Latest news with #Swingman
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
HBCU Swingman Classic 2025: 'Our kids need to be seen,' says Ken Griffey Jr.
To Ken Griffey Jr., the picture – and the goal – is simple. 'If you look at what's going on in baseball, (there are) a lot of kids of color who are not playing baseball even though they may love the game of baseball,' Griffey told USA TODAY Sports by phone. 'They're not getting the recognition that they would like to advance to the next level.' That was the initial motivation to start the HBCU Swingman Classic, which brings together 50 Division I baseball players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Now in its third year, the 'Swingman' – named after Griffey – is a chance for the athletes to perform on a bigger stage as Major League Baseball begins its All-Star Week celebrations at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, on Friday, July 11 (7 p.m. ET, MLB Network). 'For me, it's just an opportunity to give some of these kids an opportunity to be seen,' said Griffey, who hit 630 career home runs and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. Sixteen HBCUs will be represented in the game. There will be a flavor of Black baseball and Atlanta throughout the festivities. Brian Jordan will manage the 'National League' squad, while fellow David Justice will lead the 'American League' team. Martin Luther King III will throw out the first pitch, while Emily Haydel, the granddaughter of Hank Aaron, will be a sideline reporter on the broadcast. But the Swingman goes beyond racial lines. Any player who attends a HBCU is eligible to play in the game. 'Because there are plenty of kids who are White and don't have money and they go to HBCUs and they want to continue to play,' Griffey said. 'Yes, you're going to see a few more Black people playing, but it's not about the color of your skin. It's the school that you go to.' With a more streamlined and tapped-in selection process thanks to expanding relationships with HBCU coaches, the talent pool at Swingman has only improved since its inception. Both MLB employees and MLB Players' Association officials are part of the selection panel for players who 'may have been overlooked.' Three players from the event were selected in the draft after the inaugural 2023 edition and two players were taken last year. Griffey thinks baseball has to take a page out of the pre-NIL college football recruiting manual that set up the championship programs such Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide or Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers. 'I think the sad part is that the scouting department has gone away from trying to find these diamonds in the rough,' Griffey said. Instead, scouts rely too much on data and other advanced metrics, in Griffey's opinion. It comes down to manpower and placing the scouts with the proper mindset in the applicable areas. As a senior adviser to commissioner Rob Manfred, it's a conversation Griffey is having in baseball's most powerful rooms. 'It has been discussed and it's getting to a point where it's coming around,' he said. 'It's just going to take some time. Back when my dad played, people went everywhere. Now, if it's not on a computer … they can't understand talent unless they see it. I sat there and watched. That eye test. That hearing test. 'What does it look like when it comes off the bat? What does it look like when he throws the ball?'' But the Swingman isn't about the eye test or advanced analytics. It's about opportunity, and it's why the game should be a staple as long as he has a voice in the league office. 'Our kids need to be seen,' Griffey said. 'Because they don't have the facilities where they can go in there and measure exit velo, spin rate. All these things cost money and they just don't have that type of money. 'You give a kid an opportunity to be successful, and that's all you ask for.'
Axios
09-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
Eastside Golf opens first store at Detroit Metro
Eastside Golf, an apparel company that began in an apartment on Jefferson Avenue, just opened its first U.S. store at Detroit Metro Airport. The big picture: From its humble start nearly a decade ago, Eastside Golf has ascended to an international brand, boasting partnerships with the PGA Tour, NBA, Nordstrom, Dick's Sporting Goods and others. Zoom in: Eastside is selling sweatshirts, polos, bucket hats and other items adorned with the brand's Swingman logo inside the 300-square-foot DTW store near Gate 34 in the McNamara Terminal. Hoodies retail online for up to $145 and polos cost up to $85. Catch up quick: Co-founder Olajuwon Ajanaku created Eastside's logo about eight years ago while living in the since-rebranded Jeffersonian Apartments, while working in finance. He felt unfulfilled in banking and applied to more than 50 golf-related jobs, but was rejected every time. What they're saying: Those rejections helped shape the brand's logo — a Black man wearing a sweatshirt, jeans and a gold chain while swinging a golf club. "I was tired of trying to fit into a mold. Why not come into the sport as I am," Ajanaku tells Axios Detroit. Flashback: Ajanaku grew up in Atlanta (where the Eastside name originated) and played golf at Morehouse College with Flint native and Eastside co-founder Earl Cooper. "To be able to open our first store in a city that has so much meaning for both Olajuwon and me feels like a full circle moment for our brand," Cooper said in a statement. The company's other store is in Tokyo.
Fashion Network
08-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Eastside Golf opens first US retail store at Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Lifestyle brand Eastside Golf has opened its first U.S.-based retail store inside Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The 300-square-foot space, operated in partnership with Paradies Lagardère, offers a curated selection of the brand's signature apparel and accessories, including its signature Swingman sweatshirts, tracksuits, performance polos and bucket hats. Founded in 2019 by former Morehouse College golf teammates Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper, Eastside Golf has been recognized for reshaping the game's image and appeal through authentic storytelling, collaborations, and fashion-forward design. "I came up with the idea for Eastside Golf while I was working in finance in Detroit," explained Ajanaku, Eastside Golf's founder and creative director. "I remember showing Earl a sketch of our Swingman logo, and he suggested I put it on a T-shirt. I did, and I was stopped so many times while I was walking around Detroit by people asking where I got this shirt. At that point, I knew there was something there and Eastside Golf was born. With that history, it just feels right to open our first store here.' "Detroit, and the state of Michigan, will always have a special place in my heart," added Cooper, co-founder of Eastside Golf, who was born in Flint and spent years working as a PGA Teaching Professional at the Detroit Golf Club. "I was born in Flint, and became the first-ever Black PGA Teaching Professional at the Detroit Golf Club. To be able to open our first store in a city that has so much meaning for both Olajuwon and me feels like a full circle moment for our brand.' The store's launch follows a strong year for Eastside Golf, which has expanded its retail footprint through new partnerships with Nordstrom, Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, and House of Sport. It also operates a store in Tokyo in collaboration with High Draw and launched in PGA Tour Shops in 2024, leading to a presence in 10 PGA Tour locations.
