Blacks and Major League Baseball


jelli

jelli

Music Lover
I was listening to ESPN sports radio last week and the topics was the lack of blacks on major league baseball teams and some of the reason for this? One caller chimmed in that there is no real decline because we have black-hispanics i.e Richard Hidalgo on teams and should count towards the census. The radio host was of the opinion that they are hispanics and not black. My question to you all is what are your feelings on this ...do you consider someone to be black because he looks black...most panamains look black, and even cubian look black but are they considered black or hispanic?
 
Well, it depend on what you mean by "black". Yes, they are Black in the sense that they are of African descent the same as we are, but, they have not shared the Black American Experience. So I think that is what sets them apart from us.

If dark skin folks of African descent from those Latin countries do not consider themselves "Black", why should I consider them "Black"?

Hell, I have a co-worker from Ethiopia, and she will tell you flat out, that she is not black. If you look at the woman, she could pass for any sister from the "hood."
 

Click here to visit HBCUSportsShop
Black is a color, not a racial or ethic group. Black skinned persons are in every part of the world.

TSU Bama your co-worker is Black, she simply is not an American Black.
 
I consider them Hispanic and I believe they do too. Yes, I agree they are of African descent, but they are Spanish or Hispanic. No they are not American Blacks, but I don't think they consider or want to consider themselves as such, even the ones who have lived in America for quite a while. I know Panamanians and Columbians who are darker than me, lived in the country for quite a while 20yrs., and speak Spanish better than half the Mexicans here, but they still consider themselves Hispanic.

C-leb, do you mean Negro as in black (color) or as in race?
 
So wha'ts up with Major League baseball then do they not come the HBCUs to recruit?
 
I hate to say it, but those dudes are hispanic/latin american. When they say black players, that's normally a reference to born and raised in the US.
 
Sounds to me like the topic should have been the "lack of black americans" or african americans.

On a side note ask any hispanic, latin, or whatever what they are considered if they get stop in the wrong place on the wrong side of town. The answer becomes quite clear.
 
northern tiger said:
I hate to say it, but those dudes are hispanic/latin american. When they say black players, that's normally a reference to born and raised in the US.
Click to expand...

I don't wanna sound indignant..but isn't this topic more suited for Round Table Discussion...

IMO, it's been known that guys like Sammy Sosa (who looks like he's from GSUpe's hometown-Donaldsonville, David Ortiz, Miguel Tejada..wear their nationalities with pride...

talking about "blacks" in MLB is just the same as talking about "whites" in the NBA...they're talking about African Americans and Caucasian Americans...

Please believe Steve Nash will tell you he's Canadian before anything else and Dirk Nowitski will say he's German...
 
jelli said:
So wha'ts up with Major League baseball then do they not come the HBCUs to recruit?
Click to expand...

Its not abuot that. It is about the development at the youth level. MLB has camps and money invested into developing players in Latin America but not in the inner cities.
 
jag4life said:
Its not abuot that. It is about the development at the youth level. MLB has camps and money invested into developing players in Latin America but not in the inner cities.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's just that, you just don't find a lot of black youths that are interested in baseball now, I drive around a lot and I rarely see a group of black kids playing baseball. I think MLB is investing its resources in areas that are showing a lot of interest in the game.
 
JaguarNation99 said:
I don't think it's just that, you just don't find a lot of black youths that are interested in baseball now, I drive around a lot and I rarely see a group of black kids playing baseball. I think MLB is investing its resources in areas that are showing a lot of interest in the game.
Click to expand...

That's the thing... look at all the equipment you have to buy to play baseball...plus the fields. You need money for that and kids in the inner city don't have that kind of money. Same with golf.

Basketball...all you need is a ball and some shorts. Football...all you need is a ball.
 
Journalist said:
I don't wanna sound indignant..but isn't this topic more suited for Round Table Discussion...
Click to expand...
I thought about putting it there but I settled on here and its getting the same dicussion it would have gotten there.
 

Click here to visit HBCUSportsShop
jelli said:
Do you think there should be quotas in the Major League Baseball?
Click to expand...

No need for them. Once we get in we dominate anyway. There are more than enough minorities represented...we just need more development at the youth level for inner-city kids.
 
jag4life said:
That's the thing... look at all the equipment you have to buy to play baseball...plus the fields. You need money for that and kids in the inner city don't have that kind of money. Same with golf.

Basketball...all you need is a ball and some shorts. Football...all you need is a ball.
Click to expand...

That's true, but do you really think that all those kids in Latin America are playing with good equipment or on good fields, I admit that part of it is the investment or lack thereof, but there is also waiting interest with inner city kids.
 
jelli said:
I thought about putting it there but I settled on here and its getting the same dicussion it would have gotten there.
Click to expand...

All the things we've posted on this thread, like developing talent in Latin America and the RBI (reviving baseball in the Inner Cities program)...have been been mentioned her more than once or we've just accepted as generally common knowledge...

And that crap about *you gotta buy a bat, you gotta buy shoes, you gotta buy a glove, you gotta get that* that's BS....N-words buy Jordans..N-words by designer clothes..they get X-Boxes, PS2s and games..so how in the world come they can't buy baseball equipment...I know my folks bought my brother and myself cleats and gloves and stuff...and we were faaaaaaaaar from living high on the hog...(My bad y'all...that's a pet peeve of mines) :kaioken:

And NO...there should be no quotas for black (black =U.S. born and bred Negro) players...If that's the case..how would you feel if white wide recievers and DB's needed a quota for the NFL.. or white guys in the NBA

:topic: There should never be quotas for players...but I feel there should be more emphasis on getting more coaching, ownership and front-office opportunities to people that resemble the talent assembled by the teams...(more black and latin people...like Moreno, the Angels owner)

But Jag4Life's right...there's a need for development in the inner cities in all sports...especially baseball...but baseball is a craft, you cannot rely on sheer athleticism to make it to the bigs...it takes a lot of practice to get good...
 
Journalist said:
.......but baseball is a craft, you cannot rely on sheer athleticism to make it to the bigs...it takes a lot of practice to get good...
Click to expand...

Absolutely!!!!! And it is very important that you start at an early age.
 
Journalist said:
And that crap about *you gotta buy a bat, you gotta buy shoes, you gotta buy a glove, you gotta get that* that's BS....N-words buy Jordans..N-words by designer clothes..they get X-Boxes, PS2s and games..so how in the world come they can't buy baseball equipment...I know my folks bought my brother and myself cleats and gloves and stuff...and we were faaaaaaaaar from living high on the hog...(My bad y'all...that's a pet peeve of mines) :kaioken:
Click to expand...

That would have flown with me at one time but it aint always true. I see alot of these youth without games and clothes like we think. In some areas yea the ghetto IS "fabulous". But in some areas its a dayum shame. Lets not get into the habit of thinking you can go into any ghetto and find folk on 22's with spinners.
 
Bengal E said:
I consider them Hispanic and I believe they do too. Yes, I agree they are of African descent, but they are Spanish or Hispanic........I know Panamanians and Columbians who are darker than me, lived in the country for quite a while 20yrs., and speak Spanish better than half the Mexicans here, but they still consider themselves Hispanic.
Click to expand...

I see your point, and I agree with your statements. But I look at it like this, just because I live in the US, speak English, and most of my culture is European based (lets be real here), I am not going to go around calling myself an Anglo-Saxon. Yes, they speak Spanish. Yes, Europe has more influence on their culture than Africa, but.....anyway, enough on this debate. What ever they want to call themselves is fine with me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top