Excellent Recreation’s chairman, CEO, and VP of promoting discuss to Fox Enterprise in regards to the firm’s astronomical development lately.
EXCLUSIVE: Excellent Recreation has change into the world’s largest and most complete scouting group, and over the past 5 years the youth baseball firm has grown exponentially.
Excellent Recreation started in 1995 and by 2024 had over 1.5 million members. Since its inception, over 310,000 gamers have dedicated to play school baseball, with greater than 15,000 gamers getting drafted into MLB and round 2,152 of these having made their MLB debut.
Nonetheless, lately, the corporate has grown exponentially beneath the management of Excellent Recreation’s chairman Rick Thurman and CEO Rob Ponger.
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A Excellent Recreation baseball rests on a subject beneath the solar. (Courtesy of Excellent Recreation / Fox Information)
Thurman, Ponger and Jeff McDowell, vp of promoting/promoting, spoke to FOX Enterprise in regards to the firm’s latest development.
Thurman and Ponger joined Excellent Recreation in 2018, and whereas it wasn’t but the powerhouse it’s at the moment, Thurman known as the corporate a “unicorn in its area.”
Thurman mentioned the corporate was simply “scratching the floor of its potential” after they took over.
One in every of their targets after they took over was to construct a model round what that they had.
“On our very first day after we took over the enterprise, we had a gathering with 20 of the highest lieutenants at Excellent Recreation, and everyone was sporting these T-shirts that mentioned PG on one aspect and Nike swoosh on the opposite,” Thurman instructed FOX Enterprise.
“And Rob (Ponger) checked out everyone and goes, ‘OK, everyone, that is gonna be the final time, though Nike’s paying this firm like 50 grand to co-brand these things. This would be the final time you are gonna see co-branding on something with us. This model is gonna stand by itself and we’re gonna construct a model round what we have now right here.’”
Ponger mentioned after they got here, they noticed a “nice scouting group” that ran nice occasions for 14- to 18-year-old children. He mentioned Main League Baseball and school baseball groups knew what Excellent Recreation was, however not everyone knew.
A participant fields the ball throughout the Excellent Recreation Nationwide Showcase at East Cob Baseball Advanced in Marietta, Georgia, on June 14, 2025. (Matthew Grimes/Excellent Recreation / Fox Information)
“The dad outdoors having a catch together with his 10-year-old had no clue what Excellent Recreation was, proper? PG? By no means heard of it. Properly, your child’s not of age but, so that you by no means heard of it. And that was a giant subject for us in the end, was right here is that this elite model, highly effective model and so few folks knew about it,” Ponger instructed FOX Enterprise.
Ponger wished to go down available in the market to the 9- to 13-year-old age group. To try to accomplish that, he wished to construct a media enterprise, with no higher time to take action than throughout COVID.
The corporate created PerfectGame.television, their very own streaming service that streams each recreation. PG.TV has 53 million views thus far this season.
The corporate’s social media has boomed, as they’ve accrued 650 million social media impressions this 12 months, 150 million extra on the similar time final 12 months. Excellent Recreation’s Instagram following is greater than some MLB groups.
McDowell mentioned Excellent Recreation goes to succeed in a billion pageviews this 12 months.
They’ve extra followers than the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Rays and the Athletics.
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A participant on the sector on the Excellent Recreation Nationwide Showcase in Marietta, Georgia, on June 13, 2025. (Matthew Grimes/Excellent Recreation / Fox Information)
All of this was to assist attain the youthful demographic that doesn’t watch TV just like the older generations.
“I acquired 8- and 11-year-old boys – they don’t seem to be watching TV,” Ponger mentioned. “They’re watching YouTube, they’re watching Excellent recreation.org and, and like they’re all going to those different means to, to observe baseball and to observe the youngsters that they assume are cool, proper? So once more, nice, we simply took it in several direct media, merchandise advertising and marketing, model consciousness.”
“We have exploded it. And, and you understand, aspirationally, we regarded within the mirror and mentioned, ‘Properly, why cannot we be the Jordan model of baseball or perhaps of all sports activities?'”
All Excellent Recreation gamers have a web-based profile that may monitor their statistics all through their profession, from 11 to 18 years outdated.
“Put onto the participant profiles for all their highlights and at-bats, and actually then giving that child an athlete, a development all through their, their profession, which is one thing very distinctive. And, and people participant profiles are massively common. You recognize, the PG grades are, are, are the Bible successfully,” McDowell instructed FOX Enterprise,
“These profiles drive, you understand, 50 million web page views alone. So it, it is actually making use of that rigor and that elite experience that, that we had into broader markets to provide these children which can be growing, let’s face it, 9, 10 to 13, you understand, you are, you are growing. So giving them that platform throughout the board as they grow to be that elite athlete.”
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The commentators in motion on the set of Excellent Recreation TV. (Courtesy of Excellent Recreation / Fox Information)
For Ponger, although, the power for teenagers to have their baseball highlights serves a goal apart from for faculty recruiting, however to assist create lifelong recollections that final.
“On the finish of the day, they’re there to have enjoyable. They’re there to have video of themselves. I imply, who of all of us would not die to have video of us taking part in baseball at evening at 13 years outdated?” Ponger mentioned.
“We’d be exhibiting that off at household events. I imply, I want we had this sort of stuff. So we’re truly creating recollections for these children that are not ever gonna play professionally. Hopefully a few of them play in school, however we’re nonetheless creating nice recollections for the remainder of their life, proper?”
“You bear in mind your first time going to Disney. We wish you to recollect the primary time you are taking part in baseball too, proper? And even in case you’re not gonna go play for the Yankees or Crimson Sox or no matter, it is nonetheless wonderful recollections and we will seize it now such as you’re part of historical past.”
Ponger hopes the highlights can permit children to create their very own content material.
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“I imply my 8- and 11-year-old children assume they’re their very own model, proper? Like they’re beginning YouTube channels, proper? So I believe you are gonna see extra of that and the power for a child to go to a 9-, 10-, 11-, 12-year-old occasion,” Ponger mentioned.
“It is content material. If we have now the sport. This child can go inform the story. He may do like a day in my life. I went to play baseball at the moment. I warmed up this manner. After that, I watched my highlights on YouTube.
“It is a digital album that follows your life proper now. In idea, a child can play in our tournaments from 9 to 18, and we may present you your complete development.”
Ponger mentioned one of many challenges for Excellent Recreation has been attempting to shift the “older, conventional cash to this dynamic youth platform.”
McDowell mentioned a number of the non-endemic manufacturers are beginning to “notice the facility of youth sports activities.”
“The mother and father management the family earnings, um, and the youngsters affect the family earnings,” McDowell mentioned.
Former Padres pitcher and Corridor of Famer Trevor Hoffman, a Excellent Recreation investor, throws out the ceremonial first pitch earlier than the sport in opposition to the Atlanta Braves on opening day at Petco Park on March 27, 2025, in San Diego, California. (Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
“We have got this distinctive platform that touches throughout all classes. If you consider it, what occurs when a household attends a Journey Ball Excellent recreation occasion, they’ve gotta get Tide for his or her uniforms. They’ve gotta feed their canine earlier than they depart. They’ve gotta get, you understand, they, they’ve gotta have Spotify after they get within the automobile.
“They’ve gotta lease a automobile if they don’t seem to be driving their very own. So there’s all these shopper touchpoints all through the life cycle of, of the expertise that manufacturers are beginning to notice the facility and potential.”
Along with increasing the corporate’s media enterprise, Excellent Recreation has expanded each domestically and internationally since Thurman and Ponger took over.
“When Rob and I got here in, Excellent Recreation was in six states and no different nations. We had 10,000 groups and perhaps 150,000 children,” Thurman mentioned.
“Now we’re in 41 or 42 states. We’re in 12 nations, and we’re type of inching up towards having a pair million children operating via the method.”
Thurman talked about stepping into the Japanese market.
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Ponger mentioned the baseball highlights function greater than a school recruiting instrument – they assist create lifelong recollections. (Matthew Grimes/Excellent Recreation / Fox Information)
“Japan shouldn’t be a simple market to get into. They’re a bit hesitant to do so much with any folks from the surface till they get to know you. However when you do a pleasant event, otherwise you do enterprise over there, and also you show your self to the Japanese tradition that you just guys can truly, which you can truly carry out, then it is type of carte blanche,” Thurman mentioned.
A few weeks in the past, Excellent Recreation hosted the Pacific Rim Match in Japan that was televised on TBS. It was the second event they’ve performed in Japan.
McDowell mentioned Excellent Recreation’s worldwide tournaments are a chance for households to journey.
“It is a household expertise. It is a journey. It is, it is a chance to go play in Spain and play, you understand, different nations. It turns into, you understand, it turns into the Disney expertise for baseball,” McDowell mentioned.
Ponger mentioned that in nations which have numerous poverty, just like the Dominican Republic, Excellent Recreation affords publicity that helps children advance their baseball profession, after they in any other case might have struggled to take action.
“Getting these children within the DR the place, you understand, there’s numerous poverty and, and children that are not getting the identical likelihood, you understand, they may not make it to the professionals with these 13-, 14-, 15-year-old children might need an opportunity to perhaps get a scholarship to a college within the States to play baseball, to get these PG profiles,” Ponger mentioned.
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A participant hits a house run in a Excellent Recreation occasion. (Courtesy of Excellent Recreation / Fox Information)
“Possibly that even means one thing at a youthful age the place children would possibly come right here to play highschool ball. Go to JUCO School earlier.”
Ponger credit the corporate’s tradition for its development.
“I believe what’s actually essential for us is the tradition of the corporate. And what Rick and I’ve introduced right here to me is Excellent Recreation. You recognize, folks work onerous, um, they care about what they’re doing. They play onerous. Now we have a rule that I will not repeat ‘trigger it is being recorded, nevertheless it’s, it is, it is, it is the no fool rule, proper?” Ponger mentioned.
“Like, you understand, you need to be with folks right here which you can exit to dinner with, which you can seize a drink with. And I am going to even say the workers that we have now, you understand, are simply wonderful, and so they slot in, and so they depart all of it on the sector, and so they come dwelling, and so they’ll, you understand, they’re able to do it once more tomorrow.”
Ponger additionally credited the corporate’s traders for serving to set up that tradition.
“Our funding group, Trevor Hoffman, who’s the captain of the All-American group, Ryan Klasko, Mo Vaughn, you understand, the fellows which have come to our occasions, Alfonso Soriano, Tom ‘Flash’ Gordon is at each occasion. This group is there for the youngsters,” Ponger mentioned.
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“They depart the egos, you understand, at dwelling. They do not attempt to like, you understand, one-up folks, they care. They need to educate.”
Excellent Recreation has grown so much, however Ponger mentioned the objective is to change into a legacy model.
“I believe we’re attempting to construct a legacy model, proper? And, and it is like, my view is why cannot PG be up there with the Jordan model in the future? Elite, high-quality badge of honor,” Ponger mentioned.
“Once you put on PG, you understand, you have performed in the perfect, and hopefully you may proceed to put on the perfect down the street. So, you understand, recollections for all times, a model for all times, and hopefully, you understand, when the 9-year-old is available in, it is simply, it is only a begin on their journey. That, you understand, you understand, perhaps 30 years from now, they’re going to have children that can play in an ideal recreation event.”
Excellent Recreation’s All-American Traditional will happen on Sunday, which is the corporate’s premier event.
Excellent Recreation’s All-American Traditional options the highest 60 highschool baseball gamers throughout North America. (Courtesy of Excellent Recreation / Fox Information)
Excellent Recreation’s All-American Traditional options the highest 60 highschool baseball gamers throughout North America and gives them with a platform to showcase their skills on a nationwide stage. This 12 months, the nation’s prime highschool gamers will compete at Petco Park, dwelling of the San Diego Padres.
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First pitch is about for 8 p.m. ET on Sunday. Thurman known as the sport an aspirational occasion.
“Each child that performs in a Excellent Recreation occasion needs to get to that as a result of we’re acknowledging that you’re the most effective,” Thurman mentioned.
“We pay for the occasion. Youngsters all are available from across the nation, they, it will get televised. It is in a Main League Baseball stadium, which is the cool issue for any child to play, you understand, at a Main League stadium.”
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