Alliance to help build diversity. (Geoff Burke/ USA TODAY Sports)
A twelve-week old program, new to Major League Baseball, and looking to make strides, the Players’ Alliance just received a nice boost. Major League Baseball (MLB) and the MLB Players’ Association (MLBPA) have reportedly agreed to donate $10 million to the Players’ Alliance to help build diversity, on the diamond and in the front offices.
MLB joins @MLB_PLAYERS in committing $10 million to fund innovative programs designed by @Player_Alliance to improve representation of Black Americans in all levels of baseball. pic.twitter.com/AZqskJ6gcL
— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2020
The Players’ Alliance was recently created this summer in the wake of the shooting of George Floyd by 100 current and former Black players to help build Black participation in the sport at all levels.
This donation from the league was announced Monday morning; it will be dispersed annually over five years and allow for a few different initiatives. It will add things like a player-led mentorship program and let the Players’ Alliance to expand and start looking to do what they are trying to.
The President of the Players’ Alliance, Curtis Granderson, said that the donation came at the perfect time and was a fantastic gesture by the league to help with what they are trying to accomplish. Baseball has seen protests this year, including when the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics sat out their game on the league’s Jackie Robinson Day celebration.
Cameron Maybin, another Players’ Alliance member, and Chicago Cubs outfielder noted that this allows them to have a voice, be heard, and work to enact change. Major League Baseball identified a need, something that would bring collective good and a step in the right direction, and this donation shows that they are encouraging this.
