Audio Timeline:
(1:20) - Business of Athletes
NBA forward Kevin Love invested in the Series A round of Thesis, a maker of personalized brain supplements focused on mental performance.
Burnley FC received minority investments from retired NFL star JJ Watt and his wife Kealia Watt, a former NWSL soccer player.
Aaron Rodger’s RX3 Ventures has raised $150 million from athletes and celebrities for its second consumer-focused growth equity fund.
NFL linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux and NBA guard Spencer Dinwiddie have become team owners in the US Masters T10 cricket league.
More MLP pickleball team owners have surfaced in Josh Allen, Jayson Tatum, Haley Jones, and Zach LaVine.
(6:30) - College Sports/NIL
Attorneys for the NCAA and the Power Five conferences filed a 50-page brief opposing a motion for class certification in In Re College Athlete NIL Litigation (also called House v. NCAA).
Over 40 college athletes at Iowa & Iowa State have been suspended for gambling in violation of NCAA policies.
Highly-touted transfer Hunter Dickinson reveals he made ~$100,000 at Michigan opening up his decision to transfer to Kansas.
Technology provider Stack Sports has partnered with NIL solution, Icon Source, to help build a marketplace for high school athletes.
The Chicago White Sox have signed 8 more college athletes, adding to their CHISOX Athlete NIL roster.
(10:25) - Sports Business
Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports Group acquired ELITE Athlete Management, bringing over 35 NFL clients including Odell Beckham Jr.
Trace has unveiled an AI-based PlayerFocus platform that spotlights individual soccer players and aggregates their footage into a single short-form video.
Jake Paul’s micro-betting app, Betr, has acquired the gaming solutions platform Chameleon from FansUnite.
MLS and ai.io announced a partnership that will help grant soccer players a chance to be scouted by the league for free, without having to travel.
Florida Democratic donors are hoping to recruit NBA legends Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill to run for Senate against Rick Scott in 2024.
Former NFL player Tully Banta-Cain launches the first-ever Beach Football League (BFL) set to debut Terrell Owners, Jaime Collins, etc.
Interesting Stat
Pickleball’s growth is wild 👀
2016 - 2023:
12,000 courts ➔ 44,000 courts
2 million players ➔ 36.5 million players
0 professional leagues ➔ 3 (MLP, APP, PPA)
Short Passage of The Week
5 strategies to avoid getting stuck in a rut:
Make time every day to sit in stillness, self-reflect, and check in with yourself.
Aim to have people in your life that care enough about you to help you see your blind spots.
Prioritize your self-care and make sure your own bucket is full.
Focus on work that you find meaningful, in service of others, and that contributes to something bigger than yourself.
Prioritize your personal development.
Source: Alan Stein, Sustain Your Game
Media
Saudi money has greatly impacted this year’s list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
Interesting Stat #2
Average game times (in hours):
🏀 NBA: 2:16
🏒 NHL: 2:29
⚾️ MLB: 2:38
🏈 NFL: 3:02
🏈 FBS: 3:21
To me, the perfect amount of time is 2 hours.
Stats via NBA, NHL, NFL, Baseball Referree, SI
Business Jargon
1 million users is a big accomplishment for any tech company…
This still blows my mind:
ChatGPT smoked all the records reaching it in 5 days. So I asked it how a new product could replicate the success.
Here’s what it said:
𝐁𝐮𝐳𝐳 & 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: This is achieved through effective marketing campaigns, teaser trailers, social media promotions, press releases, and influencer partnerships.
𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Implementing referral programs or incentives that reward users for inviting others to download the product can help generate viral momentum.
𝐀𝐩𝐩 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐀𝐒𝐎): Using relevant keywords, crafting an appealing app description, creating eye-catching visuals, and leveraging positive user reviews and ratings is great for ASO.
𝐖𝐢𝐝𝐞-𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬: Making the product available on multiple platforms and app stores can expand its reach. Supporting popular platforms include the web, iOS, and Android.
𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Collaborate with thought leaders in relevant industries to create awareness, credibility, and a sense of trust around the product.
𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞/𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐬: Offering the product for free without financial commitment lowers the barrier to entry and increases the likelihood of widespread adoption.
𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Have a compelling value proposition that solves a problem, addresses a specific need, or offers a significant improvement over existing solutions.
𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐔𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬: Delivering a high-quality, user-friendly, and well-designed product is crucial. Word-of-mouth ensues if the product performs well, is intuitive to use, and provides value.
There's a lot more nuance to this...but overall that's a great playbook.
Quote
“Luck has a peculiar habit of favoring those who don’t depend on it.“ – Unknown
Thanks for tuning in today!
Peace,
-AP
Weekly Roundup: Business of Athletes, Sports, & NIL (May 1-14)