Museum gets boost with $1M grant

When it was founded in a one-room office nearly three decades ago, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum set out to preserve an important yet quickly fading era of America’s pastime.

Its mission has evolved and expanded over the years to where it serves not only as a caretaker of the past but a bridge to the future. There is the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center and a $19 million urban youth academy in development nearby that aims to attract more kids to the game.

All those endeavors cost money, of course, and that’s where Major League Baseball and the players union have stepped in. They joined Wednesday to present a $1 million grant to the museum to help with operating costs, expansion plans and educational opportunities.

“The museum is an inspirational experience for fans of any age,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “We appreciate the contributions to baseball and the role it can play in encouraging young people.”

The integration of baseball in the 1940s and ’50s led to the decline of the Negro Leagues, and the last teams folded in the early 1960s. By the late 1980s, the era was largely forgotten, glossed over by historians eager to rewrite baseball’s past.

Tony Clark, the first black executive director of the players union, said the latest grant will help ensure the Negro Leagues and their players are never forgotten.

“Today’s players are committed to providing opportunities for underserved populations to play baseball,” Clark said. “We all believe the Negro Leagues’ storied history can play an important role in our game’s future by inspiring minority youth to play.”