Every year since 1933, Major League Baseball has held All-Star games, a game in which the best players from across the league are hand selected to compete against each other on two teams. While traditions like the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, which are held alongside the All-Star game, were also enjoyed, this year a new tradition was organized. On Friday, July 7, 2023, Seattle hosted the inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic, with rosters lined with the best players from historically black colleges and universities from across the country, including but not limited to Alabama A&M University, Grambling State University, Norfolk State University, and Texas Southern University. This first historical game was brought forth at a time in baseball where the percentage of black players in MLB has been on the decline for decades. As of 2023, only 6.2% of the MLB rosters were made up by Black players, the lowest since it was recorded in 1991, when the number was 18%. Major League Baseball has noticed the withdrawal of the Black community and has attempted to bridge the gap between the communities. In doing so, Major League Baseball provided a national platform for scouts and the nation to witness young Black excellence in baseball.
The profundity of the moment was not lost on anyone who attended—players, coaches, press, or audience. “A beautiful way to put Black talent on display on a big stage,” Kyle Walker, representing Grambling State, told the Forward Times about what the game meant for him. For the players, the game was not just a platform to get noticed by scouts and continue their baseball careers, but more. “I think that is a beautiful thing and a huge step forward, because now people can see that we can play, too.”
Ken Griffey Jr.’s first Swingman Classic shines spotlight on HBCU players
Chevrolet DTU Fellows look on at the Inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic
Chevrolet DTU Fellows experience Inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic
ESPN broadcaster Tiffany Greene addresses Chevrolet DTU Fellows
Although the Swingman Classic held a deeper purpose, it managed to maintain a lively environment with cheering crowds, big screen zoom-ins of dancing guests, and a fun activation by Chevy within and outside the T-Mobile stadium. Activities for guests included a velcro wall you could jump on with a velcro suit to take pictures, a baseball pitching speed meter, Chevrolet and Baseball trivia, a booth in which you could take pictures and get a printed baseball card of yourself, and more. At the end of the activities, guests could claim prizes such as limited edition baseballs, MLB tickets, and other vouchers. MLB and Chevrolet also partnered with Operation Homefront and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), non-profit organizations that provide assistance to military veterans and their families, to donate two 2024 Chevy Trax ACTIV vehicles to one family each. Partnerships and events like these contribute to the acts of service that household names, such as Chevrolet and Major League Baseball, provide to their communities.
Nevertheless, the main event of the night was the captivating inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic, featuring players from HBCUs across the country to broadcast their abilities while having an enjoyable and memorable experience. “I’ve never thought I’d have such a good time playing against guys I had such heated competition with during the regular season. We let all that go and really had a good time,” remarked Ty Hanchey, representing Florida A&M. Every player that Forward Times spoke to had the same expression of honor and excitement. When Ty Jackson (Florida A&M), who was on the winning team of the game while also having the first hit of the game, was asked his thoughts of the moment, he told Forward Times, “We’re in the history books! That’s all I’ve got to say, we’re in the history books!”