South Bend Cubs Join “Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond”

CHICAGO, IL – The South Bend Cubs in conjunction with Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) today announced a three-year partnership with Marvel Entertainment, one of the world’s most prominent storytelling brands, for an exciting event series that will play out in ballparks across all levels of MiLB starting in 2022.

Today’s announcement was made at the “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes” exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, which celebrates Marvel history with more than 300 artifacts including original comic book pages, sculptures, costumes and interactive displays. The South Bend Cubs mascot Stu D. Baker was on hand with a number of other mascots and Marvel characters.

“MiLB’s new partnership with Marvel Entertainment brings together two storied brands who create memories that are passed down from generation to generation,” said Kurt Hunzeker, Major League Baseball’s Vice President of Minor League Business Operations. “The possibilities with this partnership are endless and we look forward to some incredibly creative content, merchandise, and promotions.”

The new partnership will feature 96 MiLB teams participating in an event series called “Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond” during the 2022 through 2024 baseball seasons. The deal was facilitated by AthLife, Inc, Marvel’s longtime sports representative.

In each of the three years of the partnership, all 96 participating MiLB teams will host at least one Marvel Super Hero™ themed game as part of the “Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond” campaign, where teams will wear special edition Marvel Super Hero-branded jerseys on field during the game with other Marvel-themed activities and promotions taking place throughout the game. Fans may visit milb.com/marvel for the latest updates on the “Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond” series.

“Over the past few years, we have seen the fans of Minor League Baseball truly embrace Marvel-themed games, so having a nearly league-wide partnership will allow us to take creativity and storytelling to the next level,” said Mike Pasciullo, Marvel Entertainment’s Vice President, Product Development and Marketing – Brand, Franchise & Sports. “And it wouldn't be Marvel if we did not have a few major surprises to unveil along the way!”

As part of the wide array of custom content it will create for the new initiative, Marvel will create a “Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond” comic book for MiLB fans that will be distributed in participating MiLB ballparks throughout the partnership. Co-branded merchandise and other surprises will be unveiled in 2022.

About the South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs are the Class A-Advanced minor league affiliate of the 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs. Over the past 33 years, the team has won four Midwest League titles, most recently in 2019, and has captured eight division titles. In 2019, the South Bend Cubs hosted the Midwest League All-Star Game. In June 2017, Four Winds Field, home of the South Bend Cubs, was voted Best Class A ballpark in the country by Ballpark Digest. In 2015 the team was named Ballpark Digest's Team of the Year and received the John H. Johnson President's Award, the highest award in minor league baseball. The team is owned and operated by Swing-Batter-Swing, LLC whose principal shareholder is Andrew T. Berlin of Chicago, Ill.

About Minor League Baseball

Minor League Baseball consists of 120 teams across four classification levels (Low-A, High-A, Double-A and Triple-A) that are affiliated with Major League Baseball’s 30 teams. Fans flock to Minor League Baseball games to see baseball’s future stars and experience the affordable family-friendly entertainment that has been a staple of Minor League Baseball since 1901. For more information, visit MiLB.com. Follow Minor League Baseball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media. For more information, visit marvel.com. © 2021 MARVEL

About AthLife

Established in 2004, AthLife is a privately owned company that hold service contracts with many sports and entertainment properties including Marvel Entertainment, the NBA & G League, NFLPA, The Trust (powered by the NFLPA), Major League Soccer, National Basketball Retired Players Association, and college and university athletic departments. Since 2010, AthLife has helped facilitate hundreds of Marvel Super Hero™ Day themed events and activations for Marvel with more than 100 professional and minor league sports franchises. ©2021 AthLife