In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, becoming the first African-American to play in the league and paving the way for future players like Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and Hank Aaron to play with and against their white counterparts.

MLB has declared April 15 Jackie Robinson Day and players and team officials are encouraged to wear the No. 42 (Robinson’s old number) which was retired in 1997 by Commissioner Bud Selig to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Robinson playing his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

But, the question arises: where are the African Americans in baseball? 

In a study released by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport only 8.5% of players on roster on Opening Day were of African-American percent, the lowest since the study was first conducted in 1990.

The highest recorded percent was 19 in 1995.

In college, the numbers are even lower.

The NCAA’s website has the number listed at 5.6% for Division 1 baseball.

Cerritos College’s baseball team doesn’t have any baseball players at all.

So what is the problem?

Is it a lack of desire to play baseball by these athletes or are these coaches not recruiting African-American athletes as much as they recruit athletes of other nationalities.

(GAYLORD)

Part of the reason is because these athletes are excelling in football and basketball and they fear they will lose an edge if they don’t partake in their sports’ offseason program, seeing baseball isn’t nearly as physically demanding as the previous.