Los Angeles Dodgers superstar outfield Mookie Betts is having a fantastic season. Going into the All-Star break, he is hitting .265 with 20 home runs, 63 runs scored, 47 runs batted in and six stolen bases. The home runs and runs scored are among the league leaders. That prompted him to be voted upon by the fans to start in the MLB All-Star Game Tuesday night.

During batting practice on Tuesday, Betts decided to make a statement with what he wore.

Mookie Betts' t-shirt reads “We need more black people at the stadium.”

It's been a well-known fact that baseball has become a predominantly white and Hispanic sport over the last few decades. From the last 1960's through the late 1990's, African Americans made up between 15 and 20 percent of all major leaguers. That meant there were also more Black fans in attendance. However, that has changed dramatically.

There has been a massive dip in Black players in the Major Leagues. In 2016, that number was all the way down to 6.7%, according to SABR.

Afterward, Betts revealed the reason he wore the shirt.

Major League Baseball has been criticized over the years for being too slow and drawn out. That certainly has not helped the appeal to fans of all races, but appears to particularly affect Black fans. The change has also coincided the emergence of the NBA becoming the second most popular sport in America, behind football of course.

Despite the relative lack of Black baseball players, many that do play are excellent at the game they love. Mookie Betts is joined by Tim Anderson and Aaron Judge starting in the 2022 All-Star Game.