The Challenge
Baseball was a rising yet underdeveloped sport in Germany at the beginning of the 90’s. Major League Baseball realized that Germany, as Europe’s largest economy, had the potential to become a viable market for MLB branded products, international merchandising, television and sponsorships. ITMS was retained by Major League Baseball to help develop the game of baseball in Germany and to carry out MLB’s strategy of taking advantage of German youth’s strong affinity to America. ITMS’s task was to implement MLB’s grassroots programs and secure corporate sponsors and promotional partnerships. The objective of the grassroots campaign was to position baseball as a cool sport to influence kids’ feel for style and trends, while increasing sales of MLB licensed products. Another goal was to create promotional and marketing platforms to build value for sponsors and awareness of MLB market activities.


The Solution
ITMS worked on establishing, organizing, and managing MLB International’s extensive game development program initiatives, consisting of Pitch, Hit & Run, Play Ball!, and the Roadshow, all of which were means of introducing and attracting German youth to the game of baseball.

By partnering with the German Baseball Federation, access to German schools was facilitated. Pitch, Hit & Run introduces kids (ages 10-13) to the game of baseball as part of the physical education curriculum in schools. Play Ball!, as an extension of the Pitch, Hit & Run program, is a youth league ‘start-up’ program aimed at supporting baseball clubs that want to introduce or expand organized baseball in their communities. The MLB Roadshow fulfills another aspect of these programs by exposing kids to the fundamentals and excitement of the game. The Roadshow provides a mobile interactive fan experience consisting of a pitching tunnel, batting cage, pitching machine, radar gun, and mini-field, to give all levels and ages a chance to experience the sport of baseball.

In addition to promoting the MLB initiatives, ITMS played a critical role in devising a sponsorship strategy to secure high level corporate partners offering “across the board” benefits to maximize value. ITMS fully utilized it’s network to secure the best relationships and best long term corporate partnerships that would grow over time. Acquisition conception and management of sponsorship and marketing strategies were used to achieve valuable corporate partnerships with Burger King, Jetix, and leading German youth magazines YAM and Bravo Sport. These corporate partners’ marketing channels were successfully leveraged to expand baseball’s reach. Burger King, a premiere level sponsor since 2002, provides several marketing communication opportunities in all of their restaurants in Germany. These include: 3 Million tray liners, in-house King magazine articles, and in-store TV channel programs, all of which are implemented by ITMS Sports. Jetix gives MLB a targeted advertising platform on Television, while the further media partnerships with the youth magazines YAM and Bravo Sport, advertise in print. Additional sponsors have included Motorola, McAfee, Acclaim, and Adidas.


The Results
With ITMS Sport’s effective marketing and sponsoring strategies, MLB International’s grassroots programs successfully reached large numbers of German youth. By 2005, the number of schools partaking in the Pitch, Hit & Run program had risen from an initial 300 to over 1,000, reaching around 90,000 student participants on a yearly basis. As part of 18 Play Ball! leagues throughout Germany, more than 2,000 kids participate as members of 72 distinct teams. Over 30% of these Play Ball! participants will continue their baseball aspirations by joining a German baseball club upon conclusion of the yearly Play Ball! program. ITMS Sports has also developed the MLB Roadshow into a wide reaching program that takes baseball ‘on the road’ to over 70 locations, bringing the thrill of the game to thousands of youths across Germany.

The MLB’s grassroots strategies in combination with ITMSs knowledge of the German market has accomplished a yearly direct reach of close to 400,000 kids in schools, downtown city centers, and baseball clubs. The German baseball federation has also grown from 3,500 members in 1990 to 35,000 members in 2005. ITMS continues to work with Major League Baseball on expanding the grassroots programs as baseball becomes an increasingly popular sport in Germany.

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