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The Ballers mark the “high holiday” by taking pre-orders for cannabis-themed alt-identity merch — and announcing a charitable partnership with Oaksterdam University.
Call it a tale of two holidays: The Oakland Blazers, a cannabis-themed alt-identity of the Pioneer League champion Oakland Ballers that was announced 19 days ago as an April Fools’ Day joke has rounded the bases into full-blown reality on 4/20, with the team’s announcement via Instagram that it is now taking pre-orders for fan merchandise that includes two styles of ball cap, a trucker hat and a jersey with “Oakland Blazers” across the front, a pot leaf on the left shoulder and the number 510 (a nod to the East Bay area code that includes Oakland) on the back.
That’s not the only update from Raimondi Park, either. According to the Oakland Ballers VP of Communications & Fan Entertainment Casey Pratt, the team has partnered with Oakland-based Oaksterdam University to donate a portion of every merch sale to the cannabis education organization’s Oaksterdam Nonprofit for Education (ONE) as well as emblazon “Oaksterdam” on the back of the team’s on-field jerseys where “Oakland” usually appears.
“This isn’t just a fun alternate identity or a clever name; it’s a celebration of the culture, resilience, and innovation that define The Town. From the early days of Prop 215 to today’s ongoing fight for sensible policy, Oakland has always led the way.” — Dale Sky Jones, Executive Chancellor, Oaksterdam University
The hats ($29.99 to $39.99) and jerseys ($69.99), all in a colorway described as “Green Haze / Granddaddy Purple / Orange Blaze,” are available now for a limited-time-only preorder at shop.oaklandballers.com. Pratt said he expects orders placed today to ship in five to 10 weeks, but noted “it’ll get much faster as production ramps up.”
As for when the Blazers might make their on-field debut, Pratt said plans were “not fully baked yet” (his words, not mine) but said the team was considering two already scheduled theme nights at Raimondi Park as contenders: June 26 — Possum! (Phish night) when they square off against the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds and July 31 — Grateful Dead Night when they face the RedPocket Mobiles.
With the first of those two Friday games just nine weeks and four days away, if you place your order today, chances are pretty good you’ll be rocking your Blazers merch by the time the team takes the field at Raimondi Park — no miracle needed.
This article is from an external, unpaid contributor. It does not represent High Times’ reporting and has not been edited for content or accuracy.