African American Baseball Research Paper

And how could you blame much of the African American youth, given the context of baseball and basketball’s statuses among this group, for not being able to tell you their favorite MLB player despite their admiration for, seemingly, countless NBA stars? After hearing from older members of the Mount Vernon baseball community, it’s not surprising that their kids can’t name what teams Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, or Clayton Kershaw play for, despite knowing all about Steph Curry, LeBron James, or Kevin Durant. After Barry Bonds won his seventh and final Most Valuable Player award in 2004 while playing for the San Francisco Giants, only three African Americans have won either the American League or National League MVP: Philadelphia Phillies stars Ryan

African Americans don’t often have a hero of a similar ethnic background to relate to and root for. Gone are the days of the Negro Leagues, where African Americans of all ages were able to root for relatable heroes. There’s no modern-day equivalent of Willy Mays, Willie Stargell, Bob Gibson, or Hank Aaron for African Americans to invest interest in. There are up-and-coming African American baseball stars such as Boston’s Mookie Betts, Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, and Seattle’s Taijuan Walker, but these players would be hard pressed to create enough buzz for the MLB in the African American community to divert attention away from the NBA, or any other sports league for that matter, to the extent of inspiring a new generation of ethnically diverse and homegrown players. Terell Huntley, a Mount Vernon High School baseball player, echoes this assertion: “‘You need someone to look up to’” (Haggerty). Right now, African American do not really have that

Baseball equipment can cost much more than equipment for other major sports, and select youth teams and elite camps can go on trips to tournaments or charge admission that cost hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars. ESPN Senior Writer Tim Keown reinforces this idea in a 2013 article. After then-MLB commissioner Bug Selig announced that a new committee—the On-Field Diversity Task Force—would be formed in order to investigate the lack of African American youth involvement in baseball (Axisa, “MLB creating committee