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JomBoy Meets World

MLB’s partnership with viral video guru James O’Brien, a.k.a. JomBoy, reflects the league’s increasingly sophisticated approach to winning over Gen Z viewers who aren’t watching TV: If you can’t beat them, join them.

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Rob Manfred
JomBoy also caught the eye of commissioner Rob Manfred: Last June, MLB took a stake in O’Brien’s channel, incorporating his viral videos into MLB feeds and giving the 37-year-old creator the green light to use MLB content on his channels. Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Julia Alexander
April 7, 2026

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A couple of years ago, I was introduced to James “JomBoy” O’Brien’s YouTube channel after a die-hard Yankees buddy shared one of his now-famous MLB lip-reading videos in our baseball group chat. Overnight, O’Brien’s baseball content became an integral part of my daily online diet. Naturally, JomBoy also caught the eye of commissioner Rob Manfred: Last June, MLB took a stake in O’Brien’s channel, incorporating his viral videos into MLB feeds and giving the 37-year-old creator the green light to use MLB content on his channels.

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