Black Baseball Media

What Black Baseball Media does

Black Baseball Media (BBM) is a Chicago-based, founder-led organization founded in 2021 that operates a media, events, and apparel platform focused on celebrating and increasing participation of African American athletes in baseball. Its core offerings are three-fold: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop selling branded apparel and accessories (t-shirts, hoodies, hats, socks, water bottles, polos) priced between $20 and $95 across 20+ SKUs; community programs including Parent Consulting, the Uplift Program that assists baseball programs nationwide in growing their membership, and flagship annual events such as the Chicago HBCU Baseball Classic (hosted at Wrigley Field) and the Chicago High School Baseball Classic, with new geographic variants emerging in the D.C. / Beltway market; and content/community channels on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

The business makes money through three streams: unit-priced merchandise sales, quote-based professional services for families and baseball programs, and event-driven sponsorship/participation around marquee tournaments. BBM also maintains a PayPal donation portal, suggesting nonprofit-style contribution revenue supplements commercial activity. It holds a Flagship venue partnership with Wrigley Field and a Core equipment partnership with Rawlings. Underlying technology is standard — a Wix-hosted storefront and Calendly booking flow — with no disclosed proprietary platform, AI, or data assets. The company is privately held by founder Earnest Horton with no institutional capital disclosed, and has scaled athlete reach from 251 (2021) to 567 (2022) to 750+ (2023), with 3,008 in-person attendees at the flagship 2024-2025 Wrigley event.

Name

Black Baseball Media

Legal name

Black Baseball Media

Website

https://blackbaseballmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Black Baseball Media is a Chicago-based, founder-led platform founded in 2021 that promotes African American participation in baseball through apparel sales, community programs, and marquee events such as the Chicago HBCU Baseball Classic at Wrigley Field.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Baseball Community Development

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Youth baseball development
• Baseball apparel merchandise
• Athlete consulting services
• Community sports programs
• Baseball event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Parent consulting services to help young athletes succeed, partnered with families to support player development.
2. Apparel Sales: Sale of branded Black Baseball Media merchandise including t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and accessories through their online shop.
3. Program Building Services: Uplift program designed to assist programs across the nation, increase their membership and overall impact.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Black Baseball Media operates a mission-driven community platform serving the African American baseball community. Its core offerings consist of branded apparel (t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and accessories) sold through an online shop, Parent Consulting services for families of young athletes, the Uplift Program that assists baseball programs nationwide in growing membership and impact, and signature events including the Chicago High School Baseball Classic and the Chicago HBCU Baseball Classic hosted at Wrigley Field.

Product overview

Black Baseball Media is a dedicated platform committed to celebrating and promoting the rich legacy, present, and future of Black baseball players, coaches, and communities. The company operates primarily as a media and apparel company offering branded merchandise through its online shop, along with programs and services including Parent Consulting (helping families navigate youth athletics), the Uplift Program (assisting baseball programs nationwide to increase membership and impact), and the Chicago High School Baseball Classic (an annual event featuring high school baseball teams with college recruiting support and participant gear). The product portfolio consists of branded apparel and accessories sold through its e-commerce store, alongside event and community programs supporting African American baseball community development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parent Consulting Consulting service that partners with families to help young Black athletes succeed in baseball, providing guidance on development, recruiting, and navigating the sport.
• Uplift Program Program designed to assist baseball programs across the nation in increasing their membership and overall impact.
• Chicago High School Baseball Classic Annual signature baseball event featuring high school teams with an integrated college recruiting platform and participant gear, including Rawlings bats and baseballs and custom BBM hats, plus funding for participating high school programs.
• Chicago HBCU Baseball Classic Flagship signature event held at Wrigley Field celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) baseball programs, with broad media coverage and elevated national visibility.
• Chicago HBCU Baseball Classic Tee T-shirt commemorating the Chicago HBCU Baseball Classic event.
• Beltway H.S Classic Tee T-shirt commemorating the Beltway High School Classic event.
• DC Baseball vs. Everybody Tee T-shirt featuring the DC Baseball vs. Everybody design.
• Chicago Baseball vs. Everybody Tee T-shirt featuring the Chicago Baseball vs. Everybody design.
• Chicago Baseball Vs Everybody Classic rope cap Classic rope cap featuring the Chicago Baseball Vs Everybody design.
• My Walk Up Song is A Whole Vibe Oversized faded t-shirt Oversized faded t-shirt featuring the My Walk Up Song design.
• BBM Unisex organic oversized high neck t-shirt Organic oversized high neck t-shirt with BBM branding.
• BBM Oversized faded t-shirt Oversized faded t-shirt with BBM branding.
• BBM Stainless steel water bottle Stainless steel water bottle with BBM branding.
• BBM Unisex pique polo shirt Unisex pique polo shirt with BBM branding.
• BBM Hat & Pin Combo Hat and pin combo with BBM branding, priced at $45.00 (sale from $60.00).
• BBM Crewneck Unisex Premium Sweatshirt Premium crewneck sweatshirt with BBM branding.
• BBM Under Armour hoodie Under Armour branded hoodie with BBM branding.
• BBM 2025 Dad hat Dad hat with BBM 2025 branding.
• BBM Variation Snapback Hat Snapback hat with BBM Variation design.
• BBM White & Black Snapback Hat White and black snapback hat with BBM branding.
• BBM Cuffed Beanie Cuffed beanie with BBM branding.
• BBM Classic Snapback Hat Classic snapback hat with BBM branding.
• BBM Socks Socks with BBM branding.
• Black Baseball G.O.A.T.S. Unisex Hoodie Unisex hoodie featuring the Black Baseball G.O.A.T.S. design.
• Black Baseball G.O.A.T.S. Unisex t-shirt Unisex t-shirt featuring the Black Baseball G.O.A.T.S. design.
• BBM Legends On The Field Short-Sleeve Unisex T-Shirt Short-sleeve unisex t-shirt featuring the Legends On The Field design.
• BBM Short Sleeve T-Shirt Short sleeve t-shirt with BBM branding.
• BBM Legends On The Field Unisex Hoodie Unisex hoodie featuring the Legends On The Field design.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 251 athletes (2021) growing to 567 (2022) and 750+ (2023)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Wrigley FieldflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago HBCU Baseball Classic hosted at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. This landmark partnership has elevated the visibility of HBCU baseball programs.
• RawlingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing bats and baseballs for participants in the Chicago High School Baseball Classic program.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• USA Baseball: National governing body for amateur baseball in the US; comparable in organizing amateur baseball programs and pathways to higher levels of play, but at much larger institutional scale.
• Ripken Baseball: Operator of youth baseball tournaments, camps, and experiences including at marquee venues; comparable in running high-profile amateur baseball events with equipment sponsorships and recruiting components.
• Baseball Factory: Player development and college recruiting platform for youth baseball players; comparable in offering recruiting assistance, events, and training programs aimed at aspiring amateur baseball athletes.
• Perfect Game: Largest amateur baseball scouting and event organization in the US; comparable in running youth showcase events, recruiting platforms, and apparel/merchandise sales tied to amateur baseball.
• Babe Ruth League: Long-established youth baseball organization running leagues and tournaments nationwide; comparable in delivering amateur baseball programming to young athletes, though broader demographically.

Emerging players

• Jackie Robinson Foundation: Education and leadership development nonprofit honoring Jackie Robinson's legacy; adjacent peer with overlapping DEI mission in connecting underrepresented youth to opportunity, including via athletics-adjacent programming.
• Why Not Us Foundation: Athlete-founded nonprofit supporting underserved communities; comparable in athlete-led, mission-driven model serving underrepresented youth, though broader than baseball alone.

Direct peers

• MLB Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI): MLB's flagship youth baseball development program targeting underserved communities; directly comparable in serving urban and minority youth athletes with league play and college recruiting pathways.
• Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: Institution dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of Black baseball; closely comparable mission around celebrating Black baseball legacy, though delivered through museum programming rather than live events.
• Players Alliance: Nonprofit founded by MLB players to increase Black representation in baseball; most direct mission-aligned peer to BBM with parallel grassroots, mentorship, and youth-development focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9wpt2fuyulVCUQo60Jo3zQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackbaseballmedia
• Xx.com/BLKBSBMEDIA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-baseball-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Black Baseball Media