Guardian Baseball Looks Forward to an Explosive 2022 During Inaugural Winter Meeting

SARASOTA, FL – Guardian Baseball hosted the inaugural Winter Meetings at The Ritz-Carlton of Sarasota, Florida on January 23 and 24th. The two-day conference brought together vendors from the leading brands in baseball, and social media influencers and professional baseball players of past and present also were in attendance. 

Change doesn’t happen without a catalyst, and Guardian Baseball is committed to being exactly that for the sports e-commerce industry. By bringing more new-age marketing and distribution efforts, Guardian hopes to improve the overall customer experience throughout the industry with the support of its amazing partners.

The Winter Meetings was another step toward this ultimate goal, connecting the Guardian team to the baseball and softball brands in attendance for face-to-face meetings to strategize for 2022 and beyond. 

Branding a Vision: The Brands Behind Guardian Baseball

Guardian Baseball would not exist without the support of its amazing vendors, who work with the brand for product distribution, special releases specific to Guardian Baseball, and more.

Many of these vendor brands were in attendance at the event, including Rawlings, Easton, Marucci, Wilson Sporting Goods, EvoShield, New Balance, Stinger, Axe Bat, All-Star Sporting Goods, Under Armour, G-Form.

The Guardian team hosted a one-on-one meeting with each brand on Monday before gathering that evening for a cocktail party and more relationship-building. For business relationships that were almost entirely based on Zoom calls and online exchanges, gathering in the same room was fruitful for Guardian Baseball and the vendors involved. 

John Nickells of Rawlings said, “It was really great to connect with Guardian Baseball, along with other brands, and discuss ways we can grow together.”

The sentiment was echoed by Brandon Eaton, CEO of Stinger Sports. “It was good to connect with the team at Guardian and get to know some of the representatives from other brands,” Eaton said. “We all have the same goal of growing the great game of baseball, so I think it's awesome that we can all work together to accomplish that.”

Influencing the Future: Influencers and Athletes at The Winter Meetings

Several members of Guardian Baseball’s influencer team attended the Winter Meetings as well. 

Mark Paul, best known as @mpthree on TikTok, spoke at the event on Guardian’s influencer methods and success. 

Marika Lyszczyk, the first female to play catcher on a men’s college baseball team and member of Team Guardian, also spoke during the keynotes sessions, while Guardian athlete Cole Russo was in attendance. 

Major League Players were also speaking and enjoying the festivities of the meetings. Matt Joyce, a 14-year MLB vet, and former All-Star, joined Jacque Jones as two keynote speakers. Jones, a former MLB standout, talked about determination and work – two of Guardian Baseball’s core principles. 

Brett Phillips of the Tampa Bay Rays also joined the Guardian Team for the cocktail party. 

Between the influencers and athletes in attendance, bumping into a familiar place during the Winter Meetings was commonplace. 

Next Up: Guardian Baseball’s excitement builds for 2022

Following the success of the Winter Meetings and the foundation it helped lay for what’s to come, the Guardian Baseball team has big plans for 2022.

February was marked by the release of the Guardian BLAZE cleat, Guardian’s own private-label product that climbed to the top chart of both boys and girls youth cleats. 

More big events are to follow, with more offerings, announcements and surprises slated to run through 2022 and beyond.

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