Bob Kendrick shares Negro League Baseball Museum journey
Bob Kendrick shares Negro League Baseball Museum journey
By Jill Odom
Kicking off the 33rd TOCA Annual Meeting, Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro League Baseball Museum (NLBM), shared how he went from a volunteer at the museum to its president in 2011. Over his time there, he has become a champion for the museum and the story of the Negro League.
He said the players had every right to be bitter about the way they were treated, but they did not have ill will toward others. They loved baseball so much that they were willing to endure adversity.
While America wouldn’t allow them to play Major League Baseball (MLB), the American spirit allowed the Negro League to thrive. Kendrick said the league is a celebration of the human spirit’s ability to persevere, rather than a sad story, despite it taking place during the shameful time of segregation.
Kendrick shared some of the major contributions the Negro League brought to MLB, like batting helmets, shin guards and bunt-and-runs. They also introduced night games in 1930, five years before the majors did. He said American historians didn’t view the Negro League as professional baseball and the museum tells the story the way it should be told.
“If you don’t control the pen, you don’t control the story,” Kendrick said.
He highlighted a handful of notable players in the Negro League, including Josh Gibson, Martin Dihigo, Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil. O’Neil was a star player and eventually manager for the Kansas City Monarchs. He became the first Black coach in 1962 and played a major role in establishing the museum.
When Kendrick first went to volunteer, the museum was a humble, one-room office where former league players took turns paying the monthly rent. He never dreamed it would turn into a career, but he became the director of marketing in 1998 and then vice president of marketing in 2009.
He joined the National Sports Center for the Disabled-Kansas City before rejoining NLBM. In 2020, they were preparing for a year-long celebration of the league’s 100th anniversary when 30 days later COVID-19 caused all of those plans to fall apart.
Kendrick knew he couldn’t wallow in self-pity as this was a significant anniversary. On June 26, they planned a national day of recognition with a tip of the cap. However, baseball still wasn’t playing at the time.
Instead, he contacted Joe Posnanski, the author of a book on Buck O’Neil, and asked if they could do a virtual tip your cap event. It took a week to roll out “Tip Your Cap to the Negro League” and it quickly became a viral campaign. Four presidents and sports icons like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson participated in the Tip Your Cap campaign as a sign of respect to the Negro League.
Kendrick also shared how they were able to get commemorative Negro League coins minted in 2020 that could generate up to $6 million for the museum.
In 2021, Buck O’Neil was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and this was another major opportunity that Kendrick took advantage of to help raise money for the museum that would set it up for long-term success.
As they move forward, Kendrick said the museum’s goal is to make these stories relevant to the next generation. He wants visitors to walk away understanding how the Negro League was impactful on the country’s social advancement.