Episode 89: Where Have All the Black Players Gone? A Baseball Mystery!

In this episode of the "9innings Podcast," host Kevin Thompson, founder and CEO of 9i Capital Group, discusses the decline of African American players in Major League Baseball (MLB). He highlights a significant drop from 19% in 1995 to 7% in 2023. Kevin attributes this trend to several factors, including the lack of domestic academies in the U.S., insufficient representation and role models, economic barriers, competition from other sports, and socioeconomic challenges. He calls for increased investment in domestic academies and outreach programs to foster talent and ensure a more inclusive future for baseball.Statistics Overview (00:01:00) Lack of Domestic Academies (00:02:19) Personal Reflection on Role Models (00:03:38) Historical Context of Black Players (00:06:00) Economic and Social Factors (00:08:14) MLB Outreach Programs (00:09:18) Impact of Legislation (00:10:24) Current Efforts and Changes (00:11:28) Representation and Visibility (00:12:32) Recent Developments in Draft (00:13:44) Economic Considerations (00:14:36) Conclusion and Future Outlook (00:16:51) Follow Us: youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw9yLfTDBAprrLWvmcT6fFA linekdin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-thompson-ricp%C2%AE-cfp%C2%AE-74964428/ X: https://x.com/MLB2CFP facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLB2CFP Website: http://www.9icapitalgroup.com Hit the subscribe button to get new content notifications. Corrections: Editing by http://SwoleNerdProductions.com