As the Milwaukee Brewers capture the city’s imagination with a historic World Series run, one North Side little league is hoping the excitement translates into something lasting — more kids, more support, and a stronger future for baseball in communities that need it most.
The Beckum Stapleton Little League, headquartered at 911 W. Brown St. in one of Milwaukee’s most economically challenged neighborhoods, has been nurturing young ballplayers for decades. League president Tawyana Duncan sees the Brewers’ success as a rare opportunity to grow the sport from the ground up.
“It’s going to drive the youth to pay more attention to baseball,”
Duncan said.
“It can also inspire people to continue to give, continue to support the sport.”
Baseball on a Tight Budget
The league fields teams for boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 16. To keep the sport accessible, registration costs just $125 for baseball and $75 for softball — and families who can’t afford even those fees are never turned away.
“We just talk to them and ask what they can afford,”
Duncan said.
“We’ve bought shoes, we’ve paid out of pocket, we do what we can.”
The league receives donations from Milwaukee Fire Department’s Station 5, the Milwaukee Brewers, and other community partners. The Brewers purchase uniforms annually and have helped the league install batting cages and refurbish facilities at Carver Park — where softball and 13-and-older baseball is played — and at James W. Beckum Park, home to the 4-to-12-year-old division.
Even so, Duncan is candid about the challenges of competing against better-resourced programs.
“There’s always been a resource gap between our league and others,”
she said.
Despite financial constraints, Duncan believes the game itself delivers something no dollar amount can replicate — life skills.
“Baseball is the only sport where you can be successful 30% of the time and still be excellent,”
she said.
Kids Finding Their Place on the Field
Among the hundreds of children in the league are Duncan’s three nephews — Cameron, 11, C.J., 13, and Caden, 9. All three joined the league at age 4, and each speaks to the friendships and personal growth that have come from playing.
“You learn how to be a leader and interact with other kids your age,”
said Cameron, who credits his aunt for helping him through difficult moments on and off the field.
“I still get very nervous, but she has always been there through my toughest times,”
he added.
C.J., who also plays baseball at Golda Meir School, echoed that sentiment.
“I like meeting new people and having the opportunity to get better,”
he said.
Nine-year-old Caden — whose favorite Brewer is Christian Yelich — put it simply:
“I like playing in the league because I make friends and we all level up together.”
Rooted in History
The league was founded in 1964 by James W. Beckum, a man who played in the Negro Leagues and understood firsthand what it meant to fight for the right to play. Jim Brey, the league’s assistant director, said Beckum was deeply connected to the sport and to the Brewers organization.
“He loved baseball and the Brewers and was known on a first-name basis with players like Henry Aaron,”
Brey said.
Milwaukee has continued to celebrate that baseball legacy — honoring Hank Aaron with a new mural fifty years after his final home run, and showcasing Brewers-inspired public art across the city.
Beckum, who died in 2024, first brought Tawyana Duncan into the league as a child — tasking her with climbing rickety steps to change numbers on the scoreboard.
“He hated to see kids stand around not doing something productive,”
she said.
“So he gave me something to do and I’m still here.”
Duncan became president of the league after Beckum’s passing. She said Beckum’s story — and the adversity he overcame — remains an inspiration.
“He had to face adversity just to play,”
she said.
Brey, reflecting on the current Brewers season, said he believes Beckum would have been overjoyed.
“This is wonderful for the city and wonderful for our league,”
he said. When Brewers players have visited the league over the years, Brey noted, it often brought them back to their own childhoods. At a time when basketball and football have largely eclipsed baseball in the city, he sees renewed hope — pointing out that some kids in the league now use the batting cages year-round.
Duncan’s goals are straightforward: deepen community ties, attract more business support, and let the Brewers’ historic run do what she believes it can.
“We’re working on connecting more with the business community and others to help the league grow,”
she said.
“It’s going to inspire more youth to pay attention to the sport, more kids to love baseball.”
This story was produced by the CatchLight Local and Report for America partnership and originally appeared on Wisconsin Watch, where content is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. For more local journalism, see related coverage including a Wisconsin ICE arrestee’s case heading to the US Supreme Court, how Wisconsin’s governor candidates differ on election administration, and Wisconsin’s decision to stop reporting nursing home ownership.