Bob Gibson discusses racism in U.S.: 'Nothing has changed'

Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, who starred in MLB from 1959-1975, believes people haven't done enough to combat racism since his playing days.

"What I'm seeing now," Gibson told MLB.com's Mike Lupica, "is that nothing has changed. Period.

"I remember going to my first spring training with the (St. Louis) Cardinals in 1957," he added. "I almost got jumped by four guys on a train. I had to go find a place to hide myself on that train so I wouldn't get thumped by those four guys."

The former Cardinals ace is also skeptical that things will change in the U.S. following the death of George Floyd in police custody and subsequent nationwide protests.

"It's always possible," Gibson explained. "But is it likely? I'm not so sure about that. After '68, and what happened that year (Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were both assassinated), I wanted us as a country to be better then, too. I thought things would be different. They're not."

However, the 84-year-old said there are things that make him hopeful as he praised the work of people within baseball circles for taking some necessary steps.

"But now that doesn't mean there aren't things that give me hope, especially in our game," he said. "I don't just see black players speaking up, the way they always have. I see something deeper. I see white players listening more than they used to."

A number of white big leaguers have addressed the topic of systemic racism since Floyd's death, with Pete Alonso, Sean Doolittle, Lucas Giolito, and James Paxton each making statements in support of the black community.

Despite a lack of progress, Gibson believes things will eventually change in the U.S. He's just not sure when.

"One of these days," he said, "people in this country are going to stop being afraid of what they don't know. That day just hasn't come yet. And that doesn't just make me angry. It makes me sad."