Fox Sports complaint: Negative Ethnic References

I have been a big baseball fan for well-over 60 years. I have always considered baseball this pure and originally American game. I am writing to you because I am disturbed by what I often hear spoken by baseball game broadcasters on TV. To me, baseball is pure and without bias or prejudice, and is based on objective performance and analysis. And yet, there are two statements (references) which have become the nomenclature (vernacular?) of baseball commentators. I don’t understand why these negative comments have gone ignored and unchecked by MLB authorities and the powers that be.
1. The Golden Sombrero: This comment is used “humorously” to describe a batter who strikes out 4 times in a game. I have brought this to the attention of several commentators, and they dismiss it as harmless and not racially or ethnically motivated. If it is not racially motivated or implied (inferred?), then why not use a similar association with other minority groups? The Golden Afro? The Golden KippahYamakaYarmulke (Jewish skull cap)? The Golden Derby, Beret, Fez, Tam, Stetson, Fedora, etc.? No; this would be considered a negative ethnic reference. It would be unacceptable to use such a defamatory and insulting reference of the groups associated with these head coverings. There could be serious consequences if a baseball commentator used any of these negative associations. So why is it okay to use The Golden Sombrero? We all know that the sombrero is associated with Mexicans and Mexican Americans. No baseball player wants to be associated with The Golden Sombrero; because, it is so demeaning, offensive and insulting. There is no place for this in baseball…period!
2. The Mendoza Line: How bad is this? This comment refers to a batter whose BA is .200 or below. Here again we have a demeaning Mexican reference, in which Mendoza marks the inferior line in baseball. There are many current players with BA below .200, but their names are spared. Baseball announcers have become flippant and irresponsible regarding this matter. How and why did Mendoza become the target of their ridicule? Is there no thought of Mario Mendoza himself, his family name, his wife and kids, his friends? What about all the people whose last name is Mendoza? Mario Mendoza ended his career as a player with a BA of .215. Now 70, he turned out to be a better manager and coach than a player.
This is stereotyping at its worst. I heard both these phrases during the College World Series. What next? Little League? These references are neither funny, amusing, nor clever. They are offensive, demeaning, and insulting. Broadcasters can do this with impunity with this group; as long as the object of their derision is not toward other ethnic and racial minority groups. I wonder what Jessica Mendoza thinks of these references!
I can’t reach out to all the overseers, or the powers that be, to present my case to them. And even if I could, I’m not sure they would agree with me. Obviously, up to this point, they don’t see anything wrong with these negative references. That is why I am reaching out to MLB Corporate and MLBN. Somebody needs to step up and publicly denounce these hurtful references by baseball media. You don’t find this in Football, or Tennis, or Soccer, or golf. Commentators are usually kind and respectful (and objective) toward players. And this is for me the bottom line: Respect. It is really about respect for others; something that has been lost in modern day Politics; but I hope and pray not in Sports. I may be idealistic, but sportscasters usually respect the sport and the athletes who play it. Broadcasters are respected and admired; and some even hold celebrity status. They are Influencers, and their comments have a ripple effect. Such comments have no place in Baseball, let alone any sport. It is simply not professional. I can’t imagine Vin Scully using these references.
Mexican and Mexican American baseball players deserve the same respect afforded to all who play the game that I (we) love so much.
You can look up in Wikipedia: The Mendoza Line and The Golden Sombrero.
And then there is this quote from a mindful reporter:
Mendoza Line
Mario Mendoza played sporadically in the 1970s and early 1980s, usually batting near .200. It became a running joke in the Major Leagues that a player batting below .200 was under the Mendoza line, a phrase supposedly coined by George Brett. Other sources report that the phrase was created in 1979 by Bruce Bochte and Tom Paciorek of the Mariners. It was passed on by Brett to ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, who has referred to it periodically during broadcasts. In nine Major League seasons Mendoza hit .215. He later managed in the minor leagues and ironically was hired as a batting instructor by the Angels in 1992.
Source: Light, Jonathan Fraser. The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball: Batting Averages. McFarland Company. 1 September 2017. Page 102.
Did you know that author Chris Williams (Stealing First and other Old-Time Baseball Stories. Sunbury Press, Inc. 22 April 2020. Page 85.) did not believe the expression was truly warranted, writing, Why did fate choose the slick-fielding Mexican for baseball infamy? It wasn’t fair or completely accurate back then, and it still isn’t today. The phrase ‘The Mendoza Line’ should be deep-sixed, perhaps replaced by ‘The Bergen Line.’ Bill Bergen may have been the all-time worst hitter in major league baseball history with that .170 average over an eleven-year career.
Thank you!