On Sept. 1, 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates made history by becoming the first major league team to field an all-Black lineup. U.S.- born Blacksûpitcher Dock Ellis, outfielders Gene Clines and Willie Stargell along with infielders Al Oliver and Dave Cashûjoi
That’s something that would be virtually impossible today. Sixty-one years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, U.S.-born Blacks have become the exception instead of the rule in the majors.
While Latin and Asian players, particularly those from Japan, continue to increase in the majors, the number of U.S. born Blacks continues to dwindle. In a recent poll, it was found that less than nine percent of the current major leaguers were U.S.-born Blacks.
That’s a sharp decrease from the mid-1970s when 27 percent of major leaguers were Blacks born in this country. Locally, the White Sox have only two native Blacks on the 2008 roster in Jermaine Dye and Jerry Owens.
The same is true for the Cubs who also have just two: first baseman Derrek Lee and reserve Darryl Ward. Why? It’s a question that has been asked in recent years and the answers vary. “If Jackie Robinson was alive today,” he would truly be saddened to see the lack of Black players in the majors,” said Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams.
“Growing up in Alabama, all we did as youngsters was play baseball,” Williams a d d e d . “If we weren’t p l a y – ing it, w e were listening to the games on the radio. Wi l l i a m s points to the lack of available facilities in the Black community as being a m a j o r factor in the reas o n Black youngsters aren’t picking up bats and balls these days.
“While all a kid needs is just a ball and a hoop to play the game of basketball,” Williams stated, “baseball, though, is different. You need the proper facilities to play baseball. You can’t hit a ball and then go and catch it yourself.” Basketball truly has become the sport of choice in the Black community.
While a kid can dream of playing in the NBA right out of high school, baseball is a sport of timing and patience that takes time to develop one skills. A white pitcher named David Clyde got a start for the Texas Rangers just a few days after his high school graduation. Clyde had a terrible outing and was never heard from again in the majors.
Recall the late Dave DeBusschere, former Celtic Danny Ainge and even superstar Michael Jordan. All attempted to play baseball as well as basketball. All three, including Jordan, failed miserably and went running back to the hardwood. While natural physical ability can be used to to excel in the game of basketball or football, how big you are or how fast you can run or how high you can jump doesn’t matter in baseball if you can’t hit or field the ball.
“Young kids just don’t have the patience for baseball anymore,” says long time Simeon high school baseball coach Leroy Franklin, whose program produced former major leaguer Wes Chamberlain. “They like their results right away and baseball is a game that involves a lot of down time and waiting for results to happen.”
For one coach, basketball or football is preferred to baseball because of the girls. “Teenage boys like to show of their athletic ability to teenage girls and teenage girls just don’t like baseball,” says one former Public League baseball coach. “How many cheerleaders are there at a high school baseball game?”
The NBA continues to grow in popularity among young Blacks and one reason could be, like it or not, because the league has aligned itself with the hip hop culture and players like Allen Iverson are imitated and worshiped Not only is there a lack of Black players, there are also relatively few Black fans attending major league games.
On Opening Day at Wrigley Field recently, the bleachers were filled with mostly white fans while in the grandstands, Black vendors appeared to outnumber Black fans. Teams such as the White Sox have done many things to attract Black fans to games.
However, as one Black fan says: “If someone was giving away free tickets to a Reba McEntire (country and western singing star) concert at the United Center, you still probably wouldn’t find many Black people who would want to go.” “People like what they like.” Little League baseball programs are also a key to getting Black youngsters back to playing baseball.
The Jackie Robinson West Little League, the Roseland Little League and the South Side Little League are growing each year. “You have to start young to get involved in baseball,” said Jackie Robinson West Little League president William Haley. “You have to instill a love for the game at a young age or they will never have it.”
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