Growing up in the late 80s and 90s, my boys and I loved playing baseball and watching MLB on TV. Before the days of streaming and when sports could not be consumed on demand, I collected baseball cards, faithfully read the Philadelphia Inquirer (I’m a die-hard Philadelphia Phillies fan), and Sports Illustrated. I also watched ESPN to keep up on the latest happenings in baseball. Programming such as Sunday Night Baseball, with the iconic tandem of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan calling the games, and Baseball Tonight, featuring prominent analysts and reporters like Peter Gammons, Tim Kurkjian, and Karl Ravech, led me to cultivate my love for “America’s Favorite Pastime.” The shows back then, before sports debate culture took center stage,  entertained, informed, and educated us about the history of the game that we loved

Looking back on those days, it was one of the “golden eras” of baseball. Stars like Ken Griffey Jr, Rickey Henderson, Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas, Tony Gwyn, Dave Winfield, Barry ll Larkin, Dave Stewart, Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield, Kenny Lofton and Albert Belle were just some of the players who dominated on the field and kept Black kids tuned in, awaiting their latest exploits. Even two-sport phenoms Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders kept us captivated as they brought Black, sandlot-style baseball to the big leagues.

Fast forward to 2025, so much has changed, and not for the better. The number of Black people who watch baseball has declined drastically since the 1990s. According to Statista, only 8.2% of MLB fans in the US are African American, compared to 68.7% who are white, and 18.9% who are Hispanic.  Additionally, 15% of Black individuals are considered "avid" MLB fans, and another 35% are "casual" fans. For me, the probing question becomes, “Will Black People Ever Watch MLB Again?”

Another change in MLB is the lack of Black players on the field. On Opening Day 2024, Black players made up only 6.0% of MLB rosters. There were a total of 57 Black players among the 945 players on Opening Day rosters—a far cry from the peak of 19% in 1981. In the front office, Dana Brown, the general manager of the Houston Astros, is currently the only Black general manager in the league.

But the numbers are even bleaker in high school, where young players are honing their skills. A recent study reported that only 6% of Black students at urban public schools have ever played baseball. Black students who played baseball in rural schools were at 14% and 11% at suburban schools.

Recently, some teams in the big leagues didn’t have a single Black American player on their roster. In the 2022 World Series, when the Philadelphia Phillies took on the Houston Astros, not a single Black American player suited up for either team. In a sad twist of irony, Dusty Baker, a tremendous player in his own right, was the manager for the Astros. He expressed his frustration at the reality of the sport. 

"I don't think that's something that baseball should really be proud of. It looks bad," Baker told the Associated Press at the time. "It lets people know that it didn't take a year or even a decade to get to this point."

Over the years, there has been a “resegregation” of a league that witnessed Jackie Robinson break the color barrier on April 15, 1947.

Howard Bryant, a noted baseball historian and acclaimed author, argues that the lack of Black players can be attributed to the game of economics. Factors such as the rise of "Travel Ball" and the cost of youth baseball have become barriers to entry into the sport.

"Baseball is a white, suburban game reinforced by foreign labor," Howard Bryant said. "It's been that way for 40 years."

Speaking with BET.com in 2023, Bob Kendricks, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, belives that the MLB also has hard time competing with the NBA and the NFL.

“When you look at the rise and popularity of basketball and football, particularly in our community, they have become so big because they're star-driven. Major League Baseball, and I've said this to the commissioner and others in the game, the thing that we love about baseball is the tradition,” Kendricks stated. 

“But now, with some of the rule changes that are speeding the game back up, I hope to see more traction with the Black community,” Kendricks added. “When those players came in from the Negro Leagues, they changed the pace the game was played.”

To address this disturbing trend, MLB has instituted several developmental programs, including the MLB Youth Academy, the Breakthrough Series, the DREAM Series, the Nike RBI program, and the Hank Aaron Invitational. In 2021, MLB earmarked $150 million for the Players Alliance, a group of Black current and former players, to fund various initiatives, purchase new equipment, sponsor tournaments, and offer scholarships. But is it too late? I hope not.

“Will Black People Ever Watch MLB Again?” That remains to be seen, but there are signs of hope. On Opening Day 2025, the 6.2% total for Black players represented a slight increase from 6.0% in the previous season, with a total of 59 Black players appearing on active and inactive lists. Additionally, there were 18 Black players on MLB 40-man rosters in the Minor Leagues. When it comes to increasing the number of Black players in the MLB, the African proverb is still true: “You eat an elephant one bite at a time.”

Even today, with the five-tool playing wizardry of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, the masterful power hitting of the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, and the flame-throwing prowess of Devin Williams, Black players are still among the most popular and the best players in the league.

As a baseball head, there’s nothing quite like the unexplainable magic of postseason baseball. When autumn rolls around, the air gets cooler, and I’ll be tuning in as I have for the better part of 35 years, either in the stands or watching from home.  I’m committed. I love the game. And in the words of Issa Rae, I’m always “rooting for everybody Black” on the baseball diamond.

But that’s just me, and I’m in the minority. What MLB must ask itself is, “How about everyone else?”