KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tickets for the charity softball game hosted by Marquez Valdes-Scantling in June in Kansas City, Kansas, are now on sale.
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 charity softball game, which will support Valdes-Scantling’s newly created Humble Beginnings Foundation, will pit 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 the chance for players to interact with fans in a casual setting “under the Friday night lights” should be super fun and exciting.
Humble Beginnings, which started with charity drives in his native St. Petersburg, Florida, will help children in “economically disadvantaged areas in the greater Kansas City area,” according to a news release about the event.
“Growing up on the south side of St. Petersburg, Florida, I saw children in economically disadvantaged areas and a large population of homeless individuals,” Valdes-Scantling said in a statement announcing the game and his foundation. “Personally, I was fortunate enough to have a tremendous 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 am excited to continue making an impact here on and off the field and showing the fans who I really am.”
There also will be a home run 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 slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. on June 9 and tickets are available on the Monarchs’ website.
“Believe it or not, I was actually better at baseball than I was at football,” Valdes-Scantling said. “It was something I always dreamt of — playing in the major leagues. But baseball wasn’t my calling, I think football was and we’re Super Bowl champions now.”
Tickets start at $25 for bleacher seating and general admission or $50 and up for reserved seating. Parking passes also are available for $20.
VIP tickets in the stadium’s premium seats cost $150 and include a mini helmet signed by Valdes-Scantling.
For information about group tickets, suites or the party deck, and sponsorship opportunities, contact Team Lammi Sports Management at (414) 507-6197 or email csanfilippo@team-lammi.com.
Valdes-Scantling caught a career-high 42 passes for 687 yards and two touchdowns in his debut season with the Chiefs after signing a three-year deal last March.
With Kansas City’s receiving corps depleted during the 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 against Jacksonville in the AFC Divisional win.
