By Reginald Williams
Special to the AFRO
Nick Arrington, prominent cast member on Bravo network’s “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard,” threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Nationals versus Chicago Cubs game on Aug. 30. (Courtesy photo)
The pitch arrived just about waist-high. It caught the corner of the plate and had a little heat on it based on the pop of Washington Nationals pitcher Joe La Sorsa’s glove.
Nick Arrington, a Woodbridge, Va. native and prominent cast member on Bravo network’s “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard,” threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Nationals versus Chicago Cubs game on Aug. 30, the evening the Nationals honored the legacy of historically Black colleges and universities and the National Pan-Hellenic Council, an umbrella organization for Black sororities and fraternities, which are colloquially known as the Divine Nine.
“I’m throwing out the first pitch to celebrate my fraternity and my HBCU,” explained Arrington, a 2008 graduate of Tuskegee University in Alabama.
As part of HBCU/Divine Nine Night, the Nationals also welcomed Howard University’s Army Bison Battalion & Air Force Detachment 130 to serve as Color Guard for the game. Additionally, hundreds of fans who attended the special event received a commemorative majorette bobblehead. Proceeds from the special ticket sales will be donated to the D.C. Metro HBCU Alumni Alliance, which works to raise awareness, provide resources and offer programs aimed at supporting at-risk individuals and the communities where they live.
Arrington, a standout player at Gar-Field High School and a four-year player at Tuskegee, stood atop the mound and demonstrated a pitching form that suggested he hadn’t lost any skills from his past playing days as a catcher and relief pitcher.
“Nick threw an awesome pitch. It was awesome to be a part of it,” said Ryan Stowers, a fan from Utah. “I told him I heard some serious snap on his pitch. I loved being a part of it, and I love the mission of HBCUs. I love what he was doing here. We need more of it.”
Nick Arrington, left, Norman Arrington and Linda Arrington (Courtesy photo)
Surrounded by his mother, Linda Arrington, and his brother, Norman, a North Carolina A&T University graduate, Arrington lived out a childhood dream of one day throwing a baseball on a Major League Baseball diamond. Norman Arrington had the honor of helping his brother warm up before the first pitch and handing him the ceremonial ball.
A rising star in the entertainment space, Arrington was humbled by the opportunity to participate in the Nationals’ annual HBCU/Divine Nine Day.
“I’m here for a number of reasons,” explained Arrington. “We are celebrating historically Black colleges—so if you know, you know. It’s HBCU Night here at National Park and I’m super excited about that. I’m a proud graduate of Tuskegee University. We’re also celebrating tonight the Divine Nine—Black fraternities and sororities.”
In the spring of 2007, Arrington pledged with the Gamma Epsilon Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity at Tuskegee.
Throughout the game, which the Nationals lost 7-6, the scoreboard showed scores of HBCU alumni (Howard, Bowie State, Jackson State, Virginia State) throughout the park, rocking their school’s merch, and the sororities Alpha Kappa Alphas and the Delta Sigma Theta represented well.
Fred Watson, a 1997 A&T graduate and Cubs fan, arrived at the game wearing a Cubs fitted cap and N.C.A&T shirt but had no idea that the Nationals was celebrating HBCU/Divine Nine Day.
Howard University’s Army Bison Battalion & Air Force Detachment 130 served as Color Guard for the game. (Courtesy photo)
“I came out because I’m a Cubs fan,” explained Watson, who is not part of a fraternity. “My guy who went to FAMU got the tickets. Hey, this is perfect, I get to celebrate HBCUs, and my team is winning.”
In the top of the second inning, the Cubs scored seven runs and never relinquished their lead.
Evolving from a kid growing up in Woodbridge playing baseball to a growing television personality on the Bravo network and a brand ambassador for Fortune 500 organizations occurred because of what Arrington describes as “one random phone call.”
“Now we’re (his team) juggling entertainment. We pivoted from corporate America to TV and entertainment,” Arrington said. “It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime things when you get a random phone call for casting, and it’s like, hey, let’s do this. And the thing is, I’m blessed enough to have a strong support system behind me, so why not take a risk? It’s been fruitful. Now I’m here throwing out the first pitch. I go from a corporate office and a suit to lacing them up and being on the mound.”
In addition to being a reality star, Arrington models and styles A-list celebrities. He fancies himself “as a style savant who opine on menswear, lifestyle, travel, and culture to elevate everyday life.”
Arrington’s journey from Woodbridge to Tuskegee to New York and Martha’s Vineyard has been life-changing for the marathon runner, but it was his journey from the sideline to the pitcher’s mound at Nationals Park that fulfilled a lifelong dream.
“It was exhilarating. Can you imagine a Major League stadium? You dreamed of it as a kid, and I have the jersey on. It’s incredible,” Arrington said. “Once in a lifetime.”
Reginald Williams, the author of “A Marginalized Voice: Devalued, Dismissed, Disenfranchised & Demonized” writes on Black men and holistic health concerns. Please email bookreggie@reginaldwilliams.org or visit amvonlinestore.com for more information.
