How Turn2 Is Helping Players Build Know-How Into Entrepreneurship

By Jarett Sims, Co-Founder

Without the players, there is no game. It’s a simple truth that exists across every sport, league, conference and franchise, and it’s too often forgotten — even, sometimes, by the players themselves.

Lately, we’ve seen athletes at all levels take that power back, exerting the influence of their collective will on issues as far-ranging as racial equality, health and safety concerns, and fair compensation. We’ve seen individual players make bold statements, too, including one whom we’re proud to announce has joined the Turn2 Equity team: Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward.

With their platform and access, players like Jason have the capacity to make their voices heard, bend the ear of important decision-makers and connect with key audiences unlike any other influencers. In fact, Turn2 was established with the express purpose of helping athletes harness these elements to optimize their own entrepreneurial portfolios. Athletes are no longer just brand representatives. They’re increasingly building something of their own, and as such, they’re literally more invested than ever.

It’s a boon for sports startups, because a motivated, plugged-in player holds incredible sway. Embedded in the game, athletes have an intimate understanding of the market for your product, connect directly to your high-level consumers and are uniquely positioned to be your voice in any room. Inside the clubhouse, at the players’ union table, astride executives and owners whose decisions can make or break business fortunes, they are poised, always, with a finger on the pulse of their game.

And who better than a player to test your latest sports service, tech or widget? Their direct feedback is critically important in the development process, and their enthusiasm as it’s going to market leads to word of mouth that can’t be replicated. Once that voice is amplified through an aggregated group of players, your credibility rockets through the roof.

The founder’s role is to find solutions. And because no one understands the pain points you’re trying to solve for better than a pure industry insider, a player makes for the best partner. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship whose importance can’t be understated — like all the instruments on a ship at sea. If you’re the wheel at the helm, your athlete-partner is no less important to the operation — your rudder in the water and your foghorn letting the world know you’re coming.