Big Fly Gear takes the field with vintage feel, historic ties to Kansas City baseball
May 28, 2019 | Paul Cannon
Signing off his live broadcast, Los Angeles Angels broadcaster Victor Rojas receives a phone call. A fresh order of prints — featuring Hank Aaron’s “755” — have just shipped.
Victor Rojas, Big Fly Gear
The Overland Park native’s apparel startup, Big Fly Gear, has been growing steadily since its launch in February, Rojas said. The clothing line, fittingly, celebrates historical milestones in baseball. The company name: a callback to Rojas’ own career with the sport, he said.
“‘Big Fly’ has been my home run call for years,” Rojas said, describing the catchphrase that’s developed over 17 years in Major League Baseball games.
Rojas’ ties to baseball go even deeper, however. The announcer-turned-entrepreneur is the son of Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer Cookie Rojas, who served as the team’s second baseman and later manager.
The resurgence of baseball in Rojas’ hometown — and with his father’s former team — make a great fit for Big Fly, he said.
“The KC sports feel helps us tremendously, here in the Midwest,” said Rojas, who noted the majority of sales so far have been centered around Big Fly’s homebase in Dallas, as well as cities west of the Mississippi.
Big Fly Gear family
Tapping Kansas City’s history
Focused on graphics, Big Fly’s brand tells a story, Rojas emphasized.
“If you like baseball, you will like the look and the vintage feel,” he said, acknowledging his early decision to avoid Angels-related merchandise in favor of highlighting milestones from different generations of baseball history — like Hank Aaron’s 755 career home runs.
“Right now, we are going back in time,” Rojas continued, describing Big Fly’s first at bat. “There are a thousand ideas out there and a million stories for us to tell.”
Some of those tales might well come from Kansas City’s rich history with the sport, he said.
Kansas City baseball goes back further than the Royals and the Athletics, the latter of which left the city after the 1967 season. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is headquartered in KC, showcasing stories that led to the integration of baseball with opportunities for players of all races.
Working with the museum’s president, Bob Kendrick, Big Fly’s apparel could feature graphics tied of the era of Buck O’Neil, Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige, Rojas said.
Uniting with a timeless sport
A fan-designed logo gives Big Fly a classic look while still remaining trendy, he explained.
And while not everyone knows what “Big Fly” means right off the bat, photos of his family wearing the apparel help communicate the message of America’s pastime online and on various social media platforms, Rojas said.
Click here to check out Big Fly Gear’s selection.
One momentous shout-out came May 10 on Instagram, he added, from none other than Angels first baseman and designated hitter Albert Pujols — formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals — who that night homered for his 2,000th career RBI. (The Angels ultimately won 13-0 over the Detroit Tigers in the May 9 matchup.)
Pleased by Big Fly’s revenue so far, Rojas said there’s more to the brand’s story to come.
“In our Big Fly Brigade, we will give back,” he said.
The startup is planning donations each month to veterans groups, he said, ultimately aiming to pay for a military family to go to every Fourth of July baseball game at MLB ballparks.
“It’s not just about us making money,” he said.
Featured Business
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
WillCo Tech’s sale allows founder guilt-free $200K investment in smart grid startup
Selling a majority stake in his IT consulting firm will allow Kevin Williams to focus on and expand his startup venture, the Kansas City tech entrepreneur said. Although the exact amount was undisclosed, the acquisition by Ohio-based Metisentry earlier this month provided a big enough payoff to fund Williams’ and his wife’s future retirement, as…
After $2.95M round, corporate deal ensures word-of-mouth marketing for RiskGenius
RiskGenius’ $2.95 million series A extension funding round is worth more than its face value, said CEO Chris Cheatham. The round was led by QBE Ventures, an Australia-based firm known as being among the world’s top 20 insurance companies. In addition to the funds, QBE North America will be the first division to fully implement…
Likarda scaling up biotech research firm with $4M angel boost, new lab
An animal’s diabetes diagnosis comes with a heavy burden for the pet’s owners, Lisa Stehno-Bittel said. And it’s not just the cost of treatment, the president and co-founder of Likarda added. “Of those who will try twice-daily insulin injections, within a year, half of those have given up,” she said. “A lot of that is…
CommunityAmerica credits youth as most innovative, building teen advisory board
It’s the curious, passionate and inquisitive kid — not necessarily the valedictorian — who is the job creator of the future, Anita Newton said. And companies should do all they can to learn from such youth, she added. “What’s happening a lot in the world today is all this reverse mentoring,” said Newton, chief innovation…