Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Chris Rock's Compelling And Hilarious Take on Lack of Blacks in Major League Baseball; He Also Rips SF Giants
Chris Rock made a pointed and pretty funny contribution on HBO's "Real Sports", hosted by Bryant Gumbel.
In this seven-minute vignette, Rock bemoans the lack of Blacks in Major League Baseball. African-Americans currently make up only 8% of players in the game today. There was a time when that figure was around 28%. No longer, as Rock points out with statistics that boggle the mind and make you wonder about the National Pastime.
Shortly into the segment, Rock even calls out the San Francisco Giants and the fans at AT&T Park. Oh, and there's this golden nugget involving Lou Seal too, team mascot.
{HBO}
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Rich, how is Rock's observation a "rip" on the Giants? It is true there weren't any blacks on the team but I don't see how that can be construed as a rip. I'm surprised Rock did not mention the lack of incentive to play baseball. If a decent athlete wants to play a pro sport then baseball is at the very bottom behind basketball, football and even soccer. Who the hell wants a minor league baseba contract for the minimum to play in some hell hole and ride a bus for years before given a shot? If anything brothers got smart.
ReplyDeleteSounds exactly like TV News in the smaller markets. 1 and 2 year contracts in some hell hole are the norm for "talent".
DeleteBlacks did not desert baseball, baseball deserted Blacks. how? by establishing baseball academies in the Dominican where they continually raise a perennial crop of new stars. why did MLB desert our inner cities?
ReplyDeleteDominican players, aren't they Black?
DeleteYeah, but they're not 'African AMERICAN'.
DeleteBlack Americans who played major league baseball in most cases outplayed white players. Dominican players are dark skinned but they are not black Americans who out play white Americans. Now do you understand.
DeleteAs a black man I can tell you that "dark skinned" people from other countries don't consider themselves black. Dominican consider themselves Hispanic, Haitians consider themselves French and hell Africans don't even want to be called black they take it as an insult.
Deletewhen an inner city infrastructure existed, Babe Ruth leagues, semi-pro ball, etc, the East Bay alone produced stars like Willie Stargell, Vada Pinson, Frank Robinson, Rudy May and Joe Morgan. baseball is much more compelling when someone from your own community is on the mound or in the batter's box. how much more compelling is the game when you get to see the kid from up the street who turns into a Hall of Famer?
ReplyDeleteChris Rock makes his living by sowing race fear, race hate and above all race jealousy.
ReplyDeleteIt's my understanding that the Dominican players tend to be more focused athletes and easier to train for teamwork. In other words, their concerns are today's practice, not which T-shirt slogan should I select to advertise my social grievances today? "I can't breathe, Hands's Up Don't Shoot, or maybe this new one is best; "Short People Got No Reason to Play Basketball" Yeah, I'll wear that one today. It may even get me an on-air interview from that mouthy blonde, Britt McHenry.
Congratulations. The first comment voicing bigotry about American black people that is totally irrelevant. Comments above yours actually offered explanations, you just showed your ass. Sit down and STFU.
DeleteAnon At 3:12...I heard that the "negro" players are also shiftless and lazy. They may also be prone to smoking "Mary Jane" and frequent jazz speakeasys, which may also hamper their "training".
DeleteCareful @3:12, your racism is showing. But you clearly don't care.
DeleteWhat about the 13 years that Dusty Baker was a coach or manager of the Giants.?
ReplyDeleteWhere is the part where he "rips" the Giants?
ReplyDeleteThe team the Giants beat for the WS, the Kansas City Royals had African Americans on it. Why didn't he mention that?
It is an old and worn out item. It is or will be cyclical. The numbers for AA's in baseball will return.
ReplyDeleteDamn, I'm tired of this kinda of crap!! it's nothing more than polarizing. There's a lot reasons and not always the "White Man's" fault. Try accountability and stop with the pointing of fingers to solve all your issues!!!
ReplyDeleteAnon at 4:30....where does Chris Rock blame "the white man" in this comic piece?
DeleteNice try, Chris. MLB attendance and merchandise sales have never been better, and International interest is growing. I would love to see more Black Americans involved in baseball, at all levels. But the sport will do just fine if there isn't, even in spite of Rock's bullshit spin.
ReplyDeleteI was just looking at some pictures of the crowds at Warriors and 49er games. Not seeing a lot of Black faces there, either. And how about some more black cheerleaders in the NFL and NBA? Seems some of these "problems" aren't exclusive to baseball, 'eh Chris?!
ReplyDeleteBaseball is boring. It used to be fun and exciting to watch. Now you’ve got 2-1 games that take three hours. Those kinds of games used to be played in less than two-and-a-half hours. I once heard a woman say she got “cheated” because a Giants game didn’t last three hours. What an idiot.
ReplyDeleteBaseball doesn’t have the excitement of a hockey or basketball game. It doesn’t have the intensity of those sports. No matter how much Mike “Grab Some Pine Meat” Krukow tries to hype a pitcher-batter confrontation, it’s not that exciting. Pitchers take too long between pitches. Batters step out of the batter’s box way too much. Three innings shouldn’t take an hour to play. The fielders start playing on their heels because games take too long.
Baseball is a time suck. It’s methodical and slow. I used to look forward to baseball games. Now, I can’t even watch more than an inning without falling asleep. Baseball is about as exciting as golf. It’s great background noise, especially when Vin Scully is calling a game. But to sit there and invest time in watching – that’s another story.
The sad thing: the commissioner doesn’t care. The game is making lots of money. More than ever. So don’t expect any changes. What does that mean? The brothers will be hitting the basketball court and many others will be looking at more exciting things to do than to watch a pitcher shake off the catcher five times and the batter stepping out of the batter’s box after every pitch and scratching his nut sack.
Record numbers of people like to travel long distances, and shell out incredible amounts of money, to be bored in public. Or be bored in front of their computer and TV screens, after shelling out money for "subscriptions" to exclusive baseball networks.
DeleteActually, there is quite a bit going on in baseball, which can be recognized by those with an attention span of more than a few seconds. Just like there is more to football than the time spent in huddles, walking to and from huddles and sidelines, talking to the coaches, pre-snap formations, and busting dance moves after every play. Or 5 guys in basketball cycling a few plays over and over and over, in 24 seconds or less, in particularly limited space. Of course, the excitement in a basketball game becomes too much for me when they take those free throw and substitution breaks!
Re;11.06 PM. I agree. I literally couldn't have said it any better, because I'm not as fluent in the specifics of baseball. What you (profound and unrelenting boredom) described is how I used to feel while growing up in the 70's. I used to think there was something wrong with me. Why don't I like the Detroit Tigers like everybody else? Why is it, that I don't really give a flip? Then, by the age of eight, I figured out how to deal with it. Going to the games meant I could spend some time with my father, away from school, church or under Mama's House Rules. So I went to the games and tolerated it for a few more years, because I liked being out with my father, away from all the womenfolk.
DeleteBelieve it or not, a lot of Americans still like baseball. Not everyone is "bored" by the leisurely pace of the game. I could make the argument that basketball games are "boring" because there's too much scoring and many of the games aren't decided until the final few minutes. Or that football is boring, because there's only about 5-7 minutes of action throughout the entire game, as the rest of the contest is spent in huddles, or players getting out of the pile after a play and trotting back to the huddle. If you need constant entertainment and have to be enthralled by something, yes, then you should probably go to a hockey game. Baseball is not ruled by the clock, which is one of the beautiful things about it.
ReplyDeleteHave you played the game? Baseball needs to be ruled by the clock. Too much time between pitches. Fielders are on their heels. Commercial breaks are too long. When Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale were in the game, they kept things lively. Oddly enough, they were some of the most successful pitchers in the game's history.
DeleteTimes have changed, buckwheat. We don't need 3+ hour 9-inning games.
12:33,
DeleteGibson and Drysdale were great, and notoriously nasty, pitchers. But in spite of all of the wonderful talent and quality play in the '60s (when I started watching and attending games), overall attendance figures back then were much weaker than they are today. A lot of people are overlooking the epidemic of dawdling that has "infected" the game.
Smaller stadiums. Fewer teams. Of course overall attendance didn't compare.
DeleteMore empty seats in the '60s and '70s, and that was a real crisis post-strike '90s. After those periods, many markets (like ours) are damn lucky to still have teams!
DeleteYes, there were quite a few small yards in the Bob Gibson days, but also some larger ones as well (Yankee, Dodger, Cleveland, many of the newer "Cookie Cutters" of the time, and even Tiger and Baltimore, to name a few). Also, many of the newer "retro" stadiums are on the smaller side. Not Forbes, Crosley, Wrigley, Sportman's, Fenway, Shibe, Jarry, and Colt small, but still under 50,000 seats.
I like Chris Rock. I think he is smart and witty on many issues. That being said, I'm a 40 y/o black guy. We played baseball in Oakland in the 80's from sun-up to sundown There were different games. 1 on 1 "strikeout" against a building maybe three on three on the asphalt kickball field, larger games on part of the baseball field and "Real games" once we got enough players. Sure we took breaks to play basketball and during football season, we may have lost those players, but we LOVED baseball- as did ALL of the many ethnic groups in the neighborhood. NO ONE plays outside anymore- that's part of it.
ReplyDeleteBaseball once WAS as much black America's sport (not basketball) as it was the rest of America. Heck my grandmother used to tell tales of playing stick ball on the farm with her extended family and friends. EVERYONE loved baseball- times change.
Young black kids play in youth leagues ( Babe Ruth, Little League, etc) and often excel- with the urban under 14 teams producing competitive leagues. Then baseball gets expensive. High School Baseball is an after thought to the summer leagues and those get expensive. The equipment- a good bat will cost you around $150 a pop. Travelling teams, and everything adds up. So these athletic kids transition to the more sexier basketball and football and increasingly soccer. All you need in Basketball is a pair of shorts, a $30 ball, shoes and you're good. It's easier to be noticed by scouts at various camps AND your high school games. Also baseball outside of the inner city is a culture adjustment. This is a general statement, but we blacks like to talk trash and showboat- It's what we do. But baseball outside of the inner city shuns that big time. If a black kid wants to stick to baseball, it takes REAL commitment JUST for the opportunity to maybe get to Stockton or Rancho Cucamonga. Other sports you're worshiped in college and the pros. For my money, baseball is the way better option and one I would encourage my son to follow if he's so inclined. You can play 20 years with guaranteed money if your 28% successful at the plate and decent defensively. It's not sexy but you're making money playing a sport. It's not that baseball has abandoned blacks, we abandon the sport at age 13-18. There is something however about being able to "grow" hungry black players in the Domincan for a lot cheaper than in Oakland or Los Angeles and make it appear that baseball is diverse. I love baseball and will always be there.
You are awarded best, most intelligent response. This is why diversity is important so people can hear opinions outside their own echo chambers. Great response.
DeleteBy the way, the way, the new comment verification is a big fat pain and a major time waster. Matching pictures that have few or no matches. Here we go.
Yep. Great response. I played "strikeout", three-on-three with a shortstop, first baseman and left fielder pitching to your own team with invisible runners in70s ... Great game, but things change. Way too expensive for many inner-city (let me know where you can get a good bat for less than $150) ... I found Chris Rock's take funny and smart. It is what it is.
DeleteUnretire number 42????
ReplyDeleteAgree....there's plenty of interest in Baseball. It's the one professional sport played in a large venue that most everyone can afford to go to. The Baseball experience is very different from Football, Basketball or Hockey....and that's ok. There's room for all...just like the change of seasons. The leisurely pace of the game, the history and legacy, the perfect balance of dimensions are all great things about the game that a lot of us love. Agree it's not for everyone, and agree that the national profile has been diminished in favor of a strong regional profile (eg. people in SF love the Giants, but probably are less interested in other teams....same thing applies across the country). From an economic viewpoint, it's ok to have the game more oriented regionally...as long as tickets are sold, games are watched on TV and listened to on the radio....which is still the case. Finally, Baseball might not attract the best athletes any more, but the skill level displayed in the Majors today (particularly defensively and pitching-wise) has never been higher.
ReplyDeleteWorld Series tix were over thousand dollars. Affordable my ass.
DeletePeople complain that baseball games last about 3 hours, when nearly every football game also lasts that long. NBA and NHL are over within about 2 1/2 hours. College basketball usually takes slightly more than 2 hours...and that's with the ridiculous number of interruptions alluded to above by Anonymous at 2:03.
ReplyDeleteThe short attention spans, and the fact that people just tend to be 'kinda dumberer' nowadays, means that it's the more 'focused' people who tend to appreciate the slower pace of baseball. Having said that, the rules put in place this year to cut down on guys walking back and forth scratching themselves between pitches, seem to be having at least a small impact, as average time of game is about 8 minutes fater. They've also made the commercial breaks, at least on local telecasts,about 30 seconds shorter(2 minutes 20 seconds instead of 2:50; for nine commercial breaks between innings,that's 4 and a half minutes per game right there).
This is nonsense.
DeleteThe love of baseball starts with kids. Have you even been to a Little League game with 10 year olds? The games are grueling. Pitchers can't find the zone, hitters can't hit. Batters get on base by walks or dropped third strikes, then they steal 2nd AND 3rd because the catchers can't field. And it happens every inning for three horrible hours.
DeleteThis is way baseball is losing its popularity. It starts with the kids, who end up playing boring long gamesWhy do that when you can play another sport?
Chris Townsend make a great point on the radio. Baseball is international. More players from around the world. Cricket is huge in India. Soon immigrant kids might get into the descendent sport of Cricket- Baseball.
ReplyDeleteAnd,I haven't seen a kid with his friend tossing a baseball or playing catch in decades. Go to a park. Nobody's playing catch. The hoops court on the other hand is busy. Decades to see that? more like hours.
Might as well point out,Golden Gate Park is filled all weekend with pickup soccer games.
African Americans might also see less of themselves in basketball too one day. The NBA has many foreign players. One I heard is the tallest guy on the Golden State Warriors.
Interesting piece... Didn't realize the Giants had no black players..Amazing.
ReplyDeleteJustin Maxwell
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't on the team last year. Rock was talking about last season.
Deleteso let me get this straight, rock is saying that black people only like sports where black players have a significant presence?
ReplyDeleteand has he taken a look at the stands at nba and nfl games?? how about college? majority white people
so rock is both a racist and blind
and as far as i know, hispanics aint white and by the end of the next decade, they may very well be the majority in the mlb
baseball is fine the way it is
maybe the problem is with american people of color