Kansas City Katz Baseball T-Shirts

The Kansas City Katz were an amateur team in the Ban Johnson League sponsored by the Katz Drugstore, a beloved chain in the Kansas City region during the first half of the 20th century. The Ban Johnson league was an amateur organization for youths under 21. Named for the late Bancroft Johnson, who for many years was president of the American League, the Ban Johnson movement began in Kansas City, Mo., in 1928, when the Kansas City Junior League was renamed in Mr. Johnson's honor.

Founded in 1917, Katz Drug Stores were more than a place to pick up prescriptions or cigarettes - they were where memories were made and friendships and romances blossomed. A trip to your neighborhood Katz store meant enjoying a burger and shake at the soda fountain with your sweetheart, or going with your dad on a Saturday morning to get a comic book for you and fishing tackle for him. Or visiting their legendary pet department to look at the alligators, parrots, and monkeys for sale, but ultimately feeling satisfied if you went home with a hamster or a goldfish. “Let’s go to Katz” was a common saying around Missouri. This design is based on some 1947 ad art and includes the famous "Katz pays the tax" tagline.

Kansas City Katz

Defunct Kansas City Katz Baseball

The Kansas City Katz were an amateur team in the Ban Johnson League sponsored by the Katz Drugstore, a beloved chain in the Kansas City region during the first half of the 20th century. The Ban Johnson league was an amateur organization for youths under 21. Named for the late Bancroft Johnson, who for many years was president of the American League, the Ban Johnson movement began in Kansas City, Mo., in 1928, when the Kansas City Junior League was renamed in Mr. Johnson's honor.

The Kansas City Katz were a baseball team in the Kansas City's Ban Johnson League from 1961 to 1971. They were sponsored by Katz Drug Stores. Katz Drug Stores became famous because they were allowed to stay open past 6 pm, despite wartime curfews on nonessential businesses. They also absorbed the new 10% tax on cigarettes instead of passing the cost to customers, which was incorporated into their new slogan “Katz pays the tax!” Katz also sold more than just drugs: each store had a small grocery store with a soda fountain and lunch counter and sold small home appliances, music records, Katz-branded beer, and even live animals

The Kansas City Katz were a baseball team in the Kansas City's Ban Johnson League from 1961 to 1971. They were sponsored by Katz Drug Stores. Katz Drug Stores became famous because they were allowed to stay open past 6 pm, despite wartime curfews on nonessential businesses. They also absorbed the new 10% tax on cigarettes instead of passing the cost to customers, which was incorporated into their new slogan “Katz pays the tax!” Katz also sold more than just drugs: each store had a small grocery store with a soda fountain and lunch counter and sold small home appliances, music records, Katz-branded beer, and even live animals