Yesterday I sat on my couch for roughly 12 hours watching football, as is the case most Sundays. I cheered, I booed, I yelled at my television screen as if I was in the stadium with my team. Those of you who watched the Giants game yesterday know exactly where my frustrations came from. The one thing I did not do, nor have I ever done with regard to professional sports, is watch my screen and wonder why there are so few white faces on the field.

While it is never questioned wether the NFL and NBA should make an attempt to draw more white athletes, it appears MLB is making an attempt to diversify their playing field.

“We’re not going to stop until we get this thing done.”

Selig’s reference was to the pitiful number of African-American players in the game despite Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier 60 seasons ago. Only eight percent of the players in the majors last season were African-American, compared with 27 percent in the mid-1970s. Worse, the Braves continued their silly trend of having no more than one African-American on their roster at a given time. Even worse, the Braves joined the Houston Astros as the only teams to begin last season without an African-American player.

“We saw things happening over the years, but we didn’t really pay much attention. But now when you look around on the field, and you see the lack of African-Americans, it’s to the point where it is obvious that something has to be done.”

It’s so obvious that many still don’t get it or just prefer to ignore it.

Give me just a small break! Bud Selig, along with the author of this column agree the lack of African Americans in Major League Baseball is an issue which needs to be dealt with. Should we begin lowering the standards on professional athletes in order to have a more ‘diverse’ playing field? Or is it the fault of those greedy owners whom refuse to sign black ballplayers regardless of their talent, even though they stand to make millions of dollars if that player succeeds.

Here is a harsh reality for Bud Selig and Terence Moore, the majority of blacks do not want to play baseball. It is looked upon by many as a boring game, which offers little or no excitement, particularly when compared to basketball or football.

The author points out that the Braves and Astros did not have an African American on their roster last year. Would anyone like to make a bet that if you searched the rosters of the NBA you will find more than 2 teams which do not have a white person? Is this an issue that also needs to be addressed? Should the NBA attempt to lower standards in an effort to diversify their players, or would it be silly to sacrifice the integrity of the game by bringing in anything but the best players available?

In many respects, professional sports is similar to other businesses. Employers routinely recruit and hire the most qualified candidates, those who will be an asset to the company. Regardless of skin color, if you will have a positive impact on the companies bottom line, you will be a valued employee. This is as true in business as it is in sports.

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Liberals, Politics, Racism