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Rebranding delivers return of Kansas City Monarchs

By Madison Parry

A new partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and minor league baseball team Kansas City T-Bones is bringing back the name Kansas City Monarchs. The long-term licensing agreement announced Thursday has rebranded the Wyandotte County team to the Monarchs. 

Resurrecting a part of Kansas City’s rich history, a new partnership is bringing back the name of the Kansas City Monarchs.

Image courtesy Kansas City Monarchs Baseball Club

Formed between the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and minor league team T-Bones Baseball Club, the partnership has resulted in a long-term licensing agreement that has already rebranded the T-Bone name to the Kansas City Monarchs Baseball Club.

Announced by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum just this morning (Jan. 21, 2020), news of the Monarchs’ return will be the first time the name has been used since 1965, when the team was disbanded.

The Monarchs were Kansas City’s designated negro league baseball team, one among dozens of negro teams across the U.S.

Today, that historical list of negro league baseball teams is maintained by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum based in Kansas City, Mo.

As part of the partnership with T-Bones ownership group MaxFun Entertainment LLC, the museum will have a small expansion at the team’s ballpark located in Kansas City, Kan.

“Outside of the financial terms that were worked out, to me what really excites me is the cultural aspects of this,” Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum said. “As a history museum, you’re always looking for how you can make that history relevant. This makes the Monarchs live again.”

“We’re honored to bring this forward,” T-Bones owner Mark Brandmeyer said. “I can’t imagine being a player putting this uniform on and not being super jazzed to play as hard as they can to make a winning program. That’s part of the reason we did this. People will be very proud to wear this uniform.”

The website for the Kansas City Monarch’s Baseball Club is already up and running, and can be visited here.