Black Baseball History in NYC

Ken Burns dubbed New York City the “capital of baseball” in the 1940s and ‘50s, but the fact is, the city was baseball's undisputed mecca about a century earlier. Among the growing number of organized teams in the game’s pre-Civil War infancy were the first all-Black teams. Based in Brooklyn, these teams often played against white teams during a time of slavery and segregation. Black baseball in the 19th-century – which predates the famed Negro leagues – has a rich, but little-known history in New York. Players such as Frank Grant, who starred on the first salaried Black team – the Cuban Giants in the late 1880s – were the forerunners of the great Negro league stars, and eventual major-league legends such as Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Join baseball historian Dave Kaplan to uncover these remarkable stories and tour the city ballfields where barnstorming all-Black teams, and the Negro leagues (from 1920-50), showcased their remarkable talents. For more events like this, become an Untapped New York Insider! https://untappedcities.com/become-a-member/