Top 25 MLB stories of 2017, from Aaron Judge to Houston Strong
19. Adam Jones takes a stand against racism
Things got ugly between the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox at the end of April after Manny Machado knocked over Dustin Pedroia with a hard slide. Matt Barnes retaliated by throwing at Machado’s head. When the O’s headed to Fenway Park a few weeks after the initial incident, Chris Sale was still throwing at Machado. None of that compared to the ugliness Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones had to deal with.
A Red Sox fan repeatedly taunted the All-Star with racial epithets and reportedly went so far as to throw a bag of peanuts at him. This was a step too far for Jones, who once had a banana thrown at him in San Francisco and stated that racial taunting was nothing new for him in Boston. This time, though, Jones had heard enough. He aired out the fan and the Red Sox after the game, prompting a swift response from Boston management and the league.
Sadly, hearing Jones describe what he had dealt with was not enough for some prominent sports personalities, including Curt Schilling and Albert Breer, who both demanded proof that Jones was heckled with slurs. What Jones stood to gain by lying about racism is still unclear, let alone the fact that he was backed up about Fenway’s troubled reputation by other African American MLB stars, including two who play for the Red Sox in David Price and Jackie Bradley Jr.
Jones continued to talk openly about the subject of racism in baseball after the incident with Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
"Fast forward, and I’m playing in Double-A in Arkansas, Little Rock. I’d never been to Little Rock. It was my first incident with racism. Some teammates and I are walking going to get something to eat after a game, and some guy riding a bike just wants to spew some nasty things at us. My teammate at the time – he was from Georgia, and he was older, and he told me to keep walking, because nothing good could come out of it. Me being 19, I was like, “What?” This was not supposed to happen like this. It’s something I’ll never forget. Why would anyone go out of their way to hate on another person? As athletes, we do have to be censored in a certain way, but at the same time, if there’s a big issue, and it’s something you stand for, you’ve got to speak out. Because if you’re worried about the backlash, I think silence is just as bad. I understand that I put myself in a position where even if I do get bad press, I’ve got something to fall back on. I do understand younger players not saying anything. You don’t want to hinder your future in this game. It’s a wonderful game. It’s blessed me and my family so much."
Jones is one of the few remaining African American superstars in the game of baseball, and hopefully he will continue using his platform to make the game of baseball a better place for everyone involved.