re: Question for baseball fans...

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Therefore lack of fathers or price of equipment is meaningless if a kid really, truly wants to play a sport.

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True, but it may have some secondary impact on participation numbers. If a kid never has someone introduce him to baseball until he's ten or twelve, I imagine he's less likely to be involved later in life.

Also, baseball parents are nuts. I'll introduce it to my kids but I won't shed a tear if they don't like it.

And don't get me started on soccer ...

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You have to be more athletic to play football. Black kids get stronger and faster than white kids at an earlier age. Football is more of a pure athletic sport while baseball is more about muscle memory and repetitions.

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Okay sure. Maybe I'm missing what this has to do with no fathers or expensive equipment?

I def buy the "more likely to enter a sport where they can moreso capitalize on their athleticism" argument I just don't think lack of fathers or price of equipment argument make any sense logical sense. MAYBE price of equipment if blacks only played bball, but fball and the fact that poor kids in LA still play kind of blows a big hole in that theory.

Then why are there an ever increasing amount of Latin Americans from 3rd world poverty making it to the big leagues?

Also, pretty much everybody who wants a shot at the NBA plays in travel leagues from middle school on.

Do you not see the inconsistencies in your theory?

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The game's boring, man.

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Then why are there an ever increasing amount of Latin Americans from 3rd world poverty making it to the big leagues?

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baseball is huge in Latin American countries.

Especially Dom Rep, Cuba, along with others.

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Exactly, and its not huge in America and that has nothing to do with price of equipment or lack of black fathers. Its just ....not exciting, especially to the younger generations. Emphasis on PAST in America's pastime.

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you are probably correct, but country poverty could play into it. Soccer especially is very popular in 3rd world countries you need one ball and a couple of cones and you can soccer. You can probably just play it in your backyard and get very good. When I have done mission trips down there bring a soccer ball or two and you could soccer with the kids hours on end and they wouldn't get tired of it. I don't know why baseball is so popular in those countries but it probably just has to do with climate and the fact that you can actually play baseball with one or two baseballs and one or two bats.

Another factor that plays into it, is that in this country kids are becoming more lazy, instead of going outside throwing a baseball with friends, playing a baseball game possible (even if it is with whiffle balls or tennis balls), playing touch football, playing basketball or what ever. Most kids play inside now, watch TV, sit in front of the TV and play video games all day. In third world countries that isn't the case.

also one more thing about baseball, it doesn't fact that college baseball has made it so weak, no power in the game anymore, safety has become so important it has drastically hurt the game.

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Then why are there an ever increasing amount of Latin Americans from 3rd world poverty making it to the big leagues?

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We're talking about why there are less Americans in the MLB. So you're kinda making my point.

Latin America has no travel ball=more kids making it to the majors.

America has travel ball=less kids making it to the majors.


Travel ball is expensive-black kids are poorer on average-less black kids in the pros.




It's pretty much a air tight theory. The lack of father figures in many black households is just an idea I floated. I really don't know if there's anything to it.

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Statements like the one above show how stupid our society has become.

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Statements like "baseball isn't exciting?" Am I missing some sarcasm here?

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When you think about it, there's precious little actual live football action during a game. Most of the telecast consists of replays, waiting on penalty consultations, commercials, and so on, not to mention Halftime.

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Which must tell you how exciting those 7-10 secs are. Its so good ppl are willing to sit through 45 secs just to get to the next burst. NFL has a very crack-like business model.