Chris Martin actualized his groundbreaking idea for Cosmic Baseball last year to resounding fanfare and national media coverage.
After swift research and development with JW Electric and Richmond’s own Federated Lighting of Virginia, Cosmic Baseball is likely the first organized sporting event played exclusively under blacklights. The baseball game is still played the same way, except everything is aglow in neon like an animated 3-D blacklight poster sprung to life.
Their first game last summer got attention from ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC’s “Today” show and others. Tickets for the Colonial Heights-based team’s inaugural Cosmic season promptly sold out, as have upcoming games at their local Shepherd Stadium this spring; and a patent for Cosmic Sports is pending.
“I am very blessed to have a platform that can make a difference in many people’s lives,” Martin says. “The ultimate goal is to spread joy. That means creating an atmosphere for our staff to thrive in and do what they love every day.” For fans, he says he “wanted to create an environment where families can make lasting memories together in their local market.”
To keep up with demand, Martin offers a lottery system where fans have a chance to win admission to otherwise sold-out games. In an effort to reach even more people, the Chi Peps are embarking on the Cosmic Takeover tour later this year, which will bring Cosmic Baseball to five Triple-A ballparks across the country.
In addition to his involvement as an inventor and team owner, Martin coaches younger athletes through the organization RISE Baseball that offers training camps and team play among its developmental programming. This coach’s cap should serve him well in overcoming all of the practical challenges to implement Cosmic Baseball, as well as those yet to come in order to fine-tune the fledgling sport.
“I try not to think too much ahead. I always want to live in the moment and make sure that I capitalize on what is in front of me,” Martin says. “I will have lots of moments that myself, and my team, fail at over the next year. But our goal is to learn from every mistake and continue to get better every day.”
