Ex-MLB star Barry Bonds recalls battles with 'racism' during active years in league

Barry Bonds is one of the legendary players of MLB and someone who has been through all the significant transitions of the game. In fact, Bonds has had his share of heartbreaking encounters with racism during his active years, which he recently reflected back in a recent interview.

Barry Bonds opened up about dealing with racism during active years in MLB

Barry Bonds appeared on Thursday's episode of the "All the Smoke" podcast. During one of the segments of the podcast, Bonds revisited his active years in the league and talked about the presence of racism. Talking about dealing with his share of racism back then, Bonds said:

"For me to sit there and say, 'Is there racism?' Yeah, I mean, I could say yes, it's true. We all know that. We, as Black people, we know what's going on. We're not blinded by any of that. We're not a threat to anyone."

Moving forward in his statement, Barry Bonds shared his opinion and suggestions on how racism can be dealt with in today's spectrum of the league. Adding to his statement, the ex-MLB star explained:


"We're not trying to pose a threat to anyone. We're trying to be relevant, equal, or valued. The industry has to come together. And how do we do that? People need to sit at a table and figure it out."

In another segment of the podcast, Barry Bonds talked about how economics has played a significant role in the low representation of "black people" in the league. Sharing details of his opinion, Bonds said:

"It is very expensive. I mean, bats are $500. It's crazy. It's like, crazy. I mean, I do something else. Gloves are $300 or more. You're at almost $2,000 right now just to play baseball, with spikes and equipment alone. And it's hard."

Barry Bonds made his MLB debut in 1986 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and stayed with the team till 1992. In 1993, he joined the San Francisco Giants and stayed with them till 2007. After retiring as a player, Bonds decided to explore his capabilities as a coach. In 2015, Bonds joined the Miami Marlins as the coach and stayed there for one season.