Hall of Famer George Brett Featured in May 27 Museum Program with Former Royals Teammate Willie Aikens

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – George Brett and Willie Aikens teamed up in 1980 to help the Kansas City Royals win their first American League pennant.

But the story behind Aikens’ star turn in the postseason and Brett’s support of his teammate goes well beyond the diamond.

Brett and Aikens will be featured in Museum program about The Royal, the feature-length film due out this summer detailing Aikens’ battle with the criminal justice system during his memorable career.

As a leadoff to Hall of Fame Classic Weekend, the Museum will host a question-and-answer program with Brett and Aikens at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 27, in the Hall of Fame’s Grandstand Theater. The program will also be streamed online at the Hall of Fame’s Facebook page.

A film about addiction and redemption, family and faith, and how the correctional system can deny a man the chance to truly correct, The Royal chronicles Aikens’ battle to reconstruct a family with his wife and daughter despite mandatory minimum-sentence drug laws that kept him incarcerated. With the support of Brett – his teammate on the Royals from 1980-83, Aikens, who hit four home runs in the 1980 World Series, eventually overcame his addiction and testified before Congress about his battle with substance abuse.

The Royal is distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films and available on Amazon, Apple and Vudu starting July 16.

The in-person May 27 event is open to Museum visitors on a first-come basis in the Grandstand Theater and is included with a purchase of a Museum ticket. Actor Amin Joseph, who plays Aikens in the film, producer Scott Resnick and screenwriter Gregory Jordan will also be in Cooperstown for a private screening of the film.

Hall of Fame Classic Weekend continues on Saturday, May 28 with the 12th annual Hall of Fame Classic Legends Game, returning after a two-year hiatus. The popular seven-inning contest a Doubleday Field will feature a record eight Hall of Famers, with Wade Boggs, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Ted Simmons, Lee Smith and Alan Trammell assisting managers Fergie Jenkins and Ozzie Smith as team coaches for the squads that will feature representatives from all 30 big league teams.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame Classic are now on sale via phone at 1-888-325-0470 or here and are $12.50 for first baseline seats and $11 for outfield seats. Seating along the third baseline will not be available, as the Village of Cooperstown is coordinating ongoing renovations of Doubleday Field.

The Classic, fueled by assistance from MLB, features the pregame Home Run Derby at noon, followed by first pitch at 1:05 p.m.