Organization encourages Sharp focus

Pitcher at forefront of BLM movement says he feels supported by manager, front office

Sterling Sharp actually feels encouraged.

Amid a tumultuous time that has forced a reckoning about racial injustice in the country, the Miami Marlins right-hander has made the most of his role in aiding the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I think [the movement] opened up the conversation more than in past years, especially in baseball, which, predominantly has been a pretty quiet sport on social injustice, kinda those topics around the world,” Sharp said Friday.

“You see it in basketball, football — those are mostly

Sharp dominated by Black athletes. So I think this wave and trend has kinda opened up people of all races to engage themselves in this, and seek help, look for help themselves, ask Black players in the clubhouse their thoughts on things going around. So I’ve enjoyed being in the clubhouse around this time and having guys reach out for my thoughts — especially like Monte [Harrison], [Lewis] Brinson, Jazz [Chisholm], [Stephen] Tarpley.

“I’m happy to be here for guys like that that are open to listening.”

Sharp has been forthcoming in his thoughts on the subject from the moment George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis on May 25th. He’s tweeted regularly in support of the movement.

On Juneteenth, the holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in 1865, the Marlins tweeted out a quote from Sharp, which educated followers on the holiday’s meaning.

“Nobody’s free until everybody is free,” he said.

As an organization, Sharp

credits the Marlins for their progressive stance in encouraging its players to speak out on the issues, particularly as president of baseball operations Michael Hill and CEO Derek Jeter, both Black, have been open about their own thoughts.

“So many times when something awful happens, we all acknowledge it’s awful and then we’re on to our next thing in 24 hours, but this was something that we wanted to put our money where our mouth was,” Hill said.

“We wanted to make sure that this movement continues and change is truly put in place.”

Jeter, too, has been forthcoming about his desire for change. He sent out an anonymous survey to players and staff about issues of race in hopes of prompting difficult conversations.

“This is an industry that needs to change,” he said. “We need to see more people of color, more diversity at the owners’ meetings. We need to see it at the [general manager] meetings. We need to see it everywhere throughout the game. On the field, need to see it, but you can’t just talk about it, you have to take action.”

Manager Don Mattingly feels the locker room setting can be an exemplar for equality.

“I’ve said it many times, I think the locker room is probably one of the best places in the world. Because you play good, there is more equality there than anywhere, in pro sports.”

Mattingly also acknowledged that his role, above all else, is to listen.

“More than anything, pay attention,” he said, “and then obviously we’ve always got to be open to that communication and try to create a situation where guys are comfortable.”

The Marlins will play televised exhibition games against the Atlanta Braves on July 21 and 22, followed by the opening of the regular season on July 24 against the Phillies.

What might players do with that increased attention? That’s yet to become clear. But they don’t intend for the message to fade from the limelight simply because competitive baseball has returned.

“I think this generation of players, we have a lot of responsibility and accountability between all of us,” Sharp said. “It’s especially good having Jeter and Hill having our backs and telling us that they really push us forward to use our voice.

“It’s reassuring having them have our backs. It’s fun to be a part of this organization having them at the top.”