Evone “Snowflake” Martinez had a goal: Honor her people.
The Albuquerque Isotopes provided her the a canvas.
The specialty Native American Heritage jerseys designed in partnership with Martinez and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, and worn for the Triple-A baseball team’s Aug. 8 Native American Heritage Night game, was honored Tuesday with Minor League Baseball’s 2026 Golden Bobblehead award for best promotion/event this year.
“This honor is a testament to our amazing partnership with the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and the meaningful work we’ve been able to accomplish together,” Isotopes general manager Chrissy Baines said in a statement. “We also want to sincerely thank our fans for embracing this celebration, packing the ballpark and supporting an initiative that raised nearly $25,000 for the Bob Chavez Scholarship for the Arts.
“This recognition belongs to our partners, our community and every fan who helped make the night such a memorable success.”
The honor was announced at the sport’s annual business summit being held this week in Louisville, Kentucky, and was a recognition of the entire night’s event. That included dancers performing around the stadium, informational booths on the concourse and a hat giveaway with a wildly popular floral, rain, earth and sky elements design on the brim, designed by IPCC graphic designer Brittney Juancho.
“This jersey isn’t about me; it’s about my ancestors,” said Martinez, of the San Ildefonso and Cochiti Pueblos, in July when unveiling the jersey design. “It’s about their stories, their memories, their advice, their teachings and their voices (which) are no longer heard, but can be written and heard out loud in the work that they have behind, so that we never forget it.”
MiLB noted in announcing the award: “A local Native American artist designed the giveaway cap that evening, while a replica Isotopes jersey featuring the number 23 (the number of federally recognized Native American tribes and nations in New Mexico) helped set a single-game merchandise sales record for the club.”
The announcement also noted that in addition to the Aug. 8 crowd of 9,676 on hand at Rio Grande Credit Union Field for Native American Heritage Night, while “the club’s social media team saw their posts from the night receive just under 1 million impressions and 50,000 engagements.”
An online auction of the jerseys netted $24,985 for the Bob Chavez Scholarship for the Arts. While the Isotopes have done a number of jersey promotions and online sales through the year, these produced the largest amount raised by the team for a jersey auction.
Geoff Grammer is the Sports Editor of the Journal, a podcaster, columnist and covers UNM Lobos basketball, among other things. Reach him at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.