Apr eighteen, 2017

  • Richard LapchickContributing Writer, ESPN.com

    Shut

    • American leader of the sports boycott of Southward Africa from 1975 until the end of apartheid
    • Chair of the DeVos Sport Business organization Management Graduate Program at the University of Central Florida
    • Author of 16 books and the annual Racial and Gender Study Carte
    • Directs UCF's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport
    • Director of the National Consortium for Academics and Sport

This past Sabbatum marked the 70th ceremony of Jackie Robinson breaking the colour barrier in Major League Baseball. Every player in MLB wore his No. 42 that twenty-four hour period.

Earlier this calendar month, on Apr half-dozen, was the 30th anniversary of the infamous "Nightline" interview with and then-Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Al Campanis, who told host Ted Koppel that blackness athletes "may not take some of the necessities" to be major league managers or general managers. Campanis, who had played with Robinson in the small leagues, resigned 2 days afterwards because of the controversial remarks.

Final calendar month, I was invited to accompany Rachel Robinson, married woman of the late Jackie Robinson, to the Jackie Robinson Foundation Gala. It was a great event that showcased the dozens of Jackie Robinson Scholars who have received grants toward college expenses. I have been blessed to be friends with Rachel, 94, for more than xl years. She is a remarkable woman. Each year she gets fifty-fifty more passionate and committed to her hubby's vision for change.

Jackie Robinson'southward dream was to witness more than diverseness and inclusion in Major League Baseball. He hoped to see this alter not merely on the diamond but in managerial and front part positions.

Today, we released the results of the 2017 Racial and Gender Report Carte for Major League Baseball. Overall, the results evidence how far Major League Baseball has to go to achieve Robinson's vision.

MLB received a B for racial hiring practices and a C for gender hiring practices, resulting in an overall form of a C-plus. The grades for both racial and gender hiring practice decreased from last year's report. This is, in part, because of our updated grading scale, which is at present more than cogitating of current United States demographic data and will be used in all of our 2017 reports.

1 glaring finding of this written report is the diminishing number of African-Americans in Major League Baseball, on the field and in direction roles. Jackie Robinson undoubtedly would exist disappointed with these statistics, simply would be pleased to see the increase of Latino and Asian players.

MLB'due south actor data presents mixed results. This twelvemonth's report contains the highest pct of Latino players (31.ix percent) and total players of color (42.5) in MLB history. Yet this encouraging finding comes when MLB also is reporting its everyman percentage of players who are black, African-American or African-Canadian (7.seven) since we began these studies in 1991.

In 1991, 18 percent of all players were African-American and xiv percentage were Latino, a notable change in comparing to the current demographics of MLB rosters.

The lack of African-American professional baseball players is a reflection of the demographics of collegiate baseball game and opportunities for African-American youth to play the game. If you are a young African-American athlete trying to decide what sport to pursue, you find superstars who might inspire your decision to play the sport far more oft in the NBA and NFL.

While MLB has made enormous efforts to create opportunities for young African-American, near urban youth still struggle to effigy out how and where to play baseball. The obstacles can range from likewise few playing fields to possibly non having enough savings to purchase equipment or pay fees to join a youth travel team.

The overall consequence is that the pipeline feeding African-American players into the major leagues is even less populated than Major League Baseball game itself. Less than v percent of Division I players at the higher level are African-American. Meanwhile, African-Americans make upwards nearly fourscore pct of the players in the NBA and nearly 70 percent of the players in the National Football League, and African-Americans dominate every bit well at the college level in those sports.

Tony Reagins, MLB senior vice president, oversees MLB's youth programs, which are peculiarly aimed at increasing the participation of various youth in organized baseball. In 2016, more than 175,000 immature people between ages five and 18 participated in youth baseball game and softball opportunities across virtually 200 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) leagues throughout the U.S., as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean area. As a result of years of the African-American Breakthrough Series programming, 140 participants have been selected in the MLB draft, including nearly forty in 2015 and 2016 combined, the most always in a two-twelvemonth span.

The lack of racial diversity is alarmingly among MLB managers and general managers. Currently, there are merely three managers of color: Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, Dusty Baker of the Washington Nationals and Rick Renteria of the Chicago White Sox. That is vii beneath the high of ten managers of color in both 2002 and 2009.

In that location were no people of color who served as CEO or team president. Among the presidents of baseball operations/general managers, there were 4 people of color. Al Avila of the Detroit Tigers is the only Latino GM in MLB. He also is the first Cuban-built-in GM in MLB history. Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi is one of 2 Muslim executives in MLB and the first Muslim to be a GM of any U.S. pro sport franchise. Michael Loma, president of baseball operations for the Miami Marlins, is the son of a Cuban mother and African-American father. Kenny Williams, who is African-American, is executive vice president of the Chicago White Sox.

MLB had the largest number of GMs of color in 2009 and 2010 when there were five. MLB is way behind both the NBA and NFL. There is no doubt Jackie would be frustrated about these terrible numbers.

MLB'south fundamental office has the best record in MLB for racial hiring practices. Commissioner Rob Manfred's staff consists of 28.1 percent people of color.

The pct of people of colour amongst team coaches is 44.iii percentage and near closely mirrors the percentage of people of colour among players. My hope is that with this many coaching positions being held past people of colour, more volition go managerial and general director positions in the most future. Additionally, I believe that this percentage of coaches of color volition help players of color see themselves in these roles in the future.

Regarding women in baseball, the MLB primal office staff, senior administrators and squad professional administrators include the highest percentages of women. These percentages are 29.iii, 27.0, and 28.i for each expanse, respectively. I don't think this is something that Jackie Robinson would take imagined during his time, but at this betoken information technology is an area that still needs improvement.

There are no people of color or women who are team presidents. Equally nosotros commonly see in upper management levels in collegiate and professional sports, MLB team vice presidents are overwhelmingly white males. This category consists of 11.7 percentage people of colour and 16.3 percent women. In order for sports as whole to get more diverse, it is disquisitional these senior leadership positions include more people of colour and women. As this occurs we will undoubtedly see positive changes in the demographics of managers and general managers in MLB.

Jackie Robinson is a fable who will never be forgotten, and I promise that equally nosotros mark the 70th anniversary of him breaking the colour bulwark in Major League Baseball, MLB is able to reflect and continue to honor his legacy by carrying out his dream of diversity and inclusion throughout the sport.

Richard E. Lapchick is the chair of the DeVos Sport Business Direction graduate program in the College of Business concern Administration at the Academy of Central Florida. Lapchick also directs UCF's Found for Diverseness and Ideals in Sport, is the writer of xvi books and the annual racial and gender study card, and is the president of the National Consortium for Academics and Sports. He has been a regular commentator for ESPN.com on bug of diversity in sport. Follow him on Twitter @richardlapchick and on Facebook. Mark Mueller, Todd Currie and Destini Orr contributed to this column.