KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The Kansas City T-Bones of the independent American Association are being renamed the Kansas City Monarchs in honor of the team that played for the Negro Leagues.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum signed a licensing agreement with MaxFun Entertainment from Mark Brandmeyer, owner of the minor league team.
The original Monarchs were founded in 1920 and won the first Negro League World Series in 1924. The team played in the Negro National League from 1920 to 1931 and in the Negro American League from 1937 to 1961, with independent passages from 1932 to 1936 and 1962 to 1965 .
“This exciting partnership celebrates Kansas City’s rich baseball heritage and becomes an important extension of the work we are doing to educate the public about the history of the Black Leagues,” said Bob Kendrick, president of the Black Leagues Baseball Museum, in communicated on Thursday. “We are thrilled that the proud legacy of the great monarchs of Kansas City will enter the field again and look forward to sharing our history through the myriad of opportunities made possible by this historic alliance.”
A satellite museum exhibit is planned to travel with the team, which plans to establish a Monarchs youth academy for baseball and softball.