page_title: Lewis & Clark Baseball League
section_title: Corporate Sponsors & Vendors
hierarchical_section_title: Lewis & Clark Baseball League / Administrative Structure / Corporate Sponsors & Vendors
caption_attribution_description: Town Coopers "TC" logo
context_page_description: The Lewis & Clark Baseball League, or LCBL, was a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of the top college players from the St. Louis metropolitan area and beyond. Founded by Nicholas R. A. Mahrt in 2013, this upstart amateur baseball season runs from June through early August in the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is a non-profit organization and the charter member of the Commonwealth Leagues United — a nationwide collection of baseball leagues that put the emphasis on student-athlete's summer work/study opportunities. Players are not paid, as to maintain their college eligibility and amateur status; their ages range from 18-23.
context_section_description: A large portion of the LCBL's operating expenses are covered by the registration fees. But with an expressed desire to continually lower the players' fees, the league requires alternative revenue streams to fill the void. One key piece to this economic model is the generous support of local companies. As the LCBL gains sponsors, the players reap the benefits.
  Prior to each season, many St. Louis-based companies are asked to take part in Find Your Way Program — the hiring of LCBL players for the summer. Several participants go well beyond providing just an employment opportunity; working with the league to further assist the players they hire. By donating money to the LCBL, the companies indirectly lower the registration fee, and the players keep more of their hard-earned paycheck.
  While Rawlings served as the title sponsor in year one, Miller Orthopedics took over the primary sponsorship in 2014 — and is its sports medicine caretaker. Additionally,  the LCBL and the St. Louis Cardinals and Busch Stadium staff enjoy a thorough and close professional relationship. Penn Station provides players with sandwiches between double-headers.
  For training and recovery, each LCBL team is equipped with Crossover Symmetry bands. The shoulder-strengthening exercises act as preventative medicine for pitchers especially. Teams also have access to All-Star Performance, an indoor facility run by former major leaguers Matt Whiteside and Scott Cooper. There, managers can work on defensive drills, batting practice, bullpen sessions, and weightlifting throughout the season.
  The league uses St. Louis-based Spoke Marketing for their advertising plan, while the interactive LCBL website was created by Sports Ngin out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  League executives have gone as far as creating their own corporate sponsors. Mahrt and Clites have teamed up to launch several baseball business ventures since the formation of the Lewis & Clark Baseball League. Each complementary revenue source serves the league, but also uses its notoriety to cross-market. Town Coopers Baseball is an all-encompassing brand, from apparel to baseball product development. In 2013, Town Coopers expanded onto the field with a youth travel program — 15U, 16U, 17U, and 18U teams that will one day funnel their alumni into the Lewis & Clark Baseball League.
  Needing a channel to sell Town Coopers and LCBL merchandise, Mahrt looked to create an online marketplace. He launched Gourmet Baseball in August 2013. The boutique site is designed to exclusively carry premium baseball brands like Victory and 22Fresh. Mahrt desired an interface unlike the typical online sporting goods store; one that would operate more like CNET does for the computer industry. He would ask, "when a retail chain shows a parent over 60 youth bats, how are they supposed to pick one?" Countless new offerings inundate the consumer each year, so Gourmet Baseball aims to streamline the buying process with rankings based on user testing. Mahrt's site carries only the top-rated products, showcasing the niche brands, and never offers models from the previous year.
  The league itself is a trade name for a parent company and overriding corporate sponsor. Mahrt created the Leagues of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2012 to stand for a series of summer college baseball leagues in the same portfolio. The Lewis & Clark Baseball League is its first d/b/a.
caption: Town Coopers logo: "T" made to look like an adze, a tool used by coopers
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