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MLB Invests in Jomboy Media, Embracing Creator Content
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- MLB Invests in Jomboy Media, Embracing Creator Content
Major League Baseball and Jomboy Media announced a partnership Tuesday that includes MLB acquiring a minority stake in the digital sports media brand.
The size of the investment was not disclosed, though it is believed to be the league's first direct investment in a creator-led content company. MLB's investment comes from its Baseball Endowment L.P. (BELP) fund, valued at more than $1 billion according to the Atlanta Braves' most recent SEC filings, which was recently used to acquire a stake in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League as well.
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In addition to equity, the tie-up includes access to MLB events, IP and sponsorship connections for Jomboy, while the league looks to benefit from Jomboy Media's ability to reach casual fans online.
"Having a strong content creator community is going to be good for baseball in the long run," MLB EVP, media and business development Kenny Gersh said in an interview.
Jimmy "Jomboy" O'Brien and Jake Storiale started the company in 2017 with a Yankees-focused podcast before expanding to cover the entire league—and other sports too. Last year, the company tallied 93 million engagements across social media and achieved $10 million in revenue.
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Jomboy Media raised $5 million in 2022 in a round led by Connect Ventures, an investment partnership between Creative Artists Agency and New Enterprise Associates. Connect cofounder Jack Davis, a Jomboy board member, helped put the latest deal together, working with recently promoted Jomboy Media CEO Courtney Hirsch.
"It's kind of surreal," Hirsch said. "It just shows how important creators are when it comes to sports. It recognizes the fact that meeting people on digital platforms is a way to grow the game. And it shows that our community-centric approach is just really valued and being recognized by the league itself. It just kind of gives us chills."
Hirsch added that the new relationship won't change Jomboy's approach when it comes to the way the company's talent covers the game and its players. Jomboy Media also runs its own lighthearted sports league and corresponding show, "The Warehouse Games."
Gersh said MLB's work with Jomboy came mainly through the league's media department as baseball looks to foster more connections with online voices. A decade ago, executives took heat for being relatively restrictive with digital rights compared to peer sports. Recently MLB has been more encouraging—both to outsiders and to its own—by recognizing the value of virtual conversation.
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In April, MLB announced an expanded partnership with Boardroom that included player-driven online storytelling.
"We are focused, as we have been, on helping to amplify content creators' voices," Gersh said, "We will look for ways with other potential content creators to make sure that they have a platform to continue to produce baseball-related content."
Baseball is witnessing a surge of interest, including post-pandemic highs in attendance, Sunday Night Baseball viewership and MLB.TV streaming usage over the last year. The league's own social handles have also swelled, including a roughly 70% year-over-year gain on X from late 2023 to late 2024.
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