MLB Whiffs with Statement on Racial Injustice

By Chris Pennant

On May 27, George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police. The resulting outrage and wave of demonstrations has been one of the greatest mass mobilizations in my lifetime. People took to the streets across the country and around the world, demanding an end to police brutality against minorities and systemic racism. Eventually, police and city officials cracked down on protests with mass arrests, curfews (notably in Los Angeles and Chicago) and more recorded incidents of police brutality, some seemingly on the President’s orders.

While many corporations and public entertainment figures have made statements of varying substance and resonance, at no time did I think, “I wonder what Major League Baseball has to say about all this?”

Asking MLB to make a statement on racism is as foolish as asking Ja Rule what he thinks about September 11.

MLB and the other major North American sports leagues would not exist in their current form without Black people. Black athletes and fans are a major revenue source for these leagues, and to a much lesser degree, Black executives control directives. However, sports is a business; the leagues and teams are companies, and their ultimate function is to make money and increase their market share. The only link between that and social causes is promoting “X History Month” merchandise and alternate jerseys. Asking MLB to make a statement on racism is as foolish as asking Ja Rule what he thinks about September 11.

George Floyd was killed on May 27. By the 31st, many professional athletes had spoken out in support of the protests, including prominent white baseball stars. In contrast, no major league team made any statement until June 2, with the league following suit a day later. Think about that. It took an organization that regularly promotes Black, Latino and Asian players in its coverage nine days just to say “racism is bad.” Instead, they kept us informed on top draft picks and the Mets reopening their spring training facilities.

To their credit, MLB at least named Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery in their statement; only 14 major league ballclubs did the same. They promised “collaboration to address symptoms of systemic racism, prejudice and injustice,” but didn’t say which organizations they would collaborate with. The idea that MLB “has zero tolerance for racism and racial injustice” flies in the face of past actions, such as Yuli Gurriel’s delayed suspension following a racist gesture in the 2018 World Series or MLB’s tepid defense of players of color who are ripped for something as trivial as home run celebrations. Most notably, they did not mention the police or any other institutions that perpetuate violence against minorities. As the NY Daily News’ Bradford William Davis wrote earlier this week, “discussing [Floyd, Taylor, Arbery’s] deaths without mentioning who killed them in a cop-out.”

It’s nearly impossible for a sports league to state with conviction that police and policing strategies help cement and perpetuate racism, for the same reason political candidates fervently desire the endorsement of police unions during election cycles: it would lose them money. Police and other first responders are the subject of promotional nights for nearly every team in every North American sport. On- and off-duty police are used as security at stadiums throughout the country. An annual softball game between Chicago’s police and firefighters is held at Guaranteed Rate Field. To condemn the police or any other institution that contributes to the racism inherent in a “law and order” society would constitute a huge drop in MLB’s profits. So they remained silent until they couldn’t any longer, then took four paragraphs to say nothing at all.

None of us should be surprised. There’s no money to be made standing up for a good cause.