Farinacci 1 Alexis Farinacci Professor Sheila Bolduc-Simpson ENC 1102 CRN 10844 7 February 2013 Racism Can Be Avoided

Jackie Robinson Quote 1

Strike three youre out! Ball four. Take your base. Youre safe! Youre out! These are some of the calls that Major League Baseball umpires make everyday they put their uniform on and take the field with the players. The question is, How many of these calls are correct? Or, how many of these calls are purposely made wrong? Especially when it comes to the pitcher, calls are crucial to his game and his pitch count. Each strike. Each ball. They all count, and its the job of the umpire to fairly make the call and make it right. Now the question is: Are these calls right? Or, are they purposely missed and made wrong? Minority baseball pitchers believe Major League Baseball umpires are racist. Before April 1947, African Americans were not allowed to be members of Major League Baseball; they were a part of the Negro Leagues. This, however, was all changed

Farinacci 2 on that historic day, April 14, 1947. On this day in history, Jackie Robinson, whos number 42 is forever retired in Major League Baseball, broke the color barrier by becoming the first African American to play in the Major Leagues when he stepped onto the Major League field in his very first appearance with the Brooklyn Dodgers. (Jackie Robinson breaks Major League Color Barrier) During this season, Robinson, along with his family, were tormented. Threatened. Abused. This was the way that non-African American spectators treated Robinson day in and day out his first season in the Major Leagues. Now the question still remains to this very day, does racism still occur in Major League Baseball, now that segregation is over and unity has been made? Minority pitchers believe it does. John Sulaeman, a financial economist at Southern Methodist University (Major League Baseball Umpires are Racist) argues that maybe not the players, but the umpires are racist. In a study done between the years 2004 and 2008, 3.5 million pitches were evaluated and the study found that minority pitchers believe and are convinced that umpires more often call strikes for white pitchers than for minority pitchers. This study also showed that minority pitches often hurt their own pitching performance by pitching safe. (Major League Baseball Umpires are Racist, Says Economist) This can cause pitchers to have to have to pitch down the middle, therefore giving up hits. According to Daniel Hamermesh, a professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin (TIME Are Baseball Umpires Racist), umpires tend to call more strikes when the pitches is of same race as they are then of pitchers of a different race. To attempt at getting that statistic down, in effect in some stadiums today, is the QuesTec system. This is the system that Major League Baseball uses to attempt to prevent racism and

Farinacci 3 purposely wrong calls from being made. The QuesTec system videos umpires and monitors how well theyre doing their job. The QuesTec system is currently in 11 of 30 Major League Baseball stadiums today, primarily in American League stadiums. Hamermes did a study on the QuesTec System and was quoted saying, Umpires hate those QuesTec Systems. When youre going to be watched and have to pay more attention, you dont subconsciously favor people like yourself. When discrimination has a price, you dont observe it as much, says Hamermesh. (TIME Are Baseball Umpires Racist) The use of these systems can prevent wrong calls from being made. The importance of correct calls being made is crucial because just one wrong call can lead to more than a pitcher being angry at you. It can cause the other team to score, and even possibly completely change the outcome of a game. Wrong calls can also change the way a pitcher pitches or the way a team plays. If a pitcher knows hes more likely not to get the calls, he pitches out of the norm and his game is greatly affected. He may start pitching the corners, down the middle; give up hits; give up runs. One wrong call can completely change a game. Therefore, with the use of the QuesTec system, wrong calls and racism on the field can be avoided. Today in the Major Leagues, 71 percent of pitchers and 87 percent of umpires are of the white ethnicity. (Are Baseball Umpires Racist). This racism isnt just between African Americans and white Caucasians. But the study that Hamermesh did shows that minority umpires judged Asian pitchers more unfairly than they did white pitchers. (Are Baseball Umpires Racist). Because the MLB has no umpires of the Asian background, the QuesTec system is all they can use to prevent this racism and discrimination to occur.

Farinacci 4 Discrimination can be avoided; racism can be avoided. The Major Leagues are no longer segregated, but equal and umpires and players should all be treated equally. As the great Jackie Robinson once quoted, "The way I figured it, I was even with baseball and baseball with me. The game had done much for me, and I had done much for it." (Baseball Almanac). Baseball is no longer segregated and discrimination and racism must be stopped!

Farinacci 5 Works Cited "Are Baseball Umpires Racist? - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. <http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1652338,00.html>. Campbell, Hank. "Major League Baseball Umpires Are Racist, Says Economist." Science 2.0 - The world's best scientists, the Internet's smartest readers. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. <http://www.science20.com/science_20/major_league_baseball_umpires_are_rac ist_says_economist-82550>. "Jackie Robinson Quotes." Baseball Almanac. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. <http://www.baseballalmanac.com/quotes/quojckr.shtml>. "Jackie Robinson breaks major league color barrier History.com This Day in History 4/15/1947." History.com History Made Every Day American & World History. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. <http://www.history.com/this-day-inhistory/jackie-robinson-breaks-major-league-color-barrier>. "Jackie Robinson photo." Jackie Robinson photo. Web. 13 Jan. 1923. <imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-48890/63/6333/L3V7100Z/posters/jackie-robinson-life-quote-inspire-poster.jpg>.