Before 1947, Latino Baseball players found that acceptance into Major League Baseball was based on the tint of their skin rather than the talent they possessed. Many of these players were known and admired, and were able to display their impressive talents in exhibition games against star white players.  However, they were not allowed to play on a Major League team.

Now, professional baseball in the US is becoming “Latinized.”  MLB teams across the country are paying more attention to their Latino constituencies by providing broadcasts in Spanish.  Hispanic Americans have responded with increased attendance at games and through greater consumption of baseball merchandise.  This “Latinization” process is most visibly taking the form of the increased numbers of Latin American players among the ranks of professional ballplayers.