The Indianapolis Indians and GANGGANG are launching activations around the city leading up to the Negro Leagues Heritage Weekend Aug. 21-22.
GANGGANG continued the Heritage Weekend activations with a media night celebration at Nap or Nothing on Aug. 12. The event was designed to “get people hype” about the upcoming back-to-back games against the Louisville Bats Aug. 21-22 at Victory Field, which will pay homage to the Negro Leagues and history of Black baseball in Indianapolis, Leslie Gordon, executive director of GANGGANG said.
“We had a really awesome time with this partnership. So much fun activating the merch, activating community partners, activating one of our major key sports teams in the city, and really reviving the history surrounding Indianapolis and Black baseball,” Gordon said. “We want to see you out. We want to see you repping around the city again. There’s so many great stories around all of those activations, and we have a three-part series documentary that kind of dives into it. So, we want you to check that out.”
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The year-long partnership was announced back in February, and officially kicked off in May with the release of newly redesigned on-field hats, jerseys and merchandise honoring the Indianapolis ABCs and the Indianapolis Clowns.
The rebrand was also accompanied by a three-part online documentary series, which Gordon said dives into the history, community outreach and cultural legacy of the Negro Leagues. The first two episodes are available to view at milb.com/indianapolis/tickets/negro-leagues and features entertainer Justin Bland exploring the history of Black baseball and how its legacy continues to shape communities today.
The upcoming weekend is dedicated to honoring the Negro Leagues, with the Indians taking to the field in the Indianapolis ABC’s jerseys that will then be auctioned off before the Aug. 22 game to benefit Indianapolis Indians Charities.
The Aug. 21 game starts at 7:05 p.m., and is education-focused, with activations for students, local nonprofits, a performance honoring female professional baseball pioneerToni Stone by Indianapolis Black Theater Company and post-game fireworks.
“We’re leaning into the history of Black baseball in Indianapolis — which we have a major history, and people don’t know — and so we’re excited to kind of tell that story,” Gordon said.
The Aug. 22 starts at 6:35 p.m., and is meant to be more of a celebration of the history and legacy of Black baseball, with a mini concert with Native Sun in partnership with Chreece Fest taking place ahead of the game at 5:30 p.m. There will also be an ABC’s tote giveaway for the first 2,500 fans.
Leading up to the weekend, Hoosiers can get involved with several activations around the city, including ticket giveaways. Gordon said tickets to the games will be stashed at six local stores in Indianapolis, including Nap or Nothing, WDRFA, Silver in the City Carmel, Lorraine’s Coffee, Timeless Culture and CORPORATE. Fans can pick up tickets while supplies last.
For more information about the Indianapolis Indians or the upcoming Negro Leagues Heritage Weekend, visit milb.com/indianapolis/tickets/negro-leagues.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
