According to Gates, for young African American boys in Seattle, baseball, unlike other sports, was not readily available nor was the opportunity to grow as a baseball player. Most baseball opportunities were relegated to mostly White neighborhoods leaving Black talent looking and searching for quality teams because teams within their own neighborhoods were very limited. Gates remembers his own experiences leaving friends to venture to the Eastside of Puget Sound to play and perfect his game.
— Read on seattlemedium.com/world-series-appearance-is-full-circle-moment-for-baseball-beyond-borders-founder-bookie-gates/