Athlete economy
The new athlete paradigm: entrepreneurs building brands, investors backing ventures, and community leaders driving change—plus the sports organizations, partnerships, and monetization strategies shaping the sporting goods industry.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The athlete economy is rewriting the brand playbook
Athletes now own equity stakes, media companies and venture portfolios. For sporting goods brands, the implications go well beyond sponsorship.
LATEST
Wictory AI recruits Olympic athletes as investors
The Vienna AI coaching startup adds a second Austrian sports champion to its backers as it expands into the US.
adidas removed its own logo for Messi’s last match
The jersey carried Messi’s signature mark, and it was on sale 11 days before he wore it in Buenos Aires.
Polymarket to pay LeBron more than the 76ers will
NBA legend LeBron James has agreed a $15 million annual endorsement deal with prediction market platform Polymarket – nearly double the $8 million two-year contract he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Elite athletes are increasingly monetizing their influence beyond the court.
Cleat startup Caddix adds new athlete investor
Ja’Kobi Lane, the Ravens rookie, turned down paid deals from Nike and adidas to buy in instead.
Federer’s Hall of Fame week is also an On brand moment
A tribute night, an On limited edition sneaker and a Basel film show why Federer remains tennis’ clearest role model.
Agassi’s venture launches global padel, pickleball network
Steffi Graf will lead the Germany rollout and Darren Cahill the Australia rollout, ASE’s first two markets.
Djokovic joins General Atlantic as strategic advisor
The $126 billion firm hired Djokovic to co-invest in sport and health deals. He will also bring his voice to tennis’s governance debate.
Cyclist turned marathoner launches running label in Leeds
Edmondson raced UK’s Node4-Giordana for years before winning a marathon by 10 minutes.
She’s a brand…and she´s back at 44
Serena Williams’ return to Wimbledon at 44 as a wildcard has left has left two of key sponsors exposed.
Harry Kane, top scorer and entrepreneur
The £20m Seat Unique raise is the latest move in Kane’s quietly expanding equity portfolio.
Ronaldo’s daily habits, now a company benefit
Wellhub and Erakulis activate their partnership with a badge-based habit program for corporate employees
Gareth Bale named partner in PE sports investment platform
Bale joins Juggernaut Capital’s new sports vehicle targeting control stakes in clubs, leagues, women’s sports and youth platforms.
When Messi scores, the brand machine fires
A hat-trick against Algeria also activated adidas, Dick’s and a commercial system already in place.
LVMH-backed Champ fund backs Rhoback in $50m debut deal
The new athlete-equity fund backed by LVMH deploys nearly $50m into US activewear brand Rhoback: its first investment.
TIME100 Sports marks shift to an influence economy
Athletes, owners and podcasters share equal billing in the magazine’s first ranking of who actually runs global sport.
Agassi’s venture signs Jannik Sinner’s coach
The coach of Agassi, Sinner and Halep will support Agassi Intelligence, the AI coaching platform ASE is developing with IBM.
Rafael Nadal, post-retirement: a business portrait
Academies, padel circuits, Armani residences and Argentine hotels – the architecture of a sports-to-real-estate enterprise.
The athlete economy is rewriting the brand playbook
Athletes now own equity stakes, media companies and venture portfolios. For sporting goods brands, the implications go well beyond sponsorship.
England defender Maguire co-founds AI coaching app Feedz
Feedz uses AI to convert spoken audio into structured player feedback in under a minute, targeting grassroots and academy coaches.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s targets online sports streaming
A stake in LiveModeTV extends Ronaldo’s media holdings to a live sport streaming play built on free YouTube distribution.
Vuori expands its golf range with Tom Holland
A second, more sport-specific golf range shows how the California challenger is building technical credibility beyond lifestyle wear.
Kylian Mbappé: footballer, investor
From a French health insurtech to a sailing team and a Ligue 2 club, the Real Madrid forward is operating as a full-fledged investor.
Gamma Waves – Agnelli returns to sport, but to football?
Ex-Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and captain Giorgio Chiellini launch a €100m sports IP and tech fund — with football pointedly absent.
CHAMP: athlete co-investment from L Catterton
Over 250 elite athletes, including NBA star Kevin Durant, take co-ownership stakes in consumer brands under a new L Catterton–Patricof vehicle.
Messi buys Spanish fifth-tier club UE Cornellà
The world’s most decorated footballer has taken ownership of a Catalan fifth-tier club with a history of producing top-tier talent.
From extreme athlete to platform: Jonas Deichmann’s business model
How Jonas Deichmann turns adventures into a business model and translates reach into partnerships – an analysis.
Curry’s free-agency sneakers hit the auction block
Over 70 pairs worn during Curry’s brand-free NBA season go under the hammer, with all proceeds supporting the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation.
NFL champion, NWSL star back cleat startup Caddix
The Baltimore startup targeting ACL and lower-body injury reduction secures backing from a Super Bowl quarterback and an NWSL defender.
Football star Haaland invests in new chess world tour
Norwegian footballer co-founds Chess Mates to become stakeholder in Norway Chess, owner of a new FIDE-approved global championship circuit
Australian tennis player Kyrgios joins The Picklr
The tennis star is betting on pickleball’s boom with a new investment and ambassador role.
Federer: from champion to billionaire investor
The Swiss tennis legend’s On stake and Uniqlo deal drive a $1.1bn fortune, placing him among a handful of athletes on Forbes’ 2026 billionaires list.
Women’s sports brand TOGETHXR invests in Sportsish
Athlete-founded US media brand TOGETHXR acquires a stake in Sportsish, a social-first creator platform reaching 331,000 followers.
Rafa Nadal Academy takes padel tour to US
Four events in Miami, Austin and New York City mark the circuit’s first transatlantic expansion, backed by court-booking platform Playtomic.
Ex-NFL players launch $150m sports fund
Terrence Murphy and Reggie Bush are betting on women’s sports and next-generation formats as the next frontier for institutional capital.
Stria Sport brings aboard NBA’s Andre Drummond
76ers center Drummond takes an ownership position at Stria Sport, a Chicago indie basketball brand, also joining as Creative Director.
Cristiano Ronaldo, conglomerate
The footballer expands his business empire with a strategic acquisition through his newly formed CR7 Sports Investments.
Social: female athletes’ biggest asset – and liability
Women’s sports revenue is growing faster than men’s. Female athletes generate more social engagement. But visibility carries a cost brands rarely pay for.
Agassi sports company plans World Series of Pickleball
The tennis legend’s racquet sports company teams up with UEFA Champions League architects TEAM Marketing to build a global pickleball championship.
LA Lakers star launches direct-to-fan platform
Luka Dončić has launched 77X, an athlete-owned platform that controls IP and fan relationships—bypassing traditional brand partnerships through vertical integration.
Ramos-led consortium bidding for Sevilla FC
The Real Madrid legend’s consortium submits a €400 million letter of intent to buy into his first club
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US: sporting goods emerge as World Cup retail winner
Two months later, adidas, Fanatics and Foot Locker led a US sporting goods surge that outpaced every retail category.
Intersport’s WC summer campaign lifts jersey sales 73%
The retail cooperative’s Clubhouses in Berlin, Paris and Istanbul drew more than 1 million visitors during its FIFA World Cup summer campaign.
SPORTS ECONOMY
Monitoring leagues and clubs as business actors—M&A, investor activity, ownership structures, commercial partnerships and deals shaping opportunities for sporting goods brands.
LIV Golf rebuilds around its players
BC Partners Credit’s funding needs bankruptcy court approval, and players have until Oct. 25 to agree terms for 2027.
Apollo Sports Capital wants in to the NFL
Two senior Apollo Sports Capital executives have publicly declared the firm’s interest in the NFL, although the league’s list of approved private-equity firms has ever only shrunk.
Padel Galis opens its test court to the trade
Spanish court manufacturer Padel Galis has opened a 550-square-meter showroom and test facility in Silla, near Valencia, inviting startups and industry partners to test products under playing conditions.
New York dethrones Paris in Burson’s sports cities ranking
A three-year streak by Paris ends as an NBA title and the FIFA World Cup Final lift New York to the top of Burson’s index.
2030 Winter Olympics names interim chief after exodus
Vincent Roberti, already the committee’s Director General, now doubles as interim president after a run of senior exits.
UK: Supertri buys Brighton triathlon
Renamed Supertri Brighton from 2027, the event becomes Supertri’s second UK race after Blenheim Palace.
World Athletics revenue climbs without Olympic lift
Broadcast and commercial rights drove the gain as global competition numbers hit a record high.
HYROX strikes global retail deal with Amazon
Amazon-powered storefronts go live in six markets as the fitness racing series expands retail.
US women’s sports audience and ad spend are booming
US audiences watched 46 billion minutes of women’s sports in 2025, while brands poured in record ad dollars, per Nielsen.
Lakers acquisition to proceed, but stake size in question
A legal challenge from Lakers governor Jeanie Buss threatens to complicate the landmark $12.5 billion acquisition of the Los Angeles Lakers by Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, as a family ownership dispute escalates.
MLB, NHL sign prediction market deals amid legal fight
Polymarket and Kalshi have signed deals with MLB, the NHL and other leagues, each voidable if courts rule the contracts illegal.
IOC announces $10,000 grant for every Olympic athlete
Not prize money, not a podium reward: the IOC will pay every Olympic competitor $10,000, starting with Milano Cortina 2026.
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