The theory of stacking, or the disproportionate relegation of athletes to specific sport positions on the basis of ascribed characteristics such as race or ethnicity, was first developed by Loy and McElvogue about 25 years ago and implies that minorities are assigned to playing positions on the basis of what they are, not what they have achieved. As a result, stacking is usually seen as a negative phenomenon because it is a discriminatory process. The present study examines the stacking of Latinos in major league baseball from 1950 to 1992. The results show that Latinos are stacked in the central positions of shortstop and second base, a finding that is diametrically opposed to traditional stacking theories.
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