Engagement Insider
NFL Boot Camp: Consumer Products participants have been hard at work learning the ins and outs of the consumer products business. Today kicked off with two time Super Bowl champion Carl Banks, who spoke to players about his journey from professional athlete to entrepreneur and encouraged them to be “proactive and opportunistic” in their business endeavors. “It was great to hear from Carl Banks listen to a guy that played and has taken a consumer products business to great heights,” said former NFL tight end Nate Lawrie.
“Carl Banks has been a great story, so I can relate,” added Phillip Buchanon. “A lot of people told me that I needed to wait to do business after I finished football, but I see how successful he is and how he started early, so now I think it wasn’t exactly the best advice.” Charlie Garner added, “Since he is a former NFL player in the garment business, which is what I want to do, I really learned a lot from his talk about what he’s done after his career.”
After an inspiring morning session, players took to the trade show floor at the NFL Consumer Products Summit. Participants got to interact with NFL licensees and retailers, observing first-hand the process of pitching new products ideas.
Jerry Butler, Director of Player Engagement for the Denver Broncos, has attended the boot camp to get a better sense of how these programs benefit the players who take advantage of them. “It has sparked a lot of creativity in everyone that I’ve talked to,” he said. “And I was really surprised that so many players came with specific ideas, looking for advice to take that next step.”
Afternoon sessions continued delving deeper into business fundamentals such as market research, product pricing, working with retailers, and more. “I’ll never be able to walk into a retail store again and look at products the same,” remarked NFL linebacker Corey Mays. “Thinking about how pricing, packaging, product display and everything is determined, I’ll always be curious about the strategy that went into all of it.”
Each presenter left participants with great words of wisdom for whether they’re already accomplished entrepreneurs or just starting out. “Most of us feel like you’ll never be able to get it done,” said Cindy Zordich, representing NFLPE’s Women’s Resource Initiative as the wife of a former player and mother of a current player. “But when you’re hearing so much honest advice from everyone, you’re able to see different routes to get it done. It’s like Carl Banks said – instead of quitting, you just adjust.”
The stories of how various NFL licensees built successful businesses inspired many. “The most interesting thing was hearing how other people got started, believing in themselves when others didn’t,” said Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith. “A lot of people believe in themselves too much and they fail, but these guys made it.”
The biggest test comes tomorrow as participants will be pitching their newly finessed product ideas to a panel of industry professionals, including NFL executives and licensees. Follow us on Twitter and SportsBlog for live updates throughout.
Click here to watch video of participants at NFL Boot Camp: Consumer Products