Boyd: Baseball is a sport that was conceived — and reached its zenith — before television was around. There was a time when watching this slow, tedious game unfold was popular, but people don't live that way now. Today, the game's not suited for the way people live their lives. The other thing is, baseball is very Republican. It's so invested in tradition to the point where tradition hinders the game from growing.

Basketball is more contemporary, more suited to the aspirations of contemporary African-American youth. An individual player can make a huge difference for his team and elevate himself in society as a whole. Look at Larry Bird: Boston had nobody before he came along. Michael Jordan by himself made the Bulls a playoff team.