Why We Need More Diversity in Baseball

By Frankie Wallace
Updated: April 28, 2019

Baseball has long been known as the great American pastime; and like other sports in the U.S., diversity in teams has increased over the last several decades to include the best players. Among Major League Baseball teams, almost 40 percent of players are not white, which truly represents the melting pot that is the U.S.

However, the diversity off the field and behind the cameras is not quite so apparent. From coaches to team owners, the people running the show and making the big bucks off the industry are largely white — and for an industry where so many players are people of color, giving more space to other non-white folks off the field could be valuable for fans and players to see.

Diversity in Major League Baseball

In 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers recruited Jackie Robinson as part of their team. Although this initially stirred surprise and conflict in the baseball industry, other teams soon followed in order to make their teams the best by basing recruitment solely on a player’s skill. This transition in the dynamic of baseball teams helped the sport become what it is today.

Although many players helped criticize the baseball industry for the racism occurring on and off the field, one impactful player was Puerto Rican professional baseball player Roberto Clemente, who played 18 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

According to an interview with the author of “Playing America’s Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line,” Adrian Burgos, “Clemente was a transformative figure who pushed for respect of Latinos and their culture on and off the playing field specifically in his willing to openly denounce racist and cultural bigoted beliefs that predominated during that time inside of baseball circles as well as in US society. Whether Clemente is the greatest outfielder or right fielder in baseball history is a debatable matter, but whether he is one of the most important baseball figures of the 20th century is without debate.”

In 1973, Clemente was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming both the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be enshrined.

With so many people of color providing their talent for the entertainment of the sport, there are very few coordinating the details and helping make baseball the best it can be. Across all professional sports leagues, there is a lack of diversity among team owners. Between the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, there are only a small handful of team owners who are non-white.

In 2013, all of MLB’s owners were white people, apart from Arturo Moreno, who is the owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. However, among team players, about 33 percent of players were latino, which is the highest percentage of that demographic among any professional sports team players. Although there is a lot of diversity among teams, the lack of diversity among baseball management and administration shows the work that still needs to be done.

In order to be truly diverse, baseball needs to involve more people of color throughout all levels of the baseball industry. Simply having a lot of non-white players is not enough to truly consider the baseball industry diverse.

For example, in April of this year, Kim Ng, senior vice president of baseball and softball league development, spoke at the opening of the third annual Trailblazer Series, a baseball tournament and coaching opportunity for 11-to-13 year-old girls who want to develop their skills. The tournament offers them the chance to work with professional players and coaches in order to hone their baseball skills. Ng’s example to these young players is commendable, and if the MLB promoted Ng to a more visible executive position, it would set a positive example to others who want to follow in her footsteps.

A former White Sox intern, Ng has become one of the most inspirational women in the MLB and is now the highest ranking woman in baseball. Ng is now a top contender to become the sport’s first ever female general manager and is on her way to cementing her remarkable legacy.

Other notable people of color in leadership positions such as Red Sox manager Alex Cora could be promoted to vice president or other executive of operations, in order to have more power and say in major team decisions. Cora has already made a name for himself in the MLB by becoming the fifth manager in the history of the league to win the World Series in his first year in the position. During his tenure, The Puerto Rico native also led the Red Sox to a franchise record in wins and helped the team in defeating the Yankees. Cora remains a role model for those in the baseball industry and continues to inspire millions of baseball fans from around the world.

Increasing Diversity in the Sports Industry

When it comes to the players, it’s impressive that Major League Baseball actually recruits a relatively equal reflection of the demographics in the United States of America, which consists of 61.6 percent Caucasian people, 17.6 percent American-Hispanics or Latinos, 13.3 percent African Americans, and 5.6 percent Asian-Americans.

For a long time, racism in the sports industry was rampant; and there is still criticism that team owners and coaches are casually racist towards players. If there was more diversity among the other levels of baseball aside from the players, this would not be an issue.

Diversity across all levels would greatly benefit Major League Baseball, as it would foster innovation by increasing the industry’s exposure to different ideas, cultures, and norms. The wide range of talent, unique skill sets, and professional perspectives that people of color bring with their presence would help the MLB connect with a greater audience, which could boost its popularity and help take the industry to the next level. In order to stay relevant in such a diverse society, this is an important transition for them to make.

According to Duquesne University, “The U.S. Census Bureau estimates by 2042 the non-Hispanic white population in the United States will comprise less than 50 percent of the nation’s total population, making the country a majority-minority nation. By 2060, the two-or-more races population is expected to grow by 266 percent.”

As the country’s demographics continue to shift to represent more people of color in America, the MLB will need to adjust as well, and bring more people of color into higher levels of the baseball industry. Doing this will help keep the decisions about baseball relevant for all fans. Across the U.S., there are passionate baseball fans of all different ethnicities and races, and it’s important to be more diverse and inclusive behind the scenes in order to keep the sport relevant for them.