MLB partners with GameChanger to grow youth game, expand content
Major League Baseball has a new partner in its push to grow youth baseball and softball: the GameChanger app.
MLB on Wednesday announced a multiyear agreement with GameChanger, the No. 1 rated youth sports app for live streaming, scorekeeping and team management.
"We are excited for all the possibilities that our partnership with GameChanger will bring to our sport's experience for parents, coaches and players," MLB vice president of baseball and softball development David James said. "As we bring outstanding content to the literal fingertips of our youth baseball and softball community, we see this as a great opportunity to enhance our efforts to build a foundation for growth into the future."
The partnership will bring Major League Baseball content to the GameChanger app and its wide youth sports audience -- there are more than 13 million young players and 750,000 teams on GameChanger -- while also allowing MLB to feature more youth baseball and softball on its own platforms.
On GameChanger:
- GameChanger will have access to MLB content, which parents and coaches can use to provide accessible instruction to young players.
- MLB will be able to use GameChanger's live scoring and streaming services for its official youth baseball and softball events, like the RBI World Series and the MLB All-American Game.
- There will be joint coverage opportunities for MLB and GameChanger on the app for events like the MLB Draft Combine and Little League Classic.
- GameChanger will promote the PLAY BALL Monthly Awards, an MLB program that highlights youth athletes, with a chance to win a trip to the World Series.
On MLB channels:
- MLB Network and MLB.com will showcase highlights from GameChanger's youth baseball and softball coverage. That will include a weekly video segment showing highlights from youth events across the country.
The future stars of Major League Baseball are using the GameChanger app as kids. Just look at the 2023 MLB Draft Class. All of the top 50 prospects for this year's Draft used GameChanger at the youth level.
So it's only fitting that GameChanger will now be a part of the 2023 Draft. During coverage of the Draft on July 9, MLB and MLB Network will use highlights and stats from the user-generated youth experience captured through GameChanger in their Draft broadcast and across MLB's social and digital channels.
There are also a few other key parts of the collaboration between MLB and GameChanger.
GameChanger will work with MLB to help the league identify youth baseball and softball participation trends and monitor the overall health of the sport.
And MLB will use GameChanger to make youth baseball and softball content and information more accessible to underserved communities. MLB will provide free GameChanger subscriptions to the teams participating in its RBI Program, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities.
"Partnering with Major League Baseball is an incredible milestone for GameChanger," said GameChanger president Sameer Ahuja. "Since our founding, our team has worked tirelessly to build what is now considered the most dynamic and innovative youth sports video streaming and scorekeeping product ever created. Like MLB, we understand the future of baseball and softball is dependent on the vitality of the game at the youth level. Our shared commitment and passion to grow the sport from its roots makes this partnership a natural fit, and we look forward to working together for many years to come."
The GameChanger app currently ranks as the No. 4 free sports app in Apple's App Store -- right next to the MLB app, which is No. 3 (the MLB Ballpark app is No. 1). On the GameChanger platform, more than 36 million games have been scored, more than 3 million games have been video streamed and more than 29 million auto-generated highlights have been produced. GameChanger is available on iOS, Android and the web.