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Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners Give Away One Piece Bobblehead, Naruto-Inspired Headband

At one point, it was difficult thinking anime and American professional sports would ever cross paths. However, over the past decade or so, more and more athletes and their organizations outside of Japan are opening up about their love of anime. Major League Baseball (MLB) hosted not one, but two anime-themed giveaways in Boston and Seattle on August 28.

The Boston Red Sox announced a collaboration with the One Piece anime for their August 28 home game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The collaboration celebrates the One Piece anime's 25th anniversary with a cosplay event, Jersey Street pregame performance by the Magnificent Danger band, and a special offer for a (sold-out) limited-edition Monkey D. Luffy bobblehead “repping a Red Sox uniform.”

One Piece and Toei Animation's X (formerly Twitter) accounts both posted about the collaboration on August 28 and encouraged One Piece fans to “share your experience tonight using #OP25th!”

The Red Sox X account also posted a short video of the One Piece and Red Sox festivities minutes after the game began.

At the time of writing, the Red Sox led the Blue Jays 1-0 at the top of the 8th inning.

The Seattle Mariners gave away Naruto-inspired headbands for their August 28 game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Julio Rodríguez, a life-long Naruto fan according to an August 2022 ESPN article, partly inspired the collaboration. Rodríguez adds his name to the long list of prominent athletes, including American football running back Jamaal Williams and track star Noah Lyles, who love anime and are expanding the medium's appeal.

MLB's X/Twitter account promoted the Naruto-inspired headband giveaway on August 27. The post shows Rodríguez performing the shadow clone hand sign while wearing the headband, which features the Seattle Mariners logo on a metal plate.

The Seattle Mariners played the Tampa Bay Rays in the final game of their three-game series. The Mariner took home series 2-1 with a decisive 6-2 victory over the Rays. Rodríguez helped bring home the victory with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Hopefully more MLB teams, as well as other professional sports organizations, will collaborate with anime series, especially since more athletes are showing their love for the medium.

Update: The anime bump is real — the Red Sox also won by blanking the Blue Jays 3-0.

Sources: MLBs website (link 2, link 3), MLBs X/Twitter account (link 2), One Piece US's X/Twitter account, Toei Animation's X/Twitter account, AP, ESPN