Baseball Demographics

I don't think a whole team should be built to fit a local demographic although signing a player that appeals in particular to the local demographic probably can only help at the box office. Signing a Latin superstar such as Pujols in Miami as a local draw probably wouldn't bother me too much as long as the whole team isn't purposely built that way for that reason.

I could be off base, and some the of Boston people can way in, but for years it seemed the Celtics usually had a more white players on their team than most NBA teams. I know they had many black players also but they always seem to fill out the bench with white guys. I think this had something to do with the racial climate in the area.

It didn't work out too well with the New York Mets.

Hey Zomby...That is exactly what I was thinking, and I do not know why MLB would encourage or tolerate a renewed policy of perceived segregation.

quote:

Originally posted by floridafan:
What do you guys think? Should teams build their franchise to emulate their fans? Should a team build their program to fit their local demographic?

I thought that a major accomplishment of MLB was the integration of players of all cultures and races being welcomed into the game.

It seems to me that some teams are considering moving "backwards" with a more segragated approach. I have heard of this occuring in colleges as well.

What do you think of this possible trend?

I have no clue what would prompt you to think along those lines?

Many facets in our daily lives are gerrymandered by race with programs like affirmative action with "the goal of diversity". In almost every case women and minorities are given preferential treatment regardless of how qualified they are to do the job. White males are never given any consideration even if they are a minority in a particular area of the country, or field of work. So just imagine if affirmative action was brought to the NHL, or the NBA.

Personally I have no problem with diversity provided that it occurs through merit just like with professional sports teams. However to say there are not enough whites in the NBA or enough blacks in the NHL so the teams need to be forced to become more diverse is absurd. The funny thing is most sports fans would have a fit if they brought quotas to professional sports, yet they sit back and tolerate it in places it can adversely affect their real lives, not just their entertainment.

quote:

Originally posted by fillsfan:
I could be off base, and some the of Boston people can way in, but for years it seemed the Celtics usually had a more white players on their team than most NBA teams. I know they had many black players also but they always seem to fill out the bench with white guys. I think this had something to do with the racial climate in the area.

The Celtics also had the first all black starting five and the first black coach, both back in the 60's when basketball was quite white. Red Auerbach, president of the Celtics when asked about his three white starters in the 80's replied, "I don't care if they're purple if they can play."

RJM,
I remember those teams and can't argue that point, but do you agree, or not, that they always seemed to have more white guys on the roster than most teams?

Except for a handful of years of bad ownership OI only remember the Celtics having the best possible roster. The record speaks for itself.