Joy Reid Blog Complains About Lack Of Black Players In MLB, Ignores Lack Of Diversity In NBA

An article for Joy Reid's official blog for MSNBC contends that the number of black people in MLB demonstrates the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

"MLB’s few black players left should be a warning about the war on DEI," writes author Ja'han Jones. "The number of black American players in Major League Baseball has plummeted to just 6%, offering a warning about what can happen when institutions de-emphasize diversity."

The article didn't receive much attention. Until it did. Thanks to the Community Notes feature on X.

 Take a look:

MSNBC says MLB "de-emphasizes diversity" by under-representing the number of black players (6 percent) relative to the percentage of black people in the U.S. (13 percent). 

However, by that same logic, the NBA over-represents black people and under-represents every other ethnicity. 

Let's review:

White people account for 75.5 percent of the population but only 16.8 percent of the NBA. Latinos account for 19 percent of the population but just 3.1 percent of the NBA. Around 6 percent of the U.S. population is Asian, yet less than one percent of the NBA is Asian.

Ultimately, there's not much room for whites, Latinos, or Asians in the NBA because 73.2 percent of the league is black. 

The NBA has a diversity problem, one far exceeding MLB in representation. So does the NFL, where roughly 60 percent of players are black and other entities are left to combine for the remaining 40 percent.

And yet, no one at MSNBC or ESPN (which published an article with the same premise last summer) screeches about the lack of diversity in the NBA or NFL. 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 19: In this screengrab, Joy Reid speaks at the 33rd Gloria Awards: A Salute to Women of Vision - VIRTUAL EVENT on May 19, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women)

The author of the blog post suggests MLB would benefit from mandatory DEI measures. It wouldn't .

There is no place for DEI in professional sports. Handing someone a position over someone more qualified based on the colors of their skin is the antithesis of what American sports represent.

Put simply, if more black players could hit a baseball at a higher batting average, there would be more black players in MLB. Likewise, if more white men could lock down Tyreek Hill, there'd be more white corners in the NFL. 

DEI is a loser mentality. Sports are supposed to weed out the losers.

Other U.S. institutions should follow MLB's lead, by de-emphasizing diversity and emphasizing winning.