For first time, the stars aren’t sticking to sports
Every year, Major League Baseball makes a big production out of Jackie Robinson Day. Players and coaches gather to talk about the legacy of a man who broke the sport’s colour barrier in 1947. Uniformed personnel wear No. 42, community leaders are brought in and tributes pour in from all over North America.
The significance of the day extends well beyond the sport. It’s equally important to the history of an entire country. Eight years before Rosa Parks declined to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, Robinson helped facilitate change by becoming the first Black ballplayer in the big leagues.
The unfortunate part is that April 15 is one of the only days when players and league personnel feel comfortable talking about social issues. While star athletes from the NBA, NFL and, more recently, the NHL regularly make headlines for their political beliefs, baseball players typically follow the stick-to-sports mentality which has been embedded in the game’s culture.
At least, it used to be. Baseball’s code of conduct finally might be changing for the better after the recent tragic events in Minneapolis. The death of George Floyd sparked a movement that resonated so much that even ballplayers started to use their platforms to speak out, many for the first time. Across the league, dozens expressed concern about what’s going on and a willingness to listen more in the future.
“I knew I didn’t relate, but until I had some important conversations with a few of my friends I didn’t know to the extent that I really don’t understand, and probably never will,” Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette wrote on Twitter this week.
“I’m humbled by what they shared with me. We need to actively stand with Black people. Right now, that is the issue. We need to support our Black friends and learn about how they are hurting. I know already I won’t get all of it right, but I’ll keep learning because Black lives matter.”
Players from almost every team have spoken out in recent days. Canadian pitcher James Paxton of the Yankees acknowledged white privilege made him “oblivious to the magnitude of oppression.” Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said: “If hating the KKK loses me fans, then I hope I lose them.” Mets first baseman Pete Alonso scolded one fan by writing “get out of here with that ignorance” as part of a lengthy rebuttal to a comment about how all lives matter, not just Black ones. Former Blue Jay Marcus Stroman ripped the league for waiting nine days to condemn Floyd’s death.
The number of outspoken remarks is noteworthy because ballplayers often go to great lengths to keep their views private. There have been exceptions, of course. Carlos Delgado infamously declined to stand for “God Bless America” in 2004 to protest against the war in Iraq. Reggie Jackson was one of the more prominent voices in the 1970s and ’80s and his progressive work continued in retirement. Cito Gaston never shied away from the topic during his time as a player or manager. But overall, the examples are few and far between.
When the NFL’s Colin Kaepernick first took a knee to protest police brutality against minorities, the only baseball player to show public support was little-known Oakland A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell. Chris Archer reportedly considered kneeling, but was talked out of it by Tampa Bay Rays teammates who didn’t want the distraction. Around the same time, Baltimore’s Adam Jones was asked why there aren’t more protests in baseball. He replied: “Because it’s a white man’s game.”
It’s not hard to figure out why players have been so reluctant to speak out. There’s deeprooted conservatism in baseball and an inordinate amount of power can be found in the southern states, where a lot of players, coaches and even owners originate from. Baseball is rooted in history and there is perceived pressure to follow the unwritten rules, play the game and stay quiet about everything else.
Don’t believe me? Look at what happened to St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler a couple of years ago when he explained how Donald Trump’s proposed “Muslim ban” was affecting his Iranian-born wife. The backlash from one of the game’s most notoriously racist fan bases was immediate. Fowler was told to “Go back to where you came from” by one fan. Another replied to say the Cardinals needed to “trade his black a--” over the perceived slight to the American president. Fowler was nearly run out of town.
Delgado stuck by his principles for a while, but was forced to abandon his protest before the New York Mets acquired him in 2005. Maxwell hasn’t even been in the big leagues for two full years and he still gets negative reaction from fans. Freedom of expression might have existed before in baseball, but only to a certain extent.
“I had a guy reach out to me last year … in the middle of my season, down here in Mexico, that told me that he hopes me and my family die a horrible death,” Maxwell recently told NBC Sports in the Bay Area. “I still get … three years and I still get it. It’s the hate.”
If the protests in support of Floyd have proven anything, it’s that strength can be found in numbers. Large turnouts all over the world are forcing people to look inward and have some difficult conversations about how to create change.
Athletes, with the high-profile nature of their jobs, have a unique opportunity to spread the message and shine a light on those often ignored. No ballplayer is going to solve all the world’s problems, but Robinson sparked a movement and maybe other athletes can, too, by coming together. It’s encouraging to see so many ballplayers finding their voices for the first time.
Stick to sports? I think not.