Celebrations are planned. But Davies says the commemoration is really aimed at bolstering the image of a sport tarnished not only by unresolved strike issues and fan dismay, but lingering racism. Organized baseball's leadership is attempting to use Robinson as a means of diverting attention away from its other very serious failures that have contributed to serious attendance decline, a major decline in black fans and its general ineptitude. Baseball trails both basketball and football in popularity and cannot in good conscience claim the title of the national pastime. The same is true with coaches.
Few blacks serve as coaches or even sports announcers.
Bob Watson of the New York Yankees is the only black general manager. The gap reflects American society as a whole, Davies says. It mirrored the morale of mainstream American society, Davies says. What's more, black owners of the loosely organized Negro Leagues did not want to lose their stars. Yet blacks had managed to desegregate defense industry factories during the war and the civil rights movement was gaining steam, finally embraced by the nation's mainstream liberals.