Introducing Baseball to the Youth of Wichita

League 42, named in honor of the great Jackie Robinson, the first African-American in Major League Baseball, is a youth baseball league comprised primarily of urban children ages 5 – 14. McAdams Park at 17th & Wabash (I-135 & 13th Street area) is home to the League and where we play our games. Practices are held at McAdams, too, as well as other baseball fields across the city.

Registration for the league is only $30 per player or family of siblings as we strive to make baseball affordable for all who want to play. That fee provides each player with a full uniform (jersey, pants, belt, and hat), a baseball glove (if needed), and additional playing equipment such as catcher’s gear, bats, and balls.

The History of League 42

League 42 was founded in July 2013, to fill a void so that Wichita’s urban children could have an opportunity to play baseball without the exorbitant costs of playing in organized or even recreational leagues. We were able to field 16 teams, filled with just more than 200 players, for our first season in 2014. From there, the league has grown to nearly 600 kids and 44 teams in 2020. Our home is McAdams Park, a historical park in Wichita’s inner city where so many great athletes got their start, including Barry Sanders and Lynette Woodard. We play on fields at the north end of McAdams and utilized a $1.5 contribution from the city of Wichita in 2015 to enhance the facility with a third field, a restroom/concession facility, and improvements to two existing fields. In 2021, we will unveil the Jackie Robinson Pavillion to honor the man for whom our league is named. Jackie overcame so much adversity in his life and was able to become the first Black player in Major League Baseball. We are inspired by his story.