Celebrity Softball Game Celebrates the Community Around Rickwood Field

Negro League teams were regularly forced to play second fiddle to their white counterparts in their hometowns. Racism forced them to be innovative and creative. As a result, barnstorming – the practice of traveling from place to place to perform – was one of the ways Negro League players were able to play. This Juneteenth, the aptly-named “Barnstorming Birmingham” celebration, complete with the “Fam Jam” celebrity softball game – paid homage to both those players and the practice, as celebrities across America traveled to Alabama to participate. 

When Major League Baseball announced it would play a regular-season game at Rickwood Field – the former home of the Birmingham Black Barons and the oldest existing professional ballpark in America – retired MLB pitcher CC Sabathia felt that wasn’t enough. 

“I wanted to have a cookout, a barbecue… for the people of this community, that watch this ballpark, that take care of this ballpark, that have been around this ballpark, that can benefit from this ballpark,” Sabathia told EBONY. “That was my motivation behind setting up this softball game. I called Mav (Maverick Carter, CEO of Uninterrupted), and we were able to get it done.” Uninterrupted partnered with MLB to put on the game. 

Tickets sold for $24 a piece as a nod to Willie Mays, who tragically passed away the day before at 93. Mays played at Rickwood Field for the Black Barons and was born nearby. In addition to a Mays tribute, the price point was intentionally low so local families could attend. Comedian Roy Wood Jr, a Birmingham native, said, “To see this game here, to see this game being celebrated, to see past and present Negro Leaguers being celebrated by Major League Baseball… it’s beautiful.”

Celebrities like Sabathia, Wood Jr., Ryan Howard, Rickey Smiley, Alycia Baumgardner, Ari Chambers, Karen Civil, Stephen Jackson, Matt Barnes and Terrell Owens participated, among many others. Participants were broken into two teams: “The Say Hey’s”, another tribute to Mays and the “Hammers” named for Hank Aaron, another native Alabaman. 

Honorary captains Barry Bonds and Derek Jeter got the action started. Metro Booming closed the night out with a 15-minute postgame concert. The sold-out event had a friendly, light-hearted feel compared to the Giants-Cardinals game that took place the next day. The Say Hey’s won 5-0, with Barnes and Sabathia winning co-MVP honors. 

“Being able to have the opportunity to participate was great,” Howard told EBONY.  I’ll go out on a limb and say it was the first shutout in a celebrity softball game, but going out and being able to play and celebrate Juneteenth was great.” 

For Sabathia, the effort was worth it. 

“Seeing all the kids come out, seeing Metro (Boomin) perform, seeing the high school band and the community come out, I feel like I accomplished what I wanted too. I definitely don’t want this to be a one-off. This won’t be the last time we come down here. We’ll (be back) next summer, if not next summer, doing something for this community and celebrating black excellence.”