It’s probably safe to say that most Americans have been introduced to Negro Leagues Baseball History in some fashion or other. Legendary personalities and amazing individual achievements offer a mere glimpse into more than four decades of amazing Black Baseball history. Jackie Robinson, Leroy “Satchel” Page, Willie Mays, and Josh Gibson are just a few of the men whose achievements speak volumes about Negro Leagues Baseball talent. It is in the story behind the likes of these men that our story begins… A story whose main focus has been placed upon the players that filled the line-ups alongside the keynote players aforementioned – a story that reveals a great number of men whose personal experiences, although less widely known, were every bit as significant in the Negro Leagues Baseball’s collective effort to integrate Major League Baseball.

In order to bring you this compelling presentation of historical personalities, we ventured out into big city suburbs and into the countryside townships abroad to recruit a diverse cross-section of less familiar Negro Leagues Baseball Veterans. We had an incredible opportunity to really get close to each of these men… to look beyond his professional baseball career to uncover a man whose big dreams and stories of success grew from the roots of a child plagued by the infectious environment in which he was raised. An environment laced with racial discrimination, segregation, and oppression – similar to that which inspired Rube Foster to champion organized Black Baseball known as the Negro Leagues in February of 1920. For more than forty years, Negro Leagues Baseball would exist in the shadow of Jim Crow.

It was in April of 1947 that Jackie Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers of Major League Baseball. This was a monumental moment for all of the men of the Negro Leagues. Many years of play on segregated fields prior, produced a tremendous opportunity and Jackie rose to the occasion. The seed was planted in the Major Leagues and the challenge to integrate their rosters led to another chapter in Negro Leagues Baseball. For more than a decade, men of color continued their effort on for Negro American League teams to ensure that opportunity for every man to play in the majors would be one day based upon his skills and not his color

Our desire is to shed a little light on their incredible journey – to share their legacy, their example to all that the power of teamwork can produce miraculous results.

Every professional baseball player dreams of being recognized for his personal achievements on the face of his own trading card… The men represented in this program have had to wait nearly sixty years to experience recognition in this way.

With the support of these men, we have created a very special, original “home grown” collection of autographed memorabilia and now make it available to baseball fans and collectors everywhere. Each and every one of the NLB Living Legends represented in this memorabilia collection benefit from the revenue generated by sales. Get your piece of this collection before it is all gone!

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