Big day in Major League Baseball, the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
Virtually every ballgame today has some kind of recognition ceremony.
It is sad, 60 years later, that so few black youngsters play baseball. There is a lot of debate in baseball circles as to why it is that so few American black youth play baseball.
I don't think it is really much of a mystery. Baseball is a game, generally speaking, that passes from father to son. Fathers teach their sons to throw and hit, and are very involved all through the youth baseball years. Playing catch in the backyard, watching games on TV, teaching all the nuances of the game.
It is a sad fact that 70% of black children are born into fatherless homes. That statistic alone, I think, explains why more black kids are not involved in baseball.
3 comments:
The wonderful thing about baseball (in addition to the father/son bond) is that it does not really require a bunch of expensive equipment. Back in the day, one ball, one bat and a vacant lot would suffice. These days, there are no more vacant lots (except those that have drug paraphernalia on them) and if you tried to use a Metro open space for a pick-up baseball game, you'd probably get arrested.
Here's hoping for more young baseball players of all races.
How often did you see the Cubs play when you were back there, Rob?
Saw the Cubs a bunch. I lived about a mile from Wrigley, and so could walk to and from the games.
I watched the Sox a lot, too, because I had the pleasure to know Bill Veeck, the former owner.
I wrote about it on this post:
http://robkremer.blogspot.com/2005/10/reminisces-on-white-sox.html
could you also point the fact that black communities tend to focus on basketball because of its ties to urban culture/landscape? Large African American communities in Large Cities have much more access to basketball courts (smaller, easier to maintain) than to large baseball parks (more expensive, more likely found in suburbs). It feels like asking why black children aren't picking up hockey.
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