Kumar Rocker, the son of an Indian American mother and a Black American father was recently drafted by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.
Asians form just 1.4% of the Total MLB players and that is one reason why South Asians are so excited about Kumar's participation. At the same time it is of significance to the Black community too, at a time when their involvement in Baseball is declining.
Kumar is representing two groups that are under-represented in Baseball – as a "blindian", India West reported.
Who is Kumar Rocker?
Kumar Rocker is a 21-year-old American baseball player. His father, Tracy Rocker is a former football player and now a defensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles for the National Football League. His mother, Lalitha is an instructional designer. A daughter of Indian immigrants, Lalitha met Tracy at the University of Maryland.
Kumar Rocker has played in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game and later for the USA Baseball under-18 National team. His participation in the under-18 team was something that brought a lot of attention to his baseball career. He had been playing for Vanderbilt University while at college. He was named the 2019 College World Series most outstanding player after he helped Vanderbilt conquer the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.
"He’s been in the spotlight for so long that it’s normal,” Rocker’s close friend and high school teammate, Josh Farmer told the New York Post. “It’s something he’s become accustomed to. It’s something he’s been built for.”
What Does His Selection Mean to South Asians?
South Asians, from baseball fans to professors, are in awe of Kumar, and it gives them hope for a community that does not have a lot of representation in sports.
Andrew Khan, a writer for baseball website MLB Marathon expressed his happiness on Twitter and to the NBC. "I have played baseball since I was 4 years old and I played high school ball, college ball, travel ball, and I've never played with another Indian American," he told the NBC. he added that following Kumar's games at Vanderbilt and watching his mother in the stands made him feel like they are "related". "It just hit a chord because my mom and my aunts used to go to watch me play,” he added.
Asian Americans are said to be at the top of the economic and academic ladder, however sports is one such place where they lack representation. Kumar is one of the first South Asians drafted at a high profile in a US professional sport.
While Indian American kids are achieving heights in software development and Spelling Bees, it is only in the later generations that children of Indian descent start to develop a liking for sports.
"It's been a generational thing. We’ve seen more young, second- and third-generation people of South Asian descent getting more integrated into sports culture," Gautham Rao, an American University history Professor told the NBC.
Kumar's selection not only puts Indian Americans in the baseball picture frame but also inspires many Indian or Asian Americans to move towards a career in sports. The spotlight on him is just not his fans but also a new set of future baseball players.
You're going to see little kids with Kumar Rocker shirts on. It's going to be legions of little Indian and Pakistani kids with that name on their jerseys. I think it can only really be a great thing.Gautham Rao to the NBC
(With inputs from India West, Indian Express and the NBC)
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