Comparison
Rizzler vs Blue Sombrero — Coaching Platform vs League Administration
Rizzler vs. Blue Sombrero: Coaching Platform vs. League Administration
Rizzler is a coaching platform that gives leagues visibility into what happens on the field — pitch counts, playing time, game planning, and rule compliance. Blue Sombrero (now SportsConnect by Dick's Sporting Goods) is a league administration platform that handles registration, scheduling, website hosting, and communication. Like TeamSnap, Blue Sombrero operates on the logistics side. Rizzler operates on the coaching side.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Rizzler | Blue Sombrero/SportsConnect |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Coaching and game-day tools | League registration and administration |
| Online registration | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| League website builder | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Game scheduling | ✅ Basic (coach-facing) | ✅ Advanced (league-wide) |
| Standings / scores | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| AI lineup builder | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Game planning | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| In-game scoring | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Pitch count tracking | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Playing time monitoring | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Rule compliance | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Organization dashboard | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (admin dashboard for registration/scheduling) |
| Price | Free / $14.99/mo / $799/yr | Free for leagues (subsidized by Dick's) |
What Is Blue Sombrero / SportsConnect?
Blue Sombrero (rebranded as SportsConnect) is a free league administration platform owned by Dick's Sporting Goods. It provides league websites, online registration, payment processing, scheduling, team formation, and basic communication tools. Many Little Leagues use it because it's free and handles the business side of running a league.
What Is Rizzler?
Rizzler is a coaching platform for youth baseball and softball that covers game planning, AI lineups, pitch tracking, in-game scoring, player evaluations, tournament planning, and league-wide compliance monitoring via the organization dashboard.
Why Leagues Need Both
Blue Sombrero handles what happens before the season starts — registration, payments, team formation, scheduling. Rizzler handles what happens once the season starts — coaching, game planning, rule compliance, and playing time fairness.
A league running Blue Sombrero without Rizzler has a great registration system and no visibility into whether coaches are following pitch count rules. A league running Rizzler without Blue Sombrero has great coaching tools but needs another platform for registration and scheduling.
The combination gives you complete coverage: Blue Sombrero for the front office, Rizzler for the field.
For League Administrators
If you're evaluating tools for your league, the question isn't "Rizzler or Blue Sombrero?" It's "do we also need Rizzler in addition to our registration platform?"
The answer depends on how much visibility you want into what happens on game day. If pitch count compliance, playing time fairness, and rule enforcement are priorities for your board, Rizzler's League & Club plan fills the gap that Blue Sombrero can't.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Blue Sombrero really free?
Yes. SportsConnect (Blue Sombrero) is subsidized by Dick's Sporting Goods and free for youth sports organizations. There may be transaction fees on registration payments.
Can I use Rizzler without Blue Sombrero?
Yes. Rizzler is completely independent. You don't need any league administration platform to use Rizzler for coaching.
Does Rizzler integrate with Blue Sombrero?
There's no direct integration currently. Rosters, schedules, and team data are managed independently in each system.
Which should our league adopt first?
Most leagues start with a registration/scheduling platform (Blue Sombrero, TeamSnap, etc.) and add Rizzler when they want to improve coaching quality and rule compliance across the organization.
Give your coaches professional tools and your board real oversight. Learn about Rizzler for leagues or compare plans.
