INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Indians are teaming up with GANGGANG to honor the history of the Negro Leagues and Black baseball in the city.
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The partnership includes revitalized imagery representing the original Indianapolis Clowns and Indianapolis ABCs, two historic Negro Leagues franchises in the Circle City, educational tools and community outreach opportunities.
"Baseball is a beautiful game. It’s one we’ve seen the struggle come through it, and it's one that lives on in the future. We want people to be able to see themselves inside of this game, inside of this history and continue to carry this legacy forward," said Allen Bell with GANGGANG.
"If you think about it, Negro Leagues players were just brought in to MLB stats a couple years ago, so it's important to remember those that came before because they were some of the best players in baseball history," said Anna Kayser with the Indianapolis Indians.
Indianapolis played a significant role in that history.
"It's exciting to see Hank Aaron, Oscar Charlstone, Tony Stones, the first women in baseball, and the only women in baseball to come through Indianapolis," said Kayser.
As part of the effort, GANGGANG plans to travel to Kansas City to meet with the director of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to further explore the city’s role in shaping the sport.
Redesigned on-field hats, jerseys and merchandise honoring the original franchises of both the ABCs and Clowns will be launched in May in conjunction with a three-part web series highlighting Negro Leagues history, current activations and outreach, and GANGGANG’s visual creation process.
During Negro Leagues Heritage Weekend on Friday, Aug. 21, and Saturday, Aug. 22, the Indians will suit up as the Indianapolis ABCs, with the opportunity for fans to bid on game-worn jerseys to benefit Indianapolis Indians Charities. Throughout the weekend, fans will have the opportunity to experience Negro Leagues educational opportunities and activations from local Black artists.
Beginning today, fans can also submit their personal stories from playing baseball growing up, attending games at Bush Stadium or Victory Field, family connections to the Indians, Clowns or ABCs, or any personal connection to baseball in Indiana here.
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