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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City T-Bones are changing their name to the Kansas City Monarchs.

“Today we are so proud to team with, formerly the Kansas City T-Bones, to rebrand this new organization as the great Kansas City Monarchs,” Bob Kendrick, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President, said.

The Monarchs will play in Kansas City, Kan., but Kendrick said he hopes it will create a bridge to get more people to travel to the museum in Kansas City, Mo.

Owner Mark Brandmeyer said they are committed to carrying on the legacy of the name.

“We’re so thrilled and humbled to be here today and to have this honor of carrying on the Monarchs legacy is a dream come true for us,” Brandmeyer said. “I think it’s going to make a huge difference in Kansas City. The Monarchs are a historic brand and we are committed to carry on the legacy that the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has invested in this name and now shared with us.”

The Monarchs were first established in 1920 as one of the original eight Negro League franchises. The league disbanded in 1948.

The T-Bones were brought to Kansas City in 2003. In 2019, after years of low attendance and increasing debt, the T-Bones were evicted from their stadium, but the team was purchased days later by Max Fun Entertainment, owned by Brandmeyer, and struck a new deal with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County to stay at the stadium.

Max Fun Entertainment and Brandmeyer have said they have big upgrades and changes in the plans for the ball park.