Mookie Betts let his shirt send a message during the MLB All-Star Game. The Los Angeles Dodgers donned a racial statement about needing more black people at baseball games – both as fans and as players on the field.
Betts didn't just leave it up to his shirt, though. The former American League MVP spoke out on his attire with an elaborated stated about what he was trying to convey.
Mookie Betts with a message today. pic.twitter.com/1r5dtAqV1C
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) July 19, 2022
The number that represents black people in the MLB has continued to dwindle over the years at an alarming rate, which Mookie Betts is well aware of. As one of the biggest African American superstars in the sport, he's cognizant of the representation he brings to the table with every at-bat and accolade.
Via The Orange County Register:
“You just don’t see a whole lot of blacks playing the game of baseball – which is fine,” Betts said. “I mean, they don’t see themselves. I’m just trying to be that person they see and can become.”
Betts acknowledged seeing progress in the fact that four of the first five picks in this week’s MLB draft were African-Americans.
“We’re heading in the right direction,” he said. “We’re getting some culture in the game. The whole world is kind of going in that direction. So baseball needs to as well.”
According to the OC Register, just 7.2 percent of players on MLB rosters are black – a number that was closer to 20 percent during the seventies and eighties. But with players like Mookie Betts raising the banner to inspire the next generation, perhaps we'll see greater diversity in the years to come.
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