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SAL Greenville Drive

Critically Acclaimed Documentary, The Other Boys of Summer, Coming to Fluor Field

June 7, 2023 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Greenville Drive News Release


The Greenville Drive announced today that Fluor Field will be the first stop of Major League Baseball's barnstorming tour of the critically acclaimed documentary, The Other Boys of Summer, with a pregame screening of the film on June 17 before the Drive takes on the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

The screening of The Other Boys of Summer will coincide with the Drive's celebration of the Greenville Black Spinners, as the Drive dons their Black Spinners uniforms on the field for the second time this year. The Field Street gates to Fluor Field, located along District 356, will open at 5 p.m. with the documentary screening taking place on the center field Drive Vision video board. Fans with tickets to the Drive game will be allowed to enter the stadium early to view the documentary. Additionally, beginning at 5 p.m., District 356 will host Saturdays on the District featuring music, food trucks, games, and additional family fun entertainment.

Directed by Lauren Meyer, the documentary explores racism, segregation, and civil rights in America through the stories of Negro League baseball players whose passion, struggle, and perseverance of the game they loved endured under the dark clouds of injustice.

"We're thrilled to bring this important documentary to Fluor Field as we celebrate and pay homage to the Greenville Black Spinners," said Drive General Manager Eric Jarinko. "We hope this screening gives our fans and community the chance to reflect on the injustices that these players and teams, including the Black Spinners, endured just to pursue the passion for the game they loved."

The documentary began with an interest from Meyer following a discussion with her mom, an elementary school teacher, who shared her lesson plans for Black History Month. From there, Meyer dove into the stories of Negro League players and the injustice they persevered through, hoping to collect their oral and written histories before they could no longer be recorded. What began in 2007, culminated in the 2017 release of _The Other Boys of Summer. _

The film features the stories of many Negro League players including, Pedro Sierra (Detroit Stars, Indianapolis Clowns), South Carolina born Mamie "Peanut" Johnson (the only woman to pitch in the Negro leagues for the Indianapolis Clowns), James "Red" Moore (Atlanta Black Crackers, Newark Eagles), Robert Scott (NY Black Yankees), Hall of Famer Monte Irvin (Newark Eagles) and many more.

Following the screening at 5:15 p.m., Meyer will host a panel discussion and Q&A with Greenville's John Whiteside, a former standout shortstop and captain for Greenville's formerly all-Black Sterling High School, whose stories were instrumental to the book, Voices From Meadowbrook Park, and Luther Norman, a local Spartanburg historian and head of the Youth Sports Bureau in Spartanburg, who has dedicated his work to preserving the history of Negro League baseball.

For more information on the event and to purchase tickets for the game on June 17, visit greenvilledrive.com.

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