Inner City Youth Are Being Pushed Away From Baseball

I was sitting at my Step Sons "B" team baseball game the other night and they were playing a team out of Columbia that as a group was probably equal to a mediocre 10u Travel Baseball Team. To say the least it was a sad thing to see and along with the rest of the parents on our team I couldn't help but cheer every time they were able to get our boys out. Unfortunately before it was all said and done the score was 27-1 after 4 innings and we did everything we could do not to score "50!" Needles to say this is becoming an all to often sight on High School field across our country. The decline in Minority Baseball Players in the Major Leagues has a direct correlation to the small numbers that are playing youth baseball in the inner city.

Due to these never-ending expenses, it is rational for African American athletes to veer their sights toward the free throw rather than the long ball. Basketball is a more accessible sport: in urban areas there are more opportunities to engage in a pickup game free of charge. Besides the hoop, players desire only sneakers and a ball.

Not only is basketball more convenient and more reasonable for less privileged children, but the sport along with football can provide athletes with full collegiate scholarships. No matter how good you are, you’re not getting a full ride." This is due to the overwhelming profit produced by collegiate basketball and football programs. "Many low-income kids don’t have the option of going to college to develop their game and get an education.

A common modern complaint about our great American pastime is the game’s speed. In addition to financial constraints preventing more black Americans from giving the sport a try, resistance has developed because of negative connotations that deem the sport "boring" in comparison to its higher paced counterpart. So what can we do? First of all we have to get Corporate America involved, it's going to take funding and not just a one time pop. A continues stream of revenue has to be established and I know that's easier said than done. Second we need to attract the athletes, getting them to switch or play multiple sports is the key to developing a continued flow of ball players that will draw interest from the younger players. Third, we need to make good coaching accessible to these kids and as easy as they may sound this may be the toughest hurdle to overcome. We have a lot of caring and knowledgeable people in the state of South Carolina that can make a big difference, we need to identify them seek them out and get them involved. The no child left behind needs to take precedence in this initiative. Our Game is a tremendous sport that enriches our lives, theirs no reason why any child that longs to play it should be denied due to things out of their control.