Global Impact Starts With Athlete Trust

Here’s the thing about contracts: they’re not just about what you’re getting. They’re about what you’re giving up.

And too many creators and athletes are saying yes to deals that sound good, but feel bad three months later when the brand's running your face on billboards in Milwaukee and you still haven’t been paid.

A few non-negotiables to keep in mind:

1. Usage = Value If they want to post it once? Cool. If they want to run it as a paid ad for 6 months across every platform — yeah, that costs more. You’re not just charging for the deliverable — you’re charging for how it’s used.

2. Exclusivity = leverage. If they’re asking you not to work with competitors, that’s not a favor it’s a fee. Locking yourself into a brand deal that blocks future bags? That’s a decision that should come with a comma.

3. Time is money. “Net 60” sounds like a finance guy’s problem — but it becomes your problem when you’re fronting production costs and waiting two months to get paid. Payment terms can be a negotiation too.

Ask questions. Push back where it matters. That’s not being difficult , that’s being smart. Good deals happen when you know what you’re signing. When you ask the right questions. When you don’t just say yes out of fear they’ll move on.

Working with athletes allows you to be a part of an impact you could never personally have, and I don't think there's anything cooler than that.

This past week I was in Japan—my first time there. I went with my good friend Damar Hamlin (I’ve been running his marketing and managing his business ventures for the past 5 years) who got invited to teach CPR to Japanese youth through the AHA’s Nation of Livesavers program. We’ve been part of teaching thousands of people CPR (including a kid from Buffalo this past weekend who saved his stepfather's life).

The concept of how it all came together was pretty simple:

Damar is cool → People want to meet and be like Damar → People come to learn CPR because they want to meet and be like Damar.

This doesn’t happen unless Damar sets out to use his influence as a vehicle to create change. Real impact. I also would never have gotten to do this if I hadn’t earned Damar’s trust.

No one in Japan knew me, except for the few people in Shinjuku that shouted out “Hey weren’t you the first personal brand coach in the NCAA?” (Kidding - no one knew me.) But I was able to play a role in close to 1,000 people learning how to save a life from behind the scenes.

This is the beauty of working with athletes if you’re doing this beyond just the transactional reasons. I can't influence millions of people. But through my work with him, I can.

Supporting athlete’s missions

This chance for real impact is why it bothers me when I see the rise of “portal agents” and marketing reps who don’t know a thing about marketing. Kudos to them for finding a way to make a quick dollar, but most athletes grew up wanting to be role models and now you’ve reduced them down to a transaction. 

Again, the concept is simple:

Give yourself the title of “Portal Agent” → Promise a lot of money → Make the money → Sign 10 more athletes because of the money.

Getting the deal should just be part of the work but now it's become the only thing that matters. No one is more pro-athletes getting paid than me. But young minds can be molded into something incredible. This current shift means there's an opportunity to promote things that matter. To use your voice and platform for good.

Transactions are fine. Money isn’t bad. But if it's just for a transaction, offer your services as a flat fee. Let your athletes go sign with someone else who actually cares about their narrative. Someone who’s going to push them to be mission-driven and promote positivity.

This trip to Japan was another instance of me being able to do a really cool thing because I’ve built the trust from Damar and because I’ve worked really hard to be able to showcase enough value to be in those situations.

Personally I think it's so cool to be able to partner together with an athlete on something they care about and to help elevate their voice. Because when you do, then you get to be part of that impact as well.

I hope others that work with athletes find it cool as well and start to overshadow the “Portal Agents” that seem to be taking over (Did I mention I hate that term?).

Let’s do better.