Editing Billy Sunday (section)

==Marriage==
In 1886, Sunday was introduced at Jefferson Park Presbyterian Church to [[Helen Thompson Sunday|Helen Amelia "Nell" Thompson]], daughter of the owner of one of Chicago's largest dairy products businesses. Although Sunday was immediately smitten with her, both had serious on-going relationships that bordered on engagements.<ref>Firstenberger, 7.</ref> Furthermore, Nell Thompson had grown to maturity in a much more privileged environment than had Sunday, and her father strongly discouraged the courtship, viewing all professional baseball players as "transient ne'er-do-wells who were unstable and destined to be misfits once they were too old to play."<ref>Dorsett, 34.</ref> Nevertheless, Sunday pursued and eventually married her. On several occasions, Sunday said, "She was a Presbyterian, so I am a Presbyterian. Had she been a [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]], I would have been a Catholic{{spnd}}because I was hot on the trail of Nell." Her mother liked Sunday from the start and weighed in on his side, and her father finally relented. The couple was married on September 5, 1888.<ref>Dorsett, 32–34; Frankenberg, 62; Martin, 34.</ref>