The Men’s Senior Baseball League (MSBL)/Men’s Adult Baseball League (MABL) is a national organization in the United States, with 325 local affiliates, 3,200 teams, and 45,000 members who play organized amateur baseball in local leagues, 30 regional tournaments and six national tournaments.
Contents
History
The Men’s Senior Baseball League (MSBL)/Men’s Adult Baseball League (MABL) is an amateur baseball league for adults 18 years of age and older was founded by Steve Sigler in 1988. Soon after, Steve established the MSBL/MABL World Series and Fall Classic which take place every October/November in Arizona and Florida, respectively, playing on almost exclusively MLB Spring Training fields. There are also two tournaments held over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in January, the MSBL/MABL Holiday Classic at Disney which is held at the Atlanta Braves spring training facility in Orlando and the Desert Classic which takes place in Palm Springs, CA. The Las Vegas Kickoff Classic is held in early-mid March in Las Vegas and local chapters hold regional tournaments over Memorial Day, Independenced Day and Labor Day.
Purpose
The MSBL/MABL is committed to providing the player who is age 18 & over, 25 & over, 35 & over and 45 & over the opportunity to play over-priced baseball at a competitive level on a regular basis in a professionally run environment, although commissioners and board members of the local leagues are not paid. The MSBL/MABL World Series and Fall Classic also offers 48+, 58+, 65+ and Father/Son Divisions.
Profile
The MSBL/MABL is the fastest-growing adult baseball organization in the country. Started in 1986 with 60 members, the MSBL/MABL is now 45,000 strong. Within a few years, membership is projected to exceed 50,000.
Aside from a few rule changes, the MSBL/MABL conforms to standard baseball rules, with major league style or replica uniforms, carefully kept statistics, (though not all teams keep statistics or use the MSBL score books), and nine-inning games played once a week, generally on Sundays.
Both the MSBL and the MABL plan to expand by establishing local MSBL profit-generating units in communities where programs do not exist, and also by welcoming existing amateur hardball leagues to become profit-generating MSBL affiliates.
Organization & membership
National organization with 325 local leagues across the U.S.
1992 membership 20,000 1993 membership 26,000 1994 membership 30,000 1995 membership 33,000 1996 membership 36,000 1997 membership 38,000 1998 membership 40,000 1999 membership 42,000 2004 membership 45,000
Local member leagues of the Men’s Senior Baseball League are required to submit annual payments to Steve Sigler at MSBL in New York. Payments are calculated by multiplying $26 by the number of players in the league. For example, the Twin City MSBL has 40 teams or about 600 players. The commissioner of the Twin City MSBL is required to submit a single, annual payment in the amount of $15,600. In return, Steve Sigler sends the league 40 MSBL score books with a total value of about $400. Apart from MSBL score books, local leagues do not receive financial or other assistance with pre-season planning or the weekly operation of the league from MSBL National in New York. This fee, $15,600 less $400 for score books, is simply the cost for Twin City amateur baseball players to be an MSBL affiliate.
Annual revenue from all MSBL affiliates in the U.S., not including revenue from the 30 regional and national MSBL tournaments each year, are in excess of $1.1 million. This figure is calculated by multiplying required player registration fee of $26 by 45,000. Looking at it from an individual perspective, players send $26 through their local affiliate to Steve Sigler and receive 69 cents of value in return in the form of score books.
Business Model & Profitability
The MSBL has a tremendous profit generating system in place with almost no overhead or labor costs while enjoying zero liability.
It's very simple in its design. MSBL players across the nation fund the operation while unpaid middle management, (local league commissioners and board members), organize and maintain the business. Steve Sigler, in Melville, NY, collects the profits.
A single local league with 30 teams generates a profit of $11,700 for Mr. Sigler. Mr. Sigler's responsibilities to that league are limited to sending that league 30 MSBL score books once per year. Multiply that by the 300+ MSBL leagues/45,000 players around the country and the profitability of the MSBL is evident.
In addition, there are 30 regional and national MSBL tournaments each year. Despite the stated rule that MSBL tournament participants must be members of local MSBL affiliates, players or teams not affiliated in any way with MSBL/MSBL National may participate. Each non-MSBL participant must simply pay a $26 tournament registration fee directly to MSBL National rather than through their local MSBL affiliate. MSBL affiliate commissioners/presidents, generally, are under the false assumption that they must remain an MSBL affiliate to continue their participation in MSBL tournaments. This is why local affiliates are hesitant to insist on lower fees paid to MSBL National or to dissociate themselves with MSBL National and its extravagant annual fees.
It's estimated that gross revenues of MSBL, which includes local league play and regional and national tournaments, exceed $2 million annually with few expenses and virtually no overhead.
It's likely that fewer than 2% of MSBL players understand the business structure of the MSBL.