MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Board of Directors of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball has appointed Joshua E. Schaub as the league’s Commissioner. Schaub will assume the role immediately and succeed league founder Miles Wolff, who retired at the end of 2018 after 13 seasons as Commissioner.
Schaub will serve as the chief executive for the American Association and oversee the American Association’s operations, expansion, technology enhancements, and relationships in professional baseball.
“When the hiring committee put together our list of qualities for our ideal candidates, Joshua’s qualifications, experience, expertise, and enthusiasm stood out,” said Sam Katz, Winnipeg Goldeyes owner and Chairman of the league’s Executive Committee. “He has enormous shoes to fill following Miles Wolff in the Commissioner’s chair, but we are confident that under Joshua’s leadership the American Association will only improve it’s standing among the independent baseball leagues in the country.”
Schaub’s baseball background is extensive. He is the former CEO and co-owner of the Joliet (Ill.) Slammers baseball club of the Frontier League, a board member of the Frontier League and Prospect Leagues and has previously worked in the Milwaukee Brewers scouting department as an intern and associate. Schaub had also previously clerked for the Northern League.
Schaub is an attorney with Gutwein Law based in Minneapolis (Minn.), where he focuses his practice on Sports and Entertainment Law. He serves as the Commissioner and General Counsel of the Major Arena Soccer League and is a co-founder of Da Beauty League, a summer hockey league for college and professional players based in the Twin Cities. In the past, he has served as an adjunct law school professor teaching Sports Law. Schaub is currently a mentor for TechStars Sports Tech accelerator, is a Twin Cities (Minn.) board member for the American Cancer Society, and is the Co Vice Chair of the Sport, Art, and Entertainment section of the Minnesota Bar.
“I come to the American Association with great respect for what was accomplished by Miles Wolff,” said Schaub. “We look to continue what he and his previous staff started and to grow the league in multiple verticals including technology integration, media, professional baseball relations, and of course maintaining the American Association’s professionalism and level of play on the field as we look to become a larger part of the baseball landscape.”
After acquiring an undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in Exercise and Sports Science, Schaub earned his Juris Doctor from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minn. While at William Mitchell, he was the chair of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society.
The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball is a 12-team league that plays a 100-game regular season. Nealry two million fans attend American Association games each summer. Founded in 2006, the American Association has sent over 300 players to Major League Baseball organizations.