LIFESTYLE-US-SPORTS-BASEBALL-RACE

Young fans ask for autographs from pitcher Max Scherzer after the batting practice of Washington Nationals baseball players before a game at the Nationals Park on May 21, 2018 in Washington DC. - On a searing hot summer's day in Washington, a group of children are playing baseball in a pristine park that stands at odds with its surroundings in the city's rough-and-tumble southeast.Parents and grandparents shout encouragement from the stands as they chow down on hot dogs, some seeking shelter under the shade of a blue tent. This quintessential scene is taking place in little leagues across the United States -- and would be unremarkable if it weren't for the stark color divide in the stands: one section is entirely white and the other all black, reflected in the players on the field. Currently batting are an African American youth team of 12-year-olds representing the Mamie Johnson league of southeast DC. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Issam AHMED - "Striking out: why is black America turning away from baseball?" (Photo credit should read ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)