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August 25, 2023
Recently retired NFL star, Brandon Copeland, and entrepreneur, Jim Cavale, have teamed up to launch Athletes.org (AO) — a non-profit designed to provide on-demand advice, resources and tools to US college athletes financially, professionally and personally. The effort follows the changing landscape for collegiate athletes since the NCAA allowed athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL). With this comes new responsibilities, power and concerns, but athletes’ voices and thoughts were largely missing in the space the pair found.
Calling itself the first organization in the history of collegiate athletics created for athletes by athletes to support them, AO offers a myriad of benefits for the athletes and their families to help them make informed decisions. The non-profit is made up of a group of current and former athletes, as well as entrepreneurs, lawyers, doctors, philanthropists, educators, parents and more. The free membership organization provides the knowledge, access and protection college athletes need to “maximize their playing and professional career.”
All athletes that sign up for AO’s free membership will receive on-demand support and access to knowledge on brand building, financial education, NIL contracts and more by category experts and pro experts. They will also gain access to AO’s Expert Network, which includes legal, medical, branding and mental health professionals who are committed to helping athletes take their journey to the next level.
“As a former college and professional athlete, there were so many moments where I wished I had an organization to go to for advice,” said Copeland who works to empower underserved communities and athletes to realize their full potential. “What we are building with AO, you will have a locker room for life. We want to help as many college athletes as possible and we’re excited to get started.”
The recent conference realignment for US college sports, reportedly due to television money, has caused much complexity. The conferences with the most lucrative television contracts — the Big Ten and the SEC — are seen as the most desirable. The Pac-12 struggled to find new broadcast partners that would agree to pay its schools an amount that compares favorably with other conferences, so most of its teams began looking for better options. The Big Ten and the SEC will look significantly different starting with the 2024-25 academic year. Additionally, public, legal and judical pressures have uprooted many of the NCAA’s amateurism rules causing uncertainty. The NCAA states its mission is focused on “cultivating an environment that emphasizes academics, fairness and well-being across college sports.” However, this intensified shuffle for some athletes is affecting their academic performance and physical and mental health.
Cavale, a prominent figure in college sports who founded the NIL marketplace INFLCR, spoke to many athletes on navigate the changing landscape in advance of AO’s launch. He noted that a central hub for athletes to communicate, collaborate and vote on important issues was needed. He and Copeland, who serves as co-Founder and CEO, therefore created the member app which provides the ability to ask questions, interact with pro bono experts and view a registry of AO verified agents and collectives.
AO member athletes will gain a voice through chapters based on their sport and conference, fostering collaboration and feedback for AO to advocate for its member athletes regarding new college athletics investments under consideration (referenced in the NCAA’s Transformation Committee report). High school athletes with college commitments, college athletes and current and former professional athletes will have the ability to join the organization as well.
The organization states that it will advocate for medical coverage improvements, scholarship protections and other areas. AO provides access to mentors, in the form of professionals and pro athletes and opportunities that could open up career pathways. Additionally, the AO app includes the tools and resources needed for college athletes to promote their overall wellbeing and development – not just in sports and professionally, but in life too.
“It’s important that all college athletes have the support to make the best decisions for their respective futures. It’s also vital that the perspective of college athletes is included in the decisions that will shape the future of our industry. We are creating a first-of-its-kind organization for all college athletes to have the space to go and think through potential life-altering decisions for both themselves and their peers. We are striving to impact college athletes so they can impact the world,” said AO Founder and Chairman, Cavale who also is the former CEO of INFLCR where he worked to support athletes in capitalizing and profiting from their NIL.
Sources: Y! Sports, Fox 19, ON3NIL
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