KANSAS CITY – The pair of cleats Carter Jensen is wearing this weekend are bright and colorful, just the way he likes them. The drawings are designed to bring a smile to your face, especially once you know the artists behind each one.
For Players’ Weekend this year – a multiday event that features player personalities, charitable causes and custom gear – Jensen teamed up with Children’s Mercy in Kansas City to get some help designing his cleats. Young patients drew their names and fun sketches in bright colors, and Jensen got the cleats ready to wear for this weekend’s series against the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. He loves all the names on there, as well as the big “Go Carter” statement on the toe of one of the shoes. The basketball hoop drawn on the tongue of one of the shoes – giving the Air Jordan logo something to dunk in, of course – was a big hit, too.
It was similar to what Kris Bubic did for Players’ Weekend last year, an idea Jensen noticed and loved.
“They’re awesome,” Jensen said. “I’m sure the kids had fun with it. Gave them a cool little thing they can put their piece on something that will be on TV and stuff like that. I hope it was a cool experience.”
Jensen, the Royals’ 23-year-old rookie catcher and Kansas City native, is an avid visitor at Children’s Mercy, regularly meeting with kids who are huge fans of him and the Royals, and who he’s come to call his friends. He has learned their names, their families and their stories through numerous visits this season. If any of the kids makes a visit to Kauffman Stadium for a game, Jensen makes sure to say hello. So when Jensen thought through ways he could showcase the things he cares about during Players’ Weekend, going to Children’s Mercy was a no-brainer.
“I think it just means a lot to me because I want to spread joy,” Jensen said. “And you could see that they were having fun with it when they started the project, and the designs they came up with are awesome. That’s what I care about. At the end of the day, it means as much to me as it does for them to have something cool like this. I hope they’ll see me wear them and it’ll give them a smile knowing they had a part in it.”
Jensen said he has always had a soft spot for kids, and the perspective he gains from visiting Children’s Mercy and interacting with young patients who are fighting cancer and other health battles every day is unlike anything else he’s experienced.
“These kids are going through things that are harder than I’ve ever been through,” Jensen said. “Seeing them and knowing how hard it can be for them and their families, it’s tough. But if I can help bring a smile to their faces, or make their day a little better when they’re going through tough times, that’s my goal. That’s what I want to do. And it makes me feel better. Like, the focus is on me giving them something positive, but they give me a lot, too.”
Jensen isn’t the only Royal to advocate for Children’s Mercy, either. The team held a “Reverse Signing Day” event earlier this week at The K, bringing in Children’s Mercy patients to sign their autographs for Royals players. A long table was set up with each kid’s nameplate, a sharpie and a stack of their own baseball cards to hand out – just like signing events that players participate in throughout the season.
This time, though, Royals players were the fans filtering through the line and receiving autographs from their heroes.
“I feel sometimes we complain about a lot,” Salvador Perez said, the stack of cards he received displayed proudly in his locker. “We strike out. We don’t do well in a game. Then you go and see those kids. It’s just a wake-up call. It’s life-changing. They're going through a lot. And, you know, we always know we’re going to get an opportunity to come back here and compete the next day. The reality for them is that they don’t know if there’s going to be opportunity for them the next day. So a day like that makes a difference.
“I know they’re big fans of us. But we really love them, too.”