Can Ken Griffey Jr. and the HBCU Classic bring Black players back to baseball?
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Ken Makin Cultural commentator
| Atlanta
Don鈥檛 let the camera equipment and modest perch near the dugout fool you. Ken Griffey, Jr., is baseball royalty.
After conquering the sport with perhaps the sweetest swing in Major League history and securing a Hall of Fame career, Mr. Griffey is into passion projects now. One is photography. The other? Restoring the legacy of Black baseball.
That lineage was alive and well Friday evening at Atlanta鈥檚 Truist Park during the HBCU Swingman Classic. The Classic is a celebration of not only Black baseball players from historically Black institutions, but also the trends those schools and players cultivate.
Why We Wrote This
Today, Black athletes only make up 6% of Major League Baseball players. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr., is among those who believe the sport can help create a new generation of leaders.
Trends regarding Black, U.S.-born players were part of the inspiration for this event 鈥� and something worrying Mr. Griffey.
鈥淭hirty years ago, 17% of [MLB] ball players were Black. Now we鈥檙e at 6.7%, and we鈥檙e trying to get these kids to understand that if we can get them seen, we can get them heard, and we can get them out here,鈥� Mr. Griffey says. 鈥淎ll it takes is for a parent to love baseball and to bring them into the sport. ... What we鈥檙e trying to do is get an opportunity for kids to be seen and elevate their lives, on and off the field.鈥�
Despite those numbers, the Classic was far from doom and gloom. The gates opened on a hot afternoon amid the smells and sounds of the ballpark, with a touch of class and HBCU brass from the Georgia Mass Band. On the field, sports legends and comedians abounded. Mr. Griffey was joined by a host of Hall of Famers, including CC Sabathia and Andre Dawson. The HBCU teams, split up into two squads from the 50 best and brightest players from the Black college ranks, were coached by a pair of beloved former Braves, Brian Jordan and David Justice. As far as laughs, there was Roy Wood, Jr., a baseball enthusiast who has collaborated with MLB for years; and Lou Young, who played college football at nearby Georgia Tech and has since become an online viral sensation.
鈥淚 love baseball, not only just as a teaching tool, because to me this ain鈥檛 necessarily about creating the next major leaguer. It鈥檚 about creating the next generation of men,鈥� Mr. Wood says. 鈥淎nd I think baseball is one of the most superb sports about teamwork and individualism and how you bounce back from failure that鈥檚 ever existed.鈥�
The cracking of jokes was quickly replaced by cracks of the bat. Alabama A&M鈥檚 Trey Rutledge led off for the National League roster and despite unintentionally running into the ball after making contact, his speed down the base path set the tempo for the rest of the game. It鈥檚 also worth mentioning that Mr. Rutledge led all of college baseball this past season with a .567 on-base percentage.
It鈥檚 the kind of speed and swagger that reminds Mr. Griffey of the icons and style of play of yesteryear.
鈥淲hen you get a lot of kids who can run and get on base, it鈥檚 not [just] small ball, it鈥檚 fundamental baseball,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the most exciting plays in baseball, the stolen base. ... If we can get back to that, it鈥檒l start to go back to [the likes] of Rickey Henderson, Marquis Grissom, Kenny Lofton, Vince Coleman. Guys who stole bases at a high rate and a high level.鈥�
鈥淏lack To The Bigs鈥�
A trio of ladies walk around Truist Park during the course of Friday鈥檚 game with a message on their jerseys: 鈥淏lack To The Bigs.鈥� It鈥檚 more than a fashion statement 鈥� it is the name of a documentary produced and directed by Crystal Garrett. She, too, noticed the decline in Black athletes in the major leagues while her son, Miles, rose in the ranks as a draft prospect. It inspired her to collaborate with some of baseball鈥檚 most recognizable names: Mr. Griffey, Mookie Betts, and Dusty Baker.
鈥溾�楤lack To The Bigs鈥� is about the decline of Black players in Major League baseball,鈥� Mrs. Garrett says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a systemic issue, and a lot of times you want to point to the big guy in a room, which would be MLB, but it really starts before that.鈥�
The documentary uses deeply personal stories to shine a light on hurdles facing Black athletes, as well as specific challenges in baseball leading 鈥渢o the lowest participation levels since Jackie Robinson鈥檚 groundbreaking debut.鈥�
鈥淭he cost of travel ball is too expensive. You鈥檙e spending $15,000 a year extra just for your kid to play baseball,鈥� Mrs. Garrett says. 鈥淎lso the rise of basketball and football, and the cultural relevancy [of those sports], is very alluring.
鈥淲hen you don鈥檛 see a lot of people that look like you in a sport, you tend to gravitate away from it towards something that represents you,鈥� she adds. 鈥淏aseball used to be a hand-me-down sport where you had Black fathers going out, throwing the ball with young men, and introducing them to baseball at a very early age.鈥�
鈥淵ou can be so much more than just good at your sport鈥�
The recesses of Truist Park were filled with gratitude after the National League team secured a 7-4 win over their American League counterparts. Florida A&M University鈥檚 Jay Campbell, fresh off of his freshman season in Tallahassee, earned MVP honors after he crushed a seventh-inning homer. Mr. Jordan and Mr. Justice, the honorary managers for the squads, said they relished the humility and leadership qualities of the players, perhaps best exemplified by Morehouse鈥檚 Elijah Pinckney. Mr. Pinckney was the only Division II player on the roster and the recipient of the game鈥檚 Impact Award, which recognizes contributions on and off the field.
鈥淢orehouse has taught me something that I think a lot of people have to internalize. Even though you鈥檙e a Black man who鈥檚 good at your sport, you can be so much more than just good at your sport,鈥� Mr. Pinckney told reporters after the game. 鈥淵ou can only go so far with changing and impacting people in the game. There鈥檚 a lot more that you can do out in the world.鈥�
