Posted By:
Al C.risafulliI take back the "broad brush" comment, the more that I think of it. There's something to be said for that. But I don't think it's an issue of race, it's an issue of SPACE.
Inner cities get more and more crowded, and have less and less room. With space at a premium, I think there are fewer and fewer parks, and certainly fewer parks large enough to play baseball in.
There are more and more cars, which makes it tougher to play stickball as well.
But it's pretty easy to hang a basket on a telephone pole, or attach one to the side of a building. Many schools and churches have basketball courts, either indoors or outdoors. It's easier to play basketball when you live in a confined area like a city.
Not to say there aren't any baseball fields in the cities - of course there are - I just don't think there are as many. Out here in the middle of nowhere, an hour west of Manhattan, I live in a town of less than 3000 people, and we have four baseball fields. The next town over has seven. The town on the other side has nine.
-Al