KemperSports has announced a multi–year partnership with Perfect Game to bring youth baseball events to Fields at Station 63 in Mansfield, Texas.

Through a partnership between the city of Mansfield and KemperSports, Fields at Station 63 has undergone a multi-million-dollar renovation with upgraded playing fields. The park now features eight turf baseball diamonds, a renovated central plaza, improved concessions and family spaces.

The venue will re-open on September 6. Beginning in the fall, Perfect Game will host 35 weekends per year of youth baseball tournaments at the newly renovated venue.

“This isn’t just another tournament series,” said Steve Goris, senior vice president of KemperSports Venues. “We’re combining Perfect Game’s industry-leading tournament platform with KemperSports’ expertise in hospitality, facility management and event operations. Together, we’re creating an environment that delivers a best-in-class experience for players, families, and fans — from the moment they arrive at the park to the last out of the weekend.”

The partnership will combine Perfect Game’s network of players, coaches, scouts and media with KemperSports’ service, facility expertise and community engagement.

“We are excited for the future of Perfect Game in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro,” said Taylor McCollough, vice president, operations at Perfect Game. “We look forward to working with KemperSports to provide quality competition and the first-class experience that our teams expect at Perfect Game events now at Fields at Station 63.”

I grew up playing, following and loving baseball. The 15-year-old me could name just about any starting nine across Major League Baseball, especially my hometown New York Mets and Yankees. I was all in.

In many ways, I’m still all in. I still love the game. But as an adult living in Denver — and with a 15-year-old son myself now — the local Colorado Rockies have not given us much to cheer about this season. On pace to be one of the worst — if not the worst — team in modern baseball history (they will shatter the run differential record for true stats geeks, even if they miss out on the all-time loss record by a game or two … ) it’s been a miserable season. But the funny thing is that my son, who has never much been interested in baseball, has become an enormous fan as the Rockies chase history for all the wrong reasons.

As a result, we’ve been to more games at Coors Field this season than any other season. While we’re having fun (tickets are cheap!), it’s for the worst possible reason. Losses feel like wins in this upside-down season where we are pulling to be part of history. But somehow, maybe thanks to us, the Rockies are also in the top half of MLB attendance, despite their miserable season. That’s not so much a testament to the team as it is to their fantastic ballpark, where on a beautiful summer night it’s nice to take in the sunsets and watch other teams win. Nonetheless, while there have been surprisingly good crowds at Coors Field this year for such an awful team, it’s generally been a lifeless, joyless experience at the ballpark this season.

Which brings us to the Savannah Bananas.
Much has been written in sports media about the rise of this franchise that has tweaked the game in such a fun fashion that it’s hard to turn away. Are they goofy? They do seem that way. Do they play loose with the traditional rules of baseball? You bet. Do they have the best interest of baseball fans at heart? Absolutely, yes. I reached those conclusions after attending my first Bananas game, the front end of a two-day stand at Coors Field that sold out, more than 50,000 fans each — an attendance record for the team for any game held at an MLB stadium.

So, what’s going on here?

The Bananas brought joy to the joyless Coors Field and it was infectious. At a Rockies game, the concourses are full of wandering refugees looking for any kind of fulfillment through a beer or a hot dog or any of the ballpark’s specialty dishes. Since fans aren’t missing anything on the field, they fill the concourse. At the Bananas game, where the game itself has a two-hour time limit? It’s not that the concourses were completely empty, but let’s just say you never had to risk bumping into anyone ahead of you. That’s because people were by and large in their seats. The entire time.

The experience underscored some realities that event organizers of all kinds can learn from, and not just those in sports. After my night with the Bananas, here are five things I think they are getting absolutely right:

Know Your Brand, Stay Loyal to It

This is an enterprise that is relentlessly on brand. The whole evening was bathed in yellow and banana-themed imagery, starting with the kid who peeled and ate a banana on the pitcher’s mound before the game to determine if it tasted good, and thus the game would be good. To the baby brought forth in a banana costume and raised in the air “Lion King” style. To the bananas tossed from the crowd during the pregame festivities. To the fantastic banana mascot named Split. To the foam fingers shaped like a banana instead of an outstretched finger. All of it was on point.

And of course, this team’s other brand is joy. From my vantage point near the field, the players, the support staff, the auxiliary entertainment (a banana-themed princess anyone?), even the media handlers were all smiles. All night long. Yes, they are paid entertainers, but their fun came off as genuine and it showed in every aspect of their production.

Their other motto: “Fans First.” The team’s holding company is even named that. Every piece of the game itself was designed to give the fans the best experience. The rules of Banana Ball include no bunting. Because, as is stated in that rule: bunting sucks. Ask any baseball fan and they’d probably agree. This brand is all about stripping away the parts of their product — baseball — that most fans don’t like.

Build and Execute a Run of Show

A Savannah Bananas game is a tightly orchestrated affair, from the scene outside the stadium before the game, to the hours-long fun and antics on the field before the game, to the game itself, which contains a surprising amount of actual baseball interrupted on numerous occasions by tightly choreographed dance sequences by the players or even the umpires. Everyone is in on the act. And everything moves so fast and so tight.

Banana Ball has as two-hour time limit for games with the winner being whichever team is in the lead at that point. Was it a surprise that the game ended in the ninth inning at 1:59? Not really. Every minute felt deliberate. Every baby race, every fan contest, every piece of schtick throughout the experience was designed, thought out, and controlled even if the product itself was supposed to look chaotic. It was a brilliant use of time management and it came from what has to be an impeccable run of show. And somehow, the teams scored 31 runs on this night. Can you imagine how long an un-orchestrated MLB game would take with 31 runs?

And when it was over, the Bananas’ band was on stage outside the ballpark to keep the party going. All events can take a lesson from the thought put into the timing and flow of a Savannah Bananas game.

Incorporate Music Appropriately

If you are wanting quiet, come to a Colorado Rockies game. (Seriously, please come to a Rockies game. Tickets are on me!) But the Savannah Bananas experience was not that. Music is a constant presence during the entire show, often just in the background as play continues.

But the music never felt out of place. It never felt forced. It only felt additive.

And the music is such an important part of the experience that the home plate umpire is known as the “Dancing Ump.” I even saw one fan whose jersey was signed by the Dancing Ump, emphasizing the importance of music in the event and its stars — and how crucial it is to the brand.

Break the Rules if You Need To

From a baseball perspective, Banana Ball is completely bonkers and yet completely works. There are no walks. On ball four, the batter can start running and keep running until all nine players on the other team touch the ball. If a fan catches a foul ball, the batter is out. And don’t even ask about what happens if the game is tied, but let’s just say the pitcher has to do a lot of running to get any ball that’s hit. As we’ve established, there’s no bunting, because bunting sucks. And no mound visits, because who other than the ones involved in that visit want to waste that time?

This is not an experience for pure baseball enthusiasts. But the Savannah Bananas leaned into the types of angst that drew people away from baseball for years. They juiced out all the interesting stuff, put it in a blender and served. And it’s delicious.

Did they break the rules? Yes, they did. And sometimes you need to break the rules to get people to think different, regardless of what event you’re producing.

Bring Some Joy

Business meetings can feel, well, business-y. Even sports events can feel like more of a business experience, especially at the professional level where millionaires are playing millionaires in stadiums built by billionaires. Or in the case of our Colorado Rockies, events feel lifeless when the on-field product yields no joy — an experience that unfortunately spills into the stands. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t add some youth sports events to this list of experiences that feel all business as well.

The Bananas? All joy, all the time.

Your event doesn’t need to be on hyper joy for two hours straight like a Bananas game, but can’t you have a little fun in there as well? It’s important to remember that attendees, and people in general, can use a little break here and there. Lean into the joy if you can.

Jason Gewirtz is vice president and managing director of the Northstar Meetings Group Sports Division and the publisher of SportsTravel. 

Champion baseball teams from 10 southeastern states recently traveled to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to battle for the DBB Boys World Series title for the 14U age group.

The World Series games took place at Jaycee Park with numerous other events occurring throughout the city. Games began July 26 and the championship game is slated for today.

Teams from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee and Virginia joined a host team from Hattiesburg in a double-elimination bracket.

The Hattiesburg squad are the defending champions of the DBB Boys World Series, having gone undefeated at the 2024 edition.

The event kicked off with the opening banquet on July 25, where coaches and players were treated to a pre-ceremony team banquet on the deck of Keg & Barrel restaurant.

Later that night, the opening ceremony included a parade of World Series teams and 1964 team and former players, a welcome featuring special speakers, a skills competition and the first pitch thrown by Bobby Halford, coach of William Carey University baseball.

A Venezuelan baseball team was denied visas into the United States and will miss this year’s Senior Baseball World Series near Greenville, South Carolina.

Venezuela is among a list of countries with restrictions for entering the Unites States or its territories. President Donald Trump has banned travel to the U.S. from 12 other countries, citing national security concerns. The Cacique Mara team, from Maracaibo, Venezuela, was scheduled to participate in the tournament after winning the Latin American championship in Mexico.

“The Cacique Mara Little League team from Venezuela was unfortunately unable to obtain the appropriate visas to travel to the Senior League Baseball World Series,” Little League International said in a statement, adding that it is “extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes.”

The Senior League Baseball World Series is a tournament for players aged 13–16 played each year in Easley, South Carolina. The tournament organizers replaced the Venezuelans with the Santa Maria de Aguayo team from Tamaulipas, Mexico, the team that was a runner-up in the Latin American championship.

The Venezuelan team traveled to Colombia two weeks ago to apply for their visas at the U.S. embassy in Bogotá.

“They told us that Venezuela is on a list because Trump says Venezuelans are a threat to the security of his state, of his country,” said Kendrick Gutiérrez, the league’s president in Venezuela, according to The Associated Press. “It hasn’t been easy the situation; we earned the right to represent Latin America in the World Championship.”

“They’re going to replace us with another team because relations have been severed; it’s not fair,” Gutiérrez added. “I don’t understand why they put Mexico in at the last minute and left Venezuela out.”

The baseball team is not the first to have issues entering the country or U.S. territories for sports tournaments. Earlier in the month, the Cuban women’s volleyball team was denied visas to participate in a tournament in Puerto Rico.

At the time the travel ban was announced, the State Department said Trump’s executive order contained exemptions for nationals who would enter the U.S. as athletes for major sporting events, as well as support staff and immediate relatives of athletes. The FIFA World Cup next summer throughout North America and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games would fall under those categories. But is unclear what other sports events would warrant designation as a major event.

“There are certainly things that are happening at the national level, the international level,” said Philadelphia 2026 Host City Executive Meg Kane last month at a gathering of the World Cup’s U.S. host city leaders in New York. “There are going to be geopolitical issues that we don’t even know right now that are going affect the tournament next year, so we recognize that we’re planning within uncertainty.”

LA28 Chairman Casey Wasserman in early June had a similar sentiment after a visit from the International Olympic Committee: “It was very clear in the directive that the Olympics require special consideration and I actually want to thank the federal government for recognizing that. … It’s very clear that the federal government understands that that’s an environment that they will be accommodating and provide for. We have great confidence that that will only continue. It has been the case to date and it will certainly be the case going forward through the games.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited Trump in the Oval Office in March after a White House Task Force for the World Cup was announced. Infantino was also at the first meeting of the group in May and said “America will welcome the world. Everyone who wants to come here to enjoy, to have fun to celebrate the game, will be able to do that.”

At the same meeting, however, there was reaction to multiple mentions about the potential of visitors overstaying their welcome: “We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the game,” said Vice President JD Vance. “But when the time is up, they’ll have to go home.”

When most people think of women’s baseball, what comes to mind is the film A League of Their Own, the 1992 box office hit which tells an interpretative version of real-life events surrounding the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which existed from 1943–1954, with Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell and others playing the parts of key players on the Rockford Peaches.

That movie put Rockford, Illinois, firmly on the map as the home of women’s baseball past. Now, the community is working toward making the destination the present and future of the sport.

Dr. Kat D. Williams, chief executive officer of the International Women’s Baseball Center, has a dream for Rockford. She wants it to be the Cooperstown of women’s and girls’ baseball.

“There’s a home for men’s professional baseball in Cooperstown,” said Williams. “There’s a home for Little League in Williamsport. And there is no home for girls and women’s baseball. We have established that in Rockford and we’re now attempting to build an actual physical facility.”

World Cup Action Coming to Rockford

Williams’ dream has three phases: renovate Beyer Stadium (home of the Peaches), build an activity/recreation center and erect the first museum dedicated to women’s and girls’ baseball.

The price tags for this vision aren’t cheap, but Williams has the passion and enthusiasm to push this agenda forward. And she has a little bit of timing on her side. The World Baseball Softball Confederation recently selected Rockford to host the 2026 WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Stage.

“Internationally, girls’ and women’s baseball is extremely popular,” Williams said. “And the home for it is in Rockford, so we are trying to build on that. To have the World Cup stage come to the home of the Rockford Peaches is some of the most amazing symmetry I can even imagine.”

Rockford will host the Group Stage competition from July 22–26. Williams and GoRockford have bid to host the actual World Cup competition in 2027 and are awaiting word on that bid.

“This is the best pure baseball people are going to see,” Williams said. “We need to put people in the stands. We need to make sure people understand the significance of this. Most people don’t even know there is such a thing as a Women’s Baseball World Cup. But there is and it’s only been in the U.S. one other time. We need to show that we can do it better.”

John Groh, president and chief executive officer of GoRockford, has his focus on which events he can help bring to the city to further its reputation as a host.

“Our community has sports in our DNA, especially competitive amateur sports and what we’ve built over the last couple of decades with soccer and softball,” Groh said. “From a destination marketing perspective, we’re adding another pillar to our product lineup and really leaning into women’s baseball. That opens us up to a whole new multi–generational market.”

This first phase of Williams’ dream — to renovate and update Beyer Stadium, where the Peaches played for 11 years — is underway. The updates include new bathrooms, the installation of an outfield fence, lighting and an overhaul of the playing surface.

The World Cup Games will not be played at Beyer, but instead at Rivets Stadium, home of the Rockford Rivets of the Northwoods League collegiate circuit. Beyer Stadium will be used during the World Cup for ceremonial purposes, as well as practice and potentially exhibition games for some of the international teams that arrive in Rockford early.

“We are in good shape to get phase one finished and we will then turn our attention full force to phases two and three, which is the biggest haul,” Williams said.

A Museum of Their Own

Across the street from Beyer Stadium is where the International Women’s Baseball Center facility will be built. The venue is “first and foremost for the community in which Beyer resides, which is an underserved community,” Williams said. “So we are attempting to build a home for girls and women in baseball, but we’re also building a community center in a neighborhood that desperately needs it.”

“People already make a pilgrimage to Beyer Field where the Peaches played,” Groh added. “This larger vision for an international center, a hall of fame and an activity center for neighborhood youth, honors the legacy of the Rockford Peaches and the women who played in the 1940s and 50s.”

The overall project has a price tag of around $20 million, with the bulk of that going toward the community center and museum. The City of Rockford has committed $300,000 each year for the next five years and Illinois Senator Steven Stadelman has committed $400,000. Major League Baseball has contributed $250,000.

But fundraising efforts are still ongoing and needed.

“The IWBC is a non-profit that’s only 10 years old and until I was hired as CEO two years ago, everything we did was volunteer,” Williams said. “We have come a long way in our 10 years. And now we’re in a position where I think with the World Cup, getting Beyer renovated and the other things that we’re bringing in, that’s going to go a long way in fundraising.”

For the city of Rockford, the attention that women’s baseball continues to bring to the area is welcomed from a tourism standpoint.

“We see people who come here for soccer or volleyball or wrestling and they do come back,” Groh said. “And we think it will be the same way during the World Cup Group Stage and we hope to host the World Cup in 2027 and further build upon our commitment to women’s baseball. Sports tourism has been a way that we’re able to differentiate and improve our community in multiple ways.”

It would be hard to find anybody more dedicated to, or passionate about, women’s baseball than Williams. She is aware that hosting World Cup games is a full circle moment for the IWBC and Rockford and imagines what it will be like for Japan’s Ayami Sato — one of the best female baseball players ever — to step on the field at Beyer Stadium where the Peaches played.

But Williams makes sure the vision remains on the overall project, not just the play on the field.

“We are very careful not to focus only on the Peaches or the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, because women have been a part of baseball since baseball’s inception,” Williams explained. “But that league and the Rockford Peaches — if people know anything about women’s baseball, that’s what they know. And we are very aware of that. But we also don’t want to stop there because women did not start playing baseball in 1943 and we did not stop in 1954 when that league ended.

“With the help of GoRockford, the city government and Rockford University, we all have the opportunity to prove that we are up to this task of creating something special for women’s baseball.”

Major League Baseball met with organizers of the 2028 Olympic Summer Games this week ahead of the MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta as movement continues to see if MLB players will be allowed to play in the Games for the first time.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said Olympic officials were meeting with the Major League Baseball Players Association this week as well.

“It is a opportunity to market the game on a really global stage,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday. “Obviously the clubs are going to have to endorse this. I mean, it’s a big deal.”

The 2028 Olympic baseball tournament will be from July 15–20 at Dodger Stadium, which hosted baseball as a demonstration sport in the 1984 Games. The tournament will feature six teams, divided into two groups of three.

The preliminary round will take place over three days, with two games per day at 11:00 a.m. and 7 p.m. local time. The top team from each group will advance directly to the semifinals while the second- and third-place teams will meet in the two quarterfinal games on July 18 to determine the remaining semifinalists.

The semifinals will be held July 19, followed by the bronze and gold medal games on July 20 at 11:00 a.m. and 7 p.m. local time. The 2028 Games are the seventh time baseball has been in the Olympics and first since 2020 in Tokyo when Japan beat the U.S. to win the gold medal, which at the time had snapped a 12-year drought of the game in the Games.

“They put out a schedule. They tell you it’s not going to move. We’ll see whether there’s any movement on that,” Manfred said. “It is possible to take it, to play the All-Star Game in its normal spot, have a single break that would be longer, obviously, but still play 162 games without bleeding into the middle of November. That is possible, OK? It would require significant accommodations, but it’s possible.”

MLB did not allow players on 40-man rosters to participate in Tokyo Olympics, when Nippon Professional Baseball interrupted its season.

“There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done,” players’ union head Tony Clark told the BBWAA in a separate session. “We do know players are interested in playing, whether it’s for the Team USA or any number of other teams around the world. … There’s just a lot of conversation that needs to be had sooner rather than later to see how viable this is, but we’re hopeful that we can figure our way through it for the benefit of the game.”

The 2026 World Baseball Classic game schedule was announced for venues in Tokyo, Puerto Rico, Houston and Miami while also announcing details for ticket sales at each site.

Houston’s Minute Maid Park and Miami’s loanDepot Park will be the U.S. host sites for the 2026 World Baseball Classic along with the Tokyo Dome in Japan and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Tokyo and Miami were hosts in the 2023 tournament which culminated with Japan beating the United States 3-2. It will be the first time that Hiram Birthorn Stadium hosts games since 2013 and the first time for Houston to have games in the event.

The first-round pools will be split across the four locations, while the semifinals will be split between Houston and Miami, with the final again at loanDepot Park.

Miami has been a WBC host site every year since 2009. Tokyo returns as the only location to be a host at every World Baseball Classic. For Puerto Rico, this will be the fourth time hosting the WBC, but the first time in over a decade.

A host site every year since 2009, Miami not only was the 2023 title game host but it is where Japan rallied past Mexico to win in the semifinal round. Once a part-time home to the Montreal Expos, Hiram Bithorn Stadium’s WBC history includes Shairon Martis’ no-hitter against Panama in 2006 ­­—the only no-hitter in WBC history.

During Japan’s run to its third WBC title in 2023, Tokyo Dome broke records for the most fans of any round in the history of the tournament with 361,976, while also setting the highest average attendance (36,198) of any first or second round pool in tournament history. The first ever World Baseball Classic games were played at Tokyo Dome when South Korea defeated Chinese Taipei, 2-0, and Japan defeated China, 18-2, on March 3, 2006.

Ticket Information

Pool A: San Juan, Puerto Rico, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
July 15: Full ticket strips on-sale to general public
September 15: Country-specific game strip packs on-sale to groups and general public
December: Single-game tickets on-sale to general public

Pool B: Houston, Daikin Park
July 8: Full ticket strips on-sale to Astros season ticket holders
January 15: Single-game tickets on-sale to general public

Pool C: Tokyo, Tokyo Dome
October 1: Japan-specific ticket strips (4 Japan Games) on-sale to Tokyo Giants season ticket holders and general public
January 15: Single-game tickets on-sale to general public

Pool D: Miami, loanDepot park
July 8: Full ticket strips on-sale to Marlins Members
September 15: First round and Country-specific strips on-sale to Marlins Members.
January 15: Single-game tickets on-sale to general public

World Baseball Classic Schedule

All times local to host city
March 5
Noon JST: Chinese Taipei vs. Australia, Tokyo Dome
7 p.m. JST: Czechia vs. South Korea, Tokyo Dome
March 6
Noon JST: Australia vs. Czechia, Tokyo Dome
Noon CST: Mexico vs. Great Britain, Daikin Park, Houston
Noon EST: The Netherlands vs. Venezuela, loanDepot Park, Miami
Noon AST: Cuba vs. Panama, Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan
7 p.m. JST: Japan vs. Chinese Taipei, Tokyo Dome
7 p.m. CST: United States vs. Brazil, Daikin Park
7 p.m. EST: Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic, loanDepot Park
7 p.m. AST: Puerto Rico vs. Colombia, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
March 7
Noon JST: Chinese Taipei vs. Czechia, Tokyo Dome
Noon CST: Mexico vs. Great Britain, Daikin Park
Noon EST: Nicaragua vs. The Netherlands, loanDepot Park
Noon AST: Colombia vs. Canada, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
7 p.m. JST: South Korea vs. Japan , Tokyo Dome
7 p.m. CST: Great Britain vs. United States, Daikin Park
7 p.m. EST: Israel vs. Venezuela, loanDepot Park
7 p.m. AST: Panama vs. Puerto Rico, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
March 8
Noon JST: Chinese Taipei vs. South Korea, Tokyo Dome
Noon CST: Great Britain vs. Italy, Daikin Park
Noon EST: The Netherlands vs. Dominican Republic, loanDepot Park
Noon AST: Colombia vs. Cuba, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
7 p.m. JST: Australia vs. Japan, Tokyo Dome
7 p.m. CST: Brazil vs. Mexico, Daikin Park
7 p.m. EST: Nicaragua vs. Israel, loanDepot Park
7 p.m. AST: Panama vs. Canada, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
March 9 
Noon JST: South Korea vs. Australia, Tokyo Dome
Noon CST: Brazil vs. Great Britain, Daikin Park
Noon EST: Dominican Republic vs. Israel , loanDepot Park
Noon AST: Colombia vs. Panama, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
7 p.m. JST: Czechia vs. Japan, Tokyo Dome
7 p.m. CST: Mexico vs. United States, Daikin Park
7 p.m. EST: Venezuela vs. Nicaragua,  loanDepot Park
7 p.m. AST: Cuba vs. Puerto Rico, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
March 10
7 p.m. AST: Canada vs. Puerto Rico, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
7 p.m. EST: Israel vs. Nicaragua, loanDepot Park
8 p.m. CST: Italy vs. United States, Daikin Park
March 11  
3 p.m. AST: Canada vs. Cuba, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
6 p.m. CST: Italy vs. Mexico, Daikin Park
8 p.m. EST: Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua, loanDepot Park
Quarterfinals
March 13: 6:30 p.m. EST, loanDepot Park
March 13: 8 p.m. EST, Daikin Park
March 14: 3 p.m. EST, Daikin Park
March 14: 9 p.m. EST, loanDepot Park
Semifinals
March 15: 8 p.m. EST, loanDepot Park
March 16: 8 p.m. EST, loanDepot Park
Championship Game
March 17: 8 p.m. EST, loanDepot Park

Under the direction of Bob Kendrick, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City has become a must-see venue for fans of baseball and American history. It chronicles the journey of black baseball players and coaches, highlighting the elite-level competition the Negro Leagues provided.

The museum is currently 10,000 square feet, but Kendrick has started the “Pitch for the Future Campaign” to raise $35 million to build a new, larger museum. Kendrick has also become somewhat of a celebrity in recent years thanks to his appearances on the video game MLB The Show, in which he narrates a special Negro Leagues storyline.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is currently celebrating Leaders and Innovators, emphasizing great black managers and innovations brought about by the Negro Leagues including things like shin guards, night baseball and the batting helmet.

Another massive initiative that Kendrick and the museum benefit from each year is Free February. The entire month of February, the museum was free of charge to anybody who wanted to attend, with the Kansas City Royals covering the expense. It’s something that’s important to Kendrick and the Kansas City community as the museum continues to expand.

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The Mexican Pacific League will move a team to Tucson, bringing professional baseball back to the Arizona destination for the first time in years.

The Mayos de Navojoa will move its franchise to Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium and be rebranded as the Tucson baseball team, becoming the Mexican Pacific League’s first U.S. franchise.

“We want to have that vision and spread out in the community that it’s Tucson’s team,” Tucson Baseball Team owner Victor Cuevas Jr. said on Wednesday. “We’re playing in a Mexican baseball league, but it’s Tucson’s team. We’re here to create a unique experience when Sonoran and American cultures come together through food, art and entertainment, all while enjoying high-quality baseball in a family-oriented environment.”

The season begins in October and runs through December, with playoffs in January. The Mayos played in Navojoa, Sonora, since 1959 and have two Mexican Pacific League titles.

From 1947 through 2010, Major League Baseball was in Tucson each March for spring training. But in 2011, the last three teams to play in Tucson — the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies — joined the rest of the Cactus League in the Phoenix area.

But as SportsTravel profiled earlier this year, Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium was the site when Brazil, China, Colombia and Germany battle for two spots at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Colombia and Brazil advanced out of the Tucson qualifier.

“More than half a million people visit every year to play or visit Kino, which is way more than attended each year for our spring training,” Pima County District 3 Supervisor Jen Allen said during a media event. “But despite that success, we still didn’t have a tenant for the stadium, so we wanted professional baseball back at Veterans Memorial Stadium. So I am thrilled to say that professional baseball at Keno Sports Complex is back.”

The World Baseball Softball Confederation Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Stage 2026 will be held at the International Women’s Baseball Center in Rockford, Illinois, the first time in the state and only the second time in the United States.

Scheduled for July 22–27, 2026, the event will be played at Rivets Stadium in neighboring Loves Park, Illinois. The IWBC and WBSC will activate World Cup programming at venues across the region, including Rockford’s historic Beyer Stadium.

“This is a landmark moment for Rockford and a proud milestone for GoRockford,” said John Groh, president and chief executive officer of GoRockford. “Hosting the Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Stage 2026 puts our community on the global stage and reaffirms our deep commitment to advancing women’s sports. The prestige of this tournament brings powerful economic, reputational and civic benefits to our region — while honoring the legacy of the Rockford Peaches and inspiring and supporting the next generation of athletes. We’re proud to stand with the International Women’s Baseball Center in championing this historic event and can’t wait to welcome the world to Rockford.”

As the world’s only nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and advancement of women’s and girls’ baseball, IWBC collaborated with the WBSC and local and national partners — including GoRockford — on a multi-year bid process. The IWBC’s impact extends through several programs including educational symposia; celebrating cultural icons like the Rockford Peaches and the film A League of Their Own; hosting community block parties and youth clinics; and cultivating global opportunities like the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup.

The IWBC and Rockford continues the quest to build a six-acre headquarter campus adjacent to Beyer Stadium. To date, IWBC has invested $2.5 million in the south Rockford project and neighborhood.

“When the International Women’s Baseball Center came to Rockford in 2016, we promised to bring the world to this community,” said Dr. Kat Williams, IWBC chief executive officer. “The IWBC is excited to partner with GoRockford, the City of Rockford, Rockford University, Rockford Park District and the Rockford Rivets to host the very best of women’s baseball next summer.”

The WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup is the most prestigious women’s baseball event in the world. A two-stage program over consecutive years, the 10th edition of the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup concludes in the summer of 2027 with the six-team finals of which IWBC and Rockford remain a finalist to host.

“We are delighted to take the Women’s Baseball World Cup back to the United States,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. “The 2018 edition at the USSSA Space Coast Complex in Viera, Florida, attracted unprecedented attention and helped players and younger fans reconnect with the history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In 2026, the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup will land in Rockford, Illinois, where that legend started. It will be a memorable experience for the whole WBSC family and the international women’s baseball community.”