Adam Jones on MLB's lack of Kaepernick protest: 'Baseball is a white man's sport'

[ORIOLE33]

I would die to know how many black posters are on this board. Not many I presume.

I'm black.

[VeveJones007]

I've always associated the flag with the military.

Some folks don't?

To me, the armed forces protect the liberty that the flag represents. Immigrants didn't want to come to America because of its armed forces. They wanted to come for liberty and the hope of economic opportunity (if not prosperity). That's how I view it.

Do I appreciate the military, first-responders, etc.? Absolutely. 100%. But I choose to focus on the ideal of what that flag represented to my grandparents who came over here from the Soviet Union, where they didn't have liberty.

But it can mean so many different things. The way that I view the flag can be different from how you view it, or Kaepernick does, or Jones does. I can't fault Kaepernick for looking at the flag and feeling the way that he does. Like Buck said, I haven't the slightest idea of what it's like to be a black person in America. I try to listen and sympathize about injustice, but I can't empathize.

[Can_of_corn]

To me, the armed forces protect the liberty that the flag represents. Immigrants didn't want to come to America because of its armed forces. They wanted to come for liberty and the hope of economic opportunity (if not prosperity). That's how I view it.

Do I appreciate the military, first-responders, etc.? Absolutely. 100%. But I choose to focus on the ideal of what that flag represented to my grandparents who came over here from the Soviet Union, where they didn't have liberty.

I wasn't suggesting otherwise.

Just for me there is an indelible link between the two.

And that feeling predates my military service.

[Spy Fox]

Blacks make up 12% of the U.S. population and 9.47% of MLB players. Whites make up 63% of the U.S. population and 60% of MLB players. Explain to me what the "problem" is. And after you've explained what the "problem" is, explain how it's "one of the biggest problems facing baseball's future." This should be good.

I think it goes beyond the percentages of players on the field in any one year. The percentage of black players may not be hugely below the overall population percentage, but it's a percentage that has been generally decreasing for a long time. The latest census says that Maryland's population is about 55% non-Hispanic white. Compare that to the percentage of white people at Oriole Park on any night. Compare that to the percentage of white people on most youth baseball teams in the state. I don't have those specific numbers on hand, but it seems pretty clear that way more than 55% of the group in question is white in both cases. All these are symptoms of the fact that baseball has a problem appealing to many non-whites in America.

As to why I think this is one of the biggest problems facing baseball's future, it stems from the fact that an unhealthy percentage of baseball's core fanbase are white guys middle-aged and up. Now, maybe the next generation will continue the trend and MLB will just survive on a diet of middle-aged white guy fans forever. But it'd be much healthier to have a more diverse and younger fanbase. I wouldn't say it's a crisis, and I'm not forecasting the doom of baseball (which people have been trying to forecast for a long time). But I do think baseball has a weakness when it comes to diversity and cultural perception. Lots of people out there really do think, as Adam says, that baseball is a white man's sport. Either that or they don't think of baseball as anything in particular because they just don't care. That perception problem puts limits on baseball's ability to grow, and those limits could develop into business or sustainability problems in the future.

[VeveJones007]

I wasn't suggesting otherwise.

Just for me there is an indelible link between the two.

And that feeling predates my military service.

Was editing with a couple additional lines when you responded. There's absolutely a link between the two, as there must be when this nation's very existence was only made possible by taking up arms. I just choose to focus on why the arms were taken up, if that makes any sense.

[Satyr3206]

I'll clarify. I don't give a crap about your DNA. I simply want to see some respect for all of those that came before us and died for everyone's freedom.

[brooksfrankjim]

Adam is my favorite Oriole because he is a leader and a winner. He has a great commitment to kids and understands his respomsibility to the community. I am an OWG and would welcome helping Adam in any way I could to get more black kids playing baseball and going to games.

We are so fortunate he is an Oriole.

[Spy Fox]

Privilege. Yeah,white coal miners had privilege. Worked in crap,lived in company owned housing and had to shop in company owned stores with company script.Then when they died they threw them on the porch. That is what I call white privilege.

In the same time frame you're referencing, most non-white people in America still didn't have basic human rights. As you point out, life for plenty of white people sucked then too. It still does. But the idea of privilege isn't to say that life is easy for all white people, or whatever privileged group you're talking about. It's just to point out that there are certain advantages some groups have that some other groups don't, and those advantages can lead to differences in quality of life on a population-wide level. If you can't see the distinction between saying that and saying all white people have it easy, then you're probably going to keep thinking that anybody talking about privilege is out to get you.

I'm wondering if this thread might be closed soon. :scratchchinhmm:

[weams]

I am glad as well, but it's all talk until he does something.

I am sure Adam is much more aware of what he should and feels comfortable doing than you or I. I am glad he does not succumb to message board pressure to act in any manner.

[waroriole]

I love Adam Jones. Between on and off field, he may end up being my favorite Oriole ever. He just gets it.

[crissfan172]

I've always associated the flag with the military.

Some folks don't?

I personally associate the flag with our country, our ideals, and our beliefs. I would never consider the military as a representation of any country, and if I felt like my ideals and beliefs didn't match our country's, I wouldn't honor the flag. So I completely understand why this is the way some people are protesting.

The flag means something different to everyone, though. Somebody like Adam Jones associates it with the military, so he's protesting by speaking out. Different strokes, I suppose.

[Going Underground]

In the same time frame you're referencing, most non-white people in America still didn't have basic human rights. As you point out, life for plenty of white people sucked then too. It still does. But the idea of privilege isn't to say that life is easy for all white people, or whatever privileged group you're talking about. It's just to point out that there are certain advantages some groups have that some other groups don't, and those advantages can lead to differences in quality of life on a population-wide level. If you can't see the distinction between saying that and saying all white people have it easy, then you're probably going to keep thinking that anybody talking about privilege is out to get you.

I'm guessing this thread might be closed soon. :scratchchinhmm:

Out to get me? What does that mean?Of course black people had it rougher then most whites.Also to say blacks don't play baseball because of cost is also a generality. I live in a place which is 55% black and most are middle class.

[weams]

I'm wondering if this thread might be closed soon.

Keep it about Adam and it wont be. Make it be about your political viewpoint and it will.

[billhatf]

Just need to add my 2 cents. I have always respected Adam, and this story only increases that respect. The 8% number surprised me, but then again race is not a factor for me in watching the orioles. For a while i volunteered in an organization that brings baseball to the inner city, and i saw a bunch of kids that really wanted to play ball but didnt have enough equipment, fields, or coaching to make it stick.

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[24fps]

Baseball is as loved in much of Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia as it is in the US. I think I know what AJ's trying to say, but white man's sport? Please. Golf is a white man's sport if there is such a thing.