Colorblindness only works in a world in which all things are equal. A world in which we can assume that every person that is born has an equal chance for success. HOWEVER, we dont live in that world and we have to acknowledge that inequalities between socio-economic and even racial groups still exist. Lets face the facts, African Americans are disproportionately in poverty. Lets also acknowledge, that baseball is the expensive of all major sports for a child to participate in. Aside from little league fees, you have to pay for your own equipment unlike every other sport. Guess what? Generally those with less money (disproportionately african americans) can't afford this and as a result are excluded from baseball. Speaking from a position of privelege like yourself means that many times we have little understanding of what it is like outside of our typical environment. Racism still exists in America even if the law isn't overtly racist anymore. Things aren't going to change in America regarding race and socio-economic issues until we acknowledge that the playing ground isn't equal and that barriers to equal participation still exist. Until we do that, colorblindness is simply naive and potentiall dangerous.
First of all, I'm not going to say that I am in poverty, but priveledged.......I think not sir. And to respond to your post, how is there a disperpotion in sports???? Have you watched a NBA game???? Have you watched a NFL game??? How the hell is sports disperportional. Actually....no your right....I don't see enough whites or asians or hispanics in those leagues. Your absolutely right. And you know, your also right about there still being racism in the US. And by racism, I dont mean whites hating blacks.....news flash people...racism happens from every corner...I have seen first hand Blacks being racist towards white people as well.....OOHHHH....no that could never happen. Yeah, Yeah...and you what else. I bet there are Blacks who hate asians, Asians who hate hispanics, Hispanics who hate whites. Racism is not just limited to Whites on Blacks, though you would know that by listening to the Liberal media. And I think people should be weary of using the word Racism anyway. I dont think there is THAT much racism now a days as there is DISCRIMINATION. And discrimination doesnt only end with race. I believe there will always be discrimination no matter what. There will always be discrimination between the rich and poor, tall and short people, blue eyed and brown eyed people, etc. My whole point is that If you are good at something, then you are good at something, who gives a damn what the color of your skin is. But everybody has to look at something and wonder...why arent there more blacks in such and such??.....maybe..just maybe because there are other people...white people...hispanic people..who are ..shhhh....BETTER than them..!!!!!! In the NBA and NFL being a freakish athlete is a must now a days. And blacks are indeed very athletic and talented, but baseball doesnt rely so much on pure athleticism, so there are other attributes to the game. And if "you" have it "you" have it, if you dont you dont. I love players like Tori Hunter, Preston Wilson, Barry Bonds (pre-steroids), Carl Everett, and others to name a few. But I love them because they are good at what they do. On the other hand, look at the Astros last year. They didn't have one Black player on the 40 man roster. And yet...thats right..they went to the World Series. You know it just might have to do with the fact that they had a special group of players. But it makes me SICK to think that even after that great season last year, there are STILL people that have to say crap like...."ohhh there werent enough minorities on our team"....BULLSH*T!....It doesnt matter. They were the right players at the right time. There is only a "problem with race" in the MLB because people with special interests..mostly the people in the media....want there to be and continue to bring the subject up to try and stir everyone. Don't you people understand that you can't let a scab heal unless you stop picking at it. How about we start to let the healing process begin and stop ALWAYS bringing up race and division and percentages and things that continue to divide us. For once I would like to hear someone say...hey why arent there enough "TALENTED" players in the MLB......JUST ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not true. Both Charlton Jimmerson and Charles Gipson were on their 40 man roster. Also, this thread has been discussed very civilly until you started posting. Whether or not professional sports are equally populated racially is not as relevant as being able to introduce sports to all kids across the country.
Please try organizing a little better, its really a pain to read. Also, no need to get upset and go nuts. Actually having a peaceful discussion is always good and is very rare here so please dont screw it up. Ok, lets get one thing straight, you totally missed the original argument that I and a number of others made. I'm not accusing MLB of openly being racist. Also, before I continue, lets first set the paramaters of what racism is. Racism isn't just a person holding a grudge against another racial group. Racism can also be when a system inherently excludes individuals, many of whom are part of a racial minority. Anyway lets break down your behemoth of a post. Yes I have watched those. First, privilege means that 1) you're not in poverty but more importantly 2) you have the privilege to have access to all basic necessities and wants. There are those that dont have this access and consequently aren't priviliged. Whatever, that's irrelevant. Anyway, I have watched NBA and NFL games and those prove my point. The economic barriers to participation are lower in those. In little league and high school baseball, players pay for their own equipment, so a poor individual who has to pick a sport will pick the cheaper one. Since African Americans are disproportionately in poverty, they get disproportionately affected by this. Youre dodging the question. I'm not going to defend African Americans who think little of Caucasians. That's racism and that's bad, fine. But the economic exclusion created by baseball is still racism and that should be acknowledged. Saying that racism exists everywhere, isn't an excuse to not combat it. By that token, MLK shouldn't have marched on the streets because racism is everywhere and therefore he had no right to complain. But how can you say the best are in baseball, when many potentially good players don't even get a chance to try? You're assuming that there is an equal playing field and that everyone got an equal chance to try to play baseball. That simply isn't the case. Great athletes of all racial groups don't get an opportunity to play lower level baseball because of the financial issues and as a result some of the best dont get to play. If everyone had a fair chance, I'd say it would be fine to be colorblind but we dont live in that world and as a result we still have to acknowledge that race plays a factor in life. I only care about this because when I was in little league, the only two african american kids quit after 1 year because they couldnt afford all the fees and equipment. We were lending them equipment for a year but we couldnt keep it up and they couldnt afford it. This is a real issue for people all over the country that has nothing to do with "special interests." I agree that race relations can be downright awful at times in this country but that's no excuse to not examine instances in which the system is downright exclusionary for those who don't have the resources needed to participate. Ok I'll say it, "there arent enough talented players in baseball." And do you know why that's the case? Because some people with plenty of talent don't have access to baseball and never get a fair shot at the big leagues.
I undertsand Bobrek's premise (the message he wants us to get from his original post) - which is the fact that the blacks issue is an national epidemic not necessarily limited to the Astros alone. And I agree with that (not that I could careless less if the Stros were all white or all black). Now bring up the NBA or NFL seems like you missed the point. White kids accross America still get the "equal" opportunity of football or basketball because they have gyms and fields in thier communities readily available to them while the arguement is that non whites (espcially blacks) do not enjoy a reasonable amount of baseball facilities and infrastractures in their communities. The issue indeed is a rather complex one and we must look at the causatives very carefully. I will like to see a continuous study of this issue and other pertinent sensitive issues like these. The last thing we want to do is turn our heads the other way like we did during segregation and the steroids era. A true and honest study will help eliminate innuendoes and complete apathy from both sides. Of note as well is the projection that Latinos will be the majority-minority group in America some 20-40 years down the road. What is baseball, football, Basketball, Hockey doing to integrate them as a major group and economically force? I want to see the sports make conscious efforts to build infrastructures in Latino and other neglected neighborhood so that their kids will get the equal exposure opportunities.
That depends, IMO, on the motive. I don't think you agree, but I think motive and intent are critical. Some systems (like the "public swimming pool" in my small town when I grew up) are inherently racist in that they are set up, by design, to exclude a race of people. On the other hand, if practical conditions (like economics or interest among communities) create a situation where fewer people from one group are another become involved, I do not agree that can be qualified as racism. Here MLB is reaching out to a group to market a great game, I don't think there is anything racist about the circumstances or the efforts made thus far. See, based on my comments above, I just disagree. I don't think baseball "created a system" that excludes people. Quite to the contrary, they've identified a condition that is excludeing people, and are actively looking to include them! Wouldn't it follow that that's to be commended? I've seen systems that are designed to exclude, and this ain't one of them. It's people who struggle economically who are affected--all of them, not just the "disproportianate number of African Americans." Additionally, I believe your arguments here seriously underestimate the role of interest in the community. Folks are just more intested in basketball and football right now. People, even folks in poverty, will spend money on what they value. I went to school with kids who couldn't afford to pay for the class field trip but were wearing $200 Nikes. Well, all my clothes were over a year old, my ankles were plainly visible, my shoes cost $14.95 and I went on the field trip. We valued different things. I didn't have the newest video games at home, but I played baseball.
MSN...THANK YOU!!.....FINALLY...a voice of reason. That was the whole point I have been trying to make. This entire thread is missing what really is the key here. Its not RACE that is the factor, its ECONOMIC STATUS!... jeezz people...open up your eyes. You guys even admit that its about kids in situations where they either can not afford to pay for equipment or choose not to. It doesnt matter if thet are black, white, hispanic, asian, whatever. That has NOTHING..i repeat...NOTHING to do with it. It matters if they have the resources. Believe it or not, not ALL white people are rich or well off. SHocker???? I'm sick and tired of hearing people talk about how poor black people are and how rich whites are. Hell my family works 5 jobs between the three of us just to met monthly expenses. And guess what..I'm white. Baseball just so happens to be an expensive sport to play. Oh Well...get over it. Life is not fair. Like MSN (a.k.a. voice of reason) said, I know lots of under-priveledged minorities (i.e. blacks) whose familys dont have a lot of money but there kids always have to go to school wearing fubu, sean paul, timberlands, nikes, etc. Last time I checked you can't buy that stuff at Wal-Mart. They choose to spend their money on their interests, and thats totally cool, whatever floats their boats. But don't use the fact that there black as an excuse that they cant afford to play baseball so therefore mlb isnt doing there job. Last time I checked, countries like Venezuela and Dominican Republic werent first rate, high class societies, and yet somehow they are spitting out talented baseball players. Sammy Sosa came from stricken poverty and proved to the world that if you have a dream and you work hard for it, you can achieve anything. Stop using peoples color as a crutch. It's not MLB's job to somehow find a way for every young person to play baseball. I'm white, when I was 9 I really really wanted to be a pitcher. My best friend who happens to be Hispanic was born into a wealthy family. And he decided that he would play catcher so we could be a battery for the same team. Well guess what, when it came time to sign up, my parents couldn't afford it, so I had to watch my friend get to chase his dreams while I cheered from the bleachers. You think Cold Pizza wants to run my story: "White Kid who lost out on dream because parents couldn't pay". Yeah, I'm sure every station wants to run a story like that. Get real people. If you guys want to discuss about how economic status affects the availablility of young people to play baseball, then im all for it. But when I saw the title, I just got sooooo freak'in tired of hearing people blame race as a factor. NEWS FLASH: Poor people and under priveledged people come in ALL colors. Not just blacks. And to reiterate what MSN said, a huge reason you don't see a sizable number of blacks in baseball is because its not being as glamourized as much as the NBA and NFL are. Young black kids want to be like Michael Jordan, and Michael Vick, not Barry Bonds. Oh yeah....by the way...whats so expensive about finding a stick and a rubber ball. Kids can start somewhere.
Did Peter Gammons punch your sister? Settle down, Beavis. You obviously have a big hangup about race and you feel like you are getting the raw end of the deal somehow. It's going to be ok.
That's funny, cause that's the same feeling I have everytime a black person complains about racism whenever something bad happens to them.
