Feds investigate for-profit venture that MLBPA sent millions

fulltritty · 10-31-2025, 06:16 AM

MLB Players Union may be in deep.

Feds investigate for-profit venture that MLBPA sent millions

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-sent-millions

hammertime · 10-31-2025, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Clark said he created Players Way "as an oasis for young athletes and families who too often get exploited in today's billion-dollar 'youth sports' machinery."

Sounds like that worked out splendidly.

livfreely · 10-31-2025, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fulltritty

MLB Players Union may be in deep.

Feds investigate for-profit venture that MLBPA sent millions

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-sent-millions

Someone got paid

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Triple B · 10-31-2025, 06:36 AM

Their headquarters look very nice.

KhalDrogo · 10-31-2025, 06:38 AM

Sounds like every non-profit company.

BoSoxFan1999 · 10-31-2025, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triple B

Their headquarters look very nice.

All that money ain't gonna spend itself!

premium1981 · 10-31-2025, 06:53 AM

Tony Clark may be doing unethical things? No way!!!

hxcmilkshake · 10-31-2025, 07:12 AM

Of course Florida is involved. Damn you Florida!

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

NYRE2PECT · 10-31-2025, 07:15 AM

Shadow Corp, nice.

More salt of the earth.

TBTC Baseball · 10-31-2025, 07:35 AM

Corruption and a Union...who ever heard of such a thing?!?

fabiani12333 · 10-31-2025, 07:54 AM

Quote:

While public union filings show the MLBPA committed a total of only $83,550 to Players Way, nearly all the $3,891,249 the union said Players Way has spent came from Players Inc. Like Players Way, the finances of Players Inc. are not disclosed to the Department of Labor.

The union provided ESPN with an annual breakdown of money it says it spent on Players Way. In 2018, according to the MLBPA, Players Way spent $181,054, a figure that grew annually and peaked in 2024 at $1,127,656. This year, as of Oct. 6, the union said $647,058 has been spent on Players Way.

The sources familiar with the MLBPA's financials, though, told ESPN the company received far more cash from Players Inc., including more than $2 million over one 18-month period to fund payroll and other activities. At several other times when Players Way needed to cover shortfalls, roughly $1 million of Players Inc. money was transferred to the company, the sources said.

The money spent, the former officials told ESPN, included $1.2 million from 2022 to 2024 provided by Fanatics Inc., an MLBPA licensing partner.

When the MLBPA struck a deal with Fanatics in 2021 for the exclusive license to produce baseball cards, the company agreed to pay the union $400,000 annually from 2022 to 2024 to support the union's youth baseball initiatives, including Players Way, the sources told ESPN.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-sent-millions

This set-up does seem shady. If the goal of Players Way is to promote youth baseball development and give young players an alternative to the for-profit youth baseball leagues, why is it a for-profit venture?

If it were a non-profit, it would be required to show their books, right? If it was being funded by the MLBPA and not Players Inc. and Fanatics, there would be public disclosures on how their money is being spent, right?

I guess that's partly why it's being described as a financial black hole.

oldgoldy97 · 10-31-2025, 07:58 AM

That’s where my taxes went? Unbelievable.

BoSoxFan1999 · 10-31-2025, 08:12 AM

Non-profit certainly doesn't mean no profits! Just means they can't distribute profits outside the organization. But paying the CEO and his C-suite friends a fat salary and bonuses, "facility upgrades" for those same C-suite buddies (hey, we need an upscale "customer engagement center" in our headquarters AKA indoor golf simulator with a full service bar)....that's all fair game. Plenty of space for a corrupt org to hide behind its "non-profit" facade.

Many of the most expensive colleges in America are also non-profits: MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Northeastern, UChicago, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, etc.

oldgoldy97 · 10-31-2025, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoSoxFan1999

Non-profit certainly doesn't mean no profits! Just means they can't distribute profits outside the organization. But paying the CEO and his C-suite friends a fat salary and bonuses, "facility upgrades" for those same C-suite buddies ("hey, we need an upscale "customer engagement center" in our headquarters AKA indoor golf simulator with a full service bar)....that's all fair game. Plenty of space for a corrupt org to hide behind its "non-profit" facade.

It was a for profit organization.

oldgoldy97 · 10-31-2025, 08:14 AM

BoSoxFan1999 · 10-31-2025, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

It was a for profit organization.

Well, in that case, no surprise at all they allegedly fleeced people! Lol

SaveMeTheGum · 10-31-2025, 08:15 AM

The lockout is a year away and already the owners are throwing haymakers. I'm going to enjoy 2026 since it might be last year of baseball...

fabiani12333 · 10-31-2025, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

It was a for profit organization.

Players Way seems to have the stated purpose and mission statement of a nonprofit organization, but the disclosure and transparency of a private enterprise.

It's a for-profite venture, but has seemingly not made any significant progress in reaching that objective in the multiple years of its existing -- it's just been wasting money.

hammertime · 10-31-2025, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

It's a for-profite venture, but has seemingly not made any significant progress in reaching that objective in the multiple years of its existing -- it's just been wasting money.

So, the baseball version of the WNBA?

NYRE2PECT · 10-31-2025, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaveMeTheGum

The lockout is a year away and already the owners are throwing haymakers. I'm going to enjoy 2026 since it might be last year of baseball...

It's going to be wild!

fishepa · 10-31-2025, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBTC Baseball

Corruption and a Union...who ever heard of such a thing?!?

They go hand in hand.

auctionjmm · 10-31-2025, 11:32 AM

My favorite part of the story was learning that their corporate address is a UPS mailbox next to a liquor store.

fabiani12333 · 10-31-2025, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by auctionjmm

My favorite part of the story was learning that their corporate address is a UPS mailbox next to a liquor store.

Right? Screams of being a front business.

Weird how the union thought this was going to fly long term.

JeffG1954 · 10-31-2025, 02:48 PM

I wonder if the Feds would have bothered had MLB not allowed the Reagan commercial to be aired during the World Series.

TBTC Baseball · 10-31-2025, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffG1954

I wonder if the Feds would have bothered had MLB not allowed the Reagan commercial to be aired during the World Series.

Wonder no more

Quote:

Players Way was cited in an anonymous whistleblower complaint last November that triggered an ongoing criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn

10-31-2025, 06:16 AM	#1
fulltritty Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: King George, VA Posts: 79,145	Feds investigate for-profit venture that MLBPA sent millions MLB Players Union may be in deep. Feds investigate for-profit venture that MLBPA sent millions https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-sent-millions

10-31-2025, 06:36 AM	#4
Triple B Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Toronto Posts: 6,257	Their headquarters look very nice. __________________ Wanted Dead or Alive! 1. 1997 Bowman's Best Jose Cruz, Jr Atomic Refractor Autograph 2. 1997 SPx Jose Cruz, Jr. Grand Finale /50

10-31-2025, 06:38 AM	#5
KhalDrogo Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Posts: 41,403	Sounds like every non-profit company. __________________ I love PSA!

10-31-2025, 07:15 AM	#9
NYRE2PECT Member Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: San Antonio Posts: 8,265	Shadow Corp, nice. More salt of the earth. __________________ Primarily retired from collecting, but doing a Greatest Sho-man binder thing. I do love California Angels baseball.

10-31-2025, 07:35 AM	#10
TBTC Baseball Member Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: USA Posts: 1,184	Corruption and a Union...who ever heard of such a thing?!? __________________ Looking for: 2011 Topps Trevor Cahill - Platinum,and Printing Plates. Cards of players in Throwback/TBTC/TATC/Negro League jerseys.

10-31-2025, 06:53 AM	#7
premium1981 Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 11,471	Tony Clark may be doing unethical things? No way!!!

10-31-2025, 07:12 AM	#8
hxcmilkshake Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Apopka FL Posts: 11,557 hxcmilkshake	Of course Florida is involved. Damn you Florida! Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

10-31-2025, 07:58 AM	#12
oldgoldy97 Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 52,415	That’s where my taxes went? Unbelievable. __________________ Truly riveting discussion: that’s what your wife/girlfriend/sheep said.

10-31-2025, 08:12 AM	#13
BoSoxFan1999 Member Join Date: Jun 2023 Location: Maryland Posts: 3,142 Bro19999	Non-profit certainly doesn't mean no profits! Just means they can't distribute profits outside the organization. But paying the CEO and his C-suite friends a fat salary and bonuses, "facility upgrades" for those same C-suite buddies (hey, we need an upscale "customer engagement center" in our headquarters AKA indoor golf simulator with a full service bar)....that's all fair game. Plenty of space for a corrupt org to hide behind its "non-profit" facade. Many of the most expensive colleges in America are also non-profits: MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Northeastern, UChicago, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, etc. Last edited by BoSoxFan1999; 10-31-2025 at 08:14 AM.

10-31-2025, 08:14 AM	#15
oldgoldy97 Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 52,415	__________________ Truly riveting discussion: that’s what your wife/girlfriend/sheep said.

10-31-2025, 08:15 AM	#17
SaveMeTheGum Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: NH --> CA --> SC Posts: 16,766 Cardboard_Dynamite CardboardDynamite	The lockout is a year away and already the owners are throwing haymakers. I'm going to enjoy 2026 since it might be last year of baseball... __________________ Pay fast. Ship fast. Deal with people honestly. IG: CardboardDynamite

10-31-2025, 11:32 AM	#22
auctionjmm Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 10,127 auctionjmm	My favorite part of the story was learning that their corporate address is a UPS mailbox next to a liquor store.

10-31-2025, 02:48 PM	#24
JeffG1954 Member Join Date: May 2018 Posts: 3,166	I wonder if the Feds would have bothered had MLB not allowed the Reagan commercial to be aired during the World Series.