Potential Scenario: MLB Risking Controversy on Jackie Robinson Day with a DEI Emphasized Season
Here's a fresh, original take on the topic:
Jackie Robinson Day is a Must-Do – or So They Say...
The big day is almost upon us, and it's looking like Major League Baseball (MLB) ain't about to stop there! After 28 years, they might as well bring back Robinson's No. 42 for all 30 teams – why mess with a record-breaking $12.1 billion industry?
Uh-oh! This new administration isn't fond of diversity. You heard it here first – the Department of Defense once snatched information 'bout Jackie Robinson's wartime heroics right off their website! Talk about ruinin' history, huh?
But Robinson wasn't some quiet young lady refusin' to take the back seat. No sir! He stood tall on an Army bus at Fort Hood, court-martialed for his insubordination back in 1944. Luckily for us, he was acquitted, but it cost him a shot at Europe.
Robinson's story happened before he broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. His history – American history – vanished from the Department of Defense website for a hot minute, but it found its way back. Sadly, not all pages survived the purge, as they went against the Trump administration's shiny new diversity edict.
MLB hopped on the statement wagon Friday, sayin', "Our values on diversity remain the same," but then they threw a curveball, claimin' they had to wipe "diversity" from their careers page. Tricky, huh? Seems like they might be leanin' towards disappearing Jackie Robinson Day altogether.
That'd be a real shame. Baseball's annual celebration often masks the cold truth – MLB ain't exactly been happy huntin' ground for African American talent in decades. Back in the '80s, African Americans made up around 27% of the players, but by 1982, they'd slipped to 18%.
Significant dive? Nope, just an honest look at the truth. I chatted with baseball legend Hank Aaron, and he wasn't mincing words. With the baseball brass showin' less love to African Americans than to foreign imports, he predicted the percentage would drop below 10% in the 21st century.
Well, guess what? For Opening Day 2024, it was all the way down at 6%.
The Dodgers and Angels have the only two African American managers, and Houston's Houston Astros have the lone African American general manager. Still, MLB keeps sayin', "Hey, look at us, we've been tryin' real hard to bring more color to the game," but they've been doin' the same ol' Darrell Evans dance for nine years now!
Weeks before pain in the necks started for the Department of Defense, Commissioner Rob Manfred told baseball owners, "Our values, particularly our values on diversity, remain the same, but another important value is is we always try to comply with the law."
Well, I hope they find a way to do both, 'cause America could use a little more Jackie Robinson in our lives today.
- In the midst of Jackie Robinson Day's commemoration, the MLB administration seems reluctant about maintaining a consistent emphasis on diversity, having recently erased the mention of it from their careers page.
- The ongoing Trump administration's disregard for diversity is evident in their actions, such as removing information about Jackie Robinson's wartime heroics from the Department of Defense website.
- Contrary to the MLB's claims of fostering diversity, the percentage of African American players in the league has significantly declined over the years, from around 27% in the 1980s to 6% for Opening Day in 2024, mirroring Donald Trump's administration's approach towards diversity.
