Why The Museum Is So Important

By NLBM

Every week we lose.

All of us lose.

Every week it seems like we lose a piece of baseball history — of American history.

We lose their stories, their fondest memories of baseball, friendships, all during a terrible time in the story of America.

With increasing frequency we are losing the players that for the most part helped build the big leagues without playing in the big leagues.

There were those like Banks, Minoso and Paige who did see their dreams come true and their stories are better told than others because of it. But for the vast majority of Negro Leagues players — their stories are told and housed in Kansas City.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was created for the very purpose of preserving those stories and memories along with telling the story of some of the greatest players in baseball history.

As the number of surviving Negro Leagues players continue to dwindle — it is all of our responsibility to spread the knowledge of those players who came before.

A host of people including the legendary Buck O’Neil, NLBM President Bob Kendrick and Vice President Raymond Doswell as well a dedicated group of board members and supporters have done a remarkable job but there is still more to do.

I am calling on Major League Baseball and it’s clubs to lend a larger hand. Jackie Robinson Day is great and well deserved to honor the player who overcame and broke the games color barrier but “Remembering The Negro Leagues” should be a tent pole event for every Major League team. Part of new Commissioner Rob Manfred’s agenda along with reaching out to younger fans with digital media and faster games should also be the teaching of this great games history.

I am also calling on all baseball fans no matter who you support to visit the museum. To share the stories from within with children and young ones who need to know the past to appreciate the future of America’s past time.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is a standing and growing monument to baseball, America — it’s past and future.

This year we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the NLBM — no better time for all of us to step up our games.

To visit the museum and for more information check out the website and continue to read us here at Monarchs to Grays to Crawfords.

Dave Barr (@daveabarr)