March 24th 2023.
No one has participated in any matches of the Negro League for more than six decades, however, Bob Kendrick and the people of the Kansas City's Negro Leagues Baseball Museum are doing their best to keep its legacy alive. In 1998, Kendrick became the museum's first Director of Marketing and in 2009 was appointed Vice President of Marketing. Since 2011, he has been the NLBM president, being in charge of overseeing the museum's everyday operations and aiding in the near $20 million revival of the NLBM.
The Georgia native
informed BLACK ENTERPRISE that the Negro Leagues was not only about baseball, but about Black entrepreneurship too, "since wherever Black baseball prospered, so did the Black economy". He revealed to BLACK ENTERPRISE that, "When Black children enter this museum, they will see people that look like them playing the game, as well as owning teams, being managers, coaches, secretaries, and team physicians, fulfilling every role that is required in the business of baseball. Thus, we want our children to be introduced to this game, be nurtured in it, and hopefully create an opportunity for them to play at the major league level".
Kendrick has taken various steps inside and out of the NLBM to promote the league, its stories, and the players. Last year, the NLBM released its "Barrier Breakers" travelling exhibition, which chronicled the players who broke the color barrier on their respective major league teams, beginning with Jackie Robinson in 1947, to when the Boston Red Sox acquired Pumpsie Green in 1959. Kendrick stated that it is "surprising that it took twelve years for every major league team to have a Black player. But, this can help you understand why the Negro League was able to operate for thirteen years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier".
Additionally, the NLBM is building a new display to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Leroy "Satchel" Paige joining the Cleveland Indians. Along with Larry Doby, who broke the color barrier in the American League, Paige helped the Guardians win their last World Series title in 1948. The exhibit will be launched at the NLBM on May 20th, and celebrates Paige, as well as the Black and Hispanic pitchers of the Negro Leagues, who did not receive a chance to play in Major League Baseball.
Kendrick concluded by saying, "We have done a great deal of work to increase awareness and hopefully, a greater understanding and appreciation for what the story of the Negro Leagues represent. Baseball is just a base for a much larger story; this is a story of economic empowerment; this is a story of the leadership that emerged in the African American community; ultimately, this is a story of the uplifting of America".
For more than sixty years, no player or team from the Negro League has played a game. However, Bob Kendrick and other staff at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City are keeping its legacy alive. Kendrick was appointed as the museum’s first Director of Marketing in 1998 and then became its Vice President of Marketing in 2009 and President in 2011, taking control of the museum’s day-to-day operations and overseeing a $20 million transformation.
The Georgia native stated that the Negro Leagues were as much about African American entrepreneurship as they were about baseball, since successful Black baseball teams also had thriving Black economies. Kendrick said to BLACK ENTERPRISE that, “When Black children walk into this museum they’re seeing people who look just like them play this game as well as anyone who has ever played this game and not only did they play but they owned teams, they were managers, coaches, secretaries, and team physicians, they fulfilled every role that could be filled in the business of baseball.”
He went on to add that it is essential that the legacy of the Negro Leagues is maintained from both a historical and educational viewpoint, as its inspirational tale of victory over adversity speaks to many people. Kendrick has been behind numerous efforts both within and outside the NLBM to increase awareness and to recognize the league and its players. Last year, the NLBM opened its “Barrier Breakers” touring exhibit, which showcases the players who broke their respective major league teams’ color barrier, beginning with Jackie Robinson in 1947 and ending with the Boston Red Sox signing Pumpsie Green in 1959.
Kendrick remarked that many people are shocked to discover that it took 12 years before every major league team had at least one Black player. He believes this fact helps people understand why the Negro League was able to function 13 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. The NLBM is currently constructing a new exhibit to commemorate the 75th anniversary of pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige joining the Cleveland Indians. Paige, alongside outfielder Larry Doby, who ended the color barrier in the American League, assisted the Guardians in winning its last World Series title in 1948. The exhibit will premier at the NLBM on May 20 and will celebrate Paige and the other Black and Hispanic pitchers of the Negro Leagues who did not get the chance to play in Major League Baseball.
Kendrick concluded by saying that he and the team at the NLBM have done a great deal of work to raise understanding and respect for what the story of the Negro League represents in its entirety. He believes that baseball only serves as a premise for the more grandiose story of economic empowerment, leadership in the African American community, and the soulful advancement of America.
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