What would Jackie say...

As major league baseball prepares to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, I wonder what he would say about baseball today.  I wonder if he would wonder what has happened to his game.  Where are the black faces? What happened to the black managers? Who is Tupac Shakur? Lebron James or RG3? I don't profess to a Robinson historian, but I am sure he would be fascinated by pop culture today. One of his last requests before he died was to see a black face in a dugout managing a team. Today there are two managers. Dusty Baker in Cincinnati. Bo Porter in Houston. Who the heck is Bo Porter? That is another blog another day. Cito Gaston won two world series with Toronto. So Jackie would be happy that that happened. He would excited the Ken Williams is a G.m. in Chicago and led them to a title. But where are the players? That would be the mystery to him.
When Jackie was playing baseball, the NBA was in its infancy. Football was more important in college. Boxing was the sport for most African Americans to try. Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis paved the way for the Cassius Clays of the world.  Jim Brown and Gayle Sayers hadn't wowed the world yet and Bill Russell, Willie Mays and Wilt Chamberlain were just warming up. Jackie brought everyone to baseball. The Negro league had better players than Jackie, but he got the shot. If there were jealousy or anger it was kept quiet in the black community. Can you imagine if that happened today?  I can't. Kids today want to play basketball, rap or play football.  Kids today could tell you more about Tupac than they can about any school topic or even Jackie Robinson. If a kid today did what Jackie did he would be called a sellout or a Tom. Kids today want to fight the power and start revolutions without understanding what it really means. They don't value life or education.  Jackie went to UCLA. He resisted non violently, He just played.  He did his social commentary when it was proper. Kids today think that being a professional athlete is so easy. They have no respect or regard for the commitment it takes to be a pro. They go to college for one semester to gain eligibility and then leave after one year.  They think that they are going to hip hop legends if they emulate the path that Tupac set forth. They don't understand the struggles that he went through. He and Lebron James are once in a lifetime talent. So is Tiger Woods. No one is trying to be like Tiger. To me that is puzzling. Let's talk baseball. The greatest leader in team sports is Derek Jeter. He is the biggest name in the biggest city. Matt Kemp is cut from the same cloth. But kids don't want to be like them on the field. Jeter, Woods,and Kemp are notorious ladies men. Maybe the fact that they are mixed race men too may factor into it for some as well.  I can't explain it...
So what would Jackie say? He probably would say be who you are,but don't forget about others are watching and learning from you along the way. He would be sad that kids are running away from baseball and disappointed that the brainwashing of our youths is real and destroying us as a people. He would psyched that there is a black President, but would be ashamed of the efforts to help inner city youth play baseball. He would be ashamed of the greed. He would be confused about the " me me" mentality of all sports.  He would say ," I created all of this?" He would change the channel....