Mexican American Baseball in Kansas City highlights the standout teams and players in the greater Kansas City area and other communities in the Sunflower State. Following labor opportunities, Mexican immigrants proliferated in the region in the first decade of the 20th century. Eventually, they and their offspring settled in countless communities, including Kansas City, Topeka, Newton, Chanute, Emporia, Wellington, Wichita, Dodge City, and Garden City, and had extended family networks in Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Iowa. Baseball and softball in their own unique ways confronted discrimination and promoted the spirit for social equality. These remarkable photographs and wonderful memorabilia provide ample evidence and insight about those who loved the game.

Dr. Gene T. Chavez, one of the authors of Mexican American Baseball in Kansas City will share his insights on how baseball and fast pitch softball brought the Mexican American communities from across the region to play the games they loved. The games became communal affairs with fiesta-like atmosphere that helped bring about feelings of ethnic solidarity, community pride, and camaraderie. While much is known about the Negro Leagues, little is known about Mexican immigrants who distinguished themselves through the Mexican Leagues.