The Mariners will don Seattle Steelheads jerseys to honor city's Negro League team
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Long before there was Major League Baseball in Seattle, the Negro Leagues were playing in the Emerald City. Now, that heritage will be celebrated by the Mariners in a noble nod to the past. On Saturday, the team announced that it will honor the legacy of the 1946 Seattle Steelheads by wearing replicas of their black-and-white uniforms for Sunday home games for the upcoming season.
The Steelheads throwbacks will replace the cream-colored uniforms the M's have been wearing on Sundays at T-Mobile Park since 2015. The Steelheads were in existence from 1944 until 1946, when the West Coast Negro Baseball League folded. Notably, the club was owned by the famed Harlem Globetrotters founder, Abe Saperstein.
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This isn't just a PR move, but a charitable one, as well. It makes Seattle the first Major League team to feature a Negro Leagues uniform as part of its regular uniform rotation. It’s also part of the new Steelheads Community Fund, which is committing $500,000 to support African-American baseball and softball organizations across the region.
A great recognition by the Mariners
For the franchise, it's another checkmark on their list of positivity. Right now, the Mariners are viewed as a well-run organization; they field a championship caliber team, they have a great relationship with their fan base, and they are considered a club that does things 'the right way' by those in and around MLB. Honoring the city's past and the Negro Leagues while also providing charity in the community fits right along with that perception.
"We are proud to honor our game’s history and invest in the future of our community with Steelheads Sundays at T-Mobile Park,” Mariners president of business operations Kevin Martinez said in a statement. “Through the Steelheads Community Fund, we will celebrate the legacy of the Steelheads, while continuing our long-standing effort to advance access to baseball and softball and well-being for underserved communities in our region.”
