Can Baseball Win Back the African-American Community?
Jackie Robinson Park is a relatively idyllic multipurpose green space in the middle of Washington Heights, a working-class neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
There are parks everywhere in Chicago, a product of the post-World War II initiative of the Parks District to green up the city. And although JRP is more well manicured than its neighboring parks and houses newer facilities, what sets it apart—especially in these summer months—are the hordes of black kids playing baseball there.
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Black folks have always played and still play baseball in this city. It is contrary to the incessant narrative of the dwindling number of black Major League Baseball baseball players and fans. That narrative, of course, is supported by hard data. African-Americans made up just 8.2 percent of MLB Opening Day rosters this season, according to Richard Lapchick's diversity report, about half what they held as recently as the late '90s.
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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2151944-can-baseball-win-back-the-african-american-community
A whole lot more at the link. This is an interesting article if you care about baseball and racial trends in the game.
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I can count on one the number of times I actually played a game of baseball. I don't really count the fall practice/tryout class I took in HS. All I did were outfield drills w/ the exception of one batting session w/ the coach trowing pitches. Before that, I even had a bat and a glove for a few years but where can you find 17 others to play and practice needed to reach that level. Travel/team costs makes sense as well, my cousin growing up played organized baseball all-the-time, playing for city teams as a teenager that traveled all over the state. His dad my uncle was a pretty good ballplayer himself, my dad used to tell me all the time that he had the 7th highest BA in Colorado in high school. It got my cousin a scolarship to a very small college in Colorado. He was picked up by Lincoln of the AA Independent League. Struggled - Tucson Toros of the Golden Baseball League gave him a chance and had 2 excellent seasons, played in the last Golden Baseball League Championship. Returned to AA for 2 more seasons. He was a manager for a team last year, not sure where he's at this year.
Anyways, long odds, equipment, expenses all very good points. It is easy to find a game of pickup basketball and you can work on shooting/dribbling by yourself. A little more difficult to find football games but a ball and two people you can work on skills. I aimed to be a receiver but found that I could throw better than most of the people I could find to play catch w/. After Moss's rookie season there was no other position I wanted to play.
Another good point is "jungle" of the minor leagues as an unattractive option.
One thing I feel the article failed to mention is there is a bit of statistical discrimination going on in MLB unlike football and basketball. There used to be a great deal in football w/ blacks being pushed into receivers/secondaries as in baseball the outfield. When it comes to pitching they're being pushed into relieving roles (compare the number of black relievers to starting pitchers) leading to more innings, pitches, and shorter careers. This is just what we know about MLB, I imagine it is the same at the minor league and lower levels to youth levels.
On the point of pitchers there is also this -- http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1652338,00.html
People are not stupid, when they recognize they have more equal opportunities elsewhere that is where they're going to go.
Also second boring as another good point. 
