.jpg) J. G. Taylor Spink, the award's first recipient and former namesake | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | "Meritorious contributions to baseball writing" |
| Location | National Baseball Hall of Fame Cooperstown, New York |
| Presented by | Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) |
| History | |
| First award | 1962 |
| First winner | J. G. Taylor Spink |
| Most recent | Gerry Fraley (2024) |
| Website | Official website |
The BBWAA Career Excellence Award, formerly the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It is given "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing" and voted on annually by the BBWAA.[1] Winners are typically announced in December, with the award presented during induction festivities of the Baseball Hall of Fame in July.
Winners of the award are not members of the Hall. They are not "inducted" or "enshrined." They are not "Hall of Fame sportswriters." There is no "writers' wing of the Hall of Fame." But winners are permanently recognized in an exhibit at the Hall's library.
The award was instituted in 1962 and named after J. G. Taylor Spink, publisher of The Sporting News from 1914 to 1962, and the award's first recipient. In February 2021, the BBWAA voted to remove his name from the award "due to Spink’s troubled history in supporting segregated baseball."[1][2][3]
- ^ a b "BBWAA Career Excellence Award". baseballhall.org. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- ^ "BBWAA removes J.G. Taylor Spink's name from Hall of Fame writing award over racist language". ESPN.com. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ Lucia, Joe (February 5, 2021). "BBWAA removes JG Taylor Spink's name from annual award, renames it as "Career Excellence Award"". Awful Announcing.