him in left field. Put Andruw Jones in as a late-inning defensive replacement and juan pierre as a late-inning pinchrunner.
The Dodgers would then have a three-headed outfielder:
Banuan Bojoierre.
They've done it before when the three headed beast called Jason Reperthoski a few years ago.
Makes perfect sense to me.
Posted by: jb | April 19, 2008 at 04:10 PM
You have to take into account also that baseball, maybe... JUST MAYBE more difficult to learn and to play than the other sports. Like my man SaMo alluded to earlier, it is a lot easier to work on your handles than it is to work on hitting the other way. As for football, which last I remember also required a field of some sort, it is a matter of running fast and/or hitting hard.
What ever happened to stickball in the streets? Remember when Willie Mays would play with the kids?
Finally, when was the last time you saw a really great ad with an African-American baseball player? The last I can remember is Griffey Jr's Nike Ads... remember those GREAT Yes to Pepper ads back in the day? CMON!!! Those were great! See an ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF8KV5tG448&feature=related
Posted by: Manny | April 20, 2008 at 11:50 PM