How One Major League Baseball Team Is Going to Bat with Rookie Sports BusinessesWant to work with the L.A. Dodgers? We have details on their new accelerator program.

With the North American sports market growing at an annual rate of 4.5 percent, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, it's no surprise that professional athletics organizations are pouring resources into helping young companies develop related products and services.

This year saw the launch of the Los Angeles Dodgers Sports and Entertainment Accelerator, geared toward supporting emerging category leaders and mentoring startups at the intersection of sports, technology and entertainment. The mentor network includes Dodgers owners and experienced investors, as well as entertainment executives from across the U.S. The Dodgers partnered with digital agency R/GA, which runs its own tech-centric startup accelerator, to offer additional business strategy and branding.