Chicago White Sox Tap Young Cancer Survivor to Design Promo T-shirt

The Chicago White Sox had hoped to be a contender in the American League’s Central Division this season, but the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians have hogged the headlines, leaving the Illinois club to ponder next year’s campaign. Before they reflect on their on-field situation, however, the team can take pride in its altruistic standing thanks to the Kopech’s Big Kut sweepstakes that chose a 9-year-old diehard fan and cancer survivor to design its promo T-shirt.

When Bradley Godish was 4 years old, he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a type of cancer that affects bone marrow & blood. Thanks to his twin sister, he received a life-saving stem cell transplant.

Today, he is teaming up with @MichaelKopech5 for a special cause:

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 19, 2019

Owing to the sport’s age and incredibly long season, baseball history include tons of tales of goodwill and hope involving players and their supporters. In this case, the White Sox are increasing the fandom of Bradley Godish, who has fought acute myeloid leukemia since 2014. Having had links to the franchise since 2015, the now cancer-free boy met Michael Kopech at an event last year, immediately gravitating toward the pitcher. Since the White Sox, through their charitable arm, crafted the Kopech’s Big Kut initiative, which will see the hurler donating his hair to childhood cancer patients, selecting Bradley as the designer for the idea’s accompanying T-shirt was the marketing equivalent of a can of corn.

@UniWatch My son (leukemia survivor), designed the White Sox t-shirt in this article https://t.co/gLLmwd97YD

— Brian Godish (@briangodish) September 25, 2019

The White Sox are not going to prove winners on the field this year, but Bradley could not care less, as he saw the final look of his design Wednesday night ahead of his club’s 8-3 win over the Indians. A definite heartstrings-puller, the tee includes Kopech’s No. 34 linked to a “K,” baseball’s scoring nomenclature for a strikeout, along with a childhood cancer-symbolizing gold ribbon, a baseball and a dog paw that reflect the pitcher’s penchant for pooches.

The White Sox intend to market the apparel item as further support for the Kopech’s Big Kut sweepstakes, which, by helping the Ronald McDonald House Charities, will hopefully prove a promo goldmine, particularly for the grand prize winner. The bond between Bradley and Kopech should stand as a great advertisement for diligence. Many of us might take our health for granted—something that the boy will never do—and he has persisted to enjoy a fruitful life with baseball as a key component.

Having the chance to design the shirt must have felt exceptional for Bradley, and it makes an excellent complement to what Kopech is doing, especially when one looks at the life of the young mound presence, who himself knows about health concerns as he rehabilitates from Tommy John surgery. As the sun prepares to set on the 2019 campaign for the White Sox, here’s hoping that many fans enter the sweepstakes by the Monday cutoff and that the shirt so thoughtfully crafted by Bradley knocks one out of the park in the fight against cancer.