From USA TODAY:
…As it was reported in April, the percentage of black players dropped to 8.5% on opening day this year, down from 10% at the start of last season and its lowest level since 2007, according to the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. More than 80% of NBA players are African-American and the percentage of black players in the NFL is more than 60%.
Possible reasons appear myriad for baseball’s drop in black players. The Star-Telegram cites costs for equipment and league participation as possible reasons for baseball’s lack of appeal, to say nothing of admission prices.
“I know it’s expensive, but I’ve gone to places and there are fields,” Granderson said. “You can easily get equipment donated. I don’t know how you fight this one. I’ve heard a lot of kids just say, ‘I don’t want to.’ That’s not a black/white thing, that’s a kid thing. So they play on their computer, and they say, ‘I want to just stay right where I am. I’m not getting into any trouble so you can’t force me…
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