The percentage of African Americans now playing in Major League baseball declined from 8.4% in 2006 to 8.2% this year. It is the lowest recorded level in 2 decades, reports ESPN.

That is disappointing to hear.

Growing up in Oakland, CA, we had a proud tradition of African American ballplayers who came from the tough, inner city neighborhoods of Oakland--such as Frank Robinson, Curt Flood and Rickey Henderson, all of whom greatly influenced the game during their careers, on and off the field. That's why I find it sad to hear that fewer blacks are playing to the game.

However, given today's societal climate, particularly when it comes to the diminished role of fathers are playing in the African American community, it's also understandable.

The ESPN article cites a number of reasons for the dwindling numbers of blacks playing the game. One of the biggest reasons for the decline is the interest in other sports--namely football and basketball. More interestingly, though, is a seeming lack of interest in community baseball programs--including MLB's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program. But why is that?

Is that lack of interest just because baseball is "boring?" Or because there's no a lot of "action" like in football and basketball? To some degree that's possible, even reasonable given the instant gratification and hyperdrive overstimulation provided by video games, the Internet and whatnot to which our kids have access.

There's something deeper at play here, though, something more disturbing that's been going on for quite some time: the continued lack of a father or even able-bodied father figure in the African American inner city family to raise a child, let alone teach the game of baseball. And there are statistics to support that premise: Fatherless homes among African American families is as high as 60%. An ABC "20/20" poll reported that a 1/3 of African American men between the ages of 20-29 are in correctional facilities; 1/3 of all African American men are victims of AIDS; and homicide is the leading cause of death among black men between the ages of 15-24.

And why is all that affecting baseball and the declining interest in the game?

Traditionally, baseball has been and will continue to be a game that is handed down from father to son (and even mother to son, as I've seen in my days as a little league coach). There's a very simple reason for this: Baseball is a hard game that takes practice.

There is only so much that can be taught at the program/league level. It's not 'hey, two days a week of practice with your team and, bingo, you're the next Ryan Howard'. Baseball doesn't work that way. It never has. No sport is that way, really, but it's especially true in baseball given the difficulty of the game.

To throw well takes practice outside of the program or league. The same thing goes for catching; or hitting; or how to field a grounder without losing your teeth; or to catch a pop up or fly ball. All of them take practice with somebody--preferably a father. It takes a father to foster and encourage interest in the game; or to take them to a ballgame.

Now if that father isn't there, then what? What if the child has no friends who like baseball but who like basketball instead? Where is that child going to turn? To their friends and the games they play, of course! What child wants to be left alone on a playground tossing up balls to themselves to simulate catching pop ups; or throwing balls against a wall to simulate fielding grounders? That gets old and lonely pretty quick.

So who can blame a kid if they turn to the courts to play some hoops with their friends instead of baseball? I certainly can't. I can however lay a large part of the blame squarely on the shoulders of the absent father who isn't around to teach their son (or even daughter) the amazing and sometimes beautiful nature and nuances of baseball.

There was another ESPN article by Richard Lapchick that also addressed the the decline of black players in MLB. Some of the reasons he cites for inner city youth not playing the game are patently weak: baseball is still reeling from Al Campanis' awful remarks on "Nightline" 21 years ago (get over it, please; kids barely know the history of their country during the 1990s, let alone a relatively minor event in the 1980s); the vilification of Barry Bonds in the media (this as an explanation for kids not playing baseball makes zero sense); and fewer inner city fields to play on (maybe, but he never backs this claim up with statistics to prove there are fewer fields).

He does come somewhat close to addressing a social issue that may be the cause for the declining numbers: limited family resources to purchase equipment or pay little league dues. Both are legitimate but slightly flawed reasons, too. (For instance, it could be argued that one might find a cheap glove at a second-hand sports store, cheaper than basketball shoes--that's for damn sure. And let's face it; football cleats and equipment aren't cheap, either.)

What he doesn't do is address the absence of the father issue. Maybe it didn't cross his mind or he's afraid to, I don't know. But it's disturbing that it's not addressed.

The thing is, we can't reasonably expect programs like "RBI" to work and expose kids to the game and generate more African American ballplayers (and ultimately executives) if fathers aren't around to teach and work on the game with their children. It's a far greater reason for black inner city youth not playing than game than lack of parks or funds or Barry Bonds being vilified in the media.

Ultimately, until the African American community rises up and demands that fathers participate in their children's lives, not just for the sake of churning out ballplayers but for the far more important reason of raising their children, then there's little baseball or any one can do.

I have a feeling Jackie Robinson might agree.