CEO Josh Shapiro’s obsession with baseball has always been a part of his life. When he was 15 years old, he had a dream to be a shortstop for the New York Yankees, like his idol, Derek Jeter.

When he wasn’t on the field or watching games on television, Josh was thinking about baseball. He was reading articles on ESPN and scrolling through social media, looking at pictures and videos of the sport he loved.

One day, Josh did something that would change his life forever. He created an Instagram account strictly to talk about baseball. 

On March 13th, 2013, Baseball Lifestyle 101 was born.

BL101 began as an Instagram account started by a baseball obsessed teenager on his couch that started a community and has grown into something bigger than he ever could’ve imagined. 

As the account grew, Josh began working more with his mentor, and now co-owner, Bill Rom, to help grow the account to a big following. Outreach became a major factor in BL101’s growth, messaging companies of all sizes to find any interest in what the brand had to offer.

This community has grown into one of the largest social media and apparel companies in the baseball industry, and the clothing that has grown the company into what it has become today reflects all of the best aspects of baseball, whether it be from a player or a fan standpoint.

The key part in Josh’s journey from the company’s beginning is that he accomplished these things despite his age and found a way to take his passion for baseball and continue it beyond the end of his playing career.

“Nancy and I thought it would be a fun way for Josh to learn about business, but I knew it was something special when I heard him making deals with guys twice his age,” said Josh’s father, Marc.

Today, Baseball Lifestyle has over 100 employees and can be found in various sporting goods stores around the country, like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Scheels, and Academy. The community built at BL101 has grown with the company’s success and the mission to grow the love of baseball stands true every day.

In April 2024, BL101 moved out of their original warehouse and relocated to a space that was over four times bigger than the previous location, and have since expanded so much that led to the purchase of another warehouse across the country to further help operations and meeting the numbers needed to efficiently ship out products of each collection.

“We aren’t only a Baseball Lifestyle apparel company. We are a group of people whose lives are ingrained in baseball, and bleed that passion into our work and lives every day. Our mission is to provide baseball fans not only great t-shirts and clothing, but a chance to connect with the ever-growing community throughout the country. Whether you are an 11-year-old, or a 10-year MLB veteran, if you are living a baseball lifestyle, then you are our family too,” said Rom.

The journey at Baseball Lifestyle has brought our brand around the country to some of the biggest venues has to offer, and we will continue to spread our love of baseball and our brand to not just baseball fans, but everyone that is looking for the best off-field apparel the industry has to offer.

Josh Shapiro // CEO & Founder