In 1927, the Philadelphia Royal Giants of the Negro Leagues traveled to Japan on a goodwill baseball tour.
Their journey took place during a period when the United States remained deeply divided by racial segregation. Yet baseball created an opportunity for people from different communities and countries to connect.
The Royal Giants’ tour became part of a larger story of friendship, cultural exchange, and baseball diplomacy across the Pacific.
The 2027 Centennial honors that history while asking what can be built from it one hundred years later.
The 1927 tour represents more than a series of baseball games.
Three communities — Black Americans, Japanese Americans, and Japanese people — found connections through baseball and created opportunities despite the systemic barriers surrounding them.
The tour began with an invitation from Japan and demonstrated how people could create their own opportunities for connection, exchange, and friendship.
The players became unofficial ambassadors, carrying the game of baseball across the Pacific and creating relationships that extended beyond the field.
The Centennial recognizes this history as an example of what can happen when people build their own table instead of waiting for a seat at someone else’s.
The Centennial is an opportunity to preserve this overlooked history and introduce it to a new generation through:
The Centennial is connected to the documentary Building Bridges Across the Pacific, which will preserve the history of the Royal Giants and document a new generation of friendship across the Pacific.
The documentary and historical initiative seeks to reconnect:
The project will help preserve historical records, personal stories, family connections, and the continuing relationship between the United States and Japan.
The Centennial’s documentary work is intended to connect the history of the 1927 tour with the people and communities carrying its legacy forward today.
Documentary Team
Sam Pollard
Director
Adrian Burrell
Co-Director
Aya Futami
Co-Producer
The documentary is part of a broader effort to preserve the Royal Giants’ story and explore the continuing connections created through the Centennial.
Additional documentary and team information is available in the supporting PDF provided for the Centennial project.