Society for American Baseball Research

What Society for American Baseball Research does

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based nonprofit membership association founded in 1972 whose stated purpose is to help people do baseball research. The organization operates as a community-led platform organized around 35+ specialized research committees (including Asian Baseball, Latino Baseball, Negro Leagues, Women in Baseball, Deadball Era, and Baseball Cards), a global network of regional chapters, and chartered communities. Core products center on SABR.org and the Research Collection: a corpus including over 850 catalogued academic dissertations (1908–2024), the BioProject biography database, the SABR Defensive Index (weekly positional rankings for MLB players), the SABR Digital Library of e-books, and a twice-yearly Baseball Research Journal. The organization also runs an annual convention (SABR 54 in Cleveland, 2026), the SABR Analytics Conference, the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, the Women in Baseball Conference, and the 19th Century Conference.

The business model combines consumer-level membership subscriptions and donations with publication sales. The primary giving vehicle is the "Friends of SABR" program, which begins at $10/month or a $100 one-time annual gift, supplemented by giving circles for major donors. Members receive significant discounts or free access to e-books, and the organization raises revenue through direct e-book sales on sabr.org/ebooks and event registration. Distribution is primarily direct-to-individual via the profile.sabr.org member platform, with regional chapters handling local engagement and a multi-channel content marketing presence across Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. SABR holds strategic partnerships with Major League Baseball on diversity and inclusion, the Baseball Hall of Fame (long-running alignment via the Lee Allen Award), and National History Day for student research recognition. Reported headcount is 1–10 employees, led by CEO Scott Bush with a small executive team covering membership services, editorial content, business operations, and external relations.

Name

Society for American Baseball Research

Legal name

Society for American Baseball Research

Website

https://sabr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SABR is a 1972-founded nonprofit membership association that operates the Research Collection, BioProject, SABR Defensive Index, and Baseball Research Journal, serving baseball researchers, enthusiasts, and students globally through 35+ committees and regional chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Research and Historical Society Membership

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Baseball & Softball Leagues (MPAKAAAC)

Keywords

• Baseball research
• Historical society
• Scholarly publications
• Membership association
• Sports historiography

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: SABR generates revenue through membership subscriptions, offering various membership levels including 'Friends of SABR' starting at $10 per month or $100 one-time annual gift.
2. Publications and E-books: SABR publishes e-books, the Baseball Research Journal (twice yearly), and other baseball research materials. Members receive significant discounts or free access to e-books.
3. Donations: SABR accepts donations at various levels including 'Friends of SABR' monthly giving programs and giving circles for major donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SABR is a nonprofit membership association that provides baseball research resources, scholarly publications, and a global community for baseball historians, fans, and students. Its core offerings include the SABR Research Collection and BioProject databases, the twice-yearly Baseball Research Journal, the SABR Digital Library of e-books, the SABR Defensive Index, multiple annual conferences and an annual convention, regional chapters, and 35+ specialized research committees covering areas such as the Negro Leagues, Women in Baseball, Asian Baseball, and Latino Baseball. Revenue comes primarily from membership subscriptions, donations, publication sales, and event participation.

Product overview

SABR operates as a comprehensive baseball research and community platform with a modular structure centered around its main website (SABR.org) and member platform. The core offerings include The Research Collection, BioProject (biography database), and 35 Research Committees covering specialized baseball historiography topics. The organization supplements its research mission with the Baseball Research Journal and SABR Digital Library/eBooks for publications, the SABR Analytics Conference and annual convention (SABR 54) for events, and the SABR Defensive Index for analytics products. Additional offerings include the SABR Scholars Program for students, regional chapters for local community engagement, certification programs, and conference events like the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference and Women in Baseball Conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Research Collection A comprehensive searchable database of baseball scholarship including academic dissertations, historical records, biographies, and research resources spanning baseball history; available to SABR members and used by baseball researchers, historians, and students.
• BioProject Comprehensive searchable database of SABR-written biographies of baseball figures, filterable by name, birthplace, demographics, and other categories; aimed at baseball researchers, historians, and fans.
• Baseball Research Journal SABR's flagship scholarly publication, distributed twice yearly in paperback, featuring peer-reviewed baseball research articles; available by subscription with member discounts.
• SABR Digital Library / eBooks Digital publication platform offering e-books on baseball history, including titles like 'The Negro Leagues' 1931 Homestead Grays' and other baseball research publications; members receive free downloads or 50% paperback discount.
• SABR Defensive Index Analytics product providing weekly defensive rankings for MLB players during the MLB season, tracking fielding performance across positions; used by baseball analysts, media, and fans.
• SABR Analytics Conference Annual conference featuring research presentations and analytics discussions focused on baseball analytics and statistics, with stories, photos, and highlights published online; aimed at baseball researchers, analysts, and fans.
• SABR Annual Convention (SABR 54) Annual SABR convention gathering members for research presentations, networking, and baseball history programming; the 54th edition was held in Cleveland, Ohio in 2026.
• Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference Annual symposium dedicated exclusively to the examination and promotion of Black baseball history, described as the only conference of its kind; aimed at researchers, historians, and fans of the Negro Leagues.
• Women in Baseball Conference Annual conference focused on the history and contributions of women in baseball, including All-American Girls Professional Baseball League research; aimed at researchers, historians, and fans.
• 19th Century Conference Conference dedicated to 19th century baseball history, complementing SABR's broader research coverage; aimed at researchers and historians of baseball's early eras.
• SABR Analytics Certification Professional certification program providing credentials in baseball analytics and research methodology; aimed at students, young professionals, and aspiring baseball analysts.
• SABR Scholars Program Program offering networking events, scholarships, internships, and career opportunities for students and young professionals pursuing baseball analytics, journalism, and sports business careers.
• SABR Research Committees Network of 35+ specialized research groups focused on specific areas of baseball history including Asian Baseball, Latino Baseball, Negro Leagues, Women in Baseball, Deadball Era, and Baseball Cards; available to SABR members.
• All-Time Eras Teams Interactive feature allowing members to select All-Time Eras Teams from 1876 to 2026, celebrating 150 years of baseball and American history; available to SABR members.
• SABR Membership Annual membership subscription providing access to the Research Collection, BioProject, Baseball Research Journal, e-books, member discounts, regional chapter participation, and event registration; the foundational product of the organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 850 academic dissertations on baseball documented from 1908-2024

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• National History DaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSABR partners with National History Day to honor the best baseball research project at the annual National History Day competition, supporting student engagement with baseball history research.
• Major League BaseballcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSABR collaborates with Major League Baseball on diversity and inclusion initiatives, particularly through the Allyship program and research committees focused on underrepresented communities in baseball.
• Baseball Hall of FamecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lee Allen History of Baseball Award is named in honor of Lee Allen, historian at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum from 1959-1969, reflecting a long-standing connection to baseball's premier institution.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is the premier baseball history institution in the U.S., serving a similar audience of historians, researchers, and enthusiasts. SABR has a long-standing partnership with the Hall, and the two share overlapping mandates around preserving and disseminating baseball history, though the Hall operates as a museum rather than a membership research society.
• Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum preserves and celebrates the history of Black baseball in America. SABR's Negro Leagues Research Committee and Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference operate in the same content domain, making the museum a natural peer for the Black baseball history subset of SABR's mission.

Direct peers

• Society for International Hockey Research: SIHR is a membership-based nonprofit research society dedicated to the study and preservation of hockey history, structurally identical to SABR but serving ice hockey. It shares the same volunteer-committee model, publication program, and historical research mission applied to a different sport.
• Professional Football Researchers Association: PFRA is a nonprofit organization of researchers, historians, and statisticians dedicated to the study of professional football history. It mirrors SABR's community-led, volunteer-driven research committee structure and serves as a direct structural analog in a different sport vertical.
• Retrosheet: Retrosheet is a nonprofit organization that compiles, digitizes, and disseminates play-by-play accounts and box scores for baseball games. It overlaps with SABR's baseball historical research mission and serves researchers with detailed game-level data, complementing SABR's biographical and narrative scholarship.
• The Baseball Reliquary: The Baseball Reliquary is a nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring the cultural and historical significance of baseball through artifacts, art, and scholarship. It parallels SABR's mission of preserving baseball heritage and serves a similar community of dedicated enthusiasts, though with a more arts-oriented lens.
• Society for American Soccer History: SASH is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the research and documentation of soccer history in the United States. It mirrors SABR's volunteer-research-society model applied to a different sport, making it a structural peer for comparative analysis.

Emerging players

• Baseball Reference: Baseball Reference (part of Sports Reference) is the leading free online baseball statistics and historical data resource. It competes with SABR's research collection by providing accessible data to the same researcher and enthusiast audience, and represents the digital-native alternative to SABR's traditional publishing model.
• Sports Reference: Sports Reference operates a network of sport-specific statistics websites including Baseball Reference, Basketball Reference, and Pro Football Reference. It competes with SABR for the attention of researchers and serious fans by providing free, comprehensive data across multiple sports.

Others

• MLB Advanced Media: MLB and its media arm are strategic partners of SABR (the SABR Defensive Index contributes to MLB Gold Glove Awards) and operate Statcast, the league's official analytics platform. It is an ecosystem partner and potential competitor in advanced baseball analytics rather than a direct peer in research society activities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sabr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/sabrvideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/79619821544
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sabr---the-society-for-american-baseball-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Society for American Baseball Research