NJ Little Leaguer's controversial bat flip is turning into merchandise
Marco Rocco, the 12-year-old Little Leaguer from Haddonfield, New Jersey, became the focal point of a legal battle after he celebrated a home run in the state Little League tournament in July by flipping his bat into the air, which led to him being ejected and suspended.
The family took Little League International to court and a New Jersey judge ruled in favor of Rocco and allowed him to play in Haddonfield's first game of the double-elimination tournament, which they ended up being eliminated from.
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Marco Rocco was initially suspended for his bat flip.
X / @Spicoli_____
Marco's father, Joe, received support from a number of people, including Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer, and said that a lot of people 'were in the camp of, you know, 'let the kids play.''
All of it has led to the family creating a commemorative pin from that moment, which the idea came from family friends and former major leaguers Jeff and Todd Frazier, Joe Rocco told The Athletic.
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'They told me that this would be a very hot pin, and that people would love to have the pin if I was to create it,' he said.
Trading pins is a big part of the experience for players and the fans at Williamsport for the Little League World Series.
The pin that Joe came up with includes Marco wearing his No. 10 jersey with his last name on the back while flipping his bat.
Marco Rocco bumps fists with the umpires during player introductions before the start of a game on July 24.
Aristide Economopoulos
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Across the bottom, 'BATFLIP 2025 is written and along the side it reads 'HADDONFIELD.'
Only 75 will be available, and they will not be for sale.
'We all agreed on the design and the number of pins that we were going to release,' Joe told the outlet. 'We wanted to keep it limited to make sure that it was a rare pin at the event, which is important, so we did it together and we'll see how popular it is.'
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The bat that Marcco had is also set to be auctioned off by Ken Goldin, the founder of Goldin Auctions and star of the Netflix show 'King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch,' according to The Athletic.
The auction is planned to coincide with the end of the Little League World Series later this month.
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