Pride and Play

Major League players are committed to sharing the game they love by providing opportunities for kids to play and to learn the fundamental life skills that can be taught on a baseball field. Character traits like patience, perseverance, commitment and teamwork are important keys to success in any field, as is the lesson that through hard work, dreams can come true. For generations, ballplayers have been inspiring kids with their on-field performance. The Players Trust helps give more kids the chance to have fun with the game and develop the skills they need for success on the diamond and in life.

Through the Players Trust, today's Major Leaguers also honor the proud tradition and achievements of the great ballplayers of the Negro Leagues. Legends like Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Double Duty Ratcliffe and Buck O'Neil played the game with love, pride, and talent that deserves to be remembered by every generation. Their heroic accomplishments are enshrined in the National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, where the Negro Leagues were founded in 1920. The Players Trust "Pride and Play" programs celebrate great performances of the past and afford kids a more promising future.

Players Trust programs in support of youth baseball include:

Youngsters stretch before playing at a baseball camp featuring members of the Cincinnati Reds. (MLBPA)

• A leadership gift to construct the Baseball Academy at the National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, where urban kids will learn baseball skills in the proud tradition of the Negro Leagues
• Building and renovating Inspiration Fields to celebrate outstanding baseball performances by Major League players
• Purchasing baseball equipment and uniforms for inner city baseball programs
• Providing matching grants and administering donor-advised funds to facilitate personal donations by individual players