EXCLUSIVE: Perfect Game has become the world’s largest and most comprehensive scouting organization, and over the last five years the youth baseball company has grown exponentially.
Perfect Game began in 1995 and by 2024 had over 1.5 million participants. Since its inception, over 310,000 players have committed to play college baseball, with more than 15,000 players getting drafted into MLB and around 2,152 of those having made their MLB debut.
However, in recent years, the company has grown exponentially under the leadership of Perfect Game’s chairman Rick Thurman and CEO Rob Ponger.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXBUSINESS.COM
Thurman, Ponger and Jeff McDowell, vice president of marketing/advertising, spoke to FOX Business about the company’s recent growth.
Thurman and Ponger joined Perfect Game in 2018, and while it wasn’t yet the powerhouse it is today, Thurman called the company a “unicorn in its space.”
Thurman said the company was just “scratching the surface of its potential” when they took over.
One of their goals when they took over was to build a brand around what they had.
“On our very first day after we took over the business, we had a meeting with 20 of the top lieutenants at Perfect Game, and everybody was wearing these T-shirts that said PG on one side and Nike swoosh on the other,” Thurman told FOX Business.
“And Rob (Ponger) looked at everybody and goes, ‘OK, everybody, this is gonna be the last time, even though Nike’s paying this company like 50 grand to co-brand this stuff. This will be the last time you’re gonna see co-branding on anything with us. This brand is gonna stand on its own and we’re gonna build a brand around what we have here.’”
Ponger said when they came, they saw a “great scouting organization” that ran great events for 14- to 18-year-old kids. He said Major League Baseball and college baseball teams knew what Perfect Game was, but not everybody knew.
TREVOR HOFFMAN, RYAN KLESKO TO MANAGE TOP HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TALENT AT PERFECT GAME ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC
“The dad outside having a catch with his 10-year-old had no clue what Perfect Game was, right? PG? Never heard of it. Well, your kid’s not of age yet, so you never heard of it. And that was a big issue for us ultimately, was here is this elite brand, powerful brand and so few people knew about it,” Ponger told FOX Business.
Ponger wanted to go down in the market to the 9- to 13-year-old age group. To try and accomplish that, he wanted to build a media business, with no better time to do so than during COVID.
The company created PerfectGame.tv, their own streaming service that streams every game. PG.TV has 53 million views so far this season.
The company’s social media has boomed, as they have accrued 650 million social media impressions this year, 150 million more at the same time last year. Perfect Game’s Instagram following is more than some MLB teams.
McDowell said Perfect Game is going to reach a billion pageviews this year.
They have more followers than the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Rays and the Athletics.
YOUTH BASEBALL GETS MLB TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE AS PERFECT GAME PARTNERS WITH PITCHCOM
All of this was to help reach the younger demographic that doesn’t watch TV like the older generations.
“I got 8- and 11-year-old boys – they’re not watching TV,” Ponger said. “They’re watching YouTube, they’re watching Perfect game.org and, and like they’re all going to these other means to, to watch baseball and to watch the kids that they think are cool, right? So again, great, we just took it in different direct media, merchandise marketing, brand awareness.”
“We’ve exploded it. And, and you know, aspirationally, we looked in the mirror and said, ‘Well, why can’t we be the Jordan brand of baseball or maybe of all sports?'”
All Perfect Game players have an online profile that can track their statistics throughout their career, from 11 to 18 years old.
“Put onto the player profiles for all their highlights and at-bats, and really then giving that kid an athlete, a progression throughout their, their career, which is something very unique. And, and those player profiles are massively popular. You know, the PG grades are, are, are the Bible effectively,” McDowell told FOX Business,
“Those profiles drive, you know, 50 million page views alone. So it, it’s really applying that rigor and that elite expertise that, that we had into broader markets to give those kids that are developing, let’s face it, 9, 10 to 13, you know, you’re, you’re developing. So giving them that platform across the board as they develop into that elite athlete.”
BREWERS STAGE EPIC COMEBACK VS. REDS TO TIE FRANCHISE RECORD WITH 13TH STRAIGHT WIN
For Ponger, though, the ability for kids to have their baseball highlights serves a purpose other than for college recruiting, but to help create lifelong memories that last.
“At the end of the day, they’re there to have fun. They’re there to have video of themselves. I mean, who of all of us wouldn’t die to have video of us playing baseball at night at 13 years old?” Ponger said.
“We would be showing that off at family parties. I mean, I wish we had this type of stuff. So we’re actually creating memories for these kids that aren’t ever gonna play professionally. Hopefully some of them play in college, but we’re still creating great memories for the rest of their life, right?”
“You remember your first time going to Disney. We want you to remember the first time you’re playing baseball too, right? And even if you’re not gonna go play for the Yankees or Red Sox or whatever, it’s still amazing memories and we can capture it now like you’re a part of history.”
Ponger hopes the highlights can allow kids to create their own content.
ORIOLES ROOKIE PITCHER LOSES PERFECT GAME BID IN BRUTAL FASHION WITH JUST FOUR OUTS REMAINING
“I mean my 8- and 11-year-old kids think they’re their own brand, right? Like they’re starting YouTube channels, right? So I think you’re gonna see more of that and the ability for a kid to go to a 9-, 10-, 11-, 12-year-old event,” Ponger said.
“It’s content. If we have the game. This kid can go tell the story. He could do like a day in my life. I went to play baseball today. I warmed up this way. After that, I watched my highlights on YouTube.
“This is a virtual album that follows your life right now. In theory, a kid can play in our tournaments from 9 to 18, and we could show you the entire progression.”
Ponger said one of the challenges for Perfect Game has been trying to shift the “older, traditional money to this dynamic youth platform.”
McDowell said some of the non-endemic brands are starting to “realize the power of youth sports.”
“The parents control the household income, um, and the kids influence the household income,” McDowell said.
FORMER MLB STAR JOSH HAMILTON SAYS THE HOLY SPIRIT TOLD HIM HE WAS GOING TO HIT CLUTCH WORLD SERIES HOME RUN
“We’ve got this unique platform that touches across all categories. If you think about it, what happens when a family attends a Travel Ball Perfect game event, they’ve gotta get Tide for their uniforms. They’ve gotta feed their dog before they leave. They’ve gotta get, you know, they, they’ve gotta have Spotify when they get in the car.
“They’ve gotta rent a car if they’re not driving their own. So there’s all these consumer touchpoints throughout the life cycle of, of the experience that brands are starting to realize the power and potential.”
In addition to expanding the company’s media business, Perfect Game has expanded both domestically and internationally since Thurman and Ponger took over.
“When Rob and I came in, Perfect Game was in six states and no other countries. We had 10,000 teams and maybe 150,000 kids,” Thurman said.
“Now we’re in 41 or 42 states. We’re in 12 countries, and we’re kind of inching up toward having a couple million kids running through the process.”
Thurman talked about getting into the Japanese market.
HALLE BERRY’S WITTY BIRTHDAY POST SEEMINGLY TAKES AIM AT EX-HUSBAND, FORMER MLB STAR DAVID JUSTICE
“Japan is not an easy market to get into. They’re a little hesitant to do a lot with any people from the outside until they get to know you. But once you do a nice tournament, or you do business over there, and you prove yourself to the Japanese culture that you guys can actually, that you can actually perform, then it’s kind of carte blanche,” Thurman said.
A couple of weeks ago, Perfect Game hosted the Pacific Rim Tournament in Japan that was televised on TBS. It was the second tournament they’ve played in Japan.
McDowell said Perfect Game’s international tournaments are an opportunity for families to travel.
“It’s a family experience. It’s a trip. It’s, it’s an opportunity to go play in Spain and play, you know, other countries. It becomes, you know, it becomes the Disney experience for baseball,” McDowell said.
Ponger said that in countries that have a lot of poverty, like the Dominican Republic, Perfect Game offers exposure that helps kids advance their baseball career, when they otherwise may have struggled to do so.
“Getting these kids in the DR where, you know, there’s a lot of poverty and, and kids that aren’t getting the same chance, you know, they might not make it to the pros with these 13-, 14-, 15-year-old kids might have a chance to maybe get a scholarship to a school in the States to play baseball, to get these PG profiles,” Ponger said.
DIAMONDBACKS RELIEVER SEALS VICTORY OVER ROCKIES AFTER SWALLOWING FLY MID PITCH: ‘I GAGGED A LITTLE’
“Maybe that even means something at a younger age where kids might come here to play high school ball. Go to JUCO College earlier.”
Ponger credits the company’s culture for its growth.
“I think what’s really important for us is the culture of the company. And what Rick and I have brought here to me is Perfect Game. You know, people work hard, um, they care about what they’re doing. They play hard. We have a rule that I won’t repeat ’cause it’s being recorded, but it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s the no idiot rule, right?” Ponger said.
“Like, you know, you want to be with people here that you can go out to dinner with, that you can grab a drink with. And I’ll even say the employees that we have, you know, are just amazing, and they fit in, and they leave it all on the field, and they come home, and they’ll, you know, they’re ready to do it again tomorrow.”
Ponger also credited the company’s investors for helping establish that culture.
“Our investment group, Trevor Hoffman, who’s the captain of the All-American team, Ryan Klasko, Mo Vaughn, you know, the guys that have come to our events, Alfonso Soriano, Tom ‘Flash’ Gordon is at every event. This group is there for the kids,” Ponger said.
MOOKIE BETTS REVEALS WHAT MAKES BREWERS LEGIT WORLD SERIES CONTENDERS: ‘GOOD RECIPE OVER THERE’
“They leave the egos, you know, at home. They don’t try to like, you know, one-up people, they care. They want to teach.”
Perfect Game has grown a lot, but Ponger said the goal is to become a legacy brand.
“I think we’re trying to build a legacy brand, right? And, and it’s like, my view is why can’t PG be up there with the Jordan brand one day? Elite, high-quality badge of honor,” Ponger said.
“When you wear PG, you know, you’ve played in the best, and hopefully you’ll continue to wear the best down the road. So, you know, memories for life, a brand for life, and hopefully, you know, when the 9-year-old comes in, it’s just, it’s just a start on their journey. That, you know, you know, maybe 30 years from now, they’ll have kids that will play in a perfect game tournament.”
Perfect Game’s All-American Classic will take place on Sunday, which is the company’s premier tournament.
Perfect Game’s All-American Classic features the top 60 high school baseball players across North America and provides them with a platform to showcase their talents on a national stage. This year, the nation’s top high school players will compete at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.
First pitch is set for 8 p.m. ET on Sunday. Thurman called the game an aspirational event.
“Every kid that plays in a Perfect Game event wants to get to that because we’re acknowledging that you are one of the best,” Thurman said.
“We pay for the event. Kids all come in from around the country, they, it gets televised. It’s in a Major League Baseball stadium, which is the cool factor for any kid to play, you know, at a Major League stadium.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Read the full article here
