Negro League Museum President Bob Kendrick Talks Season 2 of Storylines in MLB The Show 24
Kendrick: 'I feel like a proud papa to have brought this game to the public'
MLB The Show 24 is set to be released for early access on March 15th, and worldwide on March 19th. The anticipation is rising by the day and one of the most exciting features in the game will be Storylines: Negro Leagues Season 2. In case you don’t know, Storylines combines exhilarating gameplay moments, historical footage, and much more as the game brings all of these incredible true stories to life.
In a chat with Bob Kendrick, the President of the Negore League Museum, we were able to discuss the overwhelming response that Sony Studios, and the Negro League Museum has gotten from the inclusion in MLB The Show. Beginning in 2023, it was the first of a five-year partnership with Sony Studios to include storylines from the Negro Leagues. Kendrick gives a ton of credit to Ramone Russell and the rest of the team at Sony for their incredible work so far in the partnership.
“You could tell that they wanted people to love this. They pulled themselves into this game. I’ll never forget sitting out there with Ramone and the rest of the team and they’re showing me different aspects of the game. It was very emotional for all of us. So I feel like a proud papa to have brought this game to the public, to see the reaction that it has generated. And quite frankly, it is by far one of the biggest things that this museum has ever done,” says Kendrick.
This year, the theme for Storylines appears to be focused on the Black press.
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On the anniversary of the birth of the Negro Leagues, Sony released the first four of ten players that will be included in this year’s edition of Storylines.
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As you see, the first four players announced include Josh Gibson (much to the joy of the MLB the Show included - your editor included), Buck Leonard, Henry Aaron, and Toni Stone (the first woman to appear in Diamond Dynasty). Kendrick believes this year the Storylines portion of the game will be elevated to another level.
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Believe it or not, last year’s MLB The Show 23 wasn’t originally slated to include the Negro Leagues. According to Kendrick, the deal was supposed to begin with this year’s game, but instead was included in last year’s game. With even more time to prepare for this year’s release, I could see how that is possible.
In addition to its contribution to MLB The Show, the Negro League Museum is actively working on an effort to bring an expansion team in Major League Baseball to Nashville. The team would be called the Nashville Stars. If this happens, it would be the first time in MLB history, a team would carry the name of a Negro League team. Moving forward, big things are on the horizon for the museum.
As far as MLB The Show, we have some more reveals coming our way and here are some to look forward to:
Feb. 22 - Unspecified Feature Premiere
Mar. 7 - Ratings Reveal Show + Unspecified Feature Premiere
Mar. 13 - Developer Tournament
Mar. 14 - Unspecified Feature Premiere
Mar. 15 - Early Access Launch for Special Edition Owners
Mar. 19 - Worldwide Release of MLB The Show 24
I am fully impressed with what Sony Studios has done thus far with its partnership with the Negro League Museum. They’re educated not only the youth but educating those that are unaware of the impact the Negro Leagues had on the way the game is played today. It has played a key role in the growth of the game, and likely will continue to bring in new fans with this year’s game.
Dedrick Hendrix is a Featured Columnist for Perfect Perfect: An MLB the Show Substack. He also writes for Fansided and Just Baseball. You can follow him on X @dchendrix, Twitch @itsdchendrix, and Instagram @officialdchendrix.
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