Kids Face Racism Too

Kids Face Racism Too

Gary A. House

The recent talk about racism in America has caused resurging memories that have been tucked away in the back of my mind.  Kids too face racism.

I have coached many youth teams and many kids in my 25 years of coaching.  A few incidents have stood out in how kids were treated.

One season I coached a team comprised of five blacks, six whites and one Hispanic.  I did my best to give each kid an equal opportunity to excel.  Some players simply have more talent than others.

One black player was a very gifted athlete but had never played baseball before.  Since he had a canon strapped to his shoulder and was left-handed, I taught him how to pitch.  Pitching is a craft that takes time to develop.  But this kid was catching on very fast.

One game I put this black southpaw on the mound and I penciled in another good athlete who happened to be black in the lineup at first base.  Upon seeing the lineup on the field, a prominent person in our community approached me and told me that the black players should be in the outfield and the white players should be on the infield and pitching.  I was shocked at this statement.  It did not take me much time to respond to this gentleman.  I said “Sir, I am going to put the players in the positions that give us the best opportunity to win.”  I am certain that he was not satisfied with my explanation but he walked away.

After the recreation director told me that he did not expect us to win a game that year, we won six and came in third place in a five team league.  It came time to pick the All-Star team.  Knowing that I would get no more than two players on the team, I nominated my best two players.  One was a white pitcher; the other was a black shortstop and catcher.  The white pitcher made the team with no questions asked.  Even though we played each team in the league at least twice, the other coaches had no idea who the black kid was.  I still wonder to this day how this kid was not noticed.  He was a great defensive player and was my second best hitter.  This kid deserved to be on this All-Star team but, in my opinion, he was left off because he was black.  All other teams except mine placed two or more players on the team.

In another year, I was coaching an All-Star team and the best athlete and arguably the best player that I had was black.  In one game, this player’s arm was sore so I started him at first base to limit the number of hard throws he would have to make.  A parent came to me and said “Why is that expletive even playing.  He can’t throw.”  I said “Sir, I am going to put the players in the positions on the field that gives us the best opportunity to win.”  He walked away.  The truth is we had to have this kid’s athletic ability with his legs, glove and bat in the lineup to have a chance to win. 

But racism in our youth athletics goes both ways.  I remember watching a white girl play her heart out in a recreational softball program.  When it came time to pick the All-Star team, the black coach selected a black girl who had not hit the ball all year to be on the team leaving the white girl wondering what she had done wrong.

I also remember a few white girls playing on a recreational basketball team.  Even with their team in the lead and the score doubled on the other team, the black coach did not enter the white girls into the county championship game until 30 seconds left in the game.  With such a large lead, those girls deserved more than 30 seconds.

Racism works both ways when it should not exist at all.  We need to be color blind when dealing with our neighbors and fellow Americans.  Until that happens, racism will run rampant in our lives and the lives of our children.  We can pretend like it is not there but it is.  It is time for America to grow up and treat everyone equally whether it is a boy on a baseball team, a girl on a basketball team, or a person applying for a job.

Racism in America is kind of like the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s.  We do not know why we are fighting.

Let’s set an example for our children and get along.