Ahead of his sixth All-Star game appearance, Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts sent a message with his pregame outfit.
The superstar outfielder showed up to his home venue rocking a T-shirt that reads “We Need More Black People At The Stadium.”
Betts is one of the few African American players in the MLB. According to a report released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida earlier this year, the MLB currently has the smallest percentage of Black players in the league since the early 1990s.
Black players made up just 7.2% of all MLB players as of this year’s Opening Day. That percentage was 18% in 1991.
Betts is clearly among the many people who hope to re-popularize baseball among the Black community.
April 15th of this year marked the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the MLB’s color barrier.
The 2022 MLB All-Star game at Dodger Stadium will begin at 8 p.m. ET this evening.