How Fanatics is teaching business acumen to pro athletes

Sports merchandising giant Fanatics is aiming to build a training camp for athletes to prepare them for life off the field
Sports merchandising giant Fanatics is aiming to build a training camp for athletes to prepare them for life off the field.
More than two dozen NBA, NFL and NHL players participated in the company’s Athlete Immersion Program this past weekend as part of Fanatics Fest in New York City. The program included three days of workshops on business, entrepreneurship, tech and more.
“This definitely opened my eyes,” said Cole Anthony, a guard for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. “I’m already trying to do things on the business side with my partners, my family. It just motivates me more.”
The “coaches” for the business boot camp included Fanatics founder Michael Rubin, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Apollo Global cofounder and Philadelphia 76ers managing partner Josh Harris, Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Boardroom cofounder and CEO Rich Kleiman.
Aaron Donald, who retired from the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams in 2024 after winning the Super Bowl, has already begun a new career in business, including an ownership stake in sports nutrition company Ready. But Donald, likely a future Hall of Famer, said he was blown away by the all-star team of business leaders.
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/fanatics-teaching-business-acumen-athletes-rcna214590
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