I bought a beautiful replica of a 1924 Atlantic City Bacharach Giants jersey from Ebbets Field Flannels recently. When people ask me about it and I tell them it’s a Negro League Jersey, they look at me funny. I might as well say it’s an ancient Sumerian fertility cloak. But that’s where we are in the 21st century.
Almost everyone knows Jackie Robinson’s story, but no one knows what existed before him. I guess that’s where we come in as collectors and historians. We are the ones who have to educate the public. But folks are receptive to it. When I tell people around me that I have written letters directly to the President of the Baseball Hall of Fame to petition for more Negro Leaguers and I finally got a personal response, they think that’s very cool!
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