KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tickets for the benefit softball game hosted by Marquez Valdes-Scantling in June in Kansas City, Kansas are on sale now.
Valdes-Scantling helped the Kansas City Chiefs win a Super Bowl in his first season with the franchise after four seasons in Green Bay.
The benefit softball game, which will support Valdes-Scantling’s newly created Humble Beginnings Foundation, will pit the Chiefs’ offensive players against defensive players in a seven-inning softball game.
“I’m super excited to be able to give back to the community,” said Valdes-Scantling, who said baseball was “my first sport.”
He hoped that the ability for players to interact with fans in a casual setting “under the Friday night lights” would be super fun and exciting.
Humble Beginnings, which began with charitable initiatives in his native St. Petersburg, Florida, will help children in “economically underprivileged areas in the Kansas City metropolitan area,” according to a press release about the event.
“Growing up on the south side of St. Petersburg, Florida, I saw children in economically disadvantaged areas and a large homeless population,” Valdes-Scantling said in a statement announcing the game and its foundation. “Personally, I was lucky enough to have an amazing family who sacrificed everything to provide for me. My family instilled in me the importance of volunteering and giving back to my community. Kansas City has welcomed me with open arms and I’m excited to continue to make an impact here on and off the field and show the fans who I really am.”
There will also be a home derby during the June 9 event, which will take place at Legends Field, home of the Kansas City Monarchs, an independent baseball team based in KCK.
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The charity softball event is scheduled to begin at 6:30pm on June 9 and tickets are available on the Monarchs website.
“Believe it or not, I was actually better at baseball than football,” said Valdes-Scantling. “It was something I always dreamed of: playing in the big leagues. But baseball wasn’t my calling, I think football was and now we’re Super Bowl champions.”
Tickets start at $25 for bleacher seating and general admission, or $50 and up for reserved seating. Parking passes are also available for $20.
VIP tickets in the stadium’s premium seats cost $150 and include a mini helmet signed by Valdes-Scantling.
For information on group tickets, suites or party decks, and sponsorship opportunities, contact Team Lammi Sports Management at (414) 507-6197 or email [email protected].
Valdes-Scantling caught a season-high 42 passes for 687 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season with the Chiefs after signing a three-year deal in March.
With Kansas City’s receiving corps depleted during their AFC Championship Game win against Cincinnati, Valdes-Scantling stepped up with six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, all playoff career highs.
He also caught a 6-yard touchdown run against Jacksonville in the AFC Divisional win.
