Did Integration Drive African-Americans Out Of Baseball?

There is little doubt that the integration of professional baseball resulted in the collapse of the Negro Leagues. But did the signing of Jackie Robinson also signal the decline of baseball as an entertainment staple in the black community? Bill Blair of the Dallas Elite Newspapers discusses the issue with Black Athlete Sports Network. Read the whole story here.

Technorati Tags: Negro League, Negro Leagues, Jackie Robinson

Comments

[James A.]

I can see where you're going with this. Black people are not going to support a sport that they can't identify with. I loved baseball as a young kid and remembered following it every day. I was a fan of Frank Robinson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Bobby Bonds, Joe Morgan and Roberto Clemente. I can't say I would have felt that way if those guys weren't there for me to look up to.

Basketball and football are full of black stars to look up to. It never really dawned on me that you don't see as many black baseball players in the city or anywhere else really. The game is very slow and your athletecism is harder to demonstrate. There are many good players, but it's the black Latin players that get looked at in the Dominican Republic and South America.

Good story!!