A college student in Philadelphia is joining in the Royals frenzy and selling a T-shirt featuring Royals players.
David Kipke is a student at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He is a Kansas City native who grew up watching his beloved Royals.
“I started going to the games in the late 90s, I was born in 92, but ever since I can remember, I've been a big Royals fan,” he said.
It’s not just the Royals, Kipke is just a fan of baseball. So when the Royals started winning in the postseason, Kipke decided he wanted to help spur interest among some of Kansas City’s youngest players.
“When I saw this team doing all these cool things, stealing all these bases, playing such great defense, I thought, ‘Maybe we can make a T-shirt and sell it and give the proceeds to RBI Foundation,’” Kipke said. “I think it's a cool way to tie professional baseball with inner city baseball in our city.”
Kipke designed a powder blue shirt that features the famous Jarrod Dyson line “That’s What Speed Do” on the front and the faces of Dyson, Terrance Gore and Lorenzo Cain on the back.
The total cost of the shirt is $20 with $4 going to the RBI program in Kansas City. Kipke said it costs $12 to make the shirt, $4 to ship it. He thought about keep the $4 profit for himself, but decided to donate it instead.
“It's a great way for kids in the inner-city who maybe don't have such obvious opportunities to learn life lessons, and just to learn how to play baseball,” he said. “I think giving that gift to kids who don't have the opportunity to play baseball. That just really resonates strongly with me.”
Kipke has sold almost 100 shirts in his first week. He plans to order another 100 shirts soon.
To buy a shirt, visit Kipke’s Etsy site.
