MLB is taking another significant step in its long-running youth engagement efforts, completing a multiyear agreement with youth sports app developer GameChanger aimed at promoting youth baseball and softball.
The league will use GameChanger’s scoring and streaming services at its youth official baseball and softball events such as the RBI World Series, and will showcase content developed by GameChanger users.
In particular, all of the top 50 prospects in the upcoming 2023 MLB Draft used GameChanger during their youth-level play, and highlights and stats collected by GameChanger during those games will be used on league media platforms such as MLB Network and MLB.com. Highlights developed by GameChanger will also appear regularly on those league outlets.
GameChanger, meanwhile, will gain access to MLB game highlights and official league content, including instructional materials for youth players, parents, and coaches, and will aid the league in identifying youth participation trends.
The company has a youth baseball and softball audience of 13 million and services more than 750,000 teams, and offers a range of live streaming, scorekeeping, and team management functions.
“Like MLB, we understand the future of baseball and softball is dependent on the vitality of the game at the youth level,” said Sameer Ahuja, GameChanger president.
GameChanger is owned by Pennsylvania-based retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods, which was one of the leading American business success stories during the pandemic, but more recently has posted more modest growth.
