Here’s how Parks and Rec and the Phillies are pushing for a baseball revival among Philly youth

The portrait of Philadelphia’s recreational ballfields is one of haves and have-nots.

Some baseball diamonds, like those at South Philly’s Marian Anderson Recreation Center, which received private investment from former Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, are in top-notch shape, while others, like Athletic Recreation Center in Brewerytown, often are covered with dog waste, broken glass, and scattered trash that kids and coaches clean up before playing.

“There’s definitely a need for immediate support for fields across Philadelphia, especially North Philadelphia,” said Andre Wright, the cofounder of Give-and-Go Athletics, which operates a youth baseball program on the fields at Athletic. “The spaces need to be safe, and they need to be well-kept.”

MLB’s All-Star Game coming to Philly next year brings the potential for more of the city’s ballfields to be rehabilitated. On Wednesday, executives from the Phillies, MLB, and city government will discuss the need for investments in youth baseball at Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication.

“Dialogue on the Diamond” will include Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, former shortstop Jimmy Rollins, former outfielder Doug Glanville, MLB senior vice president of baseball development Del Matthews, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation commissioner Susan Slawson, professor and journalist Linn Washington, and pioneering sportswriter Claire Smith.

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“I fervently hope that every participant and audience member hears each other and recognizes some heretofore unknown possibilities,” said Smith, a former Inquirer columnist. “Who knows? There may be more North Philadelphians and their children yearning to fall in love with baseball.”

The Claire Smith Center for Sports Media and the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting, which is cohosting the event, have been exploring how investments in youth sports and recreation can be a solution to gun violence through their joint series, “Playing Fields, Not Killing Fields”, published in the Inquirer.

Community leaders at recreation centers, public pools, and ballfields in North Philadelphia have echoed a common theme: Sports and recreation represent community and a safe outlet for youth who otherwise might not have one.

While little academic research directly linking sports programs and crime prevention exists, literature suggests that increases in nonprofit community-building programs, including youth development initiatives, align with decreases in violence and can make residents feel safer in their neighborhoods. A 2022 study of two Illinois youth sports programs found that they significantly promoted youth development among kids exposed to violence and diverted their energy away from riskier behaviors, like joining gangs or self-harm.

The All-Star Game could bring sorely needed repairs to city ballfields. MLB typically donates several million dollars to the host city of the All-Star Game for field renovations and events; more than $4 million went to Atlanta this year.

“MLB All-Star Week in Philadelphia next year will be a celebration of baseball throughout the entire city, including North Philadelphia,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “An integral part of the week is the MLB Together All-Star Legacy program where we make investments in community projects focused on creating positive, lasting impacts in the host city.”

Investment also could come from The Players Alliance, a nonprofit group of 150 Black major league players who have sought to improve racial equity in baseball.

“Giving back is central to our mission, and serving the community remains a cornerstone of our presence during MLB All-Star Week,” said Curtis Granderson, chair of the group’s board.

Baseball in North Philadelphia has deep roots. Athletic Recreation Center sits on the site of the Jefferson Street Grounds, home of the Philadelphia Athletics at various points from 1871 to 1890 and was the site of the first recorded integrated baseball game and the first National League game. Shibe Park, later known as Connie Mack Stadium, at 21st and Lehigh Streets hosted the Athletics from 1909 to 1954 and the Phillies from 1938 to 1970 before it was demolished.

Now, community leaders are contending with how to revive the sport’s prominence amid declining interest among youth.

“I have pitching machines, I have baseball equipment, I have bases, I have a place to store all the equipment I need,” said David Lisby, who founded the North Philly Camelots in 2022. “I need kids.”

Many youth would rather play football or basketball nowadays, seeing examples of others who went to college and then the professional leagues, Lisby said.

There is less representation of Black baseball players in the big leagues. The share of Black MLB players declined from 18% in 1991 to 6.2% in 2023, the Associated Press reported.

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“I hope they know that — the Black kids who want to play baseball — that we do care," Rollins said. “Former Black players, current Black players, we want you out there playing baseball because we don’t want the legacy to die with us.”

Lisby’s Camelots play at the Athletic field and the fields on Diamond Street near 33rd in Strawberry Mansion. He believes the Field of Dreams quote “If you build it, they will come”: With more investment in the upkeep of the fields, more children will want to play baseball.

Wright said his group has rehabilitated the fields at Athletic enough that children have begun to use it even when his program is not in session.

“If the fields look better, kids will show up and play,” Wright said.

Wright believes sports can provide a connecting point for kids and a space for conflict resolution.

“Through sports, we’re able to offer them camaraderie,” Wright said. “I’m seeing young people from different neighborhoods who probably wouldn’t speak to each other in the streets … because they play sports together, they see themselves as equals.”

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