Episode Nine: The Power of Place

The Negro Leagues are Major Leagues

In the season finale, Curtis talks to Gary Gillette, an author, SABR member, and the co-founder and chair of the board of directors of Friends of Hamtramck Stadium. Hamtramck Stadium, home to the Detroit Stars, is one of five Negro League home ballparks that are still standing today. As of July 31, 2012, Hamtramck Stadium was officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a State of Michigan Historic Marker was dedicated at the site in 2014.

Curtis and Gary talk about the history and importance of baseball stadiums, going into why there are so few historic ballparks remaining, as well as why the number of remaining historic Negro League parks is especially low. They also discuss Hamtramck Stadium, and why the history and context around the park is so interesting, while branching out into some larger discussions of the history of Detroit, the economics of running a Negro League club, and a lot more.

To learn more about the effort to restore Hamtramck Stadium and support the work being done there, head to https://www.hamtramckstadium.org/

Hopefully, this episode piques your interest in visiting a Negro League ballpark. Gary wrote an article for our site reviewing all the parks that are still extant and available to visit https://www.baseball-reference.com/articles/still-standing-gary-gillette.shtml

He also contributed this great historiography of Black baseball https://www.baseball-reference.com/articles/historiography-of-black-baseball-gary-gillette.shtml