Is Perfect Game Too Big to Fail? [PG's Kash Shaikh Visits the Mixtape]

I’ve spoken to Kash Shaikh before. Kash’s mission-driven attitude is infectious, and his enthusiasm is contagious. You may remember him from his two previous appearances on the Black Baseball Mixtape podcast. In both episodes, Kash talked about his role as founder and CEO of Baseball United. This visit is different — Kash is different. For the first time in person, I spoke with Kash, now the Chief Marketing Officer for Perfect Game — the largest amateur baseball organization in the country. Kash’s mission is to grow PG both domestically and internationally.Perfect Game is one of those ubiquitous organizations involved in everything amateur baseball. I bet you the majority of all players in MLB have had some interaction with PG at some point in their career. But do you really know how involved Perfect Game is in setting the standard for a multi-billion-dollar youth baseball industry? Let me tell you, PG is heavily involved. But does that mean PG is responsible for the current travel ball structure? Is PG responsible for the cost of every travel organization? The actions of every travel coach? They can’t possibly be responsible for all of that, right? What I can share is that PG takes the hit for a lot of things, good and bad, within the travel ball ecosystem. The honest answer is more complex, so I’ll let Kash explain. PG is indeed the leader within amateur baseball. PG’s decisions affect the entire travel ball landscape. They wear that mantle with pride, but it’s also true that some things are beyond PG’s control.Last weekend, I set out to better understand Perfect Game. This is just the start of my journey. I thank Perfect Game and my friend Kash for sitting down with the Black Baseball Mixtape and sharing this conversation with our community.