The World of Little League® Museum was recently named the recipient of a 2020 ISHY Award, as presented by the International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA), for its feature video feature spotlighting the 1955 Cannon Street YMCA Little League team.
“It is an absolute honor to be recognized by the International Sports Heritage Association for this moving production and to help share and understand an important piece of our organization’s history,” said Lance Van Auken, Little League Vice President and Executive Director of the Museum. “Little League is an experience that every child should have the opportunity to be a part of, and the journey that this team went through continues to show us how important that is today. Now, more than 50 years after their story took place, we remain grateful for the bravery and confidence that team showed and hope it will continue to serve as an inspiration for Little Leaguers and communities for years to come. Together, we are all One Team. One Little League.”
The inspiring video helps explain the storied history of Cannon Street YMCA Little League that helped serve as a trailblazer in Little League’s history and communities around the world. In the summer of 1955, every chartered Little League in South Carolina was made up of entirely white players – except for one. That league was Cannon Street YMCA Little League in Charleston, South Carolina. Cannon Street YMCA Little League sent a team to Charleston’s tournament, which before 1955 had seen only white players take the field. Their story is an example of Little League’s values of influencing all children to socialize and learn life lessons.
Through this video, viewers have the opportunity to learn the history of this iconic team from Charleston, South Carolina, who helped pave the way for black communities and Little Leaguers to feel comfortable in the Little League program. When posted on Little League’s official Facebook account in February 2020, the video reached more than 58,000 people, posted more than 1,600 engagements, was shared more than 150 times, received nearly 300 reactions, and was viewed by more than 15,000 people.
The ISHY Awards program was established to provide recognition for excellence in publications and exhibits by all member sports museums, hall of fame, or sports heritage organizations, regardless of size or budget, based upon a competition evaluated by ISHA members and communications professionals. With award categories covering books; non-book publications; marketing materials; education programming; and Hall of Fame inductions and/or annual event support materials, the ISHY Awards recognize outstanding achievements by the members of ISHA each year.
This marks the third straight year that the Museum has earned an ISHY Award with its 2019 feature spotlighting the iconic Story of the Little League® Patch and its 2018 feature, “It All Started Here,” produced for Little League International by 20/20 Visual Media. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the award was presented to the Museum during the digital ISHA Members Meeting on October 21.
About the World of Little League®: Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store
The World of Little League®: Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store, located at 525 Montgomery Pike (U.S. Route 15), is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. General admission is $5, children (ages 5 through 12) are $2, and senior citizens (ages 62 and older) are $3. Children four years and younger are admitted free of charge, as well as any Little Leaguer wearing a uniform shirt that includes the Little League official shoulder patch. NOTE: Because of the pandemic, the World of Little League Museum is currently closed. We will continue to communicate updates, as well as interesting stories about Little League history, on our Facebook page. Additional information about the museum, events and its inclement weather schedule can be found at LittleLeagueMuseum.org or by contacting the Museum at 570-326-3607. Follow World of Little League on Facebook (facebook.com/LittleLeagueMuseum) and X/Twitter (twitter.com/LLBMuseum). Visitors of Lycoming County are also encouraged to visit the Lycoming County Visitors Bureau website, www.vacationpa.com, or call toll-free, 1-800-358-9900.