Florida State Fan posted:Absolutely agree with Coach May.
I also continue to believe baseball is loosing out to basketball and football not because of lack of opportunities per se with baseball but I think basketball and/or football both sports have become part of the culture in the inner cities in a way that baseball has not been able to do. I believe rather than trying to find problems with baseball those promoting the sport should find ways to appeal to inner city youth. Make the sport cool by for example bring good competitive programs/teams to the inner cities to play in front of these kids in the inner cities. I'm not convinced although I maybe wrong but the rbi program hasn't done much to make the sport more appealing to African American kids. For example when I see the rbi program being shown on the news I see both boys and girls on the same team, playing at best rec ball. This does nothing to appeal to boys in the inner cities.
Take above average teams to the inner cities and make sure some of the teams include black kids who are above average players with the intention of demonstrating how baseball can become very competitive and fun to watch.
The RBI program in our area had travel,teams from 13u to an 18u showcase team. The teams were mostly inner city Hispanics and whites.
Baseball is slow. It takes space to play. Basketball takes a 20x20 space and a ball. There is constant movement in basketball. Basketball is such a part of the inner city culture many of the girls play in pickup games.
There was a well off white kid from our area who played for a USA Today Top 25 high school, In the SEC and then had an NBA shot. As a kid his father would drop him off in black neighborhoods to toughen up his hoop game. My son (14yo at the time) read the story, got on his bike and headed for a court in a nearby predominantly black town.
My son got knocked off his feet going to the hoop. He called a foul. An older gentleman walked over, leaned over him and said, "You ain't dead is you? You ain't bleed'n is you? Then you ain't fouled!"