Hank Aaron is one of the most iconic Braves. During his 20-year career with the Braves, he became one of the most decorated players in baseball history. Now, Aaron serves as one of the unofficial spokesmen for the game. Aaron spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his thoughts on the Braves Heritage Weekend and why there is such a low number of African-Americans playing Major League Baseball.
Q. What were your initial thoughts when you found out the Braves were going to have this Heritage weekend?
A. I think it's something that needs to be done and I appreciate the Braves for doing it. I want to congratulate them, and I think it's going to be worth it.
Q. What were your early days with the Braves like?
A. They were good days. We won a few games, but we lost more than we won. I had a lot of fun. It was a challenge for me in more ways than one, of course, because of the (home run) record and some of the other things I accomplished in baseball. I looked at it a little bit different because we weren't winning and I was out there challenging the record. Overall, my career with Atlanta went very well.
Q. What do you want fans to take from a weekend like this, in particular the kids who may not know their history?
A. I want them to understand that baseball had some problems back in the day. We still have problems with minorities in baseball. It helps to have pretty good minority players here with the Braves, but overall the percentage of minorities in baseball has gone down. Personally, I'm a little disappointed. As hard as Jackie Robinson fought to make the playing field level, the playing field isn't level anymore.
Q. Why do you think African-Americans aren’t flocking toward baseball anymore?
A. I think they're several reasons. You can look at the economics. Anytime you have an economic struggle in this country, minorities and blacks are going to suffer more. We just don't have baseball diamonds or playing fields for minorities to practice and play on. It's a tough situation for kids when they don't have a lot of people to look up to or have anyone to play catch with them. It's a situation that if you look at it, it's kind of like damned if you do and damned if you don't because the money just isn't there. People use their money for different things and the kids just aren't out playing baseball anymore.
Jason Heyward, a rising star for the Braves, is considered one of the top outfielders in the major leagues and provides fans with highlight plays on a consistent basis. Heyward spoke with the AJC on why it’s important to remember your heritage.
Q. How does it feel to be apart of an event that gives back to the community by shedding a light on the Civil Rights movement?
A. Anytime you can pay homage to the Civil Rights movement and shed a light on it, it's a good thing. People can take certain things for granted nowadays. That's one thing you don't want to do, certainly with a job that I have. I get to play the game that I love, but it's also as simple as just going to movies with your family or enjoying a good dinner.
Q. Being a young African-American player, how important is it for you to learn the history of the sport?
A. I don't have to look too far to refresh myself. It's good to be aware of your surroundings and to be well-rounded and understand things about different cultures in general. Whether that be ethnicities or nationalities, it's important to be well-versed on different cultures. It's kind of amazing to look back on how far we've come, but we still have a lot of work to do.
Q. What’s the message that you want the kids who’ll be attending this event to receive?
A. Just to know your history. Again, don't take anything for granted because people went through a lot of things and a lot of adversity for us to have some of the luxuries we have today.
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