MLB still has work to do in racial, gender hiring

Editor’s note: Richard Lapchick is a human rights activist, pioneer for racial equality, expert on sports issues, scholar and author.

Like many fans, I watched the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking MLB’s color barrier. I love that players wear No. 42 and that so many ceremonies took place. I loved seeing his amazing wife, Rachel, now 99, their children and grandchildren representing Jackie at various ceremonies across the nation. Jackie Robinson had a dual goal of getting more Black players on the field and having Black people run the game as managers, coaches and general managers. His legacy continues in sports and in society.

Today, our team at The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) released the 2022 Major League Baseball Racial and Gender Report Card. Major League Baseball earned a B on for racial hiring and a C+ for gender hiring practices, bringing the overall grade to a B-.

MLB lost ground in its racial hiring record, as its racial hiring grade went from 86.8 percent in 2021 to 83.0 percent in 2022. For gender, MLB’s hiring grade increased from 70.7 percent in 2021 to 75.3 percent in 2022. The combined grade of 79.1 was an increase of 1.1 percentage points from last year.

“In this the 75th year anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, Major League Baseball (MLB) continues to struggle with making diversity and inclusion a reality on and off the field,” said Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. “Although the recognition of Jackie’s impact has been wonderfully celebrated, it must be noted that Jackie himself would have also wanted to see more Black coaches, managers and executives throughout the sport. During one of his final messages before his passing, he passionately shared his hope that there would be more blacks in the leadership of the game. Yet here we are 50 years after his death, still trying to make…