Barry Larkin, Wilson create Project Unity Baseball Gloves
Learn about Hall of Fame Shortstop Barry Larkin’s Project Unity, an effort to promote healing.
Barry Larkin, a Hall of Fame shortstop and longtime Wilson Advisory Staff member, established the Heal and Unite Initiative last September, setting a mission to spread the message of unity amid the 2020 events of racial injustice and social unrest. The former big leaguer joined forces with Wilson, his glove provider throughout his career, to create special edition baseball gloves with his Power In Unity logo stamped in the palm.
This logo, appearing in the 2022 Power in Unity A2000 BL11 11.5” Infield Baseball Glove and the 2022 Tim Anderson A2000 TA7 GM 11.5” Infield Baseball Glove, serves to further Larkin’s message of healing and unity.
“I feel compelled to make a positive contribution. I am committed to bring awareness to issues in society and actively help to heal the wounds,” Larkin wrote on his website, healandunite.com. “I ask and encourage others to take a stance against racially motivated injustices that have plagued our world for too long.”
In an interview about his initiative on MLB Network, Larkin said he partnered with Wilson because the company supported him throughout his playing days and had the resources to amplify his mission.
“I’ve been with them my entire career,” Larkin said of Wilson. “They have a very deep relationship in the youth market, so I’m going to rely heavily on them and some of their infrastructure and the relationships that they have to really kind of spread this message.”
To begin spreading Larkin’s message, Wilson released the limited edition 2022 Power In Unity A2000 BL11 baseball glove, a replica of the model Larkin used as a pro. The glove, based on the iconic A2000 1786 pattern, features a shallow pocket, 11.5” reach and Larkin’s signature Pro Laced T-Web. Wilson is proud to stand with Barry in his efforts to advocate for healing and uniting our communities, and a portion of proceeds from this glove will benefit diversity initiatives.
Larkin’s Power In Unity logo is also stamped in the palm of Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson’s 2022 A2000 TA7 GM 11.5” Infield Baseball Glove, a new addition to the Game Model lineup. When designing his custom glove for the 2021 season, Anderson was immediately on board with incorporating Larkin’s palm stamp.
“That’s definitely dope. I like that,” Anderson said when he first saw an image of the palm stamp. “I’ll definitely rock with that.”
The Origins of Barry Larkin’s Mission
Throughout the summer of 2020, Larkin said several members of his Florida community, including professional baseball players, were frustrated by moments of racial injustice and social unrest. They felt the need to act.
“This all came about because during COVID I was working out with some of the guys who are local in Orlando,” Larkin said on MLB Network. “Everyone was voicing their frustration with what was going on with the protests and the rioting, the police brutality, the killing of George Floyd, the shooting of Jacob Blake, just all the stuff that was going on.”
The Heal and Unite Initiative sprouted from the events of 2020, and Larkin is actively using his platform as a Hall of Fame baseball player to share his message. He hopes that message, one of bringing people together regardless of race, will resonate with many.
“Let’s all work together to heal and unite the world as opposed to divide.”