MLB Reaches Out To Urban Youths With State-Of-The-Art Basketball Academy

LOS ANGELES, CA - With baseball all but dead in inner cities, Major League Baseball has been racking its brain to come up with a way to reach out to inner city youths. That’s why they're building and sponsoring a brand new, state-of-the-art basketball facility in south central Los Angeles. The facility, dubbed ‘“The Official Major League Baseball Basketball Academy” is expected to attract thousands of inner city kids each year, luring them with basketball while familiarizing them with the Major League Baseball brand name.

“This is our way of telling inner city kids that baseball has a hip, urban sensibility,” said Commissioner Bud Selig. “By sponsoring a basketball academy, we’re showing that MLB cares about city kids and wishes to be a part of the urban landscape.”

The academy, a sprawling, 25-acre facility housing a dozen basketball courts and three indoor gyms, will have the Major League Baseball logo emblazoned on every surface. Kids who attend the academy will be given official MLB T-shirts and hats, as well as free tickets to select Dodgers games.

“This is really a great idea,” said Jimmie Lee Soloman, MLB’s senior vice-president of baseball operations. “It’s ingenious, if I do say so myself. We’re bringing Major League Baseball to inner cities in a very creative and effective way. We’re using basketball as a vehicle to communicate baseball’s commitment to urban areas. This will make baseball more popular among these kids without forcing them to actually play it.”

Despite the optimism of the league, the response elsewhere has been lukewarm. Jesse Jackson, who has pleaded with Major League Baseball to reach out to young black kids, applauded the good intentions but questioned the effectiveness of using basketball to sell baseball.

“Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron – these are just a few of the thousands of blacks who have made an indelible imprint on the game of baseball,” said Jackson, head of the Rainbow Coalition. “But where are the Frank Robinsons of tomorrow? They are on the city streets of LA, New York, Oakland, and Chicago. They are all over America. All they need is a place to play and receive instruction. But this is a basketball facility. I don’t see how that’s going to help them learn about baseball.”

The building of the new facility has generated much excitement among the residents of south central L.A. Many are singing the praises of their new best friend, Major League Baseball.

“Man, did you see the size of that place? It’s fuckin huge,” said 14-year-old Jamal McKey, lifetime Los Angeles resident. “It’s got a bunch of gyms and a locker room and courts with lights an’ shit. Man, this place is like Disneyland for ballers. Thank God for Major League Baseball. I never knew baseball kicked so much ass, man. But they do. They built the best damn basketball court I ever seen.”

The league hopes that the Los Angeles facility will be the first of many. Plans are already being discussed for MLB-sponsored academies in Oakland, Chicago, and Houston, and several other cities have expressed interest as well. If the south central location is a success - and there is every indication it will be- Solomon says to expect more facilities in the very near future.

“This is just the beginning. We’re going to have kids all over America playing hoops in facilities owned, operated, and maintained by Major League Baseball. By 2007, we should have a foothold firmly established in the inner cities of America, with the name of Major League Baseball synonymous with great basketball facilities. As we look to the future, we can see a fruitful and positive relationship between our league and the inner city kids of America.”

But will the plan infuse the big leagues with more African-American talent? Some have their doubts.

“I fail to see how this is going to solve the problem of not enough blacks in baseball,” said Hall of Fame outfielder Reggie Jackson, now a member of MLB’s diversity committee. “We’re supposed to be competing with basketball, not promoting it. If anything, this will probably make matters worse. This is why black people hate baseball. It’s run by retarded people.”

But Solomon vehemently defends the league’s diversity record.

“Hey, we have plenty of minorities in our league. They may not be black, but they are minorities. You know, Dominicans, Mexicans, Cubans, fucking Venezuelans. Venezuelans! Can basketball boast that? I don’t think so. So we don’t have a lot of African-Americans. They seem to be doing just fine with basketball and football and frankly, they have a lot more respect for Major League Baseball now that we’re providing them with a safe, cheap, and fun place to play basketball. After all, we can’t put a gun to their heads and make them like baseball. Trust me. We already looked into it.”