NASHVILLE, TN — The tradition and glory of HBCU football is well known, and their basketball legacy has also been frequently chronicled. But one sport that doesn’t get much coverage or attention in terms of Black colleges remains baseball, even though there’s been an equally long history of outstanding athletes who made it to the majors from HBCU’s. Brandon Rembert wants to change that situation.
Rembert’s a top prospect who hasn’t made his name at Arizona State, USC, Vanderbilt or any of the well known college baseball schools. Instead, he’s been a star at Alcorn State.
He’s also trying to do something extremely rare in baseball circles, advance from playing at the lowest level of college baseball to reaching the majors. Rembert’s been highlighted in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, and the Shadow League among other places. and he’s passionate about both reaching the majors and putting the spotlight on HBCU baseball.
“I remember as a kid my parents put me in T-ball,” Rembert recalled during a recent Tribune interview. “My older brother started playing T-ball a year before me, so I kind of just followed in his footsteps the year after. From there, I just kind of stuck with the game and followed after my brother. When he moved up to coach pitch, I went up to coach pitch the year after. When he moved to kid pitch, I went up to kid pitch the year after. So, I guess I just followed my brother when it came to baseball. Eventually, I started to fall in love with the game and ultimately just started mainly focusing on baseball. The rest is history.”
He feels baseball is a forgotten son on HBCU campuses. ”I think that HBCU baseball can be kind of overlooked,” he continues. “Baseball is not a huge sport in the African-American community. There would be tons of fans at the football and basketball games, but were not nearly as many at our baseball games. I think that HBCU baseball programs don’t have the same facilities and equipment as some of the other major Division One baseball programs, so we kind of have to make do with what we have. I think that HBCU baseball programs are much more underfunded compared to the major SEC opponents that we may face in a spring season, and that’s just the reality of things.”
Unlike some, Rembert feels that the majors are trying to get more Blacks interested in the sport, both as fans and players. “I think that MLB is doing a better job with attracting African-Americans to the sport of baseball,” Rembert continues. “Every year MLB hosts what is called the Andre Dawson classic. This event is basically a tournament that is filled with mostly HBCU teams and gives us an opportunity to play on TV on the MLB Network channel. I think that this is a pretty good event that MLB hosts to get HBCU baseball’s name out there. I wish they would host maybe one more event like that during the season because it was honestly a great experience to be able to play on the MLB Network, and it was a great way to get HBCU baseball programs and players more exposure.”
He also cites specialization as a major negative factor in terms of Black youth and baseball. “I do think that the ideology of kids specializing in just one sport is hurting the chances of baseball getting more African-American players,” Rembert adds. “Growing up, Black kids may just focus on maybe football or basketball instead of trying baseball. I think that them focusing on one sport takes away the opportunity of them trying the game of baseball. Baseball in the African-American community is gaining ground, but I think it still has a ways to go.”
He cites the Los Angeles Dodgers (and Nashville’s own) Mookie Betts and the Chicago White Sox’s Tim Anderson as particular favorites. “I think that Mookie Betts and Tim Anderson are pioneers for African-Americans in the game of baseball. They are real-life examples of the fact that Blacks can not only play, but can also thrive in the game of baseball at a very high level. I believe that the stigma around baseball is that it is a boring game. These two definitely make the game more exciting and are being role models for Black kids in the game of baseball. I think these two are definitely helping the cause of attracting African-Americans to the sport.”
Rembert says he’d love to be involved with the sport after his playing days are over, and says he’d advise any Black youngster interested in the sport to give it his all. He also says he thinks the sport’s done reasonably well with HBCUs, but has some advice.“I feel like the MLB has a decent relationship with HBCU schools, but I do feel like it could be better,” he concludes. “I think that HBCU baseball programs have so much talent, but these players ultimately go overlooked because they play at a “smaller school” and “don’t face great competition”. I have played against multiple players that were a part of HBCU programs that I personally felt like should have had a shot at pro ball. I think that the MLB should host a HBCU pro day sometime in the future. I think all of the top players from HBCU programs should come together for a one or two day showcase in front of MLB scouts. I think this will help decrease the chances of great players being overlooked and increase the chances of more players from HBCU programs having the possibility of being drafted.”
