Category: Sports

Inside the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo — Part 1

Valeria Howard Cunningham reflects on 42 years of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, preserving Black cowboy history while inspiring youth and building community nationwide.

The Legacy of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo: Valeria Howard Cunningham on History, Community, and the Future of Black Cowboys

Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | March 10, 2026

A little boy walked into the arena in Memphis dressed like a cowboy from head to toe, boots, jeans, a large buckle, a western shirt, and a hat. He was about seven years old.

Like many children entering a rodeo arena for the first time, he wrinkled his nose at the smell of the animals. Then he stepped closer to the arena rail. He stopped in his tracks. Hands on his hips, eyes wide, he stared at the riders preparing to compete. “I can’t believe this,” he said. “There are real Black cowboys and cowgirls.”

Standing nearby was Valeria Howard Cunningham, the longtime leader of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. She watched the moment unfold and felt tears come to her eyes. “For me,” she later said, “that moment spoke volumes.”

For more than four decades, moments like that have defined the mission of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo not simply as a sporting event, but as a living classroom where history, culture, and community meet.

In a recent interview with The Truth Seekers Journal, Howard reflected on the journey that has taken the rodeo from modest beginnings to sold-out arenas across the country, and on the people and purpose that have sustained it for more than 42 years.

Overcoming Fear and Breaking Barriers

Cunningham does not pretend the journey was easy. Taking the reins of a national rodeo organization as a Black woman came with uncertainty and pressure. “You know, that was scary within itself,” Cunningham said. “Being a woman, being a Black woman, trying to run an African American rodeo association. Were people ready for that?”

There were moments of doubt. But Cunningham said she was never alone. She remembers the circle of women who stood beside her, believing in the vision and pushing her forward when the responsibility felt overwhelming. “I had Black women surrounding me who had my back,” she said. “They assured me they would be standing beside me.” That support system became one of the foundations of the rodeo’s success. Howard quickly points out that the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo has always been a team effort.

Among those who helped shape the organization are longtime partners like national sponsorship director, Margo Wade-LaDrew, who is ready to step in and take the reins if need be, Acynthia Villery, Social Media Director, and the first African American female professional rodeo announcer, public relations director Michelle Johnson, and a network of coordinators, volunteers, and rodeo professionals across the country.

“I was surrounded by incredibly talented women,” Cunningham said. “They guided me on the things I didn’t know.”

From Empty Seats to Sold-Out Arenas

When the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo first began touring, success looked very different. In the early days, simply filling a few seats felt like a victory. “We started just hoping to see some people in the seats,” Cunningham said. Today, many arenas are filled to capacity. The growth did not happen by accident. Cunningham credits the rodeo’s competitors, the cowboys and cowgirls who travel across the country. They compete in events that require extraordinary skill, discipline, and courage.

BPIR courtesy photo – Valeria Howard Cunningham, President and CEO of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo

“The Black cowboys and cowgirls that are part of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo are professionals,” she said. “People come because they want to see great competition.” But competition alone is not enough.

Cunningham believes audiences deserve excellence when they buy a ticket. “If you’re going to produce a show,” she said, “you must respect your audience and make sure they get the best experience possible.”

The True Culture of Black Cowboys

Cunningham is passionate about correcting misunderstandings about Black cowboy culture. Too often, she says, people reduce the culture to modern trail rides or social gatherings. But the real tradition runs much deeper.

“Black cowboy culture is about people who love the animals, love the sport, and take pride in being the best at what they do,” she said. At a Bill Pickett rodeo, spectators see that culture up close.

They see barrel racers flying around the arena at full speed. They see bull riders climb onto two-ton animals. These animals can throw a rider in seconds. They see steer wrestlers launch themselves from horses in a test of strength and timing.

Every event carries risk. Every competitor carries pride. And every ride connects today’s riders to generations of Black cowboys who helped shape the American West.

The Business Behind the Show

Behind the excitement of the arena is a complex operation. Producing a rodeo requires moving livestock, equipment, competitors, and staff across multiple states. Venue decisions alone can determine whether an event is financially successful.

Cunningham remembers one expensive lesson from decades ago. During an indoor rodeo in Philadelphia, the organization paid $50,000 just to bring dirt into the arena and then remove it afterward. “That’s when I said we’re not in the dirt business,” Cunningham said. Experiences like that shaped the organization’s strategy.

Cunningham said she is careful to choose venues that allow the rodeo to keep ticket prices affordable. “Our community has to be able to participate,” she said. “That’s the reason we do what we do.”

Investing in the Next Generation

For Cunningham, the rodeo’s mission extends far beyond competition. She credits her upbringing for that outlook. “My mother raised me to believe that when people give to you, you must give back,” she said.

That philosophy led to the creation of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo Foundation, which provides scholarships, community programs, and youth outreach. Young riders are also part of the show itself.

The rodeo features Pee-Wee divisions for children as young as 5. There are also junior competitions that allow young riders to develop their skills. “These kids invest time and effort,” Cunningham said. “When they do something positive, we should showcase it.”

Rodeo for Kids’ Sake

One of the rodeo’s most impactful programs is called Rodeo for Kids’ Sake.

Each year in Memphis, thousands of elementary and middle school students attend a special Friday morning rodeo designed just for them. Before the competition begins, students receive a history lesson about Black cowboys and cowgirls who played important roles in the development of the American West. Teachers can also download curriculum workbooks. These workbooks connect rodeo history to lessons in reading, math, and art.

BPIR Courtesy photo – Valeria Howard Cunningham

About 4,000 students attend the Memphis program each year. For many of them, it is the first time they have ever heard about Black cowboys. Sometimes, it is the first time they have ever seen one. Cunningham still remembers the moment that little boy in Memphis stopped and stared at the arena. “I can’t believe this,” he said. “There are real Black cowboys and cowgirls,” Cunningham said. She could only stand there and cry. In that instant, she understood the true reach of the rodeo. “It means they see themselves,” she said.

A Legacy Built by Community

Cunningham experienced another powerful moment during the rodeo’s 40th anniversary celebration in Oakland. Standing at the top of the arena entrance, she watched families stream through the doors. Parents pushed strollers. Children held hands. Elderly guests arrived in wheelchairs. “It didn’t matter if you were a newborn or a senior,” she said. “Everyone was coming to share the experience.”

One man stopped her and shared his story. He had attended the rodeo every year since childhood. Now he was bringing his own children and his mother. “That’s when I realized the span of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo,” Cunningham said.

Looking Toward the Future

Now in its 42nd year, the rodeo continues to grow.

Alongside the competition, the organization has launched Soul Country Rodeo Weekend. This event pairs the rodeo with a national music competition to discover emerging country music talent. But Cunningham says the future of the rodeo ultimately belongs to the next generation. “We’re preparing the next school of leaders,” she said. These are leaders who will carry the Bill Pickett legacy forward. They are the leaders who will keep telling the story. And they will make sure the next little boy who walks into a rodeo arena can still look out at the dirt, the horses, and the riders and say with wonder: “There are real Black cowboys and cowgirls.”

Agricenter International Showplace Theater – 7777 Walnut Grove Rd, Memphis, TN

Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo

Music Competition – Friday, April 10, 2026 | 7:00 pm 8:00 pm Competition

 BPIR Rodeo – Saturday, April 11, 2026 | 1:30 pm or 7:30 pm

Event Tickets and additional information

Country Roots, Diverse Beats: Celebrating the Rich Tapestry of Soul in Country Music.

Upcoming in the TSJ series – Inside the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo

Part 2 — Kirk Jay: The Sound of Country Soul at the Rodeo
Part 3 — Margot Wade LaDrew: Building the Rodeo Brand
Part 4 — Nathaniel Dansby (Mr. Bowleggs) : The Sound of Country Soul at the Rodeo
Part 5 — Rodeo for Kids’ Sake and the Next Generation

Related articles

Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo Names 2025 Champions After a Year of Grow and New Partnerships and a Powerful Legacy

Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo National Finals Nominated for USA TODAY’s Best Rodeo Award

Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo Celebrates 40 Years of Tradition and Excellence

Martin Luther King, Jr. African-American Rodeo of Champions Thrills Denver Audience

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SHADOW BALL: Learning More About Negro League History

March 10, 2026

One of my main passions in Negro League baseball research is endeavoring to assist the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum to have better representation of Negro League “players” in their plaque gallery. Currently there are 28 Negro League “players” inducted in the Hall of Fame and 137 players inducted who had played in the traditional Major Leagues (as defined by MLB as “major” in 1969) prior to April 15, 1947. (I should note that only 125 of those players fully earned their plaques during MLB’s Segregated Era, 1876-1946)

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a 501(c)3 not‑for‑profit educational institution, dedicated to preserving history, honoring excellence, and connecting generations. The question becomes does a 5 to one ratio properly “preserve (the) history” of baseball prior to 1947. Does having only 18% of all players prior to ’47 adequately educate the public on the National Pastime’s history?

Consider the following background facts:

  • Oral history is full of Major League players, including Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner (the first three inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame), who extoled the talents of Negro League players.
  • Despite Commissioner Landis doing his best to ban Major League teams from playing Negro League teams … hundreds of games between “so called “Major League and “so called” Negro League teams were played and, as historians and accountants will do, records were kept. I have seen a half dozen or so such composite accounts and the Negro League teams have the edge in every one of them.
  • On December 16, 2020, “Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. announced that Major League Baseball is correcting a longtime oversight in the game’s history by officially elevating the Negro Leagues to “Major League” status.” Designating 7 Negro Leagues – Negro National League, Eastern Colored League, American Negro League, East-West League, Negro Southern League, Negro National League II, Negro American League – as Major.
  •  On May 29, 2024, MLB officially absorbed select Negro League records. Amazingly and interestingly, they show virtually identical slash lines for the two sides of the ML color line. Now, this would not have a lot of probative value if not for the other supportive facts in this litany.
  • Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella were the first two players inducted in the Hall of Fame having debuted in the NL/AL after ’46. Including that pair, just about 41% of all Hall of Famers debuting in either the AL or NL since then are players who would not have been permitted to play prior to the reintegration of the game.
  • In 2025, just under 41% of major league opening day rosters were players who would not have been permitted to play prior to the integration of the game. Keep in mind, unlike pre 1947 a significant amount of baseball talent is siphoned off by the National Football League or National Basketball Association.
  • As for the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum it also has done spectacular work in telling both the history (and quality) of the Negro Leagues in every corner of the museum except the plaque gallery. In 2024, a Black baseball initiative was unveiled which included a new exhibit ‘The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball’; unveiling of a new Hank Aaron statue titled “Keep Swinging”; creation of a webpage called ‘We Play’ geared to 8 to 12 year olds which tells the story of Black baseball and its role in the Civil Rights movement; in addition additional educational outreach programs for older students are delivered to classrooms across the country; the Hall of Fame East-West Classic: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Game (sadly this spectacular event was not continued annually – it is never too late; during ’24 the Hall began a collaboration with Dr. Geral Early, Washington University of Saint Louis, on a book published in 2025 “Play Harder” which sheds light on the early Black influence on baseball … for me, the year was capped when the Hall of Fame invited SABR’s Negro League Research Committee to hold its annual Jerry Malloy Conference in the Hall of Fame.  

Surely, Negro League players must have made up more than 18% of the best players prior to 1947.

It is time for Hall to answer Major League Baseball’s action of ’20 and ’24 by bringing the Hall of Honor UpToDate by inducting all deserving Negro League baseball players with all deliberate speed. Not two this year, none the next, and then another, then another two … already most of the players are gone and at such pace even the historians and ancestors will be gone.

Last week’s Shadow Ball Significa question:  Submitted by Shadow Ball fan, Will Clark): The 1969 New York Mets had a player (a key one at that) whose stepfather played in the Negro Leagues. Name the player and the Negro Leaguer who was his stepfather. The 1969 New York Mets player was Donn Clendenon. He was a key contributor and 1969 World Series MVP. Clendenon’s stepfather was Nish Williams Nish Williams raised him, mentored him, and shaped his athletic discipline. Clendenon often credited Williams with instilling the work ethic that carried him through his MLB career and ultimately helped power the Miracle Mets to their championship. Both Clendenon (2005) and Williams (1968) are deceased.

The Shadow ball Significa Question of the Week: What manager has been named to the Baseball Hall of Fame for Negro League performance? Send your answer and any comments on this issue’s Shadow Ball to  shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadow Ball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033

Ted Knorr

Ted Knorr is a Negro League baseball historian, longtime member of the Society for American Baseball Research’s Negro League Committee, and founder of the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference and several local Negro League Commemorative Nights in central Pennsylvania. You can send questions for Knorr on Negro League topics as well as your answers to the week’s Significa question to  shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadow Ball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033

Support open, independent journalism—your contribution helps us tell the stories that matter most.

SHADOW BALL: Learning More About Negro League History

February 24, 2026

Dear Shadow Ball: “Where would you place Rap Dixon in a list of the greatest Negro League outfielders? — Al Davis, Rensselaer, NY

 … this column exists for only one purpose and that is to answer your questions on Negro League baseball history. To that end, I need your help … if you are reading this column and enjoy it and want it to continue and you don’t already know everything about Negro League history … then please submit a question on any aspect of Negro League history. Your questions are the lifeblood of Shadow Ball—they shape where we go next.

 – players, teams, events, and more – and, in so doing, you will direct where this column goes moving forward. Your participation is important and appreciated. The very existence of this column depends on you. Submit your questions to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com.

Dear Al: As you (as well as anyone paying attention to me) knows Rap Dixon is my favorite Negro League player thus it is no surprise that I rank him at the top of the list of Hall of Fame worthy outfielders. There are seven Negro League outfielders already in and I have no quibble ranking all of them ahead of Dixon – Oscar Charleston, Turkey Stearnes, Cristobal Torriente, Pete Hill, Willard Brown, and Cool Papa Bell. Monte Irvin, the 1st put into the Hall as an outfielder, I would prefer him to be listed as a shortstop where he played 47% of his games with only 41% of his games being played as an outfielder.

After the already inducted group I support the results of several polls including SABR’s Negro League Committee, the 42 for ’21 poll, and the Negro League Centennial Team as well as opinions of both Oscar Charleston and Cool Papa Bell all of which name Rap Dixon as the next outfielder to be inducted. The 1952 Pittsburgh Courier poll offers only Clint Thomas (among eligible outfielders) ahead of Dixon. Monte Irvin prefers Wild Bill Wright over Dixon. Other outfielders deserving induction (not consideration but induction) include, both Thomas and Wright, Alejandro Oms, Fats Jenkins, Spottswood Poles, Roy Parnell, Chino Smith (with an Addie Joss waiver), and Hurley McNair. Leaving others for future consideration including Heavy Johnson, Sam Jethroe, Ted Strong, Henry Kimbro, Pancho Coimbre, and others.

In closing I must point out that since the integration of the game only six outfielders have debuted and earned induction (Mantle, Kaline, Snider, Yastrzemski, Ashburn, and Walker) that would have been permitted to play in the AL or NL prior to 1947 … and 24 outfielders have debuted/earned induction who would not have been permitted to play in either of those leagues prior … my list of recommended inductees above includes only nine, There is plenty of room in Cooperstown for Justice.

Last week’s Shadow Ball Significa question: Who took over as Commissioner of the Negro National League immediately after Rube Foster resigned in November 1926? Unlike last week where we got two correct answers; this week’s question produced none. The immediate successor to Rube Foster was Dr. G. B. Key who took over immediately after Rube Foster for the remainder of 1926.

The Shadow Ball Significa Question of the Week (submitted by Shadow Ball fan, Will Clark): The 1969 New York Mets had a player (a key one at that) whose stepfather played in the Negro Leagues. Name the player and the Negro Leaguer who was his stepfather. 

Ted Knorr

Ted Knorr is a Negro League baseball historian, longtime member of the Society for American Baseball Research’s Negro League Committee, and founder of the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference and several local Negro League Commemorative Nights in central Pennsylvania. You can send questions for Knorr on Negro League topics as well as your answers to the week’s Significa question to  shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadow Ball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033

Support open, independent journalism—your contribution helps us tell the stories that matter most.

Shadow Ball: Learning More About Negro League History

February 19, 2026

Dear Shadow Ball: “Who would be “your” choice for the next three Negro League inductees for the Hall of Fame?” — Jerry Hoover, Asheboro, NC

 … this column exists for only one purpose and that is to answer your questions on Negro League baseball history. To that end, I need your help … if you are reading this column and enjoy it and want it to continue and you don’t already know everything about Negro League history … then please submit a question on any aspect of Negro League history. Your questions are the lifeblood of Shadow Ball—they shape where we go next.

 – players, teams, events, and more – and, in so doing, you will direct where this column goes moving forward. Your participation is important and appreciated. The very existence of this column depends on you. Submit your questions to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com.

Dear Jerry: By “your” Mr. Hoover was asking about “my” choices and I have been clear for several years now – my choice for the most deserving player has been John Beckwith, multi-position slugger of the Baltimore Black Sox, Chicago American Giants, and the Harrisburg Giants. My choice among non-players is Gus Greenlee, owner Pittsburgh Crawfords, builder of Greenlee Field, one of the founders of the East-West Classic, founder of the 2nd Negro National League, and an organizer of the United States Baseball League a “historically significant but marginal” latter day Negro League. Last, my favorite Negro League player and my third answer to your question, is buried in the Township in which I live, played Major League home games on a Lancaster, PA, field where I played midget football, is outfielder Rap Dixon. All three are absolutely no brainer inductees. Since 30 to 50 additional no brainer Negro League induction candidates exist in my view — it is time for the National Baseball Hall of Fame to get busy. 

Last week’s Shadow Ball Significa question: A Hall of Fame Negro League slugger had a nephew who sang with, and co-founded, a legendary R&B vocal group of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Name that slugger. Will Clark, a reader who submitted this week’s sought slugger Buck Leonard and singer and founder of The Orioles Sonny Til his nephew. Both Leonard (1972 Baseball inductee) and Til (1995 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee with other members of The Orioles) are Hall of Famers. No one got that answer correct; however, Kevin Johnson, Broken Arrow, OK, offered a different but just as compelling correct answer: slugger Mule Suttles’s nephew Warren Suttles, baritone lead, and co-founder, of The Ravens. Gotta wonder – given the strong connection between culture and baseball – if there are more “correct” answers for this one.

The Shadow Ball Significa Question of the Week (submitted by Shadow Ball fan, Kevin Johnson): Who took over as Commissioner of the Negro National League immediately after Rube Foster resigned in November 1926? Let us see how many correct answers we can get this time. 

Ted Knorr

Ted Knorr is a Negro League baseball historian, longtime member of the Society for American Baseball Research’s Negro League Committee, and founder of the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference and several local Negro League Commemorative Nights in central Pennsylvania. You can send questions for Knorr on Negro League topics as well as your answers to the week’s Significa question to  shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadow Ball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033

Support open, independent journalism—your contribution helps us tell the stories that matter most.

Seahawks Defeat Patriots 29–13 in Super Bowl LX, Delivering a Defensive Masterpiece and Seattle’s Second Title

Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots 29–13 in Super Bowl LX, powered by defense, record field goals, and Kenneth Walker III’s MVP performance.

By Milton Kirby | San Francisco, CA | February 8, 2026

Super Bowl LX is officially in the books, and it will be remembered as a night when defense, discipline, and patience ruled the NFL’s biggest stage.

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29–13 at Levi’s Stadium in Super Bowl LX, played during the venue’s 12th year of hosting NFL games, capturing the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship—12 years after its first.

Seattle entered the game as the favorites and played like it methodical, relentless, and mistake-free. Remarkably, the Seahawks finished the entire postseason without committing a single turnover, a rare feat that defined their championship run.

A Historic Night for Seattle Leadership and Defense

Head coach Mike McDonald, just 38 years old, became the third youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. His defensive game plan was executed to near perfection by Seattle’s dominant front four, nicknamed “The Dark Side,” which controlled the line of scrimmage from opening kickoff to final whistle.

Through nearly three full quarters, neither team reached the end zone. Seattle’s defense forced punts, stalled drives, and kept New England quarterback Drake Maye under constant pressure.

Field Goals First, Touchdowns Later

Seattle kicker Jason Myers, a veteran in his 11th NFL season, carried the scoring early. Myers drilled five field goals an all-time Super Bowl record accounting for 15 points and keeping the scoreboard moving while both offenses searched for rhythm.

It wasn’t until early in the fourth quarter that the game’s first touchdown was scored. Quarterback Sam Darnold found tight end A.J. Barner on a 16-yard strike, pushing Seattle ahead 19–0 and effectively breaking the game open.

Kenneth Walker III Earns Super Bowl MVP

Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III was named Super Bowl LX MVP after a physical, punishing performance that controlled the tempo of the game.

Walker finished with:

  • 27 rushing attempts
  • 135 rushing yards
  • 2 receptions
  • 26 receiving yards

Though he did not score a touchdown, his ability to extend drives and wear down New England’s defense proved decisive. Walker became the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII.

Patriots’ Rise Comes Up Short

For New England, in their 12th appearance in a Super Bowl, the loss marked a painful ending to an otherwise remarkable season. In his second NFL year, Drake Maye led the Patriots to a 14–3 regular-season record and their return to the Super Bowl, attempting to become the youngest quarterback ever to win one.

Seattle’s defense, however, ensured that history would wait.

Twelve Years Later, History Repeats

The victory carried special meaning for Seattle. Twelve years earlier, the Seahawks captured their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XLVIII with a dominant win over Denver. That championship helped cement the franchise’s identity and gave rise to the “12s,” Seattle’s famously loud and loyal fan base.

On Sunday night, twelve years later, the Seahawks added a second Lombardi Trophy to their legacy.

As confetti fell at Levi’s Stadium, one truth was undeniable: Super Bowl LX belonged to Seattle built on defense, patience, and a team that waited 12 years to finish the story.

By the Numbers

  • Final Score: Seahawks 29, Patriots 13
  • Total Points: 42
  • Total Yards by Seahawks 335
  • Rushing 135
  • Passing 202
  • Youngest Super Bowl–Winning Coach: Mike McDonald (38)

Super Bowl LX: The Business of the Big Game

Estimated Host City Revenue (San Francisco Bay Area):

  • Hotels & Lodging: $180M–$220M
  • Restaurants & Food: $140M–$160M
  • Transportation: $40M–$60M
  • Public & Tax Revenue: $16M

The Cost of 30 Seconds of Airtime:

  • Average ad price: $8 million
  • Cost per second: $266,666
  • Total campaign investment (ads + marketing): $15M–$20M

Player Bonuses:

  • Winning team: $178,000 per player
  • Losing team: $103,000 per player

Truth Seekers Journal thrives because of readers like you. Join us in sustaining independent voices.

Shadow Ball: Learning More About Negro League History

January 27, 2026

Dear Shadow Ball: “Who was the last Negro Leaguer to play in MLB?”
— Will Clark, Hackensack, NJ

 … this column exists for only one purpose and that is to answer your questions on Negro League baseball history. To that end, I need your help … if you are reading this column and enjoy it and want it to continue and you don’t already know everything about Negro League history … then please submit a question on any aspect of Negro League history. Your questions are the lifeblood of Shadow Ball—they shape where we go next.

 – players, teams, events, and more – and, in so doing, you will direct where this column goes moving forward. Your participation is important and appreciated. The very existence of this column depends on you. Submit your questions to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com.

Dear Will: If by play one means debut, according to baseball-reference, the answer is Ike Brown who briefly played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the early sixties before beginning a lengthy stay in the Detroit Tigers system, including four years in the AAA International League, finally debuting with the parent club on June 17, 1969 thereby becoming the last player from the Negro Leagues to break in to MLB.

Ironically, at the time of Brown’s debut only one former Negro Leaguer was active – Hank Aaron who had just two months earlier broke Babe Ruth’s career home run record with a round tripper off Al Downing on April 8, 1974. Hammerin’ Hank would play his MLB final game on October 3, 1976, becoming the last Negro Leaguer to play in MLB.

Late in that 1976 season the Chicago White Sox, under the forever showman Bill Veeck, utilized 52 year old Minnie Minoso, a Negro League All Star third baseman in the 40s, as a designated hitter in three games all preceding Aaron’s finale but four years later Minoso would appear as a pinch hitter on October 5, 1980 in his last appearance in the bigs (and Bill Veeck’s last game as an owner.)

Thus, the last former Negro Leaguer to debut in the Majors is Ike Brown, the last to play regularly is Hank Aaron and the last to appear in any role – gimmicky or otherwise – is Minnie Minoso.

Last week’s Shadow Ball Significa question: Which Negro League team introduced night baseball five years before Major League Baseball adopted it? No one submitted the correct answer, but I will give it because we have a guest with a significa question this week. The Kansas City Monarchs first played night baseball in 1930, using J.L. Wilkinson’s pioneering portable lighting system, the first of its kind.

The Shadow Ball Significa Question of the Week (submitted by Shadowball fan, Will Clark): A Hall of Fame Negro League slugger had a nephew who sang with, and co-founded, a legendary R&B vocal group of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Name that slugger.

Ted Knorr

Ted Knorr is a Negro League baseball historian, longtime member of the Society for American Baseball Research’s Negro League Committee, and founder of the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference and several local Negro League Commemorative Nights in central Pennsylvania. You can send questions for Knorr on Negro League topics as well as your answers to the week’s Significa question to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadow Ball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033.

Truth Seekers Journal thrives because of readers like you. Join us in sustaining independent voices.

Hardee’s Returns to NASCAR, Becomes Official QSR and Primary Sponsor of Bubba Wallace’s No. 23

By Milton Kirby | Daytona Beach, FL | January 22, 2026

Hardee’s is back in NASCAR in a big way.

The iconic American fast‑food brand has signed a multiyear agreement to become the Official Quick Service Restaurant of NASCAR, while also joining 23XI Racing as a primary sponsor of Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE.

The move represents one of the most notable heritage‑brand returns in recent NASCAR history and arrives at a moment when the sport is eager to reset after a turbulent offseason.

Hardee’s branding will appear throughout the season on Wallace’s firesuit, team uniforms, and equipment, with the No. 23 Hardee’s car set to debut at Martinsville Speedway this spring. The partnership also fills a long‑vacant category: Hardee’s becomes the first official NASCAR QSR in more than 15 years, a slot left open since Checkers/Rally’s exited in 2008.

A Heritage Brand Comes Home

For longtime fans, Hardee’s return is more than a sponsorship it’s a callback to an era when the brand was synonymous with winning. During the 1980s and 1990s, Hardee’s‑backed teams collected 12 NASCAR Cup Series victories with Hall of Fame drivers Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Alan Kulwicki, and Dale Jarrett.

Allison delivered three wins in the No. 28 Hardee’s car in 1981, including the Coca‑Cola 600. Yarborough added nine victories, highlighted by back‑to‑back Daytona 500 triumphs in 1983 and 1984.

Now, as NASCAR courts legacy brands seeking multigenerational reach, Hardee’s return fits squarely into the sport’s push to reconnect with its roots.

“Hardee’s is an American classic with deep roots in our sport,” said NASCAR Chief Commercial Officer Craig Stimmel. “Its return represents more than a new partnership it symbolizes the power and appeal of NASCAR’s heritage.”

Why 23XI, Why Now

Hardee’s arrival also reshapes the sponsorship landscape at 23XI Racing.
The brand steps in as McDonald’s quietly exits the team — a shift that became clear when the Golden Arches were absent from recent car renderings tied to the team’s expanded partnership with Xfinity.

Hardee’s will serve as a primary sponsor for Wallace at select races beginning with Martinsville, while Xfinity remains the dominant presence on the No. 23 throughout the season, including the Daytona 500.

The timing is notable. The agreement lands just months after NASCAR and 23XI Racing resolved their high‑profile antitrust dispute, a case Truth Seekers Journal has covered extensively from the damages sought by 23XI and Front Row Motorsports to the permanent charter resolution and the broader implications for team equity and sponsorship stability.

Industry sources said Hardee’s evaluated multiple teams before selecting 23XI, ultimately offering commitments slightly above $1 million annually. The deal, brokered by Hardee’s media agency PMG, includes trackside activations, digital campaigns, and integration with NASCAR’s My Rewards loyalty ecosystem.

For Wallace, the partnership carries both personal and professional weight.

“NASCAR is built on legacy, and Hardee’s has been part of some of the most iconic moments in our sport’s history,” Wallace said. “Fans know the Hardee’s paint schemes of the past, and I’m excited to help create some new memories.”

A Signal Beyond Sponsorship

Beyond the branding, Hardee’s return sends a broader message about the sport’s direction.
NASCAR Holdings and 23XI Racing collaborated closely to bring the brand back a sign that the two sides have maintained a functional working relationship following last year’s antitrust litigation.

Had the case gone to trial, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports were seeking $365 million in damages. Instead, the dispute concluded with NASCAR granting both teams permanent charters a resolution analysts estimate to be worth tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, not including substantial legal costs.

Against that backdrop, Hardee’s re‑entry is being viewed inside the industry as a tangible step toward renewed stability and a signal that major brands are once again comfortable making long‑term investments in the sport.

Looking Ahead

Hardee’s parent company, CKE Restaurants Holdings, also operates Carl’s Jr., with more than 3,800 restaurants across the U.S. and internationally. Company officials say the NASCAR partnership will emphasize fan engagement, community outreach, and celebrating the sport’s past while fueling its future.

For NASCAR, 23XI Racing, and Bubba Wallace, the partnership represents something increasingly rare in modern motorsports: a heritage brand not just returning — but reclaiming a central place on the grid.

Related articles

23XI, NASCAR and Front Row Strike Deal to Strengthen Team Equity and Gro

Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing Scores Major Win in NASCAR Antitrust Fight

History is Made: Bubba Wallace Becomes the First Black NASCAR Driver to Win on the Indianapolis Oval

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Shadow Ball: Learning More About Negro League History

January 13, 2026

Dear Shadow Ball: I have a question about Negro League stats being entered into the Major League Baseball record book. It is my understanding that in 1969 four pro leagues’ records, in addition to the American and National Leagues, were entered into the record book. Were the Negro Leagues considered at that time by the committee and rejected, or were they completely ignored or overlooked (and we had to wait 50+ years for it to finally happen)?
— Chris Hansen, Ogden, Utah

 … this column exists for only one purpose and that is to answer your questions on Negro League baseball history. To that end, I need your help … if you are reading this column and enjoy it and want it to continue and you don’t already know everything about Negro League history … then please submit a question on any aspect of Negro League history. Your questions are the lifeblood of Shadow Ball—they shape where we go next.

 – players, teams, events, and more – and, in so doing, you will direct where this column goes moving forward. Your participation is important and appreciated. The very existence of this column depends on you. Submit your questions to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com.

Dear Chris: I happen to know the answer to that question very well. On July 1, 2017, at the 47th annual convention of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) in New York City, I had the opportunity to pose that very question to two men who knew the subject as well as anyone alive: John Thorn, Major League Baseball’s Official Historian, and David Neft, the driving force behind the 1969 Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia. Neft was in the room in 1969 when MLB’s Special Baseball Records Committee (SBRC) designated six professional leagues — the National League, American League, Players League, Federal League, American Association, and Union Association — as “major.”

Both Thorn and Neft welcomed questions from the audience, and asking mine was one of the principal reasons I attended SABR 47. When my turn came, I asked: “Did the Special Baseball Records Committee consider, at all, the Negro Leagues to be a Major League?” Thorn answered immediately — exactly as I expected — with a single word: “No.” Both men then expanded on the criteria the SBRC used in 1969, and why the Negro Leagues were not even discussed. (If interested the Q & A occurs at the 47:32 point in this mp3 SABR47-David_Neft-John_Thorn-Baseball_Records_Cmte.mp3 | Powered by Box and lasts about three minutes. If you have time the hour-long conversation between Thorn & Neft is well worth the listen) Years later, Neft told The Ringer: “The one thing that I am absolutely certain about is that there never was any SBRC discussion about treating the Negro Leagues as major leagues.” Major League Baseball itself confirmed this in its December 16, 2020 press release announcing the elevation of seven Negro Leagues to Major League status: “It is MLB’s view that the Committee’s 1969 omission of the Negro Leagues from consideration was clearly an error that demands today’s designation.”

In short: The Negro Leagues were not rejected in 1969 — they were ignored. This was before Robert Peterson’s seminal Only the Ball Was White (1970), before SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee (1971), and before the sustained scholarly work that finally brought the Negro Leagues into proper historical focus. On December 16, 2020, MLB corrected that omission by recognizing seven Negro Leagues as Major: Negro National League I, Eastern Colored League, American Negro League, East West League, Negro Southern League, Negro National League II, and the Negro American League.

Last week’s Shadow Ball Significa question Who was the last surviving Atlanta Black Crackers player?
Answer: Dr. Leslie Heaphy of Canton, OH, nailed it — Red Moore. Moore also led the franchise in career batting average, walks, and sacrifice flies. Born and died in Atlanta.

The Shadow Ball Significa Question of the Week: Which Negro League team introduced night baseball five years before Major League Baseball adopted it?

Ted Knorr

Ted Knorr is a Negro League baseball historian, longtime member of the Society for American Baseball Research’s Negro League Committee, and founder of the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference and several local Negro League Commemorative Nights in central Pennsylvania. You can send questions for Knorr on Negro League topics as well as your answers to the week’s Significa question to  shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadow Ball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033

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Atlanta Falcons Turn the Page: Matt Ryan Named President of Football After Front Office Reset

The Atlanta Falcons reshuffle leadership, firing Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot while hiring franchise legend Matt Ryan as President of Football to end years of mediocrity.

By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | January 11, 2026

The Atlanta Falcons began 2026 by making one of the most consequential leadership moves in franchise history a decision that signaled both a search for stability and the end of one of the NFL’s rare examples of Black executive leadership.

On Saturday, the organization hired former quarterback Matt Ryan as President of Football just days after dismissing head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot. The move reset the franchise’s football hierarchy while simultaneously eliminating the league’s only remaining Black head coach–general manager partnership. This move also carried a deeper, more complicated weight.

Announced by owner Arthur Blank, the decision immediately reshaped power inside Flowery Branch. Ryan, the most accomplished player in franchise history, now oversees all football operations and reports directly to Blank, while working alongside team president and CEO Greg Beadles to align football and business priorities.

The move followed a turbulent week that underscored Atlanta’s urgency to escape a cycle of mediocrity and raised harder questions about patience, progress, and who is afforded time to build at the highest levels of the league.

An abrupt ending to a rare pairing

The Falcons fired Morris and Fontenot on January 4 after a second consecutive 8–9 season. The decision came one week after Atlanta closed the year with a win over rival New Orleans, finishing stronger than expected and showing measurable defensive progress.

Courtesy Photo Raheem Morris

Morris, who previously served as Atlanta’s interim head coach in 2020, completed two full seasons at the helm from 2024 to 2025. Fontenot, hired in 2021, became one of the NFL’s few Black general managers and the longest-tenured of that group during his six-year run.

Together, Morris and Fontenot represented the league’s only Black head coach–general manager tandem a symbolic milestone in a league where such pairings remain exceptionally rare. Their dismissal ended that distinction that proved as fragile as it was meaningful, even as the team showed signs of forward movement.

Atlanta’s postseason drought now stands at eight years, dating back to the 2017 season the final playoff appearance of the Matt Ryan era under center.

Black Leadership in the NFL

Despite a player base that is roughly 70 percent Black, leadership representation at the NFL’s highest levels has remained limited. Entering the 2025 season, only three Black head coaches led teams, alongside a small number of Black general managers league wide. Prior to their dismissal, the Falcons were the only franchise pairing a Black head coach with a Black general manager a combination that remains rare in a league that has repeatedly acknowledged challenges in creating sustained pathways to executive leadership.

Progress without payoff

Measured strictly by wins and losses, Morris’s tenure mirrored the Falcons’ recent pattern of frustrating near-misses. His two seasons ended with identical 8–9 records, falling short of the playoffs in a competitive NFC South.

Yet context complicates the narrative. Morris inherited a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in 2024. By 2025, Atlanta surged into the NFL’s top three in sacks and set a new franchise record with 57, one of the league’s most dramatic year-over-year defensive turnarounds.

Courtesy photo Terry Fontenot

Under Fontenot, the Falcons also assembled a young and highly regarded core. Draft picks such as Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts became offensive centerpieces, while recent additions like Xavier Watts, Jalon Walker, and James Pearce Jr. were viewed internally as long-term building blocks.

Still, results lagged behind expectations. Fontenot, who signed a six-year contract in 2021, is owed one remaining year. Morris, hired as head coach in 2024, signed a five-year contract, according to a January 27, 2024 report by USA Today Sports, leaving three years remaining on his deal.

The contrast between measurable improvement and organizational impatience reflects a broader league pattern, where Black head coaches and executives are often afforded less time to see long-term plans through even when progress is evident but incomplete.

Enter Matt Ryan — from franchise face to football boss

Blank’s answer to stagnation was bold and deeply personal. Ryan, the former league MVP and face of the franchise for 14 seasons, now occupies a role newly created within the organization.

“Throughout his remarkable 14-year career in Atlanta, Matt’s leadership, attention to detail, knowledge of the game and unrelenting drive to win made him the most successful player in our franchise’s history,” Blank said in a statement. “I am confident those same qualities will be a tremendous benefit to our organization as he steps into this new role.”

Ryan accepted the position early Saturday morning and immediately joined the search for the team’s next head coach and general manager. Both hires will report directly to him.

Courtesy photo Matt Ryan

Ryan steps into the position not as a repudiation of the previous regime, but as the owner’s bet that cultural continuity and institutional trust can succeed where repeated resets have not.

A resume unmatched in Falcons history

Ryan’s credentials inside the building are undeniable. Drafted third overall in 2008 out of Boston College, he became the most productive quarterback the franchise has ever known.

He led Atlanta to five playoff appearances, two NFC Championship Games, and one Super Bowl. His 2016 season remains the gold standard: first-team All-Pro honors, NFL MVP, and Offensive Player of the Year while guiding the Falcons to their second NFC title.

Ryan holds nearly every major passing record in franchise history, including career yards (59,735), touchdowns (367), completions, attempts, passer rating, and 300-yard games. From 2011 to 2020, he posted 10 consecutive 4,000-yard seasons and finished his Falcons career with a 120–102 regular-season record.

For many fans, he remains the embodiment of stability during an otherwise turbulent half-century of Falcons football.

A franchise defined by turnover

That instability is not anecdotal it is structural. Since joining the NFL in 1966, the Falcons have employed 18 head coaches, including five interims. Only two Dan Reeves in 1998 and Dan Quinn in 2016 reached the Super Bowl. Mike Smith remains the winningest coach in team history, yet even his tenure ended without a championship.

Morris’s dismissal places him among a long list of leaders who showed promise but fell short of delivering sustained success. Ryan now inherits not just a roster, but a legacy of resets.

The search ahead and immediate questions

As of January 11, Ryan is leading interviews for the vacant head coach and general manager positions. Early candidates include Klint Kubiak, Anthony Weaver, Aden Durde, and Kevin Stefanski.

The inclusion of Kevin Stefanski has raised eyebrows. Stefanski was fired by the Cleveland Browns on January 5 after consecutive losing seasons and a 5–12 finish in 2025 despite earlier Coach of the Year honors.

The Browns’ decision to move on while retaining their general manager highlights a broader league tension: success windows close quickly, and past accolades offer limited insulation.

For Ryan, the challenge is immediate and unforgiving. He must identify leaders who can win quickly without repeating the organizational whiplash that has defined the franchise.

Beyond wins and losses

Ryan’s impact in Atlanta has never been limited to the field. In 2020, he and his wife, Sarah, launched ATL: Advance The Lives, raising more than $1.3 million to combat systemic barriers facing Black youth. His community work earned him the Falcons’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination in 2016.

Those values accountability, stability, long-term investment are themes Ryan emphasized during his final CBS broadcast.

“We want to be in the mix, in the playoffs,” he said. “It’s been too long. Football is about the people. The building is about the people.”

A defining gamble

The Falcons’ decision to place football operations in the hands of a franchise icon is both risky and revealing. Ryan brings credibility, institutional knowledge, and the trust of ownership. What he does not bring is prior front-office experience, a gap the organization believes leadership, perspective, and discipline can overcome.

Yet the move also leaves behind an unresolved question. In choosing stability, the Falcons closed the book on one of the NFL’s rare Black leadership partnerships not after collapse, but after incremental progress that fell just short of the postseason.

Whether that choice reflects urgency, impatience, or the league’s enduring unevenness in who is granted time to build may ultimately matter as much as who leads the next era.

But the move also leaves an unresolved question hanging over the franchise:
What does progress look like when the league’s rare Black leadership partnerships are given so little time to grow?

Atlanta chose stability but in doing so, it closed the door on a pairing that represented something larger than wins and losses. Whether Ryan can deliver the success that eluded Morris and Fontenot will define the next era of Falcons football. Whether the league can sustain meaningful pathways for Black leadership remains a larger test still.

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Shadow Ball: Learning More About Negro League History

December 23, 2025

Dear Shadow Ball: What pitcher holds the Negro League record for most inning pitched?

Mick Kolb, York, PA.

Dear Mick:  My go to source for such questions is Seamheads Negro League Database. The leader in innings pitched in that database is Cannonball Dick Redding (2,334 innings over 26 years). This total includes games in the Negro Leagues plus Cuba, the Florida Winter Hotel League, and games versus minor and major league teams. Limiting the view, as your question does, to Negro League games only sent me to a different source – mlb.com. Since May 2024, Negro League statistics are now included on that site. To interpret and compile innings pitched, I turned to Tom Thress, President, Retrosheet, who informed me that Willie Foster (with 1,521 innings) leads all pitchers in total innings pitched in major Negro League games.

Last week’s Shadow Ball Significa question – Who was the first African American signed to a contract by the Boston Red Sox organization? For the 2nd week in a row, Will Clark, Hackensack, NJ, smacks one of my hanging curves over the fence … dodging my reach for a Pumpsie Green – who, in 1959, was the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox –   answer he kept his focus on 1950 and offered Piper Davis which is correct. Unfortunately, Piper never got the call to come to Fenway.

The Shadow Ball Significa Question of the Week: Who was the last surviving Atlanta Black Crackers player? Here is a clue for you to keep from going down a rabbit hole – this player was born and died in Atlanta.

Ted Knorr

Ted Knorr is a Negro League baseball historian, longtime member of the Society for American Baseball Research’s Negro League Committee, and founder of the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference and several local Negro League Commemorative Nights in central Pennsylvania. You can send questions for Knorr on Negro League topics as well as your answers to the week’s Significa question to  shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadowball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033

Support open, independent journalism—your contribution helps us tell the stories that matter most.

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