Reps. Cisneros and Richmond Lead House Call to MLB and BBWAA to Remove Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ Name from MVP Award

WASHINGTON, DC - Representatives Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-39) and Cedric Richmond (LA-02) led 28 House colleagues in urging Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Manfred and Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) President Paul Sullivan to remove Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ name from the MLB Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. In a letter sent to Commissioner Manfred and President Sullivan, the members underscore Landis’ unwritten rule to keep Black players out of the major leagues. Representatives from the BBWAA have made public statements expressing a commitment to consider the designation of the award, and former MLB MVPs have called for the removal of Landis’ name. To view the full letter, click here.

“Baseball has a unique history of bringing communities together. For generations of American families, including my own, our country’s favorite pastime has brought endless celebration and heartbreak. However, as the United States reckons with its own racial history, baseball cannot be left out of that conversation,” said Rep. Cisneros. “The designation of the MLB MVP award currently honors a man who kept baseball segregated. Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ to keep Black players out of the major leagues is racist and an affront to everything that baseball stands for today. I’m proud to lead my House colleagues with Rep. Richmond in urging the BBWAA and MLB to remove his name from the award. Joining former MLB MVPs in their calls for change, we should move toward a designation that better reflects the sport we all know and love.”

“Baseball teaches life principles of teamwork, leadership, and discipline, and it’s a large reason I was drawn to public office,” said Rep. Richmond. “I was coaching a little league team that did not have access to common team resources, including uniforms, to excel. Unfortunately, the MVP award is named after someone with a legacy of racism that contradicts those very principles. I thank my colleague, Rep. Cisneros, for joining me in this important letter to Major League Baseball and the Baseball Writers Association of America urging for the removal of Commissioner Landis’ name from the MVP award. This action is long overdue and a necessary step to move away from baseball’s dark past.”

The letter was signed by all the House Democrats from the 2019 Congressional Baseball Team.