• Loading stock data...
Monday, October 13, 2025

MLB CMO Karin Timpone Talks Engaging Younger Fans, Metaverse

  • Timpone drills down on how to reach new and casual fans in her first year as MLB’s executive VP, CMO.
  • She tells FOS that there’s plenty of “experimentation” underway to reach fans via Web3, metaverse.
Dodger-stadium-from-behind-home-plate
Gary Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Karin Timpone hasn’t been in her role as an MLB executive for a year, but she could have the answer to make the oldest fanbase among the four major sports a bit younger. 

Timpone, MLB’s executive VP and chief marketing officer, said on “The C-Suite” hosted by Front Office Sports’ Chief Content Officer Lisa Granatstein that those younger fans are out there.

The challenge is getting them more engaged.

“We’ve partnered across the organization on segmentation to help us understand…where can we find growth?”said Timpone, who began at MLB last August. “We’re just at the earliest stages of activating all of that, but I can say that we’ll both continue to super-serve the avid fan while also bringing that casual fan a little further into the mix.”

For Timpone, marketing a game that skews older is just the latest challenge. She spearheaded the creation of the Marriott Bonvoy awards program that tripled in size while she was the hotel chain’s global marketing officer.

Timpone was a senior VP for The Walt Disney Company and helped guide its digital media push before her role at Marriott. She was also the head of marketing and consumer/customer innovation at Yahoo Media Group, a senior VP at Universal Studios, and an exec at Seagram’s. 

“In the past, I’ve started with a very quantitative view around what behaviors drive the most interest,” Timpone said. “I always started with a behavioral segmentation. It’s almost like the math side of it — the largest addressable market you can get. And what are the behaviors behind these fans?

“The second step is to wrap and package the right story, the right brand, the right message.”

There were a few of those packages as part of MLB All-Star Game festivities in Southern California earlier this month that Timpone oversaw, which included a baseball diamond on the sand next to the Santa Monica Pier. There were also 57 MLB players who posted content from the Player Social Program, where players are provided photos and video from MLB. 

Timpone said her personal highlight was at MLB’s Compton Youth Academy, opened in 2006 in a bid to revive the game in urban areas. The league has opened seven other academies. 

“I was just blown away by the energy of the kids, both softball and baseball [players],” Timpone said. 

Some of the focus a day after the American League’s ninth consecutive victory was on the TV numbers. The Fox broadcast was the least-watched Midsummer Classic on record, although it remains the most-watched All-Star game among the four major sports. 

MLB’s videos had 74 million views across Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for the All-Star Game, Home Run Derby, and Celebrity Softball Game. 

“What we’re doing, as many entertainment and sports entities are, is really expanding the message across all the platforms that are available to fans today,” Timpone said. “I feel really strongly that the combination of having a live experience in L.A., a great experience that you could watch on television, but then also expanding into new areas of gaming and social media.”

In between Marriott and taking her current role, Timpone studied fintech at Harvard University and blockchain at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She said research on how MLB can utiize Web3  and how people will interact on the metaverse is already underway. 

“There’s a lot of experimentation happening in the metaverse,” Timpone said. “You know, it’s funny. There are some groups here working on a lot of things for way, way, predating me.

“There’s a whole host of things. I think that it’s a very exciting time of experimentation. I personally feel like it’s really, really, really early innings, to use a pun that’s very appropriate to us.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.

The Yankees’ $319M Roster Flopped. Now Comes the Hard Part: 2026

The MLB club’s current contracts limit its flexibility somewhat for next year.
exclusive

Bud Selig: ‘Remarkable’ Brewers Run Can’t Mask MLB’s Money Divide

The former commissioner lauds his hometown team while raising economic concerns.

MLB’s Rare October Day: Four Playoff Games, Four Possible Clinchers

Four separate clinching opportunities are available during the day.

Featured Today

Paul Cartier

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave Terrible Towels against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium
September 26, 2025

Steelers’ Irish Roots Are Deeper Than NFL Dublin Game

The Steelers have history and the foundation for a future in Ireland.
Dec 23, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the NBA logo and Portland Trail Blazers logo before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center.

NBA’s China Return Marks a New Beginning for Global Partnership

The Mavericks and Rockets are set to play games in Macao next year.
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates a made shot as Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) looks on during Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
October 10, 2025

Aces Win WNBA Title, Starting Offseason of Uncertainty

The Aces won their third trophy in four years.
Sep 29, 2025; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) poses during media day at Intuit Dome
opinion
October 12, 2025

Clippers’ Aspiration Fiasco Recalls Another Doomed NBA Sponsorship

The Kawhi controversy has shades of the still-recent FTX scandal.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
Athlos
October 10, 2025

Track Start-Up Athlos Makes ‘Millions’ but No Profit Yet

Alexis Ohanian called being profitable by the 2028 Olympics a “great goal.”
Cheryl Reeve
October 10, 2025

WNBA Officiating Task Force Still Taking Shape After Outcry

How refs are trained and instructed was a major issue this year.
Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; NBA commissioner Adam Silver talks to International Basketball Federation board member Mark Tatum in the fourth quarter between the United States and Puerto Rico during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
October 9, 2025

NBA Aims for Drama-Free Return to China After 6-Year Hiatus

The league looks to rebuild its presence in the populous country.
Bad Bunny performs on stage for his “Most Wanted Tour” at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, May 11, 2024.
October 9, 2025

Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA to Run Alternate Super Bowl Halftime Show

Group announces “The All-American Halftime Show” on Feb. 8.