By Dorothy J. Gentry
Sports Editor
Photos: Charles “City” Gbadebo and Dorothy J. Gentry
The culture of HBCU’s was on display Friday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington in an atmosphere that felt like a college Homecoming.
There was Texas Southern University’s Ocean of Soul band performing and marching; an in-house DJ that kept the crowd hyped; Gospel legend Kirk Franklin and his choir performing ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ and ‘Star-Spangled Banner;’ an appearance from Grandmother of Juneteenth Opal Lee, and representatives from each of the “Divine Nine” Black Greek organizations stepping and chanting before an audience of almost 17,000 enthusiastic fans.
The occasion was the second annual HBCU Swingman Classic, presented by T-Mobile and powered by the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation. The showcase of the best and brightest HBCU baseball players helped kick off MLB All-Star Weekend in Arlington.
The American League team emerged victorious with a 5-4 win, stopping a ninth-inning rally from the National League.
Grambling State University’s outfielder Tiger Borom was named game MVP.
He said his favorite part of the week was just being around all the players from other HBCUs and getting to know guys he may have never met without this opportunity.
“It was a beautiful feeling. We don’t always get this opportunity to put ourselves on the stage and I’m thankful to guys that put this all together,” he said.
“When we play the game like this, it’s fun. We play free and that’s what we showed tonight.”
Dorothy Gentry is an award-winning journalist, PR pro and educator. A University of North Texas alum, she is the Sports Editor for Texas Metro News, Garland Journal and I Messenger.
