Thanks to this year being the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's destruction of the color barrier, there has been a great deal of discussion about the lack of black players in the professional game today. We've talked about the reasons for this before. Among them are: black players don't get the youth opportunities thanks to location; there's a cultural deficit of interest in the game; and the international spread of recruiting has had a disproportionate effect on the black high school player. All of these reasons ring true, which means it's time to think about solutions. The New York Times' William C. Rhoden did exactly that in yesterday's edition (Times Select), calling for help from MLB and for youth players to be able to play in less restricted local Little Leagues:
My idea is that for the next five years, residency requirements, which are at the heart of Little League Baseball, should be suspended. But suspend the rule only for ages 5 through 8, the crucial ages when kids learn the fundamentals of the game and learn to love the game. There is no competitive advantage at these ages; everyone is simply learning the game.
For ages 9 to 12, the various local leagues - like Harlem Little League; Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities, know as the R.B.I. program; and the Little League Urban Initiative - can fill in the gaps.
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