First published by AndScape on August 14, 2022, by Sean Gibson
Removing Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ name and changing it to the ‘Josh Gibson MVP Award’ would be an act of redemption
There is a growing movement within the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to remove the name of Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Major League Baseball’s first commissioner, from its MVP trophies. A number of past MLB MVP winners and others in the game are showing great support for this initiative, including former MVP and Cincinnati Reds star Barry Larkin, who told the Associated Press that he is aware of Landis’ name and “what that meant to slowing the color line in Major League Baseball.”
Among those who have been suggested to replace Landis include Hall of Famers Branch Rickey, Frank Robinson and the legendary Josh Gibson — the best power hitter in the game, hitting almost 800 home runs in his career.
As his great-grandson, it is an honor to see Gibson among the names being considered for the trophy along with two other worthy candidates. Rickey dared to sign Jackie Robinson as the first Black player in the league while the sport — and most of the country — was still segregated. Frank Robinson remains the only player to win the MVP in both the American and National leagues. Both men deserve strong consideration, but only Gibson was denied the chance to win an MLB MVP award because Landis did not integrate baseball as its first commissioner.
