Pop-up Exhibition

Game Changers: 100 Years of Negro League Baseball

Through the lens of America's pastime, "Game Changers" highlights broader social transformations from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Era.

Watch the 9News feature on Game Changers with Chief Creative Officer Jason Hanson online here!

On the second floor in the Holland & Hart Gallery, this exhibit features extremely rare original photographic prints, artifacts, and some very eye-opening history. Bats from Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron, a set of priceless early '50s baseball cards, and even a free exhibit podcast from the Lost Highways team help visitors discover trailblazing athletes like Oscar Charleston, who many consider one of the greatest ever to play the game. Through the lens of America's pastime, Game Changers highlights broader social transformations from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Era. Did you know Jackie Robinson got court martialed for refusing to move to the back of the bus, or that he wrote a newspaper column about racial topics?

Visitors discover that African Americans played organized baseball in America at the highest professional level as early as the 19th century. They meet influential athletes like Moses Fleetwood Walker and Bud Fowler, who played in Pueblo on an integrated team. They can also learn the story of the Denver Post Tournament, a pre-World War II competition that attracted top talent and was one of the earliest places where integrated games took place.

Oscar Charleston

Oscar Charleston

Courtesy Marshall Fogel Collection