6 4323 Jaydawg drrubb^2513 Re: 'Lack of Black players in baseball has become a crisis', says Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia [Reply to #4323] 3/17/07, 2:04pm To further elaborate Jaydawg, the NBA has pandered to the "hip hop" culture. I hate to steriotype, but let's face it, the hip hop culture is predominantly African American. In rap videos we see a lot of basketball. Dunking is an art form. It's just more appealing for a black kid, inner city or not to dunk a basketball than it is to hit a baseball. Believe it or not, it maybe a good thing in a very wierd kind of way for Barry Bonds to break that home run record even though he is passing another former African American player himself. A lot of black kids probably don't even know who Hank Aaron or Jackie Robinson is sadly enough because they just don't indentify with baseball in today's hip hop cultural society, which just happens to aline a lot of it's popularity with basketball. I for one wish more black kids would get involved in playing baseball & taking more of a interest in it. I speak from personal experience because when I played baseball growing up, some of the teams I played for had plenty of black players. Are teams were quiet mixed in fact & we all got along wonderfully. Are teams were very good as well. Personally, I do not like the hip hop culture because of the message it sends, particularly with rap music. I have never considered myself a racist by any means. I personally have a number of black friends. Baseball has got to find a creative way to promote baseball to black kids without getting into the whole hip hop thing. If barry breaks the homerun record, maybe that will somehow raise some interest with black kids & how they feel about the game of baseball. It's sad though that it might take something like that for black kids to become even moderately interested & captivated. [drrubb from Panama City Beach/Florida] Replies: 4337