Seattle saluted Negro Leagues with uniforms Sunday. The Royals should follow suit
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Royals support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum with free February admission.
- The Mariners wear Steelheads every Sunday and committed $500,000 to community efforts.
- MLB allows only five uniform variations, and the Royals already use five this season.
The Royals have shown great support to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, through the free admission initiative each February and the annual game salute.
That’s important to note that because this is not intended to bash the Royals, but simply encourage them to consider following in the footsteps of the Seattle Mariners.
If you watched Sunday’s game, which the Royals won 4-1 over the Mariners, you might have wondered why Seattle was wearing a different version of its uniforms.
Those are the Seattle Steelheads uniforms the Mariners wear for every Sunday home game.
“As we honor the past and pay tribute to the 1946 Seattle Negro League team, we’re proud to invest in the future with the Steelheads Community Fund and a $500,000 commitment to support local Black-led baseball and softball organizations and community initiatives,” the Mariners said on their website.
“Yeah, it means everything,” Mariners second baseman Ryan Bliss told King 5 TV in Seattle, “being African American, to put on the same uniforms. I’m honored.”
Wouldn’t it be cool if the Royals did something similar? Unfortunately, it’s not simple.
As you may recall, the Royals can’t wear Kansas City Monarchs jerseys, even when it’s their annual Salute To The Negro Leagues game.
That’s because Major League Baseball only allows teams to wear five different uniforms in a season.
The X account MJ Melendez Enthusiast tracks the Royals’ record in their five uniforms. The five uniforms the Royals wear: home whites, City Connects, powder blues (home and away), road grays and road blue alternates.
Maybe it’s just me, but doing away with the road blue alternates in favor of a Monarchs uniform to be worn at each home Sunday game is a great swap and one fans would love.
I’m not sure who needs to hear it: Major League Baseball, the Royals or Nike, which makes the MLB uniforms, but hopefully one day KC will follow Seattle’s lead.
Seeing Negro Leagues uniforms at Kauffman Stadium once again would be wonderful and an excellent way to support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
