From Nine Innings to Nine Seconds: Baseball’s TikTok Success
By Kyle Minall
I played baseball my entire life. My freshman year of college was devoted to it, as well as most summers of my youth.
Yet I cannot bring myself to watch it.
Viewers’ attention spans have gotten shorter as social media has taken over, leaving America’s pastime to be viewed as a relic. Too much time between pitches, nine full innings with no offensive excitement, and the general sleepy hum of the game pushes young viewers to watch TikTok instead.
If only there was a way to leverage TikTok to advertise to them…
According to a recent article by The Times of India, Major League Baseball (MLB) has done just that. In 2026, MLB established a foothold within TikTok’s platform, creating their own “MLB HUB" section within the app.
MLB HUB features a central access area for short-form highlights, interviews, and advertisements. Only baseball’s most exciting moments are shown, with towering homeruns and clutch hits taking center stage (which as a former pitcher hurts to watch). Showcasing a game’s highlights helps draw in young audiences while showing the truly dynamic nature of baseball.
If audiences can understand how much one swing, one pitch, or one botched ground ball can change a game, it may be easier to retain their attention. MLB has reflected this in their recent commercial efforts as well, formatting their television ads like short-form content.
Short-form highlights also feature tickets and merchandise links. Real-time updates and advertisements can be catered to the exact fan interacting with the medium, helping drive MLB’s engagement and revenue through the platform. Sponsors are able to attach themselves to these mediums, helping to increase the value (and thus the cost) of future social media partnerships.
Narrative Based Advertising:
Players’ personalities also shine though their highlights, helping to humanize players who short-form audiences may aspire to be. Certain creators are even allowed to leverage historical footage to increase the context of monumental achievements. MLB is using a short-form style to hook viewers on patience, understanding, and adrenaline surges caused by the game's most dynamic players.
For baseball, especially, stories and mental stability drive success. Fans tend to see very little of players’ personalities off the field, and social media serves to bridge that gap and show the person behind the player. Engaging international audiences takes priority here, as many players are first-generation immigrants from Latin and Asian countries. Standout players like Shohei Ohtani can now tell their stories directly to children from their home countries, inspiring the love for baseball in Gen Z audiences around the globe.
Implications for future Advertising:
Visibility into non-linear marketing efforts has been pivotal to baseball's recent viewership turnaround. The MLB has relied on broadcast and legacy media outlets for dissemination of its product for decades and was sluggish to make the switch to social media. This partnership with TikTok shows legitimate implications for MLB’s future allocation of media dollars.
Older audiences are far less likely to use the app, showing a true organizational turning point towards young audiences. However, even while targeting older audiences, MLB has adopted the short-form, flashy editing style that appeals predominantly to young people. Some TV ads will even format highlights vertically. This helps to tie baseball into modernity by association with social media, subliminally pushing their social channels while on TV.
Overall production value has also increased in the last few years. MLB has lobbied to have marquee events (such as Sunday Night Baseball) become advertised on streaming platforms and social media. They have also filmed intros for events like Sunday Night Football. They’ve even adopted a Kelly Clarkson-like theme song, featuring a country band and matching the stage and aesthetics of the popular intro.
TikTok’s Other Offerings:
MLB can now leverage all of TikTok’s consumer data and help gauge what draws young audiences best. Real time data tells MLB exactly what does (or what does not) drive conversions from their messages, especially in merchandise and ticket purchasing.
The algorithm can also promote live games, helping drive likes on a highlight reel into a live viewer. New revenue streams can help re-direct money into growth efforts, helping snowball the sport and its athletes' popularity globally.
Finally, players are now encouraged to develop and expand their own personal brands through TikTok. Behind-the-scenes looks into daily lives, practices, or a player’s personality can now be pushed alongside MLB’s own messaging and highlights.
Why Does It Matter?
The once dying MLB has seen an absurd resurgence post COVID, providing a blueprint to any brand looking to revitalize themselves to a younger audience. Overhauls to the game (like a pitch clock) go hand in hand with fresh and engaging marketing, helping to draw in a generation that “never” looks up from their phones.
Highlight reels have provided an accessible gateway for Gen Z audiences to devote their attention to a three hour game. Suspense is created from the potential of a home run at any moment or a fight breaking out over one hit batsman.
MLB is betting on attention-grabbing moments for attention-retaining audiences, and so far, it's a home run.