By Shaun White
(Source: HBCUNews.com)
Amid dwindling numbers of Black players, Major League Baseball is partnering with HBCUs during All-Star weekend in Atlanta.
Kicking off at Truist Park on July 11, 50 of the most promising student-athletes from Division I programs at HBCUs will gather at the home of the Atlanta Braves for the HBCU Swingman Classic.
HBCU players, selected by a committee that includes Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., representatives from MLB, the Major League Baseball Players Association, and team scouts, will get the opportunity to rep their school pride and showcase their talent.
“This event is a great opportunity for HBCU players to play on a national stage under the lights at the All-Star Game, to get an opportunity to showcase their talent and prove that, given the opportunity, they’re just as good and deserve a chance,” MLB Senior Vice President of Baseball Development Del Matthews said during a luncheon celebrating the upcoming HBCU Swingman Classic.
In its third year, the Classic is part of MLB’s strategy to address what many consider to be a crisis: the low number of Black players in the MLB. According to the 2023 MLB Racial and Gender Report Card, only 6.2% of MLB players were Black or African American, the lowest percentage of Black or African American players recorded in the Racial and Gender report Card since 1991.
According to the Associated Press, MLB trails only the NHL for lowest percentage of Black player participation among the five major professional sports leagues in the U.S.
The Swingman Classic, as well as other initiatives like MLB’s DREAM Series and the Hank Aaron Invitational and girls baseball/softball events, have launched in recent years to boost engagement in the sport.
“We are really doubling down on what we’ve done,” Matthews told AP in 2024, “because we are producing kids that are going to college, that are getting internships within the sport. We see more kids playing at the Division I college baseball ranks, and we see more kids being drafted into the minor leagues. And so we’re just flooding that through the various programs that we’ve had.”
MLB announced the Swingman Classic roster on social media in June. The honorary managers for each team are former Atlanta Braves players David Justice and Brian Jordan.
Players will represent the following HBCUs:
- Alabama A&M University
- Alcorn State University
- Bethune-Cookman University
- Coppin State University
- Florida A&M University
- Grambling State University
- Jackson State University
- Mississippi Valley State University
- Morehouse College
- Norfolk State University
- North Carolina A&T University
- Prairie View A&M University
- Southern University
- Texas Southern University
- University of Arkansas Pine Bluff
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore
To further promote the Swingman Classic, HBCU alum and former The Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. toured Southern and Grambling universities’ baseball programs to explore their storied histories for a MLB video series “Path to the HBCU Classic.”
Friday’s game will also feature a marching band performance, D9 step show, and fireworks.
Proceeds from the Swingman Classic ticket sales will benefit the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, an initiative focused on supporting amateur baseball and softball programs.
MLB Network will air the HBCU Swingman Classic live, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
