Torii Hunter, of the Anaheim Angels, was criticized for saying that Latino MLB players are "imposters", and not to be confused with Black American players. For example, because Dominican and Black players are similar in complexion, fans often mistake a Dominican player for a Black player. MLB lets this confusion ride because they've been criticized for the lack of Black Americans in the league. Torii also went on to say that Latino players will accept less money than Black players. Actually, he said they'll accept a bag of chips, which was completely inappropriate, offensive, and in poor taste. Horrible choice of words. Let the media frenzy ensue!
But first, let me ask this. Is it just me or have we discussed this in the past? Remember Gary Sheffield's GQ article from 2007? Does the comment, "the MLB is filled with more Latino players because they're easier to control", sound familiar? Yes, they're two different comments, but both raise the issue of race in MLB...more specifically, the reason the league is only filled with 10% of Black American players compared to almost 3 times that of "foreign" players.
It's no secret that unlike the NFL and NBA, MLB has issues with recruiting African American players. There are so many contributing factors, but one of the main reasons is because baseball is a more popular sport in the Caribbean. When scouts are searching for new talent, they go to the Caribbean due to a deeper pool to choose from. No big deal. If you want the best business minds, go to Harvard Business School. Fish where the fish are. Same principle.
I don't necessarily have an issue with that. Although, in reading a lot of the comments in response to Torii's statement, I suddenly realized that many people don't think like me, which isn't totally surprising, lol. I've always kind of done my own thing. Regardless, I was still shocked by the amount of people that reacted negatively and suggested Torii was ignorant because he made a distinction between Latino and Black American players.
In a few weeks, you are all going to receive a 2010 census form that does the same thing. In fact, when you fill out any type of application or form, you're requested to provide your race. There's one box for Black Americans, another box for Latinos, and additional boxes for other races. It's called labeling. That's how we do things in America...single/married + gay/straight + male/female + employed/unemployed and so on and so forth. So, I find it pretty hilarious (read: ridiculous) that all of a sudden people are so self-righteous and react in a way that suggests differentiating a Black person from a Latino person is somehow racist. Give me a break. They even went so far as providing a history lesson and sharing that Blacks and Latinos both came from Africa so there's no need to differentiate between the two. Really? Thanks for clearing that up for Torii and anyone else who was uninformed. However, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Torii is very aware that both Latinos and Black Americans share roots that originated in Africa.
Let's give him a little more credit. In fact, Torii agreed to participate in this roundtable discussion conducted by USA Today, a national newspaper. Something that I'm sure a lot of other players declined to do. He had to know that his comments would be shared with the public. I commend Torii for agreeing to participate. Too often, players are consumed with thoughts of how their peers will react. They shy away from being vocal and expressing their thoughts on controversial subjects. The only way we're going to move beyond these race issues is to have an open dialogue about it. Fact.
I admit, Torii's comments will probably add fuel to the fire and heighten existing tensions (if there are any) among players, but at least he's speaking HIS truth. If that's his reality, who's to judge? And, exposing the truth is the only way to get to the root of an issue before a resolution can be found. Now that step one is taken care of, I expect Bud Selig and MLB execs to get busy. Become more focused on solutions, rather than talk in circles about issues that have plagued the league for years. Oh right, this is MLB we're talking about. Nevermind.
Even though his choice of words might have been off (to say the least), I think he raised an important issue. Hopefully, the dialogue will flow regarding the issue of why there is such a low representation of African Americans (Black Americans which is what I think he meant!) in MLB. Instead of attacking him they should attack the problem and work on creating an environment of inclusion. There is always some excuse as to why there is underrepresentation (to name a few: Baseball requires a field and equipment (a Bat etc.)), but so does Football!! Everyone will probably agree that football requires more equipment and more space to play yet African Americans presence is dominant in the NFL. African Americans have such a long history of playing baseball. It is a shame that we went from having an African American league (not necessarily by choice) to barely playing or participating in the sport. I think the Black American Community deserves to have MLB at least try and legitimately address the issue and try to work toward an environment that encourages African American participation. An attempt at meaningful diversity would go a long way!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! I totally agree. I think the reason there's a lack of AA in the league is because of leadership. I feel like this topic pops up every couple of years, but you never here of any real steps the league is taking towards recruiting more AA players. Each year, they recognize Jackie Robinson for his contributions. This is great. Honoring the heroes of the past is important, but that energy and appreciation has to be channeled into something positive that builds towards the future. Unfortunately, I don't think that's happening. I'd like to think that Torii's comments will force the league to look internally and really start working towards putting some initiatives in place that improve the situation. It would be a missed opportunity to dwell on the negative without seeing the bigger picture and truths in Torii's remarks (even if they were in poor taste).
ReplyDeleteAlso, what alot of people who criticized Torii failed to mention is that he has a foundation that caters to young inner city baseball players. He's doing his part. It's time for everyone else to step up and do the same.
The MLB has the RBI (reviving baseball in inner cities) program. Maybe in 10 years, we'll see some positive changes resulting from these effors, but I suspect we won't, which is unfortunate. Nice try though, MLB.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be an uphill battle for the MLB - kids these days, regardless of race, have so many options on how to spend their time. There are some great role models for kids in Hollywood, speed skating...the white house...Torii should just keep speaking his mind and continue to be a great role model for kids. Honestly, if he gets 1 kid, black, asian, white, boy, girl whatever, to pick up a glove, it's a win.