The color of college baseball

You didn't have to watch much of the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament down at Riley Park this week to notice the obvious — college baseball is almost an all-white sport.

Of the 335 players who competed in this five-day event, only 11 are African-American, a trend some see as dangerous if not reversed soon.

"It's definitely a concern," Southern Conference commissioner John Iamarino said as he watched the tournament unfold. "You're not seeing nearly the number of players of color coming in.

"It seems that football, basketball and track are where African-Americans are migrating in terms of college sports. I've talked to a couple of our coaches about this and they're concerned that baseball is going to become a whites-only type sport."

And it's not just a Southern Conference problem. It's a national problem.

South Carolina, for instance, has one black player on the Gamecocks' roster. Clemson has two.

The issue, like many in college sports, is economics.

If a black player is good enough to be recruited to a college, he's also good enough to be drafted by a Major League Baseball team.

Whereas the pros offer a signing bonus and a regular paycheck, even in the minors, colleges have little to offer in the way of money.

Colleges are limited to 11.7 scholarships per team, an odd number negotiated during the Title IX days to accommodate more scholarships for women.

That meager number is then divided among some 35 teammates, meaning nobody gets much of anything.

This, for some African-American athletes, determines their choice of sport early on.

A big issue

"It is a problem," Iamarino said. "A lot of the college athletes who are of color come from the urban centers, and it's harder to just play a pickup baseball game. You can't do it like you can in basketball. I think that's a big issue.

"Also, the kids watch and they see the contracts. In football and basketball, you're playing in high-visibility sports in terms of college. Then, if you're good enough, you go to the pros signing for big bonuses.

"In baseball, when you sign, you're looking at a couple of years in the minor leagues riding the buses. So that hasn't taken root with this crop of African-Americans."

While this disparity is obvious to the casual observer, college officials have been slow to address the problem.

"Major League Baseball is spending dollars trying to establish leagues in urban areas like Los Angeles and New York," Iamarino added.

"We've talked about it at the college level, but there are no dollars being devoted to it."

Role models

John Pawlowski, head coach for the College of Charleston, currently has no black players on his Cougars squad. Still, he thinks the numbers will change in the future.

"There obviously aren't as many (black) players that play the game in high school, so the numbers are limited," Pawlowski said. "In the future I think you're going to see more and more players of color going to college, not only to get an education but to get better for baseball."

Of the 10 teams that participated in this week's tournament, 60 percent had no black players on their roster. They included the College, The Citadel, Elon, UNC-Greensboro, Western Carolina and Wofford.

The majority of the black players were on three teams — Appalachian State (3), Furman (3) and Georgia Southern (4).

One of those players is Jay Jackson, a first-team all-conference pitcher and outfielder for Furman. He's expected to be a high draft pick after he finishes his junior year this season.

"A lot of African-American kids now don't look to baseball as an outlet," Jackson said. "They look more to football and basketball. Personally, I thought I was going to make it in basketball myself.

"It's just been that way for a long time. I think it's harder because there are more equipment needs in baseball. In basketball, all you need is a hoop and a ball."

Jackson is not on a full scholarship for baseball, but does receive help with Furman's $44,000 annual tuition because of his academics.

"It's difficult because of the expense that baseball presents," Jackson said. "Because of that, you don't see many role models in baseball for the young African-Americans to look up to."

Jackson said he's trying to change that by visiting middle schools in the Greenville area to promote baseball as an alternative to African-American athletes.

"I think it's sad that there's not more (black players), but it gives those of us playing now more opportunities to make it," he said. "I'm hoping that kids will look up to me in that regard."

Field hockey

Meanwhile, the numbers remain an embarrassment for the college game in terms of diversity. But, some see hope for change.

"I think the trend is going to start to turn," Pawlowski said. "The better ones are going to sign, no matter what. But because there is such an emphasis on college these days, on getting an education and being productive in society, I think the change is going to go the other way, personally."

Conference commissioners like Iamarino would like to see these numbers change, but worry that it won't happen soon enough.

"I don't know what the answer is," he said. "A lot of people are hoping we can reverse this trend. But if we don't address it soon at the college level, it's going to get away from us and it's going to become like lacrosse and field hockey where there's very little diversity."

Reach Ken Burger at kburger@postandcourier.com or 937-5598.