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Major League Baseball's Inclusion Of The Negro Leagues Is Long Overdue

By Steve Kraske,

Published December 21, 2020 at 3:49 PM CST

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The Kansas City Monarchs — Some players from the Kansas City Monarchs (pictured above in 1921) are among the more than 3,400 players now recognized by Major League Baseball.

MLB's decision recognizes seven Negro organizations as major leaguers.

Major League Baseball's inclusion of these players and their achievements is a step in the right direction. What was behind the decision that the MLB called "an oversight" and does it paint the full picture of the Negro Leagues?

Phil Dixon, historian, author and co-founder of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

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Up To Date Podcast Negro Leagues Negro Leagues Baseball Museum baseball history Kansas City Missouri (KCMO)MLB segregation Monarchs Talk Show

Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Chris Young

Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.

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Mackenzie Martin

Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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