In spite of the fact players of color are saving the sorry asses of baseball team owners around the country, they still won’t stop their events managers from engaging in racist practices. While I don’t normally watch baseball, I decided to watch the Home Run Derby that was part of All-Star Week and it didn’t take long for me to regret my decision.
A group of kids was having a great time shagging balls in the outfield, the ones that didn’t make it over the fence. There must have been close to two dozen of them — unfortunately, all white. Oh, wait, was one Asian? No, on more careful inspection, I guess not — they were all white.
In a sport where close to half of the players are of color, and in a region of the country where 30 percent of the residents are of color, the only way to get that many white kids on the playing field — and not have one black or brown kid in the group — is by design. Someone made a conscious decision to exclude children of color.
If racism wasn’t at play, simple mathematics would have assured that at least one child of color would have been out there having fun. No, this was not an unfortunate oversight (which is what a MLB apologist will say in defense of the sport) it’s omission by design, a deliberate slap in the face of black and brown players and viewers.
Truly, I take no delight in pointing out this type of racism, and if white America simply quit pulling this shit, I’d gladly quit writing about it.
From CoolCleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author at http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.
2 Responses to “MANSFIELD: MLB, Still Racist”
Mildred L Dixon
You’re absolutely right. However, at the same time they “wonder” why baseball is not that popular with black and brown kids. Go figure.
Jerry Dolcini
Well said, Mansfield. Major League teams like the Indians hire mostly white business majors for their administration so their kids receive the occasional on field perks such as shaggin balls during the Derby as you mentioned.