MLB Assigns Task Force to Increase Diversity
On the eve of the release of the film “42”, depicting the life of the first black MLB player Jackie Robinson, Bud Selig has announced the formation of a “task force” with the goal of increasing diversity in baseball.
This comes as refreshing news to anyone familiar with the game, and it’s obvious lack of diversity existing today. The number of African-American players in the MLB has been steadily declining since it’s peak in the 1980’s. This is troubling news for a game that still considers itself “America’s Pastime”. The first moves to be made by the task force – led by Detroit Tigers president Dave Dombrowski – and it’s methods are not immediately clear, but the message is – Major League Baseball desperately wants to become more popular with African-Americans.
I penned an essay on the subject of the decreasing popularity in baseball last semester, and will post this because of it’s relevance to today’s news.
Brickslap 