Ephraim Salaam Breaks Down Why Baseball Has Lost Its Appeal With African-American Kids

[@ca11medeemoney]

It's a social media thing too, youth football and basketball are huge on KZbin etc, it makes the kids want to emulate what they see.

[@Cahluvca]

🎯

[@endzhere1638]

I came to say the exact same thing. Baseball isn't a sport that lends itself to exciting tiktok reels.

[@straightfacts6482]

In high school, my baseball games looked like practice 😂 There was hardly anyone watching except a couple of parents. Now that I’m in college at a D1 HBCU, I thought more people would come to the games, but the stands are still empty. I don’t think black people really care about getting into the sport, to be honest.

[@soda8736]

And that's all it is. It's simple.

[@__thebadger]

Still prolly care more about baseball than you do women's basketball. The wnba is 65% watched by white dudes older than 50.

[@nochilllwill]

baseball died a long time ago, it’s not just black people that don’t care, it’s the majority of america

[@itsjob595]

Thank you! I went to ecu and baseball is big. People still didn't fill stands at games

[@iang7244]

@@itsjob595East Carolina University? Go Pirates.

[@dorianchadwick805]

There's layers to it. Baseball is not intertwined with Hip-Hop as basketball and football. Basketball/Football allows for athletic flash you can't display in baseball. It can become expensive over time as well. While football does have a lot of equipment most of it is provided by the school or the league so parents just buy the cleats. Baseball not so much, you have to buy cleats, the gloves, and sometimes the bat, and pants. Marketing also has a lot to do with it as well. The news media dont really talk about baseball as much as Basketball/Football.

[@brandonneumann5294]

It’s simple. Blacks are not interested in baseball. You don’t play what you’re not interested in. That’s it.

[@Northphilly-wu4oq]

As a 41 year old man i remember when i was a kid you would see the highlights on espn now baseball doesnt get any coverage until the playoffs. So blacks kids dont see it

[@davruck1]

Because they took the athletes out the game

[@_CPerk]

Yup, all our best athletes are playing football and basketball

[@FalseNi9e]

It don't even get covered in rhe playoffs

[@havok5538]

Nah.....Black kids don't play it as youngsters. No tee ball.....No Strikeout.....no 500 No parks that allow kids to play baseball....Grammer schools don't play softball anymore in gym Here's a Big one....Less and less Dads in the home that play catch and or toss pitches to their Sons

[@davruck1]

@@havok5538 I played plenty of baseball with tennis balls. Coordination is coordination. We are just as good as anyone. We’re just not putting up with that league’s BS

[@durellscott9411]

Man i dont trust nobody to throw a 100 mph ball at me with out hitting me 😂 especially my opponent

[@Blk.Philip]

Ong the first pitch I get tagged with is when I’m charging the mound bat in hand lol

[@durellscott9411]

@@Blk.Philip lol fr.. if i can move 🤣

[@ExtraVictory]

​​@@Blk.Philipi was a decent pitcher in high school (but pretty bad in college) and i can assure you the culture & those around you would never for one second make you think about charging _with_ the bat, but without it, sure. The potential criminal charges, years of hassle spent dealing with slow moving court and tons of lost money isn't even the major concern (the problem is also that you look completely ridiculous if you charge the the mound with the bat, only to stop or do nothing with it when you get there. But your brain will definitely realize on the way that swinging the bat even once at the pitcher would completely ruin your life) Which is why players who charge, not just on tv, not just at every level, ane even after i hit them, (which we do intentionally at times and are told to) throw the bat first

[@MDK384]

this was definitely a part of not wanting to play baseball for me. that ball is not forgiving. even fielding when you're a kid is a nightmare cause the fields are ass. next thing you know a groundball hits a rock and bounces up and hits you in the nuts. i used to pitch in little league too and kids will hit it right back at your head... miss me with that

[@durellscott9411]

@@MDK384 trust me i believe u..we used to play baseball in the neighborhood but there was no where really to wait for the next person to bat..so we gave a lil space to the batter..but let me tell u, it wasn’t enough space for me cuz he swung and let go of the bat 🤦🏾‍♂️ all i seen was a spinning bat coming and it hit me right in the shin 🤣

[@stingrey1571]

my best friend who is white, his son plays baseball and is very good. he was considering taking his son out of it as it was becoming too expensive to play. fortunately for him, his son has become so good, coaches and scouts have been sponsoring and playing for the kid to play on teams and tournaments.

[@SmartDave60]

Generation X was the last generation where we ALL played organized baseball.

[@davidcovington1046]

Facts!

[@davidcovington1046]

Facts!

[@1Eashawty]

Not true, I was born in 1990 & everyone first sport was baseball since u can start instructional league as early as 3 or 4. Very few of us stuck wit baseball tho we just ended up liking other sports like basketball & football more. Most of us stopped playing baseball by the time we got to high school

[@SmartDave60]

@@1Eashawty Gen X kids ALL played organized baseball to puberty at least. I stopped at 15; when guys started throwing REALLY hard. 🙂

[@wsmith461]

Exactly I’m 49 and we all played baseball back when I was a kid back in the 80’s

[@RedClayBaby]

The popularity point was 100% correct. In high school, kids and especially black youths, crave popularity, that gets you the girls and attention. Playing baseball is considered corny in the black community. Theres no world series parties or cookouts. And soccer is out of the question

[@davruck1]

You sound slow. So why did baseball become corny when it used to be everyone’s favorite sport? MLB made it corny. Racists made it corny. Now the nba and NFL are going down the same road

[@JB-tp6uj]

@@davruck1 Baseball lost its place to Football and the strike in the 90s didn't help. At its peak, the MLB was roughly only 20% black, so black interest and participation never reached the heights that it has for football or basketball. The OP is right, the popularity of the game waned especially in the 80s as the NFL and NBA's popularity grew. And that popularity carried over to the local level in elementary and high schools all over America.

[@Riles3152]

I would venture to say that most of the Black community would’ve never considered baseball “corny“ up until the late 90s/early 2000s.

[@davruck1]

@@Riles3152 nobody thinks baseball is corny. MLB is corny. NBA is corny and nfl too. The corn commissioners ruined it via greed and racism

[@coreyeatmon5101]

8 dudes play in basketball and football no one knows or cares who they are.

[@Bama20512]

Expensive as hell for equipment and it’s a definitive learning to curve to the game

[@soda8736]

What about football equipment

[@frankie8387]

Football is just as hard too

[@Blk.Philip]

@@frankie8387not really I’d rather play safety or running back then have to pitch or hit a ball at 100mph

[@IAMvonte-2518]

@@Blk.Philiphm idk about running back. Might’ve been a bad example

[@Blk.Philip]

@@IAMvonte-2518 it has the lowest payout of all the high end positions but it’s also the most interchangeable position imo

[@dez_chi_boi]

David Justice was on Keyshawn Johnson’s podcast and broke it down perfectly. Basically this is what MLB wanted it was all part of their plan it’s documented

[@MarcBigga]

Their plan for what exactly?

[@Gnofg]

It is the cost.

[@stingrey1571]

@@MarcBigga it is like manufacturing jobs in america. mlb exported baseball to the latin america for cheap labor. americans (black, white, hispanic etc) are going to be signed to standard minor league deals. those kids in the venezuela arent being paid anything.

[@samhopkins743]

@@stingrey1571once they get to mlb they get paid a lot lmao, look how much Soto is about to get

[@greggibson33]

David Tin Foil Hat Justice.

[@blaketindle4703]

What Ephraim said is common. At my high school the baseball team played during classes as well.

[@RicardoGonzalez-bn5uu]

Expensive, hard to play with a group of friends in neighborhoods now, no highlight culture or cultural impact anymore, seen as boring for many

[@chironjo]

Where I grew up up we would play with two bases if we couldn’t get the full roster, like 6 on 6, using a back stop and no catcher.

[@maddie690ify]

I think you are right. A lot of American sports pros now come from money. Private coaches and travel ball are expensive.

[@imgonnapackit]

Ephraim sounds so much smarter than anyone else in the sports talk space. He backs up every take with a logical foundation.

[@_CPerk]

I’m 41, I grew up in DC until I turned 12 then we moved to the VA suburbs. I didn’t even think about playing baseball until we moved to VA and some of our neighborhood friends invited us to play basically whenever there wasn’t a basketball game going on. We both loved playing baseball, and had natural skills, but both very raw. Some of the Dad’s in the neighborhood encouraged us to try private training and a travel league, but my folks couldn’t afford It. My brother probably could have played in the minors if he kept going…but once we got to high school, football and basketball took over and even track leapfrogged baseball. It’s a fun sport to play but it’s brutal to watch, very slow game with not a lot of scoring.

[@MDK384]

when i was a kid, i didn't want to play baseball because it was boring. you bat like 4 times a game and stand in the field on defense hardly ever seeing any action. you only get to affect the game a few times a game and the game takes forever in the eyes of a kid. soccer is constant activity as was basketball. that was how i felt about it. plus there was less of a chance of getting hit by a ball, which i wasn't too keen about

[@bbott137]

It really comes down to youth leagues and where the investment is. Baseball has done an absolutely terrible job putting pipelines in place in the US for players here. Not to mention playing pick up games gets you yelled at for not being insured (in a league game or practice) and kicked off the field. In the US you are basically left on your own until you hit Division 1 college. Outside of that you have no help getting better at all anywhere. I watched in my high school years as the 15 best kids every year got no direction or help. The kid who ended up making it to Triple A was a left handed pitcher, and probably was the 14th best pitcher in the league. There is so much talent left to waste away in the US.

[@Nickvanexel23]

Baseball is an expensive sport. Bats, gloves, equipment are thousands of dollars. Being from Detroit growing up in the 90s all we needed was 1 basketball and 1 football and we had motion

[@maddie690ify]

Baseball has become a pay to play sport. So expensive. Private pitching and hitting coaches. Expensive travel leagues. Parents must have weekends off to travel to other cities and stay overnight for tournaments. Too expensive for some.

[@Sambam1981]

Baseball is an expensive sport to play when you are young. The equipment and the travel is expensive

[@mikehoward3018]

Yep that’s the problem if you want to play on a competitive league it is very expensive

[@maddie690ify]

Very expensive and must be able to travel

[@karenhardie1132]

Yup, our son played traveling baseball. Tournaments every weekend. 2 nights in a hotel, food, gas. We would drop hundreds of dollars for one weekend. All very expensive. Equipment, uniforms, baseball camps.

[@Localtravel3r]

There is no mixtape culture in baseball…

[@paralleluniverse99]

Thank God

[@blaketindle4703]

Only on Chappelle’s Show!😂

[@qualinteranzy7948]

You can't just go anywhere and pick up a baseball and play it's not as simple as "there's no mixtape " the sport is boring asf ,slow pace sorry the sport sucks

[@IAMvonte-2518]

@@qualinteranzy7948facts

[@davruck1]

@@qualinteranzy7948the sport is not boring. You just haven’t seen it played well. I think the nba is boring.

[@UNDFTDGordon]

My dad and I were talking about this the other day. Unfortunately, baseball has no clout in the hood. Youngsters see basketball and football players in endorsements, with shoe deals, highlights etc. Baseball players aren’t very popular in the hood and the path from the minors to the majors takes time. When you’re drafted in basketball and football, especially in the lottery, you’re in the league immediately. The Latin and oriental population love baseball so I’m all about those who want to play like Ohtani.

[@KevinHernandez-qz8sb]

Because its boring and all they want to do is be NBA players, NFL players, rappers.

[@lglg1039]

U forgot influencers

[@greggibson33]

@@lglg1039 Influencer. Another way of saying 'unskilled worker.'

[@STR33TJESSUS]

Exactly simple logic ,idk why they even have this topic must be a slow day

[@chironjo]

Baseball is only boring to those who’ve never played it or understand it. What’s taking me away from the game is the antics of the majority of the Latino players, showing off at all times.

[@chicagodude8888]

@@chironjoMost of the guys who hate baseball all shot put their throws like girls, don’t have the hand eye coordination to hit a ball with the correct fundamentals, look like pansies and become resentful of the ego blow that comes with it.

[@1Eashawty]

I was born in 1990 we all grew up playing baseball first & we were all black. Most of us stopped playing baseball by middle school or high school because it just wasn’t fun compared to other sports like basketball or football

[@endzhere1638]

Cant believe they didnt mention the #1 reason, Social Media. Baseball might be the worst sport for social media compared to football, basketball and even soccer. Baseball doesn't really produce exciting highlight reels, and its kinda hard to have 1v1 in Baseball.

[@thomasirizarry2127]

I grew up in Puerto Rico, where baseball is part of the culture, and played in Little League. Today, I have a six year old son and live in the West Coast. As a parent, you have a choice to make when it comes to extra-curriculars. The time and money add up quick. So around here, it comes down to soccer and baseball as far as organized sports are concerned. Despite growing up with baseball, I had to choose soccer. Reason being, soccer has 11 players per side on the field at any given time while with baseball your kid is going to be sitting in a dugout half the time. Soccer simply offers more active participation per player throughout the game. Im not trying to sit under the sun on the bleachers and I cant even see my kid half the game, except for an at-bat every couple of innings and him standing around in the outfield getting distracted the rest of it. Except for cultural heritage, baseball doesn't make a whole lot of sense as a parent.

[@rayrichard4665]

Where I’m from in Houston baseball has always been king, we have a all black league and many pros have came from the league players like Carl Crawford and Michael Bourn and many division one players as well

[@darnell16player]

The MLB doesn’t do a good job of reaching out to other states or places in the United States. If they reached out I would say there would be more players

[@bryansilva6306]

Cuz they don’t want to? Why is this conversation always about Africans and only African it makes no sense. Like there’s something wrong if they’re not 80% of the league like the nba or nfl

[@lance-h1g]

Baseball is too slow paced for a lot of adults but for kids especially they get sick of just basically sitting around watching/waiting for something to happen. It’s the only sport I believe that practice is actually more fun than games because in practice your constantly getting to hit, throw, catch, run, do something; whereas, in the games 95% of what you do is sit/stand and watch.

[@NatTurnerswitBurnerz]

Most sports are boring if you don't engage. I've known people who thought watching basketball was pointless until the last two minutes. I've known people who don't care about football because of all the stoppages or unless they're betting on it. If people were being honest, because of the speed, skill, and physicality, they'd have to admit hockey makes all these other sports look boring asf. But I enjoy all of them because I can appreciate each of them on their own merits.

[@scottiepippen3041]

top 5 episode. great guest

[@Stylish105]

It's just human nature to gravitate towards something more predominant in your culture. I just think black Americans parents watch and digest or play more basketball and football.

[@sean24833]

I'm black and my son will definitely play baseball. You don't have to be 6'8 to play it or run a 4.3 just gotta be skilled.

[@iang7244]

Basketball is so genetically gatekept. Like, yes you do need to be skilled, but if you’re 6’8 in high school that advantage can’t be overstated.

[@sean24833]

@@iang7244 exactly

[@joel8692]

​@@iang7244 I played baseball at a high level in the U.S and even went to the Dominican Republic to tryout for a few MLB affiliated teams when I was 15 and I was killing It on every travel team i played on in the USA but once I got to play against othe and prospects in DR ybe speed of the game was so fast and u had to have perfect footwork

[@Ulquiorra105]

While with baseball, you can be 5'4" and a Hall of Famer.

[@geelangfordo3272]

​@@iang7244Same with football ball you either have elite track star speed or are a 6'6 280 pound giant.

[@marlonious7650]

All of our parents stopped wanting to be around people who brought racial tension. It was uncomfortable for us as kids and especially for our parents.

[@sj4632]

bllacks bring the most racial tension

[@Cahluvca]

Elephant in the room

[@IAMvonte-2518]

This is a big part of it.

[@itsjob595]

White people at a baseball game damn sure would make u feel uncomfortable

[@The_king567]

That didn’t happen

[@CPC36]

A great breakdown from the gentleman. Of course, the more obvious question is, "Does baseball owe it to black Americans to increase their numbers in the sport?"

[@brianerisca6822]

Plenty of black people play baseball still .. they just speak spanish so yal don't count them lol

[@andreasmith901]

Right,Them African Latinos are Darker than Black Americans😂😂😂

[@Bea-Dubya]

They don’t count themselves as Black.

[@adrianf7732]

That’s the inconvenient truth that no one in the sports media want to acknowledge.

[@low-kei4655]

The Breakdown is why baseball has lost its appeal with "African-Americans kids." It's referring to a specific group of Black people, Afro-Latino's/Caribbeanian's are well represented in the MLB and they're one of the major driving forces in the sport today.

[@andreasmith901]

@@brianerisca6822 right 🥱

[@peterle9681]

As an aussie, it's so interesting getting an in-depth explanation of the US youth sports culture. Over here, sports at school is pretty much a means to an end. For kids to get some activity in for most high schools. Wished Australia was more like the US sports culture when I was a kid 😅😢

[@mikewallace9292]

Not to mention the absurd amount of money baseball costs to play. From just the equipment to the little league price and the travel money it's crazy stupid

[@FrankTorres-x5z]

Baseball fields in my area haven't been played on by any race of kids in years

[@catali033]

I’m a Black woman in my 40s who loves many sports and honestly it took me a while to get into baseball, now I love it….for the past 15 yrs. I grew up around it because my grandparents and other relatives loved it, played it, and watched it. Now I wish they were here so I could enjoy it with them. Also, learning about the Negro Leagues and the prowess & resilience those players had increased my love. So, I hope the tide changes soon because Black people used to love baseball and going to games was such a big deal. It’s an acquired taste but if you give it a fair shot you’ll be pulled into the magic of it all (at a stadium). And there’s certainly nothing like playoff baseball.

[@cryptidian3530]

You can play basketball by yourself. You can't play baseball by yourself unless you go to the batting booth and practice hitting. And baseball is a very slow sport. Basketball and football are much more action packed.

[@johnshannon9433]

It’s also a game of failing in the that you can be really great all around player and still be a on terrible youth team. In other sports, it’s easier to take over when you’re good but you cant help it if the left fielder on your team cannot catch a routine fly ball.

[@ryanrapoport2664]

I’m nearly 42 years old, and grew up a huge baseball fan. I still like it, but not like I used to and it’s amazing to see how much the sports popularity has plummeted. There’s not the buzz, shows hardly talk about it. It makes sense why so many athletes chose to play other sports. It sure seems like many more kids will play and watch soccer instead.

[@renewd]

Walking or getting on base because of an error is not failing in baseball.

[@greggibson33]

Walk is not counted in your average (0-0) but getting on by error is (0-1)

[@renewd]

@@greggibson33 Getting on by error is counted as at bat, but the result is a net positive for your team, assuming you get to a base without a force out occuring. It is therefore not a failure.

[@SmartDave60]

As a kid I watched great black ballplayers and could see myself in them. Willie Stargell, Rickey Henderson, Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Dave Parker, Reggie Jackson, Jim Rice, Andre Dawson .. Bring the swag back to baseball.

[@greggibson33]

It ain't gonna happen. It's 7% and shrinking. That's the whole point of this segment.

[@SmartDave60]

@@greggibson33 baseball is shrinking.

[@greggibson33]

@@SmartDave60 Agreed. It is what it is.

[@SmartDave60]

@@greggibson33 bring us back and it’ll change. We have that swag. 🙂

[@greggibson33]

@@SmartDave60 Nobody is stopping them.... they don't want to play.

[@kennethmack3226]

Great points by the guys. I would like to hear Rob Parker’s view on this subject being he’s a baseball guy.

[@ozzaRlE]

It’s a sport that is not “cool “ for them. Not popular enough and some little leagues are savagely expensive.

[@low-kei4655]

When I growing up in the 80's in Detroit, kids in my old hood use to play baseball, basketball and football on the Westside. All you really needed was a basketball, football, baseball, bat and some kids. After moving closer to downtown near the Jeffries Projects, we were introduce to street hockey, where we would wear our gymshoes (sneakers) instead of skates and play in a frozen parking lot with sticks and brooms. After my family moved back to the Northwest/Westside, baseball was still being played but basketball and football was now King. By the early to mid 90's you wouldn't see teens playing basetball at the parks unless it was for a school's team or for PAL (Police Athletic League) which is a cities youth program. Everybody knew a least someone with a football, a basketball rim or a ball. So these sports became more popular than baseball. Baseball kind of fell off and hockey wasn't the sport of choice in my hood you know. S/O to all my Gen X-Men and Women. We Built Different 💪💯🤬👊💰🤐💯

[@Tacana_Redd_Sox]

I’m 43 and from Los Angeles. I grew up playing little league at Baldwin hills park. The league was majority black. I think the rise of the nba ( mainly Micheal Jordan) in the late 80’s through the 90’s had something to do with the beginning of the lack of interest. The NBA and the nfl aggressively marketed itself to the younger crowds with certain shows. MLB wasn’t trying to market itself to anyone because it already dubbed “the national pastime” so u would only see a show like TWIB (this week in baseball) which was very straight laced and didn’t market itself to the younger generation. At the same time travel ball (equivalent to AAU) became a big deal in the 2000’s and that’s where people talk about the cost of playing because travel ball is expensive and you may need a sponsor. While this is happening the MLB put more focus on grass root development in the Caribbean. If there were MLB academies in major metropolitan areas that would begin to create more opportunities as well. Yes the game is slow paced at times but that doesn’t seem to bother the kids in the Caribbean.

[@witchdoctor813]

The MLB is almost a majority international players league. Black people have stopped playing baseball and the White players are getting their jobs took by international players. Last years all star game roster was almost 50% international.

[@Cahluvca]

Well....

[@davruck1]

White players were never very good. But they weren’t going to let the league become all Black so they went international. They are doing the same thing with basketball and football

[@brandonneumann5294]

White Americans still make up a majority of mlb

[@damepoe919]

That makes no sense. It's called business they spreading the sport around the world to add to its popularity....basketball a newer sport...soccer was created in England now its the most popular sport in the world...more than half of all the soccer teams in England are foreign players. And England is the most watched league in the world. NBA trying to do the same thing...MLB did that already and still doing it. It's not about not wanting the league to be all black. Majority of the international players they bring in are black too...black Americans just don't like baseball bc the popularity fell due to lack of media coverage and social media coverage. Baseball players in the 90s were just as big of stars as Lebron and Tom Brady. Now you wouldn't know the best player in the league if he walked past you

[@davruck1]

@@damepoe919 soccer was not created in England. They just spread it through colonialism. They suck

[@JasonQuinn-qq4om]

The top black athletes are playing basketball and football. Baseball is slow and boring. You have to be patient to watch baseball. Kids today are not patient.

[@TheBrotherHoodSports]

Because blacks finally gave up and stop trying to be in a league that doesn’t want them in it.

[@soda8736]

Oh so it's racism now.. lol

[@Kikibrat2]

👏🏾

[@anthonytaylor7928]

Heck look at what happened to the black kids from Chicago in the little league world series and the white coach found a way to take their American championship away

[@oblivionpro69]

They don’t want them in it but they allowed foogazi stats from a smaller inferior black league to count as real stats?

[@TheBrotherHoodSports]

@@oblivionpro69 The elites realize they need us but the poor racist fans don’t know any better.

[@blkriqan]

Even going further, there isn't any Baseball draft coverage like Football and Basketball on ESPN.

[@KK-qs2kq]

People dont realize how expensive organized youth baseball is to play. Football and basketball are much cheaper and easier to get into.

[@greggibson33]

But Sherman Oaks ain't exactly poor country. Ephraim said his son was the only black kid on the team.

[@monarchist9691]

no way baseball is more expensive to play than football and basketball. one of the reasons baseball become so popular in the caribbean is because of how cheap it is

[@Bama20512]

Baseball takes patience to learn to play

[@TheFilmSpace1]

@@monarchist9691in the Caribbean not the United States

[@straightfacts6482]

@@Bama20512 To be honest, it’s not hard at all at the youth level. When players reach high school and college, that’s when they start quitting because everything isn’t as easy as it was in little league and travel ball. So, they just focus on basketball and football full-time.

[@Ksmoove39]

Well college baseball is popular depending on the region (south). Sadly Ephraim brings up a point that kids want the instant gratification but does this say something about kids choosing path of least resistance?

[@itsjob595]

Lol getting hit by 300 pound dudes is least resistance huh?

[@tru3dialect]

Because it's harder to make the majors than being an nfl or nba player. You don't get sent to the minors immediately as an nba or nfl player

[@rickywashington2594]

I heard it from a pro baseball Hall of Famer...when travel ball came into play thats when it got real....real expensive!!!!

[@josiahandre_]

You’re getting no 🐱 if u playing baseball in high school.

[@joel8692]

😅 it depends. I played highschool baseball at a school that had one of the best baseball programs in the country that produced several MLB stars and if u were on the varsity team u were slaying everything

[@Ulquiorra105]

A letterman jacket is a letterman jacket. Athletic/in shape is athletic/in shape. And you get the benefit of not getting seriously injured like in football. Ain't nothing wrong with Baseball. While with soccer, yeah... good luck. Also, shout out to Hockey lol.

[@josiahandre_]

@@joel8692 I’m talking more so if you’re a black man. But even with that example, it’s still the minority in the country

[@GooniesNeverSayDie1980]

If you do not live in one of the rare cities and suburbs that have a good to great baseball community, the game is absolutely boring unless you are pitcher, up at bat or in the dug-out.

[@itsjob595]

Bingo. You just standing around if you not the catcher , pitcher or at bat waiting. That's when I got bored.

[@davruck1]

@@itsjob595 if you’re just standing there you ain’t good

[@eamonkelley3811]

If you think baseball is boring you never cared to learn the game.

[@mrfathed3129]

I don't know what it's like for others, but the place where I grew up, most of the baseball fields got replaced by other things. Mostly soccer fields.

[@leonjj39]

David Justice gave a great point in south America MLB invest but not in urban areas of USA.

[@BMBM1997]

Baseball, Olympics and boxing were the first sports where you could get paid significantly and become a celebrity/ hero. Also basebal requires a lot of work and failire to succeed. If you're just fast,strong or tall naturally, that works for basketball and football bc you can get on the team just because of your potential. Can't rely on just that for Baseball.

[@Mook302]

Idk about everybody else but in my area it came down us being held back. Somehow the kids that always made the Allstar team and played on the AAU could never make the school team even tho it was the same group of kids. And if you did get on the team they just wanted you to run bases. If you were a pitcher you never pitched again. If you were in the infield, you were put in the outfield.

[@witchdoctor813]

My generation was the last generation of Black kids that were into baseball. We had Black heroes like Griffey, Bonds, Jeter, Sheffield, etc. Several things happened that shifted Black kids interest- little league diminishing and travel ball took over, Football and basketball popularity has surpassed baseball. And I think the MLB is terrible at marketing the game. They’re more concerned with getting international talent than homegrown players.

[@soda8736]

So when black kids played baseball , was it about marketing then?

[@marlonthemightysmith7836]

Facts

[@MikeGenius-qh2xj]

Real spiel. The parents have to be interested. My dad wasn't around & I grew up around coke feinds..my mom used to steal me packs of baseball cards. Topps Fleer Upper Deck Donruss. Seen Gary Sheffield at the mall in Sacramento when he played for Milwaukee. Bo Jackson & Ken Griffey are the only cats I remember having shoes. Them Griffeys' still raw.

[@anthonytaylor7928]

Facts and more facts

[@anthonytaylor7928]

​@@soda8736yes it was in the days of Willie mays Hank Aaron and Ken Griffey and others they were marketed and promoted big time

[@SmartDave60]

Very cool stadium. The history is amazing.

[@davidmarrotte3265]

Football and Basketball is where the money at!

[@cecilparson1171]

The Baseball discussion is Two-fold. For young Black kids the parks don't have Baseball Diamonds anymore in alot of inner cities, and the potential financial payoff is a much longer wait. Free agency is typically 28-30 in MLB, compared to NBA& NFL. The game has lagged behind national because Baseball is best consumed as a regional sport. Cities like New York, Boston, St.Louis when you turn sports radio in those cities Baseball can dominate a show for hours. Nationally Baseball is treated like hockey. The focus is on the playoffs, a star player, or major franchise going deep. The acclaim & allure for young black kids isn't their in Baseball, and even young white kids who are moving towards the NFL.

[@Ksmoove39]

We as black folk sadly don’t really like to “grind” and baseball is just that a grind with little to no social media love. No clicks or highlights and the culture loves that even though you can make a ton of $$$ with the work. This speaks volumes about the mentality of the culture

[@SE-gs6gd]

And football is not a “grind” lol. What are you talking about

[@itsjob595]

No it doesn't lol. Nice speech. Bottom line is boring bas hell. Black people keep telling you lol

[@chris-k8s5e]

Foolish take. Being good at Basketball n Football is not easy. Everyone can't do it WELL!!

[@NotExplicable]

The problem is the top athlete doesn't see anything good about playing in the minors where the team can decide to hold you back even if you're good.

[@vstpluginsonicxtc]

As a former little league coach, I watched how city parks and school districts stopped funding and supporting local baseball. At the same time, MLB was spending millions supporting baseball academies in countries like Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, etc. Sadly, the former baseball stars (Reggie Jackson, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson, etc.), Black leaders (Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, etc.) and business leaders, failed to push for policy changes to require investment in city baseball leagues across the country. As a result, traveling club teams have replaced city and high school teams. These club teams are expensive (registration alone can exceed $1500). Most Black Americans that were denied the ability to obtain generational wealth (due to slavery/Jim Crow) are unable to participate on these club teams. Remember, Black American baseball players had a lot of swag and "popularity" with fans and had access to attractive women up until the early 2000s. Players like Derek Jeter had millions of dollars, fame and dated some of the hottest women on stage and screen. Ken Griffie Jr., Ricky Henderson, Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson and so many others were on cereal boxes, in videos, and in commercials to the point it isn't even funny to think about. Bottom line- the influx of international players was created by design by baseball owners to bring in talented (cheap) players from other countries that did not command the kind of salaries of Black American players. We are watching the same thing happen in the NBA and NFL for the same reasons it happened in MLB. The new sports team model is to replicate what international soccer leagues do. Everything is based upon metrics (e.g., "Money Ball" the movie) where success is based primarily upon team play and not individual star power. The result is a rather bland watching experience. However, fan engagement (which equals bigger profits) is increased by embedding sports gambling into the sports entertainment industry. This is why you will see Draft Kings, FanDuel, etc. sponsoring so many sport events going forward. They are simply now paying a goodbye tribute to Black American players as the MLB moves forward toward being an international money-making machine tied to sports gambling. We will watch the same thing occur with the NBA over the course of the next 5-10 years as Lebron and Steph retire. The cost of AAU traveling teams means Black Americans will eventually stop playing at a high level in basketball as well. The NFL will move a little slower due to current NCAA football structure, but the influx of international college players, high cost to play upper-level high school football, means the loss of Black American players in the NFL is also inevitable.

[@davruck1]

Take the “will” out of it. It’s already occurred in the NBA and the NFL will follow that trend too. The NBA is deliberately ignoring Black American players in favor of international. Lebron and Steph are the last of that generation. There hasn’t been an American MVP in half a decade. And these MVP selections are very deliberate

[@greggibson33]

@@davruck1 Celtics just won the chip. More black players than white. There's that.

[@davruck1]

You don’t need these AAU and travel teams to get good. Lots of baseball players don’t get good until their early 20s because lots of the game is mental. An athlete with a good athletic foundation can switch to baseball and be effective immediately and improve with better competition. There’s lots of overlap between baseball and other sports

[@greggibson33]

@@davruck1 Disagree. You don't need to be quick, fast or jump high to be good at baseball. It's mostly hand-eye coordination. It's easier to catch a football and make a layup than hit a curveball.... It just is.

[@davruck1]

@@greggibson33 are you slow or something? I said look at MVPS, drafting and promotion. International does not mean white. This is what some of y’all don’t get. White players are losing their jobs in MLB because they can’t compete with international players. The MLB actually had a racial quota or it would’ve looked like the NBA. The NBA became mostly black because the teams are smaller so less room for role players. They are replacing Black players with international ones. Canadians, Africans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans and Australians might look Black but they ain’t. And Giannis is European technically but not considered white. Being Black is not about being “African”. Black Americans are our own group and treated poorly because we are a threat to the social order.

[@th3villag3pOp3]

Baseball is a great game, but as a fan of the Red Sox, it’s more a social event when I go to games. I would have business social meetings at baseball games because that’s just the vibe 🤣🤷🏾‍♂️

[@Sam................]

Could it be that essential baseball items are harder to acquire these days with things being nicer yet more expensive. A bat, a nice glove and ball is more than just a basketball or football. Also we live in the era of being inside on smart phones instead of socializing outside. You need more than just 1 person to successfully play baseball, where as you can shoot hoops alone.

[@erictalbert4633]

Plus socially you can get a pick up game of basketball or football almost anywhere. Basketball courts are everywhere and all you need are a ball and players. Same with football. Just a ball, your friends and a backyard. They’re both more accessible sports than baseball.

[@2682shark]

Feel like this is a fairly recent change.. When I grew up in the 80s/90s most of the best baseball players were black.. Bonds, Griffey, Tony Gwen, Frank Thomas, Rickey Henderson, Strawberry, etc.. Now I don’t think I can even name 2 .. Mookie Betts, That it

[@prayersofarighteousman]

Well my 8 and 6 year olds love baseball more than basketball even and are developing into good lil players. Travel baseball is no more expensive than travel basketball. I played D2 football, knees shot, multiple concussions. Rather my boys avoid that. It is about intentionally and seeking opportunities outside of where you typically see our boys thrive.

[@kashmoney7421]

It's getting more expensive and difficult to get into all of the leagues. The leagues are recruiting globally now. Also a lot of ex players are putting huge money into their children etc. I see it getting worse in all of the leagues eventually.

[@cantankerousblack5299]

Bryce Harper was on SI as a high school player. Popularity is not the reason there are no Black players

[@jerrybramlett3646]

David Justice broke it down way better then they did on Keyshawn Johnson show about Africa America in baseball

[@JB-tp6uj]

Ephraim is absolutely correct. Baseball was played during school when I was in high school over 25 years ago. Nobody cared. No pep rallies or announcements about upcoming games. Nobody even knew if the baseball team won the championship. Also, this sounds silly, but there's no "cool factor" in a slow game that lacks the kind of athleticism and wow-factor moments that make men envious and women swoon. A homerun or a good catch is not going to give someone the same level of clout (though fleeting) that dunking on someone in a packed gym or juking someone out on the football field can provide.

[@coreyeatmon5101]

And none of the niggas you know went anywhere

[@RamonAdorno-ds1wu]

Because you need a father to play catch with and unfortunately most black kids dads are locked up in jail. Single moms and grandmas don't play catch.

[@Wo1fLarsen]

Support Marquis Grissom and Lou Collier. They doing great black youth baseball work in Georgia.

[@everybodywannabelikemike_]

Baseball is boring and just like hockey there’s not a lot of places to play baseball in the hood

[@bobbysmoove4796]

As a 23-year old man, I’ve never played baseball growing up and never even sat through an entire game or cared to know the rules. I grew up on basketball and football and baseball just seemed boring and kinda dangerous tbh (I’ve seen some line drive compilations and I was like naw I’m good lol)

[@dustinhawks7571]

Travel baseball is extremely expensive to play, especially during high school years. That's going to eliminate a lot of underprivileged kids from all walks of life in this country. The other part is, there's no immediate money in baseball. Rookie contracts for football and basketball far exceed the first 6 years of MLB pay before free agency.

[@th3villag3pOp3]

Appreciated Ephraim’s nuanced perspective

[@eatupsidedown]

Cuz no club gives a f about a baseball player if you just on the team. Also if you can pitch- you might as well be a quarterback.

[@benjaminberman6200]

Ephraim- this is the truth! It has nothing to do with “black”- it’s freedom of choice. Kids choose basketball and Football.

[@scuba0022]

Multiple reasons .. 1. It cost too much to play travel ball .. 2. Takes too long to get to the show with single double and triple A .. 3. The equipment cost to much .. vs basketball and football

[@SSCHS7]

Baseball games can either be a very entertaining or very boring sport. And they are usually boring unless your team is winning or you appreciate a pitchers duel. Even going to a live baseball game feels more like "i'm hanging out with friends, having drinks and look at that, theres a baseball game going on!" The apparel is also a problem because aside from the hats, fans dont wear baseball gear year round. the jerseys are only worn by fans during the baseball season and the shoes(which are huge thing in basketball-you can wear basketball shoes year round in your daily life) cannot be used outside a baseball game so fans dont buy them the way they buy basketball shoes. Hell people even wear basketball shorts all year. For kids growing up, it also costs more money to play and practice and train for baseball than it does to play, train and practice basketball. Lastly, you have the fact that season is insanely long. Teams play 3-5 times a week so there is this feeling of "i dont need to watch todays game, there are plenty of games coming up" but in american football teams typically play once a week so each game feels more important

[@SojiFro_0]

I really want to love baseball but it’s a tough sport to get into. You can be just okay at basketball and still make an impact and have popularity.

[@nonamewillbegiven6847]

That's cause you're a simpleton

[@nonamewillbegiven6847]

That's cause you have a small attention span goofy

[@King_osei]

Ephriam is right about the high school baseball thing. The high school team would leave early to go to games. I just thought they had a long trip. I left school early that day and saw the baseball team playing a game and I was like wtf? 😂

[@iiRolltide]

Same at my school. I even tried out one year just because I wanted to get out of class early and they had what they called “diamond dolls” which was just each player had a girl assigned to them that would give them a gift basket every week full of snacks and gatorades. I didn’t make the team but I gave it everything I had😂

[@Yakkii]

Basketball harden than soccer? In what world is using your feet easier than your hands? A kid can score a 3 pointer easier than a screamer outside of the box.

[@Ulquiorra105]

He meant that the 4 yos can just run around, all kicking the soccer ball, screwing around. While with basketball, it needs to be a bit more organized, and 4 yos would just be trying to pull the ball out of each others hands, causing a foul on every possesion.

[@MarcBigga]

I’d guess it’s because baseball is seen as boring and basketball/football are easier to play in a leisure setting. At least in the city where I live, the public parks have more basketball courts and space for football and soccer.

[@scotty5448]

Its a simple reason, its boring, hell even the media don't focus on baseball like that, I can't remember the last time First Take did a long segment on a baseball game, the media will report on what an nba player wore to a game before mentioning anything that has to do with baseball.

[@rrmond]

Many reasons. Less than half the country can play baseball all year round. Michael Jordan elevated basketball at the exact same time video games took over the US. Less kids outside because u need a group of kids for a basball game. You need space and equipment. Hard to get in the inner city. Like he said baseball takes time and patience to get better because its HARD. You need to love it to play it. Go tackle someone and go shoot this ball is easier that go hit this curveball.

[@MarcBigga]

Yup. Football and basketball are easier to coordinate/ play in a leisure setting. I think this may be a factor as kids can just play those sports everyday, whereas baseball not so much unless they’re in travel ball.

[@itsjob595]

Playing football is far more painful dude

[@creditorclass6513]

We were functional athletes back then, we went by the season. By 12 everyone had a curveball because brotha's had dad's back then. We played "strikeout" against the walls of buildings with tennis balls.

[@thewho2482]

I remember as a kid playing baseball on the field. 5 on 5 and making it work. Playstation replaced sports. You just dont see kids play period

[@ryanvannice7878]

A better question is why is anyone playing baseball? Outside of school ball, there are few affordable options to play in middle school and high school at least where i live.

[@jaymanjay3.0]

I’m not saying it’s the only factor but one factor might be that although you can make a lot of money in baseball the road to that money is a lot longer than other sports. For baseball, you usually have to go through college and even if you get drafted, you have to go up through the minor leagues and that’s not a guarantee that you’re gonna make it to the major leagues and most players are not even making that much money in the minors. Where as with basketball? You can get drafted out of high school pretty much or even if you go to college you can now start making a ton of money in NIL or or go a bunch of money playing abroad.

[@rastaoiiii]

I think it has something to do with puberty starting at the same time kids transition from little league to *baseball*. Or you can choose to run track, which is co-ed...