DUBAI: The recently launched United International Baseball League (UIBL), a professional baseball league created to serve India, Pakistan and the Middle East, expanded its sports marketing and brand sponsorship infrastructure Wednesday by purchasing a stake in sports management and marketing firm BSB Sports.
BSB Sports, founded by Kash Shaikh, has athlete relationships spanning baseball, basketball, football, mixed martial arts, and collegiate athletics.
The strategic investment calls for Shaikh, who has built two agencies over the last five years – BSB Sports and BSB Group International – to join the UIBL ownership group as its president and chief marketing officer. Shaikh will split time between Cincinnati, New York, and Dubai.
“I’m very grateful to be able to bring someone of Kash’s stature, experience, and values on board,” said Kanwal S. Sra, founder, chairman and CEO, of UIBL. “From the moment we met, I could feel his passion and sense his drive. Kash has a truly unique skill set, including his sports marketing background, international experience, and leadership roles on both the client and agency side, as well as within startup and entrepreneurial companies. But, most importantly, his deep belief in our vision made him the ideal person to help lead our league.”
Shaikh will remain as chairman at BSB Group International, focusing his work on the firm’s largest and most long-term clients. BSB Group International will also serve as the US-based agency of record (AOR) for the UIBL. Shaikh will continue to serve as chief executive officer of BSB Sports, with its baseball infrastructure, relationships and intellectual property shifting under the UIBL.
BSB Sports will retain its own branding and streamline its focus to college athletics, continuing to leverage the NCAA’s new name, image and likeness (NIL) policy to connect athletes with brands. BSB Sports represents more than 300 college athletes across nearly two dozen states in the US.
Shaikh noted: “We have an opportunity to build a sports league from the ground up in a part of the world that’s very meaningful to me. It’s not going to be easy, but nothing of value ever is. I believe our team is ready for the challenge. I’m so grateful to Kanwal, Barry Larkin and the team for trusting me with this opportunity.”
Shaikh was initially connected to Sra via Larkin, who began working with the UIBL due to his decades-long experience in international player development. Shaikh has represented Larkin as his business and brand-building agent for the last two years and will continue to do so in his new role.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but Sra shared that the investment is a mix of both cash and stock. UIBL players will now have access to marketing representation as they begin to build their brands and expand their followings in a completely untapped market.
“We’re excited to introduce our athletes to an entirely new fanbase,” said Shaikh. “India, Pakistan and the Middle East are home to more than two billion people. One billion of them are cricket fans – another bat and ball sport. With the UIBL, we have an opportunity to not only help these fans fall in love with America’s pastime, but we have a chance to help baseball players become stars in a region that loves their heroes.”
Shaikh began his career at Procter & Gamble, spending ten years at P&G in roles that spanned North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He was also an early marketing leader at GoPro, working under founder Nick Woodman prior to the company’s IPO in 2014. Since then, Shaikh has built three companies, including Besomebody, Inc., a media platform focused on Black, Brown and other underserved communities, in addition to BSB and BSB Sports.
Shaikh officially began his role as UIBL president and CMO on August 1.
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