This season marked the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. While baseball celebrated that achievement, the sport will not celebrate a different milestone set to occur in the upcoming World Series.
The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies’ World Series rosters feature no U.S.-born Black players. According to the Associated Press, that would make this the first World Series since 1950 to feature no U.S.-born Blacks.
That is a stunning statement on the lack of progress MLB — and U.S. youth baseball organizations — have made in encouraging participation by Black players.
Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo., told the AP, “That is eye-opening. It is somewhat startling that two cities that have high African American populations, there’s not a single Black player. It lets us know there’s obviously a lot of work to be done to create opportunities for Black kids to pursue their dream at the highest level.”
It’s not as if MLB and everyone else couldn’t see this day looming on the horizon. Richard Lapchick, director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida, said that Black players made up 7.2% of opening-day rosters this season. That’s down from 18% in 1991, when he first began collecting data.
“It’s the exclamation point,” Lapchick told the AP. “It’s been a story that’s been ongoing since the late 1980s, the decline of Black baseball players.”
Black MLB players realize the sport is not attracting Black youth or fans. Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts made that point at the All-Star Game this year, wearing a T-shirt that read, “We need more Black people at the stadium.”
Baseball fans had varying opinions on the situation.
There will likely be no US-born Black players in the World Series for the first time since 1950. we can make it better, and discontinuing the pillage of lower minors and the draft are immediate steps foward https://t.co/t37WHzY59Z
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) October 26, 2022
Baseball is America and African Americans have a legacy in this game. We see the number dwindle down over the years. Potential talented players are being lost to other sports or overlooked. The game is for everybody and we should ignores when a segment of the pop is going away.
— Mr. Cesaire (@sedrock79) October 26, 2022
Baseball hasn’t been less black since 1953.
The number of white players have remained relatively consistent since 1968.
— J_Has (@j__has) October 26, 2022
No black players in the 2022 World Series for the first time since 1950. Shocking that cities like Philadelphia and Houston have no African American representation on their @MLB ballclubs.
In any event, here's HOFer and @Cubs legend Buck O'Neil singing baseball's anthem. pic.twitter.com/afODVSS9rh
— Billy Krumb (@ClubhouseCancer) October 26, 2022
