YouTubers + Athletes Just Bought a Pro Team: WTF is Going On?

Entertainment and sports are colliding at record rates (+ weekly roundup of important stories).

YouTubers have just purchased a Premier League football club. 

When I first saw this headline, I thought it was a joke — reality does seem to get stranger every day.

But it’s 100% true…

YouTube sports group Dude Perfect has purchased a stake in Premier League club Burnley FC.

What the heck is going on?

Let’s Dive In 👇

Burnley’s Owners Seek Innovation

Why would some YouTubers who gained fame and fortune through trick shots now want to become part owners of a Premier League club? 

Well, the answer becomes clearer when you look closer at Burnley Football Club.

For years, Burnley was an outsider in the Premier League:

• underdogs

• avoided fancy players

• aggressive style of play

That was until 2020 when the club was purchased by the U.S. investment fund ALK Capital.

The new owners had their eyes on innovation:

• brought in former Man City defender Vincent Kompany as manager

• NFL player Malcolm Jenkins invested in 2021

• Retired NFL star JJ Watt and his wife became investors earlier this year

Even better, the club transformed into an exciting and modern team that was promoted back to the Premier League with ease. 

So, where does Dude Perfect fit in? 

Dude Perfect and Burnley FC

ALK Capital is not done modernizing the club:

• wants to promote Burnley to a younger audience

• grow its international fanbase (which is essentially non-existent) 

For this, Dude Perfect is…perfect.

They boast 91 million followers across social media (60m on YouTube).

Their audience is not only global but also young, with the five to 16-year-old demographic being the channel’s most significant and loyal audience segment. 

For Premier League clubs, this is gold.

Young fans, especially those in America, are just now starting to pick up Premier League football and will look to their favorite influencers for help deciding who to support. 

Benefits For Dude Perfect

Burnely’s new association with Dude Perfect should not only guarantee new fans but also boost the club’s wider profile (making it more attractive to sponsors).

So what does Dude Perfect get from this?

On paper, any boost to Burnley will increase the value of their investment (no public details on this).

Burnley FC Value Over Time

It’s possible that Dude Perfect has reached a deal in which they were granted an extremely small percentage of the club in return for their services promoting the club on social media. 

This actually fits a recent trend in sports…

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney recently were given a stake in the Alpine F1 team in return for help promoting the team. 

Looking Ahead

The mixing of creators, entertainers, influencers, and athletes with pro sports teams continues to increase.

These individuals (or small groups like Dude Perfect) are a marketing dream for clubs willing to grant them equity or let them invest.

Due to the upside nature of European Soccer promotion, we’re seeing a rush to set up these partnerships.

For teams & leagues looking to increase their exposure — hitting up influential individuals with eyeballs and influence is the way to go.

Exciting times ahead.

Podcast 🎙

Today’s guest is Tom Waterhouse.

In 2013, Tom Waterhouse (.com) sold to William Hill Australia for a 20x plus exit which was forrayed into Waterhouse VC.

You’ll enjoy this episode as we discuss:

• Personal branding advantages

• Interesting sports tech solutions

• Gaming, Gambling, and Wagering

Check out the podcast episode here.

𝘛𝘰𝘮 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 4𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷o.

---

🗞️ Weekly Roundup

🥇💵 Business of Athletes

• Texas Ranchers (Major League Pickleball) welcomed CJ Stroud, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Bijan Robinson, & Scottie Scheffler as investors.

• NBA coaches Steve Kerr and Steve Nash invested in La Liga club RCD Mallorca.

• Baker Mayfield in a legal battle with father's company over missing $12 million.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo invested in TGL’s Los Angeles Golf Club.

🎟 🏟 College Sports/NIL

• Reggie Bush is taking the NCAA to court for defamation.

• Beats by Dre announced NIL deals with 15 college football players.

• Jim Cavale and Brandon Copeland launched Athletes(.org), a 501c non-profit organization.

• BYU’s NIL collective will pay every football player.

🏆 💰 Sports Business

• Blue Wire and ThePlayer’sTV both opened up crowdfunding rounds.

• Novig raised $6.4M in seed funding for betting exchange.

• $40M athlete fund launched, The Players Fund.

• Saudi PIF’s new sports fund pours $100M into PFL MMA Circuit.

• Mercury 13 group to invest $100 million in buying women's clubs.

• Qatar Sports Investments acquired World Padel Tour.

---

Thanks for reading today!

Can’t believe it’s September already. Have an awesome Labor Day Weekend.

Peace,

AP