WWJD

As I mentioned in another thread a few months ago, baseball and the African-American are growing apart largely because of economics. To play baseball at a competitive level in the states, you need a couple thousand dollars worth of equipment ranging from $250 aluminu bats to $200 gloves, $200 cleats, $100 travel bags, etc. If you're not playing with the best stuff, you get teased by the kids who are and ignored by coaches who think you're not serious. It's a socio-economic problem which affects black kids a lot more than white kids.

Poor kids can't afford to play year-round baseball in superleagues.

In Latin America, they'll play with a broom handle and an old glove because there isn't the same peer pressure to play with top-of-the-line gear.

For only $100, kids can have top-flight basketball shoes and play..

 

It also takes a lot more coaching. MLB could certainly pay for a lot of equipment but you still need coaches to organize. With all the broken families there are not a lot of dads around who are going to drive up in the family wagon to pitch BP to the kids.

 

Wise to reinvest? Are you kidding? Latin America is by far the wiser investment. These kids come to us with 10-15 years of experience of playing baseball 300 days a year. You're saying that's not as good as kids who have never played baseball and don't particularly want to? Please.

 

But if what you say is true, and I think it probably is, then culture is the issue, not economics.

 

another good point.

And, HH, in this case the economics and 'culture' (for lack of a more accurate term) are very related.

 

Please show me where Corey Patterson says MLB should pull out of Latin America ... he just says he wishes ALL the money wouldn't be spent there and SOMETHING should be done in the U.S. As an African-American baseball player from the U.S., maybe he'd wish others have followed his path. Are you saying MLB should continue to ignore the U.S.? Seems to me there are a lot of potential great baseball players who are ignoring the sport .. and, as Patterson says, it is not just MLB's fault. Read the quote accurately, for crying out loud.

 

As a side note...

I think more historical significance should be put on the fact that African Americans played baseball along side whites into the 1880s. You never hear about how the racial barrier was set up in the first place. You just hear how Jackie was the first.

Bullshit.

The truth is a lot more complicated and disgusting.

 

What are the odds that Cory is driving a BMW or Mercedes

 

What the fuck does that have to do with anything? He also works with the RBI program with inner-city youths, so at least he practices what he preaches.

 

Who the hell is suggesting that MLB should cease its overseas investments? As stated previously, business 101 always teaches you to go local. You can't expand your business without a base. You can't complain about a lack of television ratings when you ignore the area you are broadcasting in. You can't complain about a lack of a talent pool when you enable the less fortunate to have an opportunity.

Not only does the investment make sense from obvious financial perspectives, but you have the reduction in crime and the improvement of the local areas creating a better environment from which the team is based.

How can it possibly help a business to throw its hands up and just say, "Oh well. Black kids don't like us. We won't attempt to keep this audience. At least those Latinos like us. I'm sure all those eyeballs in Puerto Rico and Panama will help us fill these 50K seat stadiums in Detroit."

 

geez cool down. I was just going with the buy american tone this thread has taken on.

 

What's MLS doing about it?