MLB, MLBPA Announce $10M Commitment To Fund For Improving Black Representation

Major League Baseball is the latest professional sports league in the United States to address the racial injustice issues still facing the country.

The league and MLB Players’ Association on Monday announced a $10 million commitment to a fund for helping boost participation among Black Americans in baseball.

“As the stark racial minority in all aspects of our game, The Players Alliance has given a voice and platform to our Black players, unified in our stance against systemic racism,” former outfielder and president of the MLBPA Curtis Granderson said in the statement, via ESPN’s Joon Lee. “We stand together for what is right and to change our game for the better. The power of our player membership, including our non-Black teammates, coupled with the support of MLB and the Players Association, gives us the unique ability to create increased opportunities for the Black communities we care so much about.”

“… Major League Baseball is committed to enacting positive changes within our sport to mirror those we hope to see in society,” commissioner Rob Manfred added in a news release. “We believe that the efforts led by The Players Alliance will complement existing diversity initiatives and accelerate progress that will be beneficial for our game.”

MLB’s 2020 season ends this week.

Thumbnail photo via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images