PHILADELPHIA (AP) — When Jimmy Rollins made his first All-Star team as a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies 20 years ago, the percentage of Black players in the majors was 13. It’s down to 7.6% this year. As the Phillies celebrated Jackie Robinson Day along with the rest of baseball on Thursday and Friday, Rollins reflected on the decline. He pointed to lack of marketing and socio-economic factors for the baseball’s decline in popularity among young Black athletes.
