Nipper: Highlighting Nashville’s Negro Leagues
From SABR member Skip Nipper at 262 Down Right on February 22, 2016:
An early mention of African-American participation in a local baseball game was reported in the Nashville Daily Union and American on the September 18, 1866 with reference to “Brownlow’s Black Boys Base Ball Club” (probably a reference to Governor William Brownlow, who was a proponent of extending civil rights to African-Americans). Whether this was a real team or just a gathering of players from the black community, the game took place in Sulphur Spring Bottom.
Teams organized by the 1900s were the Baptist Printers, Maroons, Methodist Publishing House, North Nashville Tigers, and Nashville Standard Giants. Fisk and Pearl High School ball fields were hosting games on a regular basis, and often Negro League teams traveled to Nashville to challenge the best local teams.
On Tuesday, February 19, 1907, a meeting was held at the residence of J. W. White to organize the Standard Giants Base Ball club as reported in the February 22, 1907 edition of the Nashville Globe.
Read the full article here: http://262downright.com/2016/02/22/highlighting-nashvilles-negro-leagues/
Originally published: February 23, 2016. Last Updated: February 23, 2016.