Chris Rock says he’s among the last of a dying breed of black baseball fans -- or rather an “endangered species,” as he describes in a video for HBO's Real Sports.
This is a real concern for Rock and he seems pretty committed to getting to the bottom of it -- or at the very least, explaining why it matters that African-Americans have abandoned baseball.
In the 7-minute video, Rock begins by bluntly asking: “Why don’t black people like baseball anymore?”
It's a fair question, and one that prompts Rock to give an honest but humorous take on his love for America's pastime, a brief history lesson on some of its most memorable teams and how the dwindling number of black players and fans speaks to the larger issues of diversity and representation in the game.
“Baseball isn’t 20 percent black anymore, it’s 8 percent and falling fast,” Rock explainS. “That’s an average of two players per team and those two probably listen to Blake Shelton to keep from getting their ass kicked by their teammates.”
Well, we don’t want any ass-kicking around here but here’s to hoping the white-dominated sport will add some color, although, according to Rock, things don’t seem so promising.
“Maybe if baseball gets a little hipper, a little cooler, just a little more black, the future can change,” Rock said. “But till then, blacks and baseball just aren’t a good match anymore. Black don’t seem to care, but baseball should be terrified.”
Watch Rock break it all down in the video above.
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