As any United Methodist pastor will attest, baseball holds a special place in the hearts of the faithful. There are plenty Sunday mornings peppered with red or blue jerseys in the pews. The intersection of Methodism and baseball might be most well-known thanks to the 2013 sports film, “42” about baseball player Jackie Robinson. In the film, Branch Rickey, played by actor Harrison Ford claims that “God is a Methodist.”
Rickey first met Robinson on Aug. 28, 1945. He told Robinson that he wanted to sign the 26-year-old ballplayer and break the national pastime’s color barrier. This meeting between the two Methodists ultimately transformed baseball and America itself.
Baseball is a natural part of Missouri culture with two Major League teams separated by 250 miles, the Royals of Kansas City and the St. Louis Cardinals. But die-hard baseball fans are also aware of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City.
Now, even more fans will be aware of the state’s treasure since Major League Baseball’s recent correction of the longtime oversight in the Kansas City Monarchs - 1921 game’s history by officially elevating the Negro leagues to Major League status.
Read more about two baseball players with Methodist roots in Missouri who are now major leaguers →
