Baseball legend Cal Ripken, Jr. (l) and Ford Gum president George Stege receive their Guinness World Records certificate.
Anyone who's played organized baseball as a kid has probably seen a pack of Big League Chew Bubble Gum passed around the dugout.
Rememberd my millions as an iconic and indelible part of youth baseball culture, Big League Chew joined with the Cal Ripken World Series this weekend to add another chapter to its lore: Guinness World Records title-holder.
With an international crowd of Big League Chew fans in attendance on the opening day of the 2014 CRWS on Friday , a record-breaking 721 people broke the record for most people blowing a bubble gum bubble simultaneously, combining players from the 18 teams in the tournament with family, friends, and fans.
"It was an exciting day to bring this title to the United States where Big League Chew is made,” said George Stege, president of Ford Gum, makers of Big League Chew. “As the official bubblegum of Ripken Baseball, I can think of no better time or place to make history than at the opening day of the 2014 Cal Ripken World Series.”
The previous title achieved with 544 people was set June 6, 2013 by the Lester B. Pearson School in Aurora, Ontario, Canada.
Along with Stege and other Ford Gum executives, legendary Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. was in attendance to watch the event and accept an official certificate from the Guinness World Records adjudicator.
The Cal Ripken World Series is an annual tournament held in Aberdeen, Maryland, USA. It pits the top international teams of 12-year-old baseball players from the Cal Ripken Major/70 division of the Babe Ruth League to crown a world champion.
This year's field features 18 total teams representing all parts of the U.S. and eight countries, including well-traveled squads from as far away as New Zealand and South Korea.
"This was fun and the fact that the Guinness World Records officials were on hand to verify the record made it that much more special," Ripken, Jr. said.
"We knew we had a good shot at it, and it just goes with baseball," the icon continued. "We all coordinated to blow bubbles at the same time and it is cool to have a record right here in Aberdeen."
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