As the 70th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the baseball’s color barrier nears, baseball l commissioner Rob Manfred said he is committed to increasing the participation of African-Americans in the sport.
Black players accounted for 8.3 percent of rosters in 2016, according to MLB. The highest percentage was 19 in 1986, MLB said, citing researcher Mark Armour from the Society for American Baseball Research.
The percent of African-Americans in the NBA in 2016 was 74.3 and it was 69.7 in the NFL, according to statistics published by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports in Orlando, Florida.
The 2016 MLB Draft contained the highest percentage of black players (25 percent) since 1992. The Institute graded MLB an A for its racial hiring practices.
“Major League Baseball is proud to honor Jackie’s legacy and is committed to engaging all groups of young people, especially African-American youth, in our sport,’’ Manfred said in a statement to Newsday. “We are particularly focused on growing our grass roots and development programs and, most importantly, making sure kids have fun playing our game through the Play Ball initiative. Over the past few years, there has been real growth in both participation numbers and diversity percentages in the draft. Engaging youth from all backgrounds has been one of my top priorities as commissioner. These efforts will only continue to strengthen as we look to build sustained interest and engagement for years to come.”
Sharon Robinson, the 66-year-old daughter of the Hall of Fame player, is the educational consultant for MLB. “I think we have to work to keep their interest,’’ she said of minority athletes. “We have basketball in their face, it’s readily accessible, you don’t need space, you don’t need the money it requires. So much of what major league baseball is doing is leveling that field and offering it to urban youth and youth in general so they can afford it, have quality coaching, have a place to play and develop their talents and also keep their interest in the sport.’’
