When I look at an article from “The Root” I do with a giant level of skepticism since they view everything through a racial lens.
But this article is accurate and fair, and give credit to the organizations that are trying to address the problem.
This is the money line;
" Rick Best, a baseball coach whose son, Justin, is ranked as one of top high school middle outfielders in the country by Baseball Factory and Prep Baseball Report, pointed to two factors in the decline of African-American players in the majors: the cost of travel youth baseball and the rise in popularity of other sports."
That, and the Canadian roots of the sport, would also apply to hockey. Bringing a hockey player from pee-wees to even junior level (16-18) is very expensive and eats many, many hours and dollars of the parents.
My kid’s club volleyball wasn’t cheap. We played tournaments in Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Omaha and I’m sure I’m forgetting some. Club dues were about $2,000 per year. And if I had to do it all again, I wouldn’t change a thing,
