CHALLENGE

Baseball players aren’t just freakishly athletic—they’re full-blown anime heroes.

The problem? Most casual sports fans don’t see it that way.

To them, baseball can feel slow compared to basketball’s theatrics or football’s brute force.

The insane, specialized skills of MLB’s top talent often go underappreciated—even as the league came off a record-breaking 2024 season with historic attendance and record viewership.

MLB needed to flip the script.

To prove to the world that its players aren’t just athletes—they’re Heroes of the Game.

SOLUTION

So we treated America’s pastime like America’s must-see TV.

By tapping into the dynamic, high-octane world of anime, we reimagined baseball’s biggest stars as larger-than-life characters—heroes whose freakish skills and once-in-a-generation talent could finally be seen for what they are: spectacular.

“Heroes of the Game” is an evolution of Baseball Is Something Else. We doubled down on what makes MLB stand apart—showcasing once-in-a-generation athleticism in a way no other lens could capture.

Anime became the perfect medium to show baseball in its truest form—not just a sport, but a stage for superheroes. Only these heroes wear cleats.

Credits:

Creative Director: Dan Viens
Creatives: Drew Harrilchak, Aj Abdullah, Shaoyang Chen

Design & Motion Leads: Kelly Cousins, Katie McHugh
Designers / Motion Artists: Seth Shelman, Jim Ward, Macy Eiesland, Jeff Ackley, Wen Tsai, Chang Xu, Neil Hilken, Greg Radich, Vicki Liu

Producers: Chrissy Wamsher, Maile Levy, Kacey Klonsky

Project Manager: Lauren Walker

Brand Team: Tobin Kittoe, Gino Joasil, Siobhan Robinson, Madison Goldston

Comms Strategists: Emily Dalton, Jordyn Jackson
Brand Strategists: Katie Dyer, Alia Thompson

Bodega: William Frazier, Miles Rockafeler

Audio Engineers / Post-Production Leads: Suat Ayas, Candace Mortier, CJ Duncan
Creative Production / Finishing: Charlie Harrington, Ujala Saini, Louise Woodward, Mary Ann Jones,

Brandon Marx, John Dillon, Jenny Greenfield, Ade Macalinao, Tina Starkweather, Annie Maldonado, Catherine Liu

BA & Music Supervision: Kevin Moyer, Athena Bubenik, Tim Bell, Quinn Hill, Katie Hall, Anastasia Bubenik

Content Services / BTS Production: Justin Zhao, Zoe Shrepel

Executive Creative Leadership / EPs
Jen Hundis, Hayley Goggin, Vikki Kottler, Orlee Tatarka, Alicia Kuna, Ella Timmons, Emily Westmoreland, Jason West, Asza West