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The Savannah Bananas and the Banana Ball League have resurrected the Indianapolis Clowns. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City is licensing the name and intellectual property in order to fund an expansion of the museum. For The Atlantic, Josh Levin has written an excellent article (archived) interrogating the tricky history and complicated legacy of the Clowns. Jesse Cole and Bob Kendrick are, in their way, contributing to the mission to revive Black baseball. But the problem with bringing back the Clowns is the same problem the team posed in its heyday. For as long as the Negro Leagues existed, Black ballplayers and their champions were battling for recognition and respect. What they were fighting against was the idea that their version of the game was nothing but a clown show.