Live From MLB at Rickwood Field: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Connects Rich History to Tribute in Birmingham

Institution works with MLB, players to spread their mission

Thursday night’s game at Rickwood Field will be a regular-season game on the 2024 Major League Baseball schedule, but the enduring legacy of the Negro Leagues will be on full display. As the gatekeepers of this storied lineage, the digital strategy of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) is to link the celebration in Birmingham, AL to their efforts at the heart of the historic 18th & Vine District in Kansas City, MO.

“The game isn’t physically being played in Kansas City, but we’re still the steward of the [Negro Leagues’] story,” says Kiona Sinks, director, marketing & community engagement, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to retell our history and make sure that anything the museum does is shown in the best light possible.”

Starting With A Celebration: Sinks Joins During Negro Leagues’ 100th Anniversary in 2020

When the country and the world were combating the COVID-19 pandemic four years ago, Sinks became a crucial part of the NBLM’s fabric during the league’s centennial anniversary. The museum capitalized on the chance to highlight the larger-than-life personalities that once graced ballparks across the United States. Conceived by NLBM President Bob Kendrick and spearheaded by sportswriter Joe Posnanski and notable legends in the game of baseball, the “Tip Your Cap” campaign recognized the players, executives, and communities that made a league like this possible at a time when the nation and MLB didn’t allow some of the best to ever play the sport to show off their talents. The campaign was initially slated to take place in stadiums on June 27, 2020, but with games not being played during the summertime and the shortened MLB season not beginning until July 23, social media led the way:

“Not a lot of people gave [the museum] a chance at succeeding, but with the leadership of Buck O’Neill and many others who are no longer with us, they wanted the Negro Leagues to be remembered,” she says. “When you fast forward and see a lot of the stories that still resonate with people today, it’s been surreal for me to be a part of so much that is going on now.”

Since joining, Sinks has been bullish on evolving the museum’s storytelling on its digital platforms. With the museum’s founding at the cusp of the 21st century in 1990 and the hopes of introducing the Negro Leagues to younger demographics, she believes that it’s imperative to meet these audiences where they’re at.

“We know why we do what we do, but we wanted to put together a strategic plan to modernize and help elevate the museum,” adds Sinks. “We understand that this building has changed and evolved over the last 20 years.”

Amplifying the Message: Guild Collective Helps Spread the Museum’s Mission

Operationally, Sinks works with the professionals at Guild Collective — a creative agency that’s located just outside of Kansas City in Liberty, MO — to shape the narrative and message that the NLBM is trying to convey. With the steep history of the league and a treasure trove of stories and artifacts at their disposal, the museum was keen on bringing in a company that’s concerned in telling a player’s off-the-field impact.

“A key part of our strategy is working with people that care about the human side of their stories,” continues Sinks. “As the museum grows, we needed to outsource some of our brainstorming and have outside individuals who I continue to learn from.”

The NLBM is in a unique position on a local and national level. Locally, their facility within an important sector of the city has become a focal point for community outreach and a beacon of how the past can be used to influence a more positive future. Nationally, the museum has not only piqued the curiosity of historians and baseball fans alike, but it’s become a living and breathing embodiment of what the Negro Leagues stood for — an outlet to showcase athletic excellence, but also form the foundation of a diverse and equitable society. With the assistance of Guild, and the guidance of Kendrick and the predecessors that came before her, Sinks is crafting a social media timeline with content curated internally and sharing content from other high-profile entities that encapsulate the museum’s mission.

MORE FROM MLB AT RICKWOOD FIELD:

• FOX Sports Pays Tribute to Black Baseball With Special Broadcast in Birmingham
• FOX Sports’ Francisco Contreras and Tom Lynch Dive Into the Operations Plan
• FOX Sports’ Negro Leagues Tribute Game Aims To Take Sound Way Back
• MLB Renovation Highlights the Historic Venue’s Heyday
• MLB Network Eulogizes Willie Mays in Real Time During Tuesday’s MiLB Broadcast

“We found a really cool way to integrate the voice of the museum with other areas of interest — including local and national media, sports media, and pop culture — that resonate with everyone,” she adds. “We’re located in Kansas City, but it’s important to reach fans in cities like St. Louis and Dallas that have a rich history of black baseball.”

Like most social media accounts, the NLBM reacts to current events and specific dates on the calendar. As an educational center and community-first organization, their digital channels also shed light on the local festivities that they host around the year, including last month’s March of the Monarchs on May 4. Logistically, from Sinks’ point of view, it’s about finding the delicate balance between the two.

“When you look at the day-to-day marketing, it’s refreshing to have a spreadsheet of things that we’re planning to do from now until the end of the year,” she says. “The museum doesn’t lack storytelling, so it’s a matter of finding out what’s important at the time and help promote it for the sake of the game.”

Sharing Stories Nationwide: Activations Include MLB The Show Integration, Addition of Stats to MLB Record Books

Over the past year, the museum has seen a significant bump in attention through various announcements. Although the MLB at Rickwood Field game is the headline attraction, the positive momentum began in March 2023 with the release of MLB The Show 23. In collaboration with San Diego Studios — the developers of the video game — as well as MLB, the NLBM played a critical role in accurately depicting a handful of Negro Leagues players that were featured. These included National Baseball Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Rube Foster, and more. More legends have also been included in MLB The Show 24, such as trailblazer Toni Stone — the first woman to play in the Negro Leagues and the first woman to be represented in the video game’s 19-year history. The main mode, Storylines: The Negro Leagues, takes fans into the career paths of some of the league’s most famous superstars and is narrated by Kendrick:

“Seeing the filming of that take place in our museum was surreal,” continues Sinks. “We’ve received countless stories of parents saying that their kids’ lives were changed forever. It’s been super cool to bring that history to them in a way that they can understand and create some brand loyalty to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum for years to come.”

More recently, after much consideration, MLB officially included Negro Leagues statistics into their record books on May 29. Reacting to the news, the NLBM’s social media accounts released a quote from Kendrick about Hall of Famer Josh Gibson — who’s .372 career batting average passed Ty Cobb’s .367 to become the best in history, along with leading three other categories — and an official statement from the NLBM president:

This change rectifies a long-overdue mistake, but in conjunction with this recent publicity, it’s helped new baseball fans get in touch with Thursday’s game at Rickwood Field, the abundant amount of Negro Leagues legends, and the work that the museum is doing to preserve this unfortunate period in American history.

“This is what we’ve done over the past three decades, but it’s also important for those who are just now discovering the museum,” says Sinks. “Despite how ugly this chapter was, we try to teach everyone about this history.”

Linking KC to Birmingham: Museum Opens Doors to FOX Sports, Fan Watch Party

As it pertains to the action occurring on Thursday in Alabama’s second biggest city, the NLBM is drawing a historical connection to the two teams — the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants — and the country’s oldest professional baseball field still in existence. This includes the museum resharing pertinent news related to the game, including MLB’s tweet about the two teams wearing throwback uniforms as well as from the teams themselves. Most notably, the Giants produced an in-depth piece that describes the stadium’s history as the former home of Birmingham’s own, Willie Mays. Creatively, the NLBM tied the Negro League’s roots at the Paseo YMCA — the edifice located two blocks away where Foster and eight independent black baseball team owners founded the league in 1920 — and Rickwood Field through a special partnership with Fanatics and Topps:

On game day, the museum itself is playing a major role in multiple ways. From a broadcast perspective, Fox Sports has sent a crew to conduct live hits from inside the building. In addition, they’ll be hosting local baseball fans for a watch party of the game. There will be 700 miles separating Birmingham and the museum’s home in Missouri, but the NLBM will still be at the core of the events unfolding at the ballpark.

“All roads lead back to Kansas City,” adds Sinks.

Present Honoring the Past: Players, League Use Platform to Raise Awareness

Outside of MLB at Rickwood Field, the NLBM has a tremendous relationship with current players on all 30 rosters and its front offices. Through these relationships, many organizations that travel to face the Kansas City Royals make the museum a must-see destination on their itinerary, including the Toronto Blue Jays in late April:

The museum also has an extraordinary appeal with black players in the league that want to learn about the names and stories that came before them. For instance, when the New York Yankees were in town, starting pitcher Marcus Stroman made a trip prior to the club’s night game on June 12. Sinks was with the two-time All-Star as he walked around the numerous exhibits, and despite this not being his first time, he arrived a full hour before teammates like Aaron Judge and Juan Soto walked through the front door. Stroman shared a quick video on the NLBM’ X account urging fans to pay a visit whenever they’re in the City of Fountains:

From the museum’s point of view, their work is validated when players take a break from their busy schedules to reflect on the pioneers of the game. Famous alumni — ranging from stalwarts like Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith to three-time National League Manager of the Year Dusty Baker — and professional athletes like NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace are waving the flag as well. In recent years, CC Sabathia was a champion for the Negro Leagues and the NLBM during his illustrious career and is continuing since retiring in 2019. In 2020, during the 100th anniversary, the future Hall of Famer teamed up with the MLB Players Association to design custom clothes that spotlight the league’s undying spirit and recorded an episode on the popular R2C2 podcast with Kendrick and 2011 Silver Slugger Curtis Granderson.

“Within a cultural institution like the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, you see them have a deeper understanding and appreciation for these players,” adds Sinks. “I think the museum will continue to get a lot more player engagement as the years go on.”

More Than a Game: NLBM Works Towards Future Storytelling, Further Building Expansion

Thursday’s matchup at Rickwood Field could be seen as the centerpiece of the Negro League Baseball Museum’s resurgence in the American zeitgeist. With people of color and marginalized communities continuing to fight in the present day, the game in Birmingham and the museum’s ethos are a poignant reminder of the work that still needs to be done. In order to continue teaching these lessons and strive towards a brighter and empathetic future, the NLBM aims to expand their physical footprint in Kansas City:

Philosophically and morally, the goal is to never lose sight on O’Neil’s original intent for the museum: remembering and honoring the accolades of the past and paying it forward to the next generation.

“This place is an international gem, and to me, it never gets old,” says Sinks. “If people take anything away from the museum, it’s that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

For more digital content from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, check them out on X, Instagram, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.