"White people criticize everything a Black man does" - Jazz Chisholm Jr. pulls no punches with blunt takedown of MLB rules
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has always been a fiery personality, and that has been met with some ire from the baseball world. He was hazed by teammates and has been ridiculed by the media.
The player thinks it has to do with the color of his skin. He believes baseball to be a sport not set up for him, and that he'd have a different experience if he were white.
Chisholm said, via The Athletic:
“I don’t want to say this — baseball is a white sport. I feel like white people criticize everything that a Black man does. Black men are outspoken. They say what’s on their minds.”
The former Miami Marlins infielder continued:
“The unwritten rules of baseball are white. And I always broke the unwritten rules of baseball.”
The Yankees fit with the sentiment of those unwritten rules. They didn't allow facial hair until this year, and no players ever really celebrated like that. They also still don't even have a City Connect jersey.
Before the trade, a player who showboated, had colored hair and had a wildly outgoing personality might not have seemed like a match for the stoic, reserved New York Yankees.
Despite the initial differences, the pairing of Chisholm Jr. and the Yankees seems to have worked. They have some energy and passion, and he has found a home with a team that will surprisingly let him be who he is. It just so happens that he's a good player who fits their roster needs, too.
Jazz Chisholm's former manager wanted to trade for him
In 2022, then-Marlins manager Don Mattingly called a closed-door meeting to tell people in the locker room to treat Jazz Chisholm Jr. better. For him to play his best, he needed to be free and himself.
Ultimately, the Marlins traded Chisholm to the Yankees. But at the deadline, Mattingly, now with the Toronto Blue Jays, hoped that his team would go after his former pupil.
He said, via The Athletic:
"I don’t know if we were ever in that mix at all, but he’s one of those guys that you see the talent and know there’s a good kid in there. When you have a veteran club that’s got a good clubhouse and the foundation is there, they’re going to bring him in and do it the right way.”
Instead, the Yankees got him and went to the World Series with the infielder in tow.