Race,Position Segregation and Salary Equity in Professional Baseball

Abstract

This paper uses the most recent data available to analyze the question of position segregation in major league baseball. One of the most consistent beliefs in our popular culture is that in professional sport black Americans have achieved parity with their white counterparts. Surprisingly, given the pervasiveness of this belief, there are relatively few empirical attempts to examine and explain the degree to which parity has or has not been achieved. Our paper examines the extent to which equality of opportunities exist in professional sport by looking at the game of baseball. The paper is a replication and extension of the pioneering study conducted by Loy and McElvogue (1970). We also include in our analysis variables that help predict salary differentials for players by race. The results of our research suggest the following: (1) position segregation still exists in professional baseball with white ballplayers disproportionately overrepresented in the infield (or central positions) and black American ballplayers disproportionately overrepresented in the outfield (or peripheral positions); (2) measures of skill (e.g., home runs, hits, and at bats), not race or playing position, are the only significant predictors of salary; and (3) black ballplayers have a higher median salary than white ballplayers. In our conclusion, we offer several explanations of these relationships and findings.