[jimpiano]

Originally Posted by BretMan

msavakinas,

I see that your location is listed as "Columbus, Ohio" which is where I live, so quite possibly we are in the same association. I know that our association boasts of 400-plus members. That figure includes active, retired and even honorary membership. The actual number of active officials actually working games is smaller than that.

I certainly don't have any inside information breaking down the racial make-up of the membership, but can offer observational data based on my own experience.

Our typical weekly winter meetings are attended by perhaps 200 individuals. Of those in attendance, my best estimate would be that fewer than ten (and ten is probably on the high side) are black officials.

And this in a city with an African-American population approaching 40%, a city that is often cited as one of the best in the country for presenting a positive atmosphere for minorities in terms of lifestyle and opportunity.

Unless there is some super-secret conspiracy to prevent blacks from joining this association, where the memebership is open to anyone interested, willing to pay the fees, pass the tests and attend the meetings, my observational conclusion would have to be that (in this area, at least) there is not a great interest in baseball umpiring among African-Americans.

I suspect that similar factors may be at work in the arena of professional baseball, of which I admitedly have no first hand knowledge.

This past year, the Ohio High School Athletic Association took steps to increase the number of minority umpires amongst its ranks. Personally, I feel that those efforts were misguided and, quite possibly could be construed as reverse discrimination. But I'll step aside now and save that story for another post.

I

I agree and add that basketball and football have a higher per centage of minority officials.

For the record, the black population of Columbus is just under 25%.