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/