Sponsors of the annual Congressional Baseball Game include the second- and third-largest lobbying firms by revenue, three of the four firms that spend the most on lobbying, and two firms that have recently attracted unwanted attention from members of Congress.
The contest pits Republicans against Democrats, with proceeds going to charity, but the winners also include essential Washington lobbying firms, trade associations and corporations that have spent between $1,000 and $100,000 to get their names in front of lawmakers and staffers who cover their issues, and even more to host receptions at Nationals Park.
The event is held annually to raise money for charities such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, but it also provides company officials and lobbyists with an opportunity to meet with lawmakers and their employees who oversee their industries and clients. They can watch the match from the stands or from the apartments with invited guests.
“This is what we call a giant schmoozefest,” he said Craig Holmanwho lobbies on campaign finance issues and lobbying for Public Citizen.
The National Association of Realtorswhich spent $15.5 million on lobbying from January to March – second only to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – will have a presence on the field. It will be the same Pharmaceutical research and manufacturers in Americathe third largest lobbying spender this year with $12.3 million and the fourth largest General Motors ($11.4 million). Ford and Toyota will also be apparent during the game.
Lobbying company BGR Groupwhose clients include Bayer, BP and Delta Air Lines, will also be there. The company posted revenue of $20.8 million in the first three months of the year, second only to Ballard Partnerswhose founder Brian Ballard has close ties to the Trump administration.
The No. 3-ranked lobbying firm in terms of revenue will also be present, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreckwhich by the end of March had generated revenues of $20.3 million this year. Its clients include Duke Energy, FedEx Corp. and Paramount Skydance, the parent company of CBS.
The match will be broadcast live on the Fox Sports FS1 cable channel. His parent, Fox Companyspent $1.2 million on lobbying in the first three months of the year.
In addition to Fox, event donors include Comcast (owner of NBC) and Walt Disney Co. (ABC owner).
“This is the perfect opportunity for influence peddling,” Holman said. “Corporations can buy a lot of places and they let their lobbyists go and basically make all this noise.”
Fox is one of the nine largest donors, according to the event’s website. Others include Aflac, Google and Visa.
From January to March, they spent a total of $15.5 million trying to influence Congress and the executive branch.
“Almost everyone will be represented there, from lawmakers to their staff,” Holman said. “Any corporation that spends money to influence Congress is likely to be represented there as well.”
Companies that donate $100,000 will be able to take part in pre-game ceremonies, take photos on the pitch with managers and guests, take over the stadium facilities for their own event, attend a private reception and breakfast, set the table in the plaza where fans enter the pitch and hand out branded materials. They can also display company advertisements on the scoreboard between rounds and place their logo on the scoreboard, on the event website and in the printed match program.
One of the $50,000 donors is Kalshi, a federally regulated exchange that allows people to bet on the outcome of future events. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) last month announced an investigation insider trading fees on Kalshi and another prediction market platform, Polymarket. Comer expressed concern that their account holders were “using non-public information to engage in insider training.”
During the match, Kalshi’s logo will appear on the scoreboards and in the program. That’s it on the website Congress Charity Baseball Game. The company will be able to broadcast an advertisement on the scoreboard between rounds, set up a table in the square where ticket holders will enter the National Park to hand out gifts, attend private receptions and obtain tickets to the match itself.
“Kalshi is proud to support the Congressional Baseball Game, a long-standing, bipartisan tradition that raises millions of dollars each year for children and families throughout the D.C. metropolitan area,” spokeswoman Jackie McGavick he said.
Kalshi spent $490,000 to lobby in the first three months of 2026.
Concert booking agency Live Nation Entertainment contributed $25,000, which provides similar benefits. Last month, Congressional Democrats held a forum on Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster, which sells tickets to these concerts. Business spent $340,000 on lobbying from January to March.
Under President Joe BidenThe United States Department of Justice sued the companies on antitrust grounds, but the agency, pursuant to Art President Donald Trump quickly achieved much criticized agreement without waiting for the verdict.
More than 30 state attorneys general, who filed and won their own antitrust suit, are seeking to dissolve the company.
Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Donors also include several higher education institutions, including the University of Tennessee ($25,000 level), the State University of New York ($10,000) and the Texas A&M University system ($2,500).
