This examination of baseball's lack of African Americans in top offices displays how various tenets of Critical Race Theory apply to baseball. First, baseball has been and currently is controlled by white elites. Often these white elites allow minority progress only when it also serves their own needs, such as needing to appear diverse. By purporting progress, racist hiring practices are masked.
Second, baseball has a socially created image of an African American's role in baseball. This stereotype perpetuates that African Americans belong on the field due to their superior athleticism, but out of front office roles due to their perceived lack of leadership skills. Despite evidence to the contrary, these stereotypes are represented in the abhorrently low number of general managers and owners in Major League Baseball.
Finally, institutional racism exists in baseball. Although overt racism has slowly faded through the decades, baseball continues to hire whites, as opposed to African Americans for front office positions. White executives simply feel more comfortable hiring other whites into front office roles, however sometimes hiring of minorities is necessitated. But similar to corporations, minorities hired into front office roles in Major League Baseball frequently possess traits that reduce the likelihood of reducing negative stereotypes, mentoring junior African Americans, and increasing internal accountability of racial hiring practices. Thus, many of the expected, positive "trickle-down" effects of hiring a minority do not occur.