This past weekend I attended a
series of Memphis Redbirds baseball games downtown with my fiancée. After the conclusion of the game she
naturally felt the need to browse the Redbirds’ pro shop. I agreed to accompany
her because I wanted to see if the Redbirds sold and Memphis Red Sox
merchandise.
The
Red Sox were a Negro League baseball organization in Memphis for almost 40
years from 1924-1962. At the same time period Memphis was home to a white
semi-professional baseball team known as the Memphis Chicks and operated from
1901-1960.
As
I walked into the pro shop I noticed among the hundreds of Redbirds’ items,
several racks of Memphis Chicks attire. As I continue to look I ultimately
found one Memphis Red Sox t-shirt in the entire store. Not to take away form
the Chicks and their historical importance but, the Memphis Red Sox and the
Negro Leagues are far more significant. That is why I was so shocked that there
were so many Chicks items and just this one lonely Red Sox shirt.
With the exception of a couple of special
presentations years ago the Redbirds seem to stay away from Red Sox history
whenever possible. This should baffle me. In a city that is so centralized in
civil rights culture and history one would think the Redbirds would take every
opportunity to highlight the Red Sox. In fact this year the Kansas City Royals
had a “Salute to the Negro Leagues” day. In this special game the Royals wore
the uniforms of the Negro League Kansas City Monarchs while the visiting
Orioles sported those of the Baltimore Black Sox.
It
is so easy to highlight the Negro Leagues and begin to educate young baseball
fans of this important time in this game. Soon there will no longer be anyone
who was alive to witness the Negro Leagues. If these teams are not celebrated
and credited for their work it is possible that the memory of these great
organizations will disappear completely.
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