Baseball and Blacks

There has been a lot of talk recently about why blacks are abandoning baseball for basketball and football, as the numbers of whites and other minorities are increasing. One point that seems to keep being brought up is the economics of the sport--which is a silly argument. While true, basketball needs just a ball for play (and football, if you want to play without pads), but isn't it true of baseball as well? A bat and ball are relatively cheap, are perfect gifts for birthday or Christmas, and the idea that a neighborhood is devoid of a single bat is ludicrous. The fact of the matter, and it is a simple fact at that, is that baseball doesn't have any huge personable and relatable stars. Barry Bonds? Call him inflatable, an ass who gets on everybody's nerves, including the great he is currently chasing, Hank Aaron, who is planning a fishing trip when is hallowed record is surpassed by a dick injected with chemicals. What other black baseball athlete can the youth of today relate to? They exist, of course they do, but they carry half the weight that Kobe Bryant, Randy Moss, LeBron James, Wade, Tomlinson, Vick, Michael Jordan (still a huge influence), and so on and so forth.

In fact, the same question is posited for whites and the NBA. Why are whites abandoning the NBA? And the stars are there, Dirk and Nash--as if the youth of today can only relate to someone of their own skin color, but that is a whole different article. All I know is that I wish I could be Jose Reyes, or Tomlinson, or, hell, anybody who can play. Anyway, the answer usually is the same to both questions, the hip-hop culture. Now, this in itself is another article, but there is another simple answer to both questions and all questions relating the popularity of a sport, either to a particular demographic or the entire country...

Cycles. Era. As one ends, another begins, and in some cases, a sport loses popularity and in another it gains it. There is no doubt the current national sport of choice is football, no question judging by all reliable statistics. But the other sports do all right (minus hockey, of course), and who knows, football cannot be king forever. So while people, myself included, search for answers as to why a certain sport is losing popularity, just know that sometimes--like all things in life--it is time for something to go.

And no worries, it'll be back. Sooner or later, like all fads, it will be back.