- 2 years ago
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00My name is Angelique Jackson.
00:01I'm one of the senior entertainment writers at Variety.
00:03And it is my pleasure to lead this conversation as we talk
00:07about the ultimate collab, the athlete and the fan.
00:12Joining me first is Austin Eckler,
00:14running back for the Washington Commanders.
00:16Yes, I am still getting used to that.
00:20We have Chase Griffin, quarterback for UCLA
00:23and two-time NIL Athlete of the Year.
00:27We have Samantha Tan, championship driver
00:30and team owner of Samantha Tan Racing.
00:33We have Ezra Frech, who is one of our 2024 Paris Paralympians.
00:41Good luck in Paris and the co-founder of Angel City Sports.
00:45And last but not least, we have Chris Koras,
00:48who is head of baseball at Clutch Sports Group.
00:51Well, thank you all for joining us for this conversation.
00:55It's really interesting because as we have this kind of sports
00:59and entertainment, our general collab with Sportico,
01:03it is this celebration of the idea that sports very much extends
01:08and the community of sports extends far past what you all do
01:12on the field, in the car, on the track.
01:15Austin, I guess I'll start with you since you're closest to me.
01:18When did you recognize the kind of broader reach of sports
01:23and that you could find a way to impact, you know,
01:27the community and reach out with fans in a different medium?
01:32Yeah, first of all, thank you all for coming.
01:35It's great to see all these faces in here.
01:37I love just when people come together to do great things.
01:39So thank you for coming.
01:40And I had a little bit of an untraditional path into my journey,
01:44especially into the NFL from a small town in Colorado.
01:47And I think it was actually the impact that sports had on me
01:50that allowed me as I got older to realize that what the impact
01:54that sports can have on the rest of us as a community.
01:57And I say that because I didn't necessarily think I was ever going to be in the NFL.
02:01I was going to school.
02:02I went to a tiny school in Colorado.
02:04No one had ever gone to the NFL out of that school.
02:06So I'm focusing on business.
02:07I'm focusing on getting my education, internships, things like that.
02:11And, you know, my coach comes to me after my junior year and he's like,
02:14hey man, like you've been really putting a lot of work.
02:16You have some scouts that are interested in you.
02:17I'm like, what do you mean scouts?
02:19Like who are these people?
02:19Like these are mythical creatures.
02:20I've never seen a scout on campus before.
02:22And so eventually, you know, start getting an opportunity to play for the Chargers
02:27for the last seven years, now the Commanders.
02:28But through that journey, I've continued to be around different camps,
02:32seeing fantasy football, seeing right brands come together.
02:35And you start to see how sports are intertwined between just our society
02:40and bring us together like even everyone here.
02:42And so like I said, for me it was early on when I was impacted by sports
02:46that gave me an opportunity to go get an education and pay for that
02:49that really showed me the power of sports.
02:52Chase, what about for you?
02:54I grew up in a town called Round Rock, Texas, around 20 miles northeast of Austin.
02:59I went to Huddle High School, bit of a country town.
03:02And we had the real Friday Night Lights experience.
03:05I started on varsity since my sophomore year.
03:08And so at 15, I was one of the bigger names and faces in my town and in my community.
03:14And I saw no matter, you know, what the trend was as far as real estate
03:19or how kids were doing or how families might have been struggling,
03:23everyone came out on Friday nights to support the football team.
03:26In my junior and senior year, we won every single game at home.
03:30And so people knew when they came to Huddle Memorial, we were going to get a win.
03:34That brought a lot of media coverage to us.
03:37That brought a lot of move-ins.
03:39It's funny, like there's move-ins who I'll meet when I go home
03:42and they're pretty new to Huddle, so they don't even know who I am.
03:47And then I'll mention, you know, when I played here in 2017 or 2018,
03:52they're like, oh yeah, like that's how my parents found out about Huddle.
03:55And so you see how it affects the community financially too
03:58because there's people who are bringing in new investments,
04:01new real estate properties to a town because of how a high school football team is doing.
04:06And then fast forward to UCLA,
04:09the power of community and the athletes that UCLA has attracted have always stuck out to me.
04:14One of the reasons why I chose UCLA, obviously, is very storied tradition,
04:19athletically, very great powerhouse academically, but the black history there.
04:24And so you sort of see how community at a university or community at a school or in a town,
04:32you know, sort of bolstered by how the sports are doing,
04:35creates a unique relationship with the fan community,
04:39but also the athletes and puts an onus upon,
04:42I believe, us to embody that and progress it forward.
04:47Sam, how has that been for you with racing?
04:50Yeah, so I'm from a really small town in Canada, north of Toronto,
04:54but I started racing when I was 16 years old, 10 years ago now,
04:59and really quickly realized that, you know, there's not a lot of women in motorsport.
05:03In fact, at the time, I think only one out of every or three out of every thousand drivers were female.
05:09And I think the moment of realization for me
05:11and the impact that I've had over the course of my career was when I had,
05:15you know, a young girl come up to me and say, you know,
05:16I didn't I didn't know that I could ever become a race car driver or even have that as an aspiration.
05:22And I mean, it's really cool to see the impact that diversity has had in motorsport
05:27and how it continues to grow.
05:32Ezra, yes, to you.
05:34So I began track and field for the first time at eight years old
05:39and I didn't take it seriously until I was 11 when I was watching the Rio 2016 Paralympics
05:45and I was sitting on the couch in my living room
05:47and I was watching other athletes with physical disabilities compete on my TV
05:52and I remember being so taken aback
05:54and so inspired that I felt as if the universe was telling me in this one moment.
05:59This is your calling. This is what you're meant to do with your life.
06:01So I quit every other sport I was playing.
06:04I committed the next four years of my life to making the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic team made the games in Tokyo
06:10and then there began this track and field career of mine.
06:13So when we talk about the power of sports,
06:15I know Austin was just mentioning it. I couldn't agree more.
06:19Now imagine those same effects tenfold in someone with a physical disability
06:24where everywhere they go in public, there's people staring and pointing fingers and whispering.
06:29They feel like an outsider. A lot of people acquire disabilities
06:32and don't even realize they can ever play sports again,
06:34realize they could ever be active, get back to living a healthy lifestyle.
06:38And so one of the things that brings me the utmost pride in being a Paralympian,
06:44being a part of the Paralympic movement is the fact that it truly has the power to change the way we see disability.
06:51It has the power to get rid of these stigmas,
06:54all these negative connotations that we associate with someone who has a physical disability.
06:59And so the point in the Paralympic movement right now,
07:04you will not build a brand just by being good at your sport.
07:08And that's the unfortunate reality.
07:09There are so many Paralympic gold medalists over and over who struggle to build a brand
07:15because the awareness isn't there. Most people don't even understand the Paralympics.
07:20They don't understand the difference between the Olympics and Paralympics.
07:23They might get confused with Special Olympics when it's something completely separate.
07:27They don't understand how elite these sports truly are.
07:29And so I feel the weight of dragging the Paralympic movement into the mainstream
07:34and trying to grow the viewership, grow awareness as much as possible
07:38because I know the impact it can have.
07:41We've seen what representation can do for literally every other minority group,
07:45and especially in sports media, disability and the Paralympics has just lagged behind a bit.
07:51But I'm going to change that.
07:59Well, Chris, your perspective obviously is slightly different
08:02because you're coming from a different angle from the representation side of it.
08:06But I guess my question to you is also recognizing
08:11and maybe how you guide the athletes that you've worked with to understand that power
08:18and use it in the ways that everyone here was just mentioning to create more awareness
08:23and also, you know, to understand the business better.
08:28You know, I too once was an aspiring athlete at the Division III level,
08:33which in Rochester, New York, playing hockey is as bad as it sounds,
08:38and transitioned quite earlier on than my friends here.
08:43Yeah, I think your question hits directly to, frankly,
08:47the reason why we decided to sell our business back in December
08:51and join Clutch and United Talent Agency.
08:54I really had admired from afar what Clutch specifically was doing in the space
09:00to kind of lead in a lot of ways this new era of athlete empowerment
09:06and this new iteration of athletes being able to really define
09:10what success means for them outside the lines.
09:13And I think that last part right there, being able to define for you what success means,
09:18is probably the most powerful and impactful component of this new wave of athlete success
09:24because traditionally it was a lot of follow the leader.
09:28You know, there was like a myopic viewpoint on what you could achieve outside the lines
09:31or what you should achieve, and it was based on trends.
09:34Now I think athletes realize that you can achieve success and find fulfillment
09:38and purpose outside the lines in whatever it is you want.
09:42And for people like myself, we get to be along for the ride.
09:45So I just heard Ezra speak, and I think like probably everyone in this room,
09:50you listen to that passion, and that's what makes my job enjoyable, right?
09:54Like that listening to that specifically and getting to be a part of those types of moments
09:59and seeing the passion and an objective and a goal that an athlete has
10:04and being a part of that advisory and guidance to seek that execution
10:09is an incredible thing for me to be a part of.
10:12So with our new company, you know, whether it's something as small as introducing,
10:18you know, fashion trends or collaborations with a fashion brand
10:22in a new way to visiting players that are coming into our city
10:26or working with our team at UTIQ, which is our talent insights team on this very subject,
10:32which is understanding the connection between athletes and fans
10:36at a much deeper and comprehensive level
10:38so that we can assist them in leveraging that purpose to seek execution in a meaningful way.
10:44That's what we're trying to achieve.
10:46And I think we've just scratched the surface
10:47and I'm so excited about what the future holds for us.
10:51Chris, I love the way that you phrased that.
10:52I love that idea of defining success for yourself
10:55and everyone kind of finding that.
10:58And I'm actually, I'm curious for each of you,
11:00Ezra, I'll start with you, how you've found a way to harness that.
11:05How have you found a way through things like, you know,
11:07Angel City Sports or and your other endeavors to define what your success is going to look like?
11:14That's a good question.
11:15And I think it's important for us as athletes to define what our success is going to look like,
11:20have a clear outlined vision of our future.
11:24And for me, success lies mainly beyond the track.
11:30I know that winning medals, breaking world records,
11:33making the Paralympic Games is just a vehicle in order to create broader change
11:38and build a brand that I can use to create that change.
11:42So I could, I would trade every medal, every world record,
11:46every national title if it meant I could impact lives in the process.
11:51And for me, what's been really special is we're at a very unique time in our history
11:58where we've been, we're really able to reach the most amount of people ever by the tap of a button.
12:04And I think leveraging social media has been really important for my career
12:09in order to help build the brand that I was mentioning earlier
12:13that isn't facilitated by my sport or team already.
12:17And so luckily I've had, you know, developed some success on social media
12:22and then been able to utilize that brand to influence other things that we're pursuing.
12:27For example, my family and I, we started a non-profit, Angel City Sports,
12:31a little over a decade ago to provide sports opportunities
12:34for people with physical disabilities in Southern California.
12:37So 50 percent, I'm sorry, 50 million Americans have a physical disability.
12:42That's 15 percent of the U.S. population, 15 percent of the world population.
12:47That's a billion people globally that have a physical disability.
12:50And we recognize that there weren't any adaptive sports opportunities in Southern California.
12:55Now, I show up to Angel City events to this day and there are tons of people there
13:01who found out through my social media, just me posting about the non-profit,
13:05posting to get other amputees, other people with disabilities out.
13:09And so I've seen now how having a big brand online has directly impacted the community
13:15in what I envision as my larger purpose,
13:17which is obviously to get more people involved in adaptive sports.
13:21And so I truly believe success lies in changing the way we see disability.
13:26And the two ways I can accomplish that is by growing the adaptive sports movement
13:31through my social media and through Angel City Sports as we continue to rise,
13:35and then spearheading the movement of the Paralympic Games
13:39and how we can drive awareness and viewership
13:41because that in turn will change the way people see those with disabilities.
13:44Well, social media, of course, is our quickest way to fans.
13:50But then there are other platforms like Austin, you launched Experience.
13:54Tell me about the idea of doing something like that where you're building an engagement platform.
14:00Yeah, absolutely.
14:02And I love the answer around success down there.
14:04Like, I really love that because I can relate to that.
14:06Sorry I went on a little tangent here.
14:08But I think success can be measured in the impact that you can make in people's lives, right?
14:12And you choose the impact, and that's what's great about having a platform
14:15is you get to choose where you want to make the impact.
14:18And that kind of gets to what you just asked me with Experience.
14:22I've been building a tech platform that streamlines fan engagement for athletes.
14:25We're busy. We have a lot of people that are pulling our attention left and right.
14:29And it's not really easy for us to go do meet and greets every single Saturday, things like that.
14:33So how can we at least bridge that gap and make it easier for people that might want to meet us,
14:37not only in our area, but around the world?
14:39So that's why I started Experience, so you can have different types of engagements,
14:42get things signed, keep in touch with your favorite athletes when they're available
14:47and when they set their availability.
14:48And we'll streamline that for them so that they don't have to put as much effort into that.
14:52And so that's what I've been building.
14:53But it gets down to kind of what we were talking about here,
14:56where it's how can we put ourselves in a position using this platform?
14:59And kind of a little back story here, because I think it's important.
15:03But just, like, how do you define success?
15:05I've seen there's an evolution in success when it comes to working with athletes.
15:09And right as soon as you first get into, right, your position, you're here,
15:12you're a new kid on the block, and you're like, okay, I got to make the team,
15:16I got to establish myself, because you do that,
15:19that's the only thing you can really focus on in the beginning.
15:21And that will lead to the other things, to you continuing to see light of, like,
15:25okay, I can actually go impact people outside of this.
15:27Because if no one knows who you are yet, it's hard for you to really make a big impact.
15:31And so I think as you continue to establish yourself,
15:34and you see up here we've all had notable, you know, careers and have continued to build us,
15:39it makes it not necessarily easier, but it brings more light to us as athletes
15:42that yes, we can make that type of impact for people around us.
15:46And so as you continue to get older, continue to have more success,
15:49the impact that you can continue to have has more potential,
15:51and then you start to want to, you get curious.
15:53We get curious as athletes, like, all right, can I build something?
15:56And that's where, that's where, that's the best spot to find us
15:58and the best spot to connect with us, is when we're in a position,
16:02when we're continuing to have success or up right on the rise,
16:04because we're looking for other things that we can start putting our hand and putting our foot in
16:08and make an impact in those different places as well.
16:10And I know you talked about your foundation.
16:12Same with my foundation.
16:13It was something that was, hit home with me, was I wanted to go renovate weight rooms for people.
16:18Because I think there's so many transferable skills,
16:20and you don't have to have anything besides the want to, to go in the weight room and build yourself up.
16:24And so that was what hit home with me.
16:26And now I have the impact, I have the platform to actually go out there
16:29and push that out there to the rest of the world and the nation right now.
16:32So I'm going on a tangent here, but what I'm getting at is the impact comes from where our vision is.
16:38And where our vision is, that's where, that's the best time to connect with us in an authentic way.
16:42And that's when you're going to get that passion out of us to go out there and push something that,
16:45whether it's your brand, whether it's our brand, or putting them together,
16:48and bring it to as high as we can and meet as many people as we can and make the impact.
16:53Samantha, I'll go to you, because I do, I want to continue on that conversation of defining success for yourself.
16:59At what point did you kind of harness that, and then what, what curiosities did it cause you to then explore?
17:07I think these guys put it perfectly in terms of how I define success.
17:11I mean, it's not only our own personal goals, but it's also reaches, you know, the broader audience of like,
17:17what is my purpose, and what am I, what am I achieving by doing the things that I do?
17:22And for me, my main motivating factor is, you know, disrupting an industry that has historically been very male-dominated.
17:28You know, I never had a role model that looked like me when I first got into the sport.
17:33And I've always made it my thing to, you know, become the representation I never had.
17:38So I think, yeah, sorry.
17:40Well, no, who, who were your, because you didn't have role models in the sport,
17:45who were your role models in sports or other industries that you kind of looked to as you've started to navigate your path?
17:53I think very quickly, I learned that I had to become the role model I never had.
17:57So it was all about, like, pushing myself to, you know, reach my potential.
18:01And, you know, as I progressed through the sport, I found, you know, strength in my female peers that were joining me.
18:08And also recently, you know, Lewis Hamilton.
18:10I mean, he is an amazing race car driver.
18:13And not only is he successful in racing, he's successful in other, other sectors.
18:18Like, he's getting into fashion, into film, into music.
18:20And it's really, really cool to see how much he's pushing, you know, for diversity and motorsport inclusion.
18:25And I really, really respect that.
18:27Well, Chase, you'll, you'll finish us up on this idea.
18:30But, you know, how have you learned to define success for yourself?
18:34I think it's important to find wins each and every day.
18:37I think as an athlete, especially transitioning to college, every single person, especially at a Power 4 conference, they were the man or the woman at their school.
18:49They were either putting up 40 points a game, they were scoring five, six touchdowns a game, doing all this.
18:55When you're in a room full of that, not everyone's going to play from day one.
18:59And so early on, some athletes, they do get discouraged because they go from that to, all right, now I've got to work a couple years before I even see the field.
19:07And so you have to find ways to win each day.
19:09When I go in the weight room, I'm like, all right, I'm going to get 1% stronger with my shoulders, et cetera.
19:14When I look at my overall life, I think I would be vain to say where I'm going to be in 10 years.
19:23God willing, if it's a path where I'm building generational wealth early, and I go into public service and philanthropy while maintaining my faith,
19:33I think a cool part of analysis of how you're doing is you check your overall MO or mantra, and then you look at what am I actually doing that reflects this.
19:43For me, it's really been culled through name, image, and likeness that I've been able to experience what it is to create value for myself and brands outside of my playing ability.
19:56Athletes, especially once you get to the collegiate and professional space, you know exactly what it's like to create value for others and brands because of your playing ability.
20:05And over time, college athletics, I think, will continue to legitimize itself for college athletes to actually reap some of the blessings of the work and billions that they help generate.
20:19But off the field, me learning what it's like to do a deal with JPMorgan Chase and to pack an in-bank event for them,
20:28me learning what it's like to start my own foundation and give X amount to the L.A. Regional Food Bank that helps X amount of kids.
20:36These are tangible examples that I'm continuing on a path towards achieving my greater goals in life.
20:44And I think as long as I maintain that and find the little wins each and every day and remain grateful, as opportunities come,
20:52you can take full advantage of them because you look at it from a mindset of abundance.
20:56And I think, you know, that's something that athletes, often we don't recognize the amount of discipline and hard work that we've put in, especially compared to other folks.
21:08I was talking about it with some of my friends the other day, like, you know, Ezra, you were watching the Paralympics probably at 10.
21:15And then right after that, you're like, I'm going to be an Olympian.
21:17Like, there's how many 10-year-olds are like, I'm going to be the best in the world at something.
21:22And then they're like, all right, I'm going to spend the next five, six years actually working like that.
21:27I've been doing, shoot, 12-hour days since I was like 10 years old.
21:31So when you sort of recognize the amount of time and discipline that it takes to sharpen your iron and become excellent at something, you're like credibility in one thing becomes credibility in everything.
21:42And I think as college athletics legitimizes itself and college athletes get more experience and even high school athletes get more experience in fields outside of themselves, whether they go pro in sports or pro in life, they're able to take advantage of opportunities like you're saying.
21:59Well, I think you brought up a very good point because that is sort of the thing.
22:02So much about building a brand is about authenticity and also about, you know, hard work and dedication.
22:08What do you think it is about, you know, the mindset of an athlete that has also made you all such successful entrepreneurs as well?
22:19I'll jump in.
22:20I'll jump in.
22:20I think it's not just as an athlete, but as an athlete, there's a lot of opportunities that we have to practice the skills that it takes to be successful in being an entrepreneur.
22:32Being able to be adaptable, being able to be coached, being able to strain through the wins, the losses, because as we know, as entrepreneurs up here, like there's ups and downs and it feels like you're getting beat up one day, you might have some success another.
22:47And in sports, there's so many opportunities to practice that.
22:51And that's one thing that I continue to, you know, express to the people around me too, especially young players, and not even just young players, just young people in general.
23:00Where it's like find something where you can practice the skills of pushing yourself, of expanding your knowledge, of networking, because if you're in those environments, you'll continue to increase your capabilities.
23:11And as you continue to increase your capabilities, you increase your capacity to take on more.
23:16And as an athlete, that's what our careers are.
23:19How do we become a professional?
23:20Well, it's just like any other profession in here.
23:23We start at the bottom and we continue to have success, find a routine that works for us, build ourselves up.
23:28Why am I in the pros?
23:29I've been playing eight years now.
23:30It's because I've built my capacity to understand how to be a pro and how to go out there and do the right steps, to do the right things, to push myself, to be a leader.
23:38It's the same continuation that you see in the entrepreneurial world.
23:43And so as athletes, we can adapt there.
23:45But it doesn't mean we're always good.
23:47Usually we're not good, but we have this mindset that we think we can take it on because we've had success.
23:53But that's why it's great to be an athlete and have the platform, because we can have access, usually to people that like us, because the coolness factor of sports.
24:02But getting back to what you were saying, there's just so many transferable skills that come from the journey of being an athlete and progressing through athletics that can be transferred into the entrepreneurship.
24:12Yeah, I mean, I think it comes from experience of adding value.
24:15Obviously, you add value to whatever organization or the scheme that you're running that week.
24:22But you add value to your locker mate's life, where if there's issues they're going through, you know how to be a helping hand.
24:29You know how to, you know, sort of traverse on a football team, a hundred different personalities and backgrounds and completely different ideologies to hone in on one final goal, which is to win.
24:42These are things that, you know, are considered business acumen, but it's the difference between going 0 and 12 and 12 and 0 in a football player's mind.
24:51These are real tangible skills.
24:53And then the world's a stage.
24:55Performance ethic is extremely important in the business world, especially for entrepreneurs.
25:00You know, you go in, I'm in the investment world now.
25:03So you believe in the founder.
25:05Like when you're investing, the idea is great, but no idea is new under the sun.
25:09You invest in the founder.
25:11And so the folks who are able to really demonstrate what they believe in, add value, and then have the performance ethic to execute on it, end up being great entrepreneurs and also end up being great athletes.
25:24And so I think, you know, everyone on stage, even, you know, just being here speaking, you're recognizing these are folks who are very sure about themselves.
25:32These are folks who have a vision that they want to execute on and, like you said, have the confidence to be able to go out there and do it because credibility in one thing lends itself to other things.
25:43If I can, you know, do these super hard workouts that, you know, these crazy strength coaches come up with every single morning, then, you know, me coming and doing an interview here or panel here is just fun for me.
25:57Well, like you talked about transferable skills, I think, you know, athletes not only have like a strong work ethic, like we have the mental resilience, we have the dedication that you need to be a good entrepreneur.
26:09For example, specifically in motorsport, racing is one of the most expensive sports to compete in, and I'm constantly fighting to find sponsors for my next race weekend.
26:19Like my next race is not guaranteed.
26:22It costs anywhere from $100,000 to maybe even higher per race just for me to compete.
26:29And so trying to, at the end of the day, build yourself a unique brand, I think, is what all athletes have to do.
26:35And, you know, like you said earlier, it's not just about your achievements in the sport.
26:40It's about everything else that you do on top of that.
26:45Yeah, I agree with everything everybody said.
26:47And it makes it tough to say something new now because all these fantastic speakers have said basically everything.
26:54All I can speak is personally here.
26:56I am not as distinguished as an entrepreneur as some of these fantastic speakers up here just yet.
27:03I'm starting my career.
27:04I'm only 19 years old.
27:06But I have definitely seen elements of my sporting career that have translated to particularly this one project that we've been working on.
27:16We've been filming a documentary since before the Tokyo Paralympic Games, and then we're filming all the way through Paris, following me and three other athletes on the U.S. Paralympic team.
27:27And this project is important to us for a lot of reasons, and it's a really exciting step.
27:33And I would say the sports media landscape and the way we're portraying disabled stories and that I think, you know, we want to make this.
27:42It's called adaptive.
27:43We want to make it the hard knocks of the Paralympics.
27:46And I think that storytelling is a big way for us to grow the movement.
27:49I think it's extremely important.
27:51And so seeing in the way that we've gone about producing this documentary that we're still filming and talking to partners, speaking to brands, all the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows, the meetings that work out, the situations that were put in, scrambling to find someone to film on the ground here.
28:08And even though I'm one of the subjects in the documentary, I'm also able to be behind the scenes.
28:13My father is a producer.
28:14Our other producer, Ryan, is here today as well.
28:17And so I get the behind the scenes of all this stuff, and it's fascinating to see the way we're able to handle adversity.
28:23It directly correlates to the things that I've gone through on the track, the highs, the lows, the days where bolts are loose on my prosthetic.
28:30I got to scramble to find an Allen wrench at the shed and fix it and then take some more jumps.
28:35And I think it's just a testament to the way success in any field goes, which is there's so much adversity.
28:41And I think more so success is more dependent in our ability to persevere through difficult times than it is anything else.
28:50And seeing the interesting path that I've taken on the track, which has a lot of highs and lows, and then this same path fighting through adversity and situations that come about and we have to adapt, figure it out, move forward.
29:02It's very interesting, and I look forward to continuing to have more entrepreneurial experiences in the future.
29:08I mean, I can speak to it from my perspective, which is going to be a little different than you guys.
29:13I think what's so unique about you guys and athletes in general, when it comes to the opportunity that you have to define that purpose and seek the execution of it, is that you really do live at the cross section of influence and passion.
29:27And that's, you know, you guys represent something so much bigger than yourselves.
29:32And you can drive to the hearts and minds of people in a really incredible and unique way, unlike any other influencer or person of influence, I should say.
29:42So if you're intentful, if you're purposeful, if you take all those attributes that you've accumulated to find success on the field, you can propel yourself forward and propel that purpose forward in such an incredibly unique way.
29:55As opposed to a lot of other people in the world who are seeking purpose as well.
29:58So from my perspective, it's a perspective of opportunity.
30:03And I think athletes have really just a special place in people's hearts with that purpose and influence cross section.
30:09So they can propel themselves in really amazing ways.
30:12I wanted to actually add something, too, because I think what's great about athletics, too, is just the structure that's built up around athletics and how that structure helps you continue to progress.
30:21Like when I'm talking about structure, like what's your recovery?
30:24Where's your game day routine?
30:25What are the workouts?
30:26What are the practices?
30:27What's the film study?
30:28Like what are we doing after for extra?
30:30Like there's so many different things that you were put into in the situation where it's set up for you.
30:35And if you want to continue to be great in that, you're going to have to buy into all of that.
30:38And you're going to get weeded out.
30:39If you ain't for it, if you don't have the mentality, you're gone.
30:41Get out of here.
30:42Like a lot of the rookies that come in, I can already tell.
30:44I can already tell for just day one.
30:46If I see you, you're playing video games in the locker room, it's going to be a long time for you unless they got some draft stock in you because you ain't mentally bought in how you need to be mentally bought in.
30:55And that's what's great about the structure of sports.
30:57It's there for you.
30:58You don't have to figure it out.
31:00Here you go.
31:01Here's the blueprint.
31:02And so when we have that structure, it allows us to immerse ourselves into that industry.
31:07And that's what it takes a lot of to just be successful really in any industry is how do you immerse yourself?
31:13What is your mentality to grow in this industry, to learn, to network, to do everything that it's going to take for you to have success in that?
31:19And so when we're talking about the transferable skills, when you see the professionals, us out here at the professional level or damn near close, excuse my language.
31:29But what it's taken for us people, us to get to this point is, hey, we've weeded ourselves out and we have the mentality to go out there and put ourselves in a new sector and figure it out even if we don't know.
31:42So that's another thing that comes down to is just what is that mindset and how far are you willing to go?
31:46How far are you willing to take yourself?
31:47Because if you're going to be competing against someone like myself, you're running back coming to my room.
31:51Just know I came from the bottom bottom and I ain't just giving it up like that.
31:55And that's who we're all competing against.
31:57We're all competing against someone who has that mentality.
31:58And if it's not you, then you ain't going to make it.
32:01You got to understand that in a bit.
32:02Okay, I'm going to bring my mentality.
32:04The thing is, you're competing against yourself.
32:05How far can I push my own mentality?
32:07And then obviously you're going to get compared from the outside sources.
32:10But for you internally, how far do I want to go?
32:13And because that's probably going to reflect what results you're having right now in your current state.
32:18And this is why you're on the Forbes 30 under 30 list.
32:24Chris, I'm curious, kind of piggybacking off what Austin was just saying, that idea of the mentality.
32:32So for you as an advisor in your capacity, how then do you kind of tap into an athlete's mentality?
32:39And what are some of the things that you ask people to look for when they're negotiating their various deals?
32:44You know, what are some of those key points or key suggestions that you make to your clients?
32:51So if we're speaking specifically to deal making, I think it really depends on the size and scope and where that athlete is in their life cycle.
32:58You know, early on, smaller deals, smaller scope.
33:01It's pretty straightforward.
33:02There's only so much inventory to sell in an athlete's life, and that's pretty much compensation driven.
33:07But I think if we're speaking directly to the topic today, which is this broader impact, bigger ideas, more purpose driven partnerships, that's what they are.
33:17They're partnerships.
33:19So I think the deal points will handle themselves eventually.
33:23But I think prior to getting into any longer term relationship that is truly a partnership, I think you really have to ask yourself and us as advisors have to present the questions as to whether there's aligned vision and aligned values into what they are trying to achieve with that partnership, with that opportunity.
33:42So prior to the deal points, I mean, I think you really have to sit down both sides of the table and understand if the opportunity is authentic to you.
33:51And if it drives at a larger purpose, and then you let all the great marketers that we have at our company figure out how to get you paid.
33:58Do you have an example?
34:01Like, in your career, was there one of those partnerships that you kind of recognized instantly?
34:08And this is actually a question I will ask to all of you, that you're like, this is something or someone that really fits with who I am.
34:17Yeah, is there something that you remember, Chris, of?
34:22From a brand perspective, nothing jumps out.
34:25But I can tell you from a unique playing contract perspective, a couple of years ago, we did a deal for a guy named Raphael Devers, and he became the highest paid player in Red Sox history.
34:37Typically for a player of that caliber and in the process of where he was in his career, you wait until free agency and you try to hit the home run, so to speak.
34:47We knew deep down that Raph wanted to remain a Red Sox.
34:50That was extremely important to him.
34:52So we forewent free agency.
34:54We struck the deal early.
34:55We still got from a compensation perspective something that was historic, certainly in the city and the market of Boston, was historic for Raph and his family and the people of the Dominican Republic.
35:07But we did it in a way that we felt was kind of authentic and aligned with what he was trying to achieve in his career.
35:14And that wasn't just dollars and cents.
35:16It was staying in a specific market that was near and dear to his heart.
35:18So that, to me, that's the one that jumps off the page.
35:22Anyone else?
35:24I mean, for me, it's a little on the nose, but my deal with JPMorgan Chase, where I've been a college athlete ambassador for them, has really opened my eyes to how do I navigate the investment world, not just as an investor, but also as talent?
35:44And it's cool because it coincides with what I'm doing right now, where I'm a fellow at University of California Investments.
35:52And there, I'm managing on the public equity side.
35:55But one of our biggest managers is JPMorgan.
35:58And so now my sister's at JPMorgan.
36:03I've done multiple in-bank events for them.
36:06And the reason why, outside of the name and outside of them being a categorical leader in what they do, that I strongly considered them was they have an over $30 billion equity and inclusion mission.
36:20And in the world of investments, in the world of media as well, diversity, equity, and inclusion is under attack.
36:27And it has been blamed for things going wrong that it had nothing to do with.
36:34I think, you know, in the pride of UCLA, anytime there's been societal progress or an empowerment of talent, like college athletics, an empowerment of the historically disenfranchised, you've seen a better outcome for everyone.
36:53Jackie Robinson goes into the MLB.
36:55They say it's going to be the end of the MLB.
36:58Most watched sport at the time.
37:01You see Title IX is going to be the end of college athletics as we know it.
37:06No, more people are watching college athletics than ever.
37:09NIL is going to end college athletics.
37:11Revenue share is going to end college athletics.
37:13More people are tuning in.
37:14Anytime there's an equity mission, it ends up becoming, you know, I think a progression of wealth for everyone involved.
37:24And JPMorgan saw that same vision for me.
37:27And God willing, throughout, you know, my post-playing days and to my more focused investment days, I'm still able to maintain that relationship with them and help pay it forward to others.
37:40Because most people from my town or most people in my situation as an athlete don't get access to those types of rooms.
37:50Yeah, I'm on it, too.
37:51And I like what Chase was saying, just how authentic it is, right, and where your journey is and your path.
37:56And I talk to the young guys all the time on panels, things like that, in the locker room.
38:00And it's like talking about deals and stuff, like what does it come to when you're trying to get deals?
38:04Well, you've got to do stuff.
38:05What are you doing?
38:06You know, and if you're not doing stuff, it's fine.
38:08Because I tell them this, too, like you've got to make sure you stay here in the dang building first because that's where the brands are going to actually be.
38:13They're going to be looking for who's on the team.
38:15If you don't have the logo on the side of your helmet, then you have to go a different route that I don't know how to give you advice on.
38:21But it's like be authentic to yourself.
38:24You have to put some type of thing out there.
38:26It doesn't have to be anything big.
38:27Like for me, in the very beginning, I started streaming on Twitch.
38:30And one of my first ever sponsors was SteelSeries.
38:34And it wasn't even a big deal.
38:35They just sent me some free gear.
38:37And I'm still with SteelSeries until this day because of that relationship that was built.
38:42And now looking back, I'm so grateful.
38:44Another one of those was Adidas.
38:45I'm still with them.
38:46And now as you continue to build these relationships with these athletes, it becomes more authentic.
38:51And you become interwoven with their mission as well.
38:54And so I'm always looking for multi-year deals because I'm like, hey, let's start it out.
38:58But let's just test out the waters.
39:00But I would love to build the relationship.
39:02And even especially with the young guys.
39:04I'm like, you don't know when football is done what's the relationship you have with this company, what's the reputation that you've built with them.
39:10Because if it's done, that might be your next opportunity to continue to push your mission because they have had that relationship with you.
39:15So for me and myself, it's like, hey, we have a lot of different efforts that are going on.
39:19Whether it's Sonos with our foundation and speakers and stuff like that.
39:23How can we align ourselves with these companies, build a reputation?
39:27And, yes, you want to get paid.
39:29But also, like, let's figure out a plan to work together for the long term.
39:33Because if you're actually doing something that's meaningful and impactful, guess what?
39:37These brands are looking for capital and stories to be aligned with that are in that category.
39:42And so that's one of the things that when I'm talking to these young guys and looking for brands, it's like, okay, what are you doing that's aligning with us?
39:49If it's in the philanthropy space, like, hey, we have a foundation.
39:53We'd love to get you involved there.
39:54So I digress.
39:56But it's more so, hey, how can we continue to stay authentic and create a vision that goes beyond just the transactional meet and greet or one-year deal?
40:04Yeah, I completely agree.
40:06I agree once again.
40:07Everything that everybody up here has said, you guys are all fantastic.
40:11For me, at least the way we've been approaching it is I won't take a company as a partner that isn't perfectly aligned with my vision.
40:20That's the truth.
40:22We have an amazing array of partners that have facilitated that vision that we've spoken about.
40:30A lot of the companies that we've partnered with have also sponsored our nonprofit, Angel City Sports, directly showing that.
40:37And I totally agree with everything you just said, Austin.
40:40For me, I mean, I'm really early in what I believe can be a long career, assuming I stay healthy, knock on wood and everything.
40:47But I want to build with companies.
40:49I want to have long-term partnerships.
40:52I want to have my own version of that SteelSeries or that Adidas, right, a company that you grow with for a long period of time.
41:00And then those visions become so intertwined.
41:03And so we've been very specific and particular about who we partner with, the brands that we include in our larger purpose, in hopes that in 10 years or even leading into 2028, when the Paralympics come to my hometown, I'm surrounded by the people who invested in me before I made it big.
41:24The exact same way.
41:25I think it's all about brands that align with your values.
41:27And for me personally, it was BMW.
41:30It's the manufacturer that got me into racing.
41:33And I've had the incredible opportunity to become their only global ambassador last year.
41:39And just to give you some context, in motorsports specifically, it's every driver's goal to be hired by a manufacturer.
41:46And at this point in time, there are no female factory drivers, is what we call them.
41:51There's none that are hired by the manufacturers.
41:53So I think it was just so incredibly important for BMW to step up as that manufacturer in this space.
41:58Because I truly believe, you know, if you see it, you can be it.
42:01And I think it's just so important for the younger generation to see that.
42:05I mean, that's literally the vision you've spoken about is the idea that there was no one for you to look up to.
42:11And now you are quite literally that role model for all of these young drivers.
42:17I guess that's kind of where we should wrap our conversation in that question of, you know, what do you all hope to accomplish next?
42:25I know. A very big question. Give me your full 10-year plan.
42:30I mean, for me, I have one more season here at UCLA.
42:35I've always said to myself, I love playing football.
42:39And I'll take it as long as they let me.
42:43As far as outside of that, next year, I'll start full-time with the University of California Investments, where I'll learn all the asset classes.
42:52We are currently exploring the world of team ownership.
42:57And so I'll be privy to leading on a lot of those deals.
43:02So, you know, hopefully in the next decade or so, somebody will give me a fund of my own and I'll be buying teams up.
43:10I think outside of that, I just signed a music production deal with a surf club.
43:15And right now I'm interested in scoring as well with Sony Music Group.
43:20So I've been shadowing there. And then outside of all of that, I have my newsletter.
43:25I'm sure some of you all know it, the Athletes Bureau.
43:28And just when I was looking at how college sports were often covered, I felt like the most important voice was missing.
43:36And I think at the Athletes Bureau, we love to give athletes a voice and showcase how our perspective is valuable to everyone.
43:44Long story short, for me, I have the same philosophy that I've really always had for as long as I can remember anyway.
43:53It's take advantage of now. I have a few North Stars with some different projects that we're pushing towards.
43:58But the next opportunity is going to come from what I do now.
44:03How we take advantage of what we have right now leads to the next opportunity.
44:07And so my entire team, myself, are pushing relentlessly to make sure that we execute and maximize the opportunity that's within our grasp.
44:15There's a few of them. And so that's what we'll continue to do.
44:18And like I said, it's a North Star. I have an idea of where I'm trying to push.
44:21Things change. And that's what we talked about being an athlete.
44:25It's what it's about. Let's adapt and we'll figure it out a different way.
44:28Regardless, we're going to continue to push forward, try to make an impact internally and then externally as well.
44:34For me personally, it's a race called the 24 Hour of Le Mans.
44:37It's the epitome of endurance car racing.
44:40Still fighting for my life, trying to get sponsorships every day.
44:43So hopefully in the future, my goal is to have my own junior program as part of my team to offer mentorship opportunities.
44:49Because again, something I never had growing up in the industry and learning to navigate it by yourself can be really scary.
44:58You said 10-year plan? Okay.
45:01I plan... Actually, let me phrase it like this.
45:06Every once in a generation or so, you see an athlete who transcends the movement or community in which they began in.
45:14For example, swimming wasn't on national television until Michael Phelps came along and then brought that into the mainstream.
45:21You've seen what Conor McGregor has done for the UFC.
45:24Even what Usain Bolt or Michael Johnson did for the sport of track and field.
45:27Now, I believe the Paralympics is at a very unique point in time where it's growing exponentially.
45:33We're seeing the rise, but there hasn't been that person yet for the movement.
45:37And it's my dream, it's my vision to be that person for the Paralympic movement.
45:42Now, it's relying on two things.
45:45I have to win. That's the truth.
45:47Conor McGregor won, Michael Phelps won, Usain Bolt, Michael Johnson, Kobe, Michael Jordan, all these athletes won.
45:53And then what I also plan to do is build a brand that extends beyond just my sport.
46:00And so I have big dreams of what I want to accomplish on the track.
46:04I have the Paris Paralympics in about 50 days where I'll be competing, hoping to win my first Paralympic gold.
46:12The games will then come to L.A. in 2028 where I plan to pull off something that I've deemed the triple crown,
46:18which is a gold in the high jump, a gold in the long jump, and a gold in the 100 meter, the three events that I do,
46:24which has actually never been done before in the history of the Paralympic Games, history of the Olympic Games, track and field in general.
46:30Nobody's ever won those three, and it's my dream to win it in my hometown, home city.
46:35And then from there, continue these projects like Adaptive, continue to do everything in my power to build the brand,
46:41be that person that took the Paralympics, brought it into the mainstream media,
46:46and then overall change the way the world views people with disabilities.
46:50That's what I think my dream is. I'm going to do everything in my power to get closer to that.
46:54I literally make decisions in my life on the basis of does this get me closer or further away from my lifelong dreams.
47:01And if it gets me further away, I don't make that decision.
47:05That mentality.
47:07I can't follow that up, Ezra.
47:10What am I supposed to say that adds any value beyond what Ezra just said?
47:17I will try, I guess.
47:20Ten year plan for me, no, too old.
47:24I think for me, it's a day to day focus.
47:27We're with a new group, we're six months into this incredible company that we're now a part of.
47:34Every day kind of feels like Christmas, which for someone with a creative and ambitious mindset is an amazing environment to be a part of.
47:41So take it day to day, find fulfillment day to day in the service that we're providing.
47:46And for me personally, just be the guy my son thinks I am.
47:50Those are the two things for me that I'm focused on.
47:53I feel like that was a great ending. You wrapped it up beautifully.
47:57That was a fantastic ending. Are you kidding me?
47:59Thank you all so much. Thank you, guys.
Comments