A youth baseball company owned and created by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is under federal investigation for how it has allocated resources, according to ESPN.
Players Way, based out of Florida, spent at least $3.9 million but has not hosted many live events while barely clearing “six figures” in revenue since its 2019 inception, per the report.
The criminal investigation reportedly is being run by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, which issued the recent indictments for Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones, along with syndicated crime members, in the NBA gambling scandal.
Players Way launched in 2019 and its website states that it’s the “official youth development initiative” of the MLBPA and is supported by current and former players.
Featured prominently on the homepage is a quote from MLBPA executive director Tony Clark touting the program’s mission, stating the company was founded “to provide you with access to current and former professional players who want to share their knowledge and experience.”
A former finance official alleges that Clark approved six-figure payments to Players Way, a company which another ex-official labeled as a “total waste of money.”
“From its creation in 2019, the mission of Players Way has been clear: To empower tomorrow’s generation of players by providing access to the knowledge, experience, and talents of the best our game has to offer — our current and former members — and to serve as an oasis for young athletes and families who too often get exploited in today’s billion-dollar ‘youth sports’ machinery,” Clark told ESPN in a statement.
“Any suggestion that Players Way has not been supported by our elected Player representatives and broader membership is patently false. Players Way has been front and center at every annual meeting of the MLBPA Executive Board in recent memory, and our dialogue with Players regarding youth development continues throughout the calendar.”
An anonymous complaint filed last November accused Clark of “self-dealing, misuse of resources and abuse of power at the union,” plus nepotism in relation to how Players Way is operated, per ESPN.
The MLBPA told ESPN at the time that the allegations were “entirely without merit,” and Clark and other top union officials have since described the accusations as “baseless” to ESPN.
Former union executives allege Clark placed some confidants within the company, while the whistleblower complaint says one of Clark’s daughters worked for Players Way. He’s also accused of arranging for her to work at another union because of his influence, and she joined the NFL Players Association in 2022.
She reportedly resigned in 2024 following some backlash from union officials who opposed Clark, having earned $13,300 from the union for serving as a Players Way consultant.
MLBPA officials have said they invested $3.9 million into Players Way, but the real figure is closer to $10 million, according to ESPN.
That money allegedly is most directed toward paying executives and consultants $100,000-plus salaries, and a former senior union official detailed Players Way’s financial situation to ESPN as a “black box.”
The union told ESPN that Players Way held six youth clinics, four “mental skills webinars” and a few “panel discussions” from 2019 through November 2024, and there reportedly has been an uptick in events coinciding with the investigation.
“We had no events, we had no activities, we are not publicizing, we are not partnering with other youth groups,” a former official told ESPN. “There was no clear goal.”
Union executives would not discuss to ESPN how Players Way has spent the money it has received and whether it falls under the “discretionary” part of the MLBPA’s budget.
Several former union executives told ESPN that Players Way did not follow “standard” accounting directives and senior-level finance workers did not know the program’s budget.
An MLBPA official told ESPN that Players Way did not have a budget and was “part of the overall org budget” and insisted that finances were tracked like any other MLBPA enterprise.
Union filings available to the public list the MLBPA giving Players Way $83,550, but “nearly all the $3,891,249 the union said Players Way has spent came from Players Inc.,” per ESPN.
MLB Players Inc. is the “for-profit corporate subsidiary of the Players Association.”
The union told ESPN that Players Way spent $181,054 and maxed at $1,127,656 in 2024, with $647,058 being used this year.
However, sources told ESPN that Players Inc. has contributed much more, allegedly contributing more than $2 million over an 18-month period and $1 million during times where money was tight.
Players Way allegedly spent $1.2 million from 2022-24 that had been given by Fanatics Inc., the mega apparel company and sportsbook that partners with the MLBPA.
Fanatics reportedly agreed to pay the union $400,000 yearly from 2022-24 to contribute to youth baseball causes after agreeing to an exclusive licensing deal regarding cards.
“We were and continue to be excited to invest with MLBPA in Players Way as part of our multi-billion-dollar long-term partnership,” a Fanatics spokesman told ESPN.
“Youth baseball development is critical to the success of the sport and we have complete confidence that the MLBPA will invest the funds in a way that creates long-term value for all parties involved.”
One higher-up player in the union expressed concern to ESPN, saying “It doesn’t matter how much we’ve made. Waste is waste.”
“And given the level of frustration we’ve had with [union leadership] about this sort of stuff, it’s going to come up,” the individual told the outlet. “Whenever Players Way is mentioned, we all just nod along. But I don’t think any of us realized it cost as much as it did.”
This is not the first time in recent memory that the union’s finances have come under the spotlight, with the MLBPA’s connection with OneTeam Partners previously coming under investigation.
Sources told ESPN that the investigation broadened to include Players Way.
Investigators have asked individuals about allegations of extravagant spending by the union on world trips for Clark and other top executives, per the report.
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