From Rickwood Field to Rookie of the Year. The crown jewel of the collection tells the story of Willie Mays' path to the majors, from Fairfield Industrial High in Birmingham, Alabama, to the Black Barons of the Negro American League, culminating with his move to the big leagues with the New York Giants. The piece includes a number of never-before-seen documents and images from Willie’s personal collection - most notably, a copy of Willie’s high school diploma, in which he was assigned a career in “cleaning, dyeing, and pressing.” Willie recalls that all Black kids were assigned trade careers, while white kids “on the other side of the barbed-wire fence” were able to choose their paths and professions. Willie’s journey to becoming one of America’s most beloved sports figures and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom was only possible because of baseball and the people of Fairfield and beyond who helped him chart a different path. The piece includes a voiceover in which Willie’s powerful story is told by an iconic voice of sports, Bob Costas, who will join Willie in donating to the Say Hey Foundation's establishment of a baseball academy for underprivileged youth where he grew up in Alabama, and to restore the historic baseball facilities at his beloved Rickwood Field. The collector of the piece will receive a 65" Samsung The Frame for the art's digital display. In addition, the owner of the piece on May 6, 2022 (Willie's 91st birthday) will receive a large gallery print of the piece. For more detail on the documents and items contained in the piece, please see: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32452066/willie-mays-first-nft-feature-diploma-benefit-say-hey-foundation.

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