Keith Clinkscales has extensive experience in building media platforms. In addition to being a former CEO of REVOLT Media, Keith Clinkscales is also the founder and CEO of Shadow League Digital (SLD), a sports news organization.
SLD’s mission is to focus on sports coverage from a cultural perspective through a few different formats, including the web, documentary film, and digital television. Some of the stories featured on the site are similar to the one regarding Tony Reagins spearheading an effort to revive baseball in the African-American community.
When the article was written in February, African-Americans only comprised 8.4 percent of the Major Baseball League, according to the Institute on Diversity in Sports. One of the reasons that many believe that not many young African-American children are choosing to participate in the sport is because of the costs associated with playing on traveling and intramural teams. Another reason is that children typically want to emulate people that look like them, and without representation in the game, many African-American children are not as interested in the sport.
Some believe this population of children is not interested in baseball, but that they lose interest between 10 and 14. Lack of proper training and off-season workouts are a part of keeping prospective athletes engaged in the sport, which is lacking in this community.
However, through the efforts of black players, the hope is that baseball will once again become attractive to this population. In Washington DC, Senators Satchel Paige Little League introduces children between four and eight to the intricacies of the game. Moreover, Tony Reagins launched PlayBall and other initiatives to reintroduce baseball to African-American youth.
Keith Clinkscales 