On Sunday, October 23rd, former Wisconsin Badger basketball standout Josh Gasser attended a Cyc Fitness exercise class in Madison, WI as part of a sports sponsorship deal reached through OpenSponsorship. The athlete endorsement agreement also included an Instagram post in the days leading up to the event.

We believe that an athlete influencer can be an effective voice for any brand.

Olympians, Rio may be over, but the limelight doesn’t have to be. Here are OpenSponsorship's four tips for staying connected to your fans and sponsors:

Desert Hawks. Red Hawks. Nighthawks. Any way you cut it, the NHL expansion team in Las Vegas is going to have a pretty cool name.

When we think of an athlete, naturally we think of their sport. They’re known for competing, for their accomplishments and their success in their field. They get sponsors like Nike and Gatorade because that’s the easy connection to make. But athletes do in fact have lives outside of sports. When they’re not training or competing, they have hours to dedicate to other passions and hobbies. We often don’t see that side of athletes, and might not even know of their interests off the field, but their hobbies can provide a unique sponsorship opportunity for the brands that aren’t Nike.

Becoming YouTube famous is a modern phenomenon. With just a computer and a camera, you can broadcast your face around the world. YouTubers have quickly grown to a new level of fame, rivaling that of athletes and celebrities. However, even in the ever-changing world that we live in, the presence and influence of athletes are immutable.

Odell Beckham Jr. and Richard Sherman are the two most highly engaged athletes on social media. Both are OpenSponsorship athletes, contact them today to promote your brand and interact with their fanbase. Below, I discuss why athletes need to be good at social media.

One of the main reasons athletes benefit from having a social media following is the inspiration they provide for their followers. I follow professional athletes on social media because I look up to them as role models. A professional athlete’s work ethic is second to none, and people want to be involved and see how athletes are operating on a daily basis. Social Media has provided the public with a distant relationship that often doesn’t seem so distant given the nature of the athlete. The “bigger than life athlete”, is more relatable when I can see updates about them on my smart phone anytime, anywhere.  Inspiration is contagious, and all the better when it is being spread from a world class athlete to the everyday hard working person.

Beach volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world. During warm weather, games of beach volleyball take place in beaches all over the globe. Its also one of the Olympics most watched sporting events. One of our recent signings was Bassem Ben Hassouna. Bass is a professional beach volleyball player from Quebec City, Canada. We interviewed Bass as part of our Athlete Interview Series. Read on to find out more about Bass - an upcoming beach volleyball player.