When I was a kid in the early 90’s, I helped a couple of my black friends onto our little league team even though our community was mostly white. Those 2 guys dominated and loved the game. We had a great time and it brought two communities closer together… I love the way some black people play baseball. I show my kid highlights of Bo Jackson, Griffey JR, T Gwynn, Bonds, Mays, Aaron, Jeter, so many more, and get him to emulate them as well as many different styles of playing. It helps him so much. I was drafted by MLB and received full D1 Scholarship. Played with a lot of guys. Always wished there were more black guys to play with and against. Also, let’s not forget our black Caribbean friends that play baseball. Everyone seems to forget they’re black. I know, I know , it’s a cultural difference. I think what you’re trying to say on the video is North American blacks not playing as a cultural thing, right? If there were facilities in black communities similar that what the Caribbean has, maybe we could do better? I think Gary Sheffield tried setting something this this up a few years ago in my memory serves me correctly? Anyway, cool video and subject. I like your takes…
Taught myself to catch throwing a ball off a wall i was so close to the wall throwing as hard as i could i had a arm my eyes was watching that ball closely to see what it was going to do so i could react quick enough to get there i had to go get it when it hit that wall you had to be quick i was throwing it hard and fast in Alabama heat i was having fun but i was getting at it Hours at a time because I was bored. Taught myself to hit and swing picking up and dropping Oster shells and rocks for hours not knowing i was actually training myself. from that I Learned how to place the ball where I wanted it. placement was fun For some reason I could slow the ball down in my mind it looked like it was coming at me in slow motion I taught myself how to choke up on the bat to leverage my swing the people in the stands would yell out "boy he choking that turkey" i had know clue what that meant i still don't. Friends convinced me to come out and play baseball but football was my sport. Baseball was to slow of a game I went out anyway got teased because they said I was trying to be pretty or be flashey I developed a flashey style from throwing off the wall and a hitting style from the rocks and Oster shells i had to be quick hitting before they hit the ground. I played center field. Ball hit in the air I scoop it like off the wall throw it quick and fast like off the wall entertaining myself having fun not allowing myself to be bored ground ball I pick it throw in one motion too flashey they say I was flying around having fun a bouncer I charge it I had a side arm throwing motion while in the air throw in any direction I was having fun they called it trying to be pretty or flashey my arm was strong I could throw it on a rope from center field. I was starting but after a while the game was slow and all the negative talk . Nah baseball wasn't for me Mobile Alabama 1974 freshman year. my nephew now plays baseball for Murphy high school 10th grade fast sophomore fast my younger brother his father talented decided not to play. Kardrius toney Kansas city chiefs super bowl winner same neighborhood same high school his uncles never played but we saw what they could do.. so many greats we have never seen. My grandson kamari Davis plays football fast doesn't like baseball I tried convincing him with that speed no to slow of a game . So much talent not playing.
The way y’all played baseball growing up was practically identical that we played baseball in my small coastal Texas town. There were some huge pine trees on the far end of my neighbors yard that we called the Green Monster and it was a HR if you hit the tennis ball into the trees.
I was going to say the same thing. Exact same rules here in Houston. We also played “rooftops,” which meant we could play the ball for an out if we caught it in the air after it bounced off the roof of a house or car.
TBH I think overall black people aren’t playing baseball because it can be a boring sport. I love the game a baseball but it’s very time consuming and for black people we do like to use our time wisely. Over the more and more I watch MLB the foreign side is becoming more and more popular. Angels pitchers/hitter ShoTime is amazing, plays like Ronald Acuna, Juan Soto, or Ozzie Albies
To be fair, I think most people like to use time wisely. The boring argument is more an argument of familiarity as far as I can tell. Most things that you don't watch too often tend to be boring, and when you're into something, it's not so boring anymore. That can be said about most sports, for people who don't watch that sport. Like you said, there are many great players from outside of America, and some of them are the most talented, and most entertaining.
I’m Mexican. Grew up in East Los Angeles. My schools baseball team was in need of fast people. I didn’t know they could use people as substitute runners. He kept at it for weeks. All you gotta do is run! It’s easy(I was one of the faster kids at the school) I said the same thing. But it’s boring? Why would I play baseball? If I want to run I’ll do track. If I want a sport with running I’ll do soccer. Basketball is 100x better than baseball. But baseball? That’s the thing you play in gym class for a few weeks say wow that was fun and never play it again.
This video randomly came up on my YT homepage and loved watching every second of it as a returning baseball fan from years passed. Love the breakdown and insight here 🙏🏼 a new sub for sure
Good video, I was surprised when I checked your amount of views and subscribers on how low they were. I thought I was watching a video from a large creator. You did a great job talking about every point and explaining them. You earned a sub
Really good video. But I have to disagree with the take on the absence of fathers in the family household. There’s no doubt that it’s a big factor for many reasons such as starting to throw and hit at a very young age. Nobody developed elite baseball skills mostly playing with tennis balls in the streets. Not only that but it can’t be coincidence that most black mlb players at the peak of their presence in the league were born before the civil rights movement and the welfare state, which caused the rapid decline of 2 parent households in America.
I think it’s a region thing …live in Miami we play football..baseball is monopolized by Hispanics…I tried out in high school the coach told me I played too fancy..I told him him was doin what I saw on tv and movies
I don't get why the baseball player says there need to be more black people present? If the sport is fading from the culture due to basketball and football taking its place then that is fine.
We played baseball with a tennis 🎾 ball too. But we played “over the line” that doesn’t require running. A mex here that grew up in a crip neighborhood.
Kyle Murray and Russel Wilson could have chose baseball but they took a chance on the NFL and made it huge. I think a lot of it has to do with the ridiculously long schedule, little time off, and less popular games.
Among other things, a person can make the big money in basketball and football a lot earlier than in baseball. Lebron James signed a $90 million deal with Nike before he played a single NBA game. Some of the great baseball players of the past likely would be playing other sports if they were their younger selves today. Jackie Robinson was supposedly better at football and basketball than baseball. Today he would likely try for the NBA. Also, he had a lot of open space to play in having grown up on a farm.
Looking at the stat you displayed from the 1981 all star, it's not surprising considering the black pro players during that time, were all of the baby boomer generation that when they were growing up baseball the the top sport among black people. I'm 53 and when I started playing little league back during that time not many black kids were playing and this was in California (the mecca of black baseball players) unless their dads who were boomers were coaching. Back in the 80s there were more fathers in the home. Fathers back then were the ones introducing their sons to the game because they most likely have played also growing up. Today with over 70 percent of boys growing up in single parent female led households, there is no one to introduce boys to the game and show them how to play it.
Excuses excuses excuses excuses.sports crime and cRAP music. None on a construction site just like none in the stands at any sporting event. Only blacks in the stands are ones that are givin tickets by players.
Bruh, let’s not take a step back. We DO need more blck people at baseball but don’t make everything about a racial issue. Don’t make this about a racial issue. This is an interest issue not a racial issue. Everyone is welcome in baseball If we keep saying we and them, that’s a step back. BE THE BIGGER MAN/WOMAN This story gives me the sense that this guy thinks Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans etc are not black MJ was the most embraced baseball player when he went to mlb
I think you are making it a racial thing. I bilieve it's cultural. You don't like the baseball culture cuz u think is too white, and that's ok. But when you look at who's playing baseball you see people from all races and ethnicities, and a lot of the best players are actually black, but I guess black Latinos don't count as black people for this topic, so is it really race or culture?
@@WeGonBeAlright If you only watch football and basketball becase you feel more "represented", then don't put it on baseball when you are the one who've decided not to participate for cultural and racial reasons.
There's no point in drawing a distinction between different black ethnicities. How you can watch this video and think I watch basketball and football instead of baseball because "no representation" is beyond me.
@@WeGonBeAlright Then what do you mean by "dwindling rate at which black people are represented in MLB?" Cuz you either don't watch any baseball at all or you don't count Latinos as black. That statement simply isn't true, and you know it. You can't be telling people that blacks are underrepresented in baseball, that's a lie, and very disrespectful to all those who fought to make the sport accessible for people of all races and ethnicities.
This is an interesting take. I don't know any black people that follow baseball, but the sport is dominated by black and brown people. I (personally) wouldn't call it a white man's sport like I would Hockey, Lacrosse, and Golf (the other weapon sports) because the best players have consistently been black and brown for generations now. I started watching baseball in 08 after Manny Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers and I kept watching because Manny didn't give a fuck about anything lol in 2022 we're seeing the game change where the old white conservative is getting pissed off because of something a young brown player did that "wouldn't fly in his day". Have you heard of Tim Anderson? This dude is ruffling all types of feathers. 🤷🏽♂️ Idk, I love baseball and it always makes me cringe when I hear black people talk about it like it's a white sport because the best player in the league hasn't been white since Babe Ruth lol Idk maybe it's just because Latinos don't typically grow tall enough to compete in basketball or football that we resort to baseball lmao 😂
@@WeGonBeAlright Mookie Bets message was directed to you bro. There's no white people holding the sport back from black people. It's a personal thing if you like it or not. Maybe some black people have the idea that baseball fans are racist or too old fashion or whatever, idk, but that's exactly why Mookie was inviting you to the ballpark IMO, so you could experience the sport up close.
@@WeGonBeAlright Your video was well made, and you seem to be speaking from the heart, but I don't understand the message behind this video. It's titled Why black people don't play baseball, but that isn't true, because black people dominate the sport. Could they play other professional sports on the same level? Sure, but they play baseball. I could make a video titled Why Mexicans don't play basketball, and that would make sense because there's only one Mexican born player in the NBA lol but uhh...my dog...the best player in the MLB today (Aaron Judge) is half black, and the most dominant player in MLB history (Barry Bonds) is black and he broke a black man's all time home run record (Hank Aaron) before he retired.
The title of the video is in reference to the fact that 7% of (american) black people make up the MLB. The lowest percentage since it's high in 1981. thats nko a lot and it's getting worse. There's no use in using approximations in titles to RUclips videos.
@@kevinsb70 ikr. Guys who play baseball are like Byron buxton and Adam Jones ans guys who play football are like Greg hardy and ray rice😬also like u said he must not count black Dominican players as black only cuz they’re not American “black”
@@flaquis2729 that's why I say it's cultural not racial. This guy won't count black latinos as black. If he did his argument would fall flat right off the bat. He's the one exposing why black americans don't watch baseball, and it boils down to them wanting to see more representation of their own racial group. Black Latinos dominate baseball, but it isn't his culture so he won't watch... Who's fault is it then?
@@WeGonBeAlright I figured that most critics of baseball would appreciate the rule changes. It makes the game so much better. I’m still waiting to maybe one day see a serious test game or series with those rules. The bananas are great and all, but they really aren’t as good as Rookie Advanced or AA ball.
When I was a kid in the early 90’s, I helped a couple of my black friends onto our little league team even though our community was mostly white. Those 2 guys dominated and loved the game. We had a great time and it brought two communities closer together…
I love the way some black people play baseball. I show my kid highlights of Bo Jackson, Griffey JR, T Gwynn, Bonds, Mays, Aaron, Jeter, so many more, and get him to emulate them as well as many different styles of playing. It helps him so much.
I was drafted by MLB and received full D1 Scholarship. Played with a lot of guys. Always wished there were more black guys to play with and against.
Also, let’s not forget our black Caribbean friends that play baseball. Everyone seems to forget they’re black. I know, I know , it’s a cultural difference. I think what you’re trying to say on the video is North American blacks not playing as a cultural thing, right? If there were facilities in black communities similar that what the Caribbean has, maybe we could do better? I think Gary Sheffield tried setting something this this up a few years ago in my memory serves me correctly?
Anyway, cool video and subject. I like your takes…
Yeah I didn't want to draw a distinction black people's ethnicities.
Taught myself to catch throwing a ball off a wall i was so close to the wall throwing as hard as i could i had a arm my eyes was watching that ball closely to see what it was going to do so i could react quick enough to get there i had to go get it when it hit that wall you had to be quick i was throwing it hard and fast in Alabama heat i was having fun but i was getting at it Hours at a time because I was bored. Taught myself to hit and swing picking up and dropping Oster shells and rocks for hours not knowing i was actually training myself. from that I Learned how to place the ball where I wanted it. placement was fun For some reason I could slow the ball down in my mind it looked like it was coming at me in slow motion I taught myself how to choke up on the bat to leverage my swing the people in the stands would yell out "boy he choking that turkey" i had know clue what that meant i still don't. Friends convinced me to come out and play baseball but football was my sport. Baseball was to slow of a game I went out anyway got teased because they said I was trying to be pretty or be flashey I developed a flashey style from throwing off the wall and a hitting style from the rocks and Oster shells i had to be quick hitting before they hit the ground. I played center field. Ball hit in the air I scoop it like off the wall throw it quick and fast like off the wall entertaining myself having fun not allowing myself to be bored ground ball I pick it throw in one motion too flashey they say I was flying around having fun a bouncer I charge it I had a side arm throwing motion while in the air throw in any direction I was having fun they called it trying to be pretty or flashey my arm was strong I could throw it on a rope from center field. I was starting but after a while the game was slow and all the negative talk . Nah baseball wasn't for me Mobile Alabama 1974 freshman year. my nephew now plays baseball for Murphy high school 10th grade fast sophomore fast my younger brother his father talented decided not to play. Kardrius toney Kansas city chiefs super bowl winner same neighborhood same high school his uncles never played but we saw what they could do.. so many greats we have never seen. My grandson kamari Davis plays football fast doesn't like baseball I tried convincing him with that speed no to slow of a game . So much talent not playing.
Parents, please hear me on this: your 5’8” son isn’t going to make it to the NBA. Go buy them a $50 swing trainer and a bat.
The way y’all played baseball growing up was practically identical that we played baseball in my small coastal Texas town. There were some huge pine trees on the far end of my neighbors yard that we called the Green Monster and it was a HR if you hit the tennis ball into the trees.
Oh I forgot to add info about home runs (I didn't get very many) but there was a sidewalk like 50 yards from home plate.
Same here in SoCal…
I was going to say the same thing. Exact same rules here in Houston. We also played “rooftops,” which meant we could play the ball for an out if we caught it in the air after it bounced off the roof of a house or car.
@@kylesmith6306 Oh man, I forgot about roof tops! I grew up down by Victoria.
I'mma let you finish, but Barry Bonds is the greatest baseball player of all time.
😂
He wasn't even the best player of the 90s...that was Griffey.
I think it's Willie Mays or Hank Aaron but that's proving your point too lmao 😂
really good video, didn't miss any points whatsoever. great job!
Black baseball had it's run , just like black jockeys and black cowboys.
Well it needs a comeback
TBH I think overall black people aren’t playing baseball because it can be a boring sport. I love the game a baseball but it’s very time consuming and for black people we do like to use our time wisely. Over the more and more I watch MLB the foreign side is becoming more and more popular. Angels pitchers/hitter ShoTime is amazing, plays like Ronald Acuna, Juan Soto, or Ozzie Albies
To be fair, I think most people like to use time wisely. The boring argument is more an argument of familiarity as far as I can tell. Most things that you don't watch too often tend to be boring, and when you're into something, it's not so boring anymore. That can be said about most sports, for people who don't watch that sport. Like you said, there are many great players from outside of America, and some of them are the most talented, and most entertaining.
Also, I think baseball is less popular these days because there's just way more going on that's captivating people's attention.
Like golf..boring to watch..very very fun to play
I’m Mexican. Grew up in East Los Angeles. My schools baseball team was in need of fast people. I didn’t know they could use people as substitute runners. He kept at it for weeks. All you gotta do is run! It’s easy(I was one of the faster kids at the school) I said the same thing. But it’s boring? Why would I play baseball? If I want to run I’ll do track. If I want a sport with running I’ll do soccer. Basketball is 100x better than baseball. But baseball? That’s the thing you play in gym class for a few weeks say wow that was fun and never play it again.
This video randomly came up on my YT homepage and loved watching every second of it as a returning baseball fan from years passed.
Love the breakdown and insight here 🙏🏼 a new sub for sure
Baseball rules!
Great content. So insightful, thank you Jeff ❤
If they don’t want to play, why should we force it on them? Let people play what they want
Good video, I was surprised when I checked your amount of views and subscribers on how low they were. I thought I was watching a video from a large creator. You did a great job talking about every point and explaining them. You earned a sub
Tell your friends about me!
Don't know why we don't no more cause we sure do have hell of a lot of all time great black players
Really good video. But I have to disagree with the take on the absence of fathers in the family household. There’s no doubt that it’s a big factor for many reasons such as starting to throw and hit at a very young age. Nobody developed elite baseball skills mostly playing with tennis balls in the streets.
Not only that but it can’t be coincidence that most black mlb players at the peak of their presence in the league were born before the civil rights movement and the welfare state, which caused the rapid decline of 2 parent households in America.
I'm pretty sure black people play baseball
great video! definitely subbed my guy keep making great content like this. showed a new perspective on a issue in one of my favorite sports
I played baseball all the way up until semi professional.
I think it’s a region thing …live in Miami we play football..baseball is monopolized by Hispanics…I tried out in high school the coach told me I played too fancy..I told him him was doin what I saw on tv and movies
Bless you thank you for sharing
Great Video and great insights. You've got a new Subscriber.
I don't get why the baseball player says there need to be more black people present? If the sport is fading from the culture due to basketball and football taking its place then that is fine.
We played baseball with a tennis 🎾 ball too. But we played “over the line” that doesn’t require running. A mex here that grew up in a crip neighborhood.
Kyle Murray and Russel Wilson could have chose baseball but they took a chance on the NFL and made it huge. I think a lot of it has to do with the ridiculously long schedule, little time off, and less popular games.
Russell Wilson played college baseball, Kyler Murray was I believe all state baseball player.
Both were drafted by MLB teams. Wilson drafted to Batimore and Murray was drafted to Oakland.
Among other things, a person can make the big money in basketball and football a lot earlier than in baseball. Lebron James signed a $90 million deal with Nike before he played a single NBA game. Some of the great baseball players of the past likely would be playing other sports if they were their younger selves today. Jackie Robinson was supposedly better at football and basketball than baseball. Today he would likely try for the NBA. Also, he had a lot of open space to play in having grown up on a farm.
Found you. Sub'd. Thanks Jeff. Best.
Baseball has tradition, and I was a fan of Griffey Jr's papa.
We played kickball.
There was alot of dominant black baseball players for decades what he talking about its just today blacks just now steady going to NFL or NBA more
Looking at the stat you displayed from the 1981 all star, it's not surprising considering the black pro players during that time, were all of the baby boomer generation that when they were growing up baseball the the top sport among black people. I'm 53 and when I started playing little league back during that time not many black kids were playing and this was in California (the mecca of black baseball players) unless their dads who were boomers were coaching. Back in the 80s there were more fathers in the home. Fathers back then were the ones introducing their sons to the game because they most likely have played also growing up. Today with over 70 percent of boys growing up in single parent female led households, there is no one to introduce boys to the game and show them how to play it.
Where'd you get that 70% of boys growing up in single parent households stat from?
A Gorillaz song brought me here
Really? Weird.
Welcome!
@@WeGonBeAlright in do ya thang says: how come blacks don't play baseball
Excuses excuses excuses excuses.sports crime and cRAP music. None on a construction site just like none in the stands at any sporting event. Only blacks in the stands are ones that are givin tickets by players.
Bruh, let’s not take a step back. We DO need more blck people at baseball but don’t make everything about a racial issue. Don’t make this about a racial issue. This is an interest issue not a racial issue. Everyone is welcome in baseball
If we keep saying we and them, that’s a step back. BE THE BIGGER MAN/WOMAN
This story gives me the sense that this guy thinks Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans etc are not black
MJ was the most embraced baseball player when he went to mlb
My dude, did you watch the video?
Everyone’s not Michael jordan lol
Because they all 9 feet tall or built like a bus
I think you are making it a racial thing. I bilieve it's cultural. You don't like the baseball culture cuz u think is too white, and that's ok. But when you look at who's playing baseball you see people from all races and ethnicities, and a lot of the best players are actually black, but I guess black Latinos don't count as black people for this topic, so is it really race or culture?
So, like, you're just going to ignore the dwindling rate at which black people are represented in MLB?
@@WeGonBeAlright If you only watch football and basketball becase you feel more "represented", then don't put it on baseball when you are the one who've decided not to participate for cultural and racial reasons.
@@WeGonBeAlright are black latinos black too or not? You're gonna need to define who's black ans who's not my man.
There's no point in drawing a distinction between different black ethnicities. How you can watch this video and think I watch basketball and football instead of baseball because "no representation" is beyond me.
@@WeGonBeAlright Then what do you mean by "dwindling rate at which black people are represented in MLB?" Cuz you either don't watch any baseball at all or you don't count Latinos as black. That statement simply isn't true, and you know it. You can't be telling people that blacks are underrepresented in baseball, that's a lie, and very disrespectful to all those who fought to make the sport accessible for people of all races and ethnicities.
This is an interesting take. I don't know any black people that follow baseball, but the sport is dominated by black and brown people. I (personally) wouldn't call it a white man's sport like I would Hockey, Lacrosse, and Golf (the other weapon sports) because the best players have consistently been black and brown for generations now. I started watching baseball in 08 after Manny Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers and I kept watching because Manny didn't give a fuck about anything lol in 2022 we're seeing the game change where the old white conservative is getting pissed off because of something a young brown player did that "wouldn't fly in his day". Have you heard of Tim Anderson? This dude is ruffling all types of feathers. 🤷🏽♂️ Idk, I love baseball and it always makes me cringe when I hear black people talk about it like it's a white sport because the best player in the league hasn't been white since Babe Ruth lol Idk maybe it's just because Latinos don't typically grow tall enough to compete in basketball or football that we resort to baseball lmao 😂
Iagree. The greatest baseball players have been black and brown the last 25 years.
@@WeGonBeAlright Mookie Bets message was directed to you bro. There's no white people holding the sport back from black people. It's a personal thing if you like it or not. Maybe some black people have the idea that baseball fans are racist or too old fashion or whatever, idk, but that's exactly why Mookie was inviting you to the ballpark IMO, so you could experience the sport up close.
And no one said White people were holding us back
@@WeGonBeAlright Your video was well made, and you seem to be speaking from the heart, but I don't understand the message behind this video. It's titled Why black people don't play baseball, but that isn't true, because black people dominate the sport. Could they play other professional sports on the same level? Sure, but they play baseball.
I could make a video titled Why Mexicans don't play basketball, and that would make sense because there's only one Mexican born player in the NBA lol but uhh...my dog...the best player in the MLB today (Aaron Judge) is half black, and the most dominant player in MLB history (Barry Bonds) is black and he broke a black man's all time home run record (Hank Aaron) before he retired.
The title of the video is in reference to the fact that 7% of (american) black people make up the MLB. The lowest percentage since it's high in 1981. thats nko a lot and it's getting worse. There's no use in using approximations in titles to RUclips videos.
Idk who told u black people don’t play baseball but ur 100% dead wrong. Just look at an mlb roster for once in ur life🤣🤣
Okay... www.forbes.com/sites/anthonystitt/2022/04/07/for-the-first-time-in-63-years-the-phillies-have-no-black-american-player-on-opening-day-roster/?sh=49c888d417db
@@WeGonBeAlright why aren't white people playing basketball?
@@kevinsb70 ikr. Guys who play baseball are like Byron buxton and Adam Jones ans guys who play football are like Greg hardy and ray rice😬also like u said he must not count black Dominican players as black only cuz they’re not American “black”
@@WeGonBeAlright that is talking about black Americans, you shouldn't discount other "black" people just because they aren't American.
@@flaquis2729 that's why I say it's cultural not racial. This guy won't count black latinos as black. If he did his argument would fall flat right off the bat. He's the one exposing why black americans don't watch baseball, and it boils down to them wanting to see more representation of their own racial group. Black Latinos dominate baseball, but it isn't his culture so he won't watch... Who's fault is it then?
Check out bananaball and tell me what you think about it
I did. It's incredible!
@@WeGonBeAlright I figured that most critics of baseball would appreciate the rule changes. It makes the game so much better. I’m still waiting to maybe one day see a serious test game or series with those rules. The bananas are great and all, but they really aren’t as good as Rookie Advanced or AA ball.
So you’re just not going to include Spanish speaking blacks??
I addrees that in the video description.
Can't hit the curve ball.