The Brazilian soccer star Pelé recently passed away.
Born into barefoot poverty, he grew to become one of the greatest athletes in modern history. He won the World Cup a record three times, and is known as soccer’s first superstar.
When he died, he left a fortune worth an estimated $100 million.
Most of us would consider accumulating a fortune like that unfathomable. But some of today’s top athletes earn that much every year.
The NBA’s Steph Curry will earn about $51 million this year. The NFL’s Aaron Rodgers will earn about $37 million, even after his season-ending injury. And boxer Canelo Alvarez will probably rake in more than $100 million.
And that’s just from their salaries. When you add in sponsorship earnings, these numbers get even bigger. LeBron James, for instance, earns a $47 million salary, but makes almost twice that much — a whopping $70 million — from his sponsorships.
Why am I bringing this topic up today? Simple. Because recently, opportunities have emerged for investors like us to share in these massive paydays.
And today, I’ll tell you about one of them.
An Alternative to Stocks and Bonds
As I’ve explained in recent months (for example, here and here), the rich invest differently.
They don’t have typical 60/40 portfolios. And this difference might explain why they keep getting richer.
You see, according to the Motley Fool, the rich mainly invest in “alternative assets.”
These alternatives include private startups and private real estate deals — the kind we focus on here at Crowdability.
But they also include fine art, fine wine, vintage sports cars — and now, athletes.
Investing in Athletes
Recently, a handful of online businesses have emerged that enable investors like us to invest in some of the world’s most promising athletes. Minimums can be as low as $50 or so.
One of them is called Finlete.
On this soon-to-be-launched platform that’s backed by Comcast-NBC, you can invest in promising young athletes — and hit a financial homerun if they’re successful.
Finlete aims to discover stars before they get big. When it finds one, it offers them a big lump-sum (say, $1 million) in exchange for a percentage of their future contract.
This is called a future-earnings deal.
For example, let’s say you invest in an up-and-coming baseball player. If he signs an average three-year MLB contract, a $100 investment would turn into about $270 — good for a 270% return.
Launching This Month
The site is launching this month — February, 2024 — with a rising star named Echedry Vargas.
Vargas is an extraordinary baseball prospect from the Texas Rangers.
To get a closer look at what makes this launch so exciting, check out this video.
As the company said, this video isn’t just a glimpse into its platform…
It's also a preview of the future of sports!
Join Finlete at Spring Training
If you plan to attend spring training this year, you can connect with Finlete in person.
Let them know your plans by reaching out to Rob Connelly, the company’s co-founder and CEO. His email address is Rob@Finlete.com.
As the company has written, it’s creating “more than a platform; it's a community, and your presence would be incredibly meaningful as we embark on this exciting chapter.”
In the meantime, sign up at Finlete.com now, so you’ll be notified when the site launches.
Happy Investing,
Please note: Crowdability has no relationship with any of the startups or investment platforms we write about. We're an independent provider of education and research on startups and alternative investments.
Best Regards,
Founder
Crowdability.com
