JPMorgan Chase is making a direct move into the athlete economy.

The firm recently launched an Athlete Council, bringing together names like Tom Brady, Dwyane Wade, Sue Bird, and Megan Rapinoe to help shape financial services tailored specifically to athletes.

The initiative is designed to address a structural gap: most athletes earn early, retire young, and often manage complex income streams without prior formal financial education.

JPMorgan’s approach is to build alongside athletes, using their input to develop tools and programs that support financial decision-making from the NIL stage through retirement.

The launch also includes a broader infrastructure push, including an Athlete Center of Excellence, education programs at universities and major sporting events, and a content platform tailored to different stages of an athlete’s career.

While financial institutions have historically served athletes as clients, this move reflects a shift toward building products and systems specifically around them.

As athlete earnings expand through NIL, endorsements, and ownership opportunities, the need for structured financial support is becoming more central to the sports ecosystem.

Most athletes don't think of themselves as celebrities. Hollywood Hills, red carpets, millions of followers. In my experience pro sports feels pretty far removed from that world. But there are some crucial similarities when it comes to off the stage, screen or field.

Noah recently interviewed Daniel Scharff, founder of Startup CPG, who referenced their podcast with Foster Garvey's Hillary Hughes, who breaks down celebrity endorsement deals. Both Noah and I were shocked with the minimal view count on the video. The video has a very inside baseball quality as Hughes dishes on all the nitty and gritty aspects of how celebrities interact with businesses.

The video is a goldmine in terms of information but the biggest takeaway for me is that the same things that tank a brand's celebrity deal are the same things that tank an athlete's deal. Hughes highlights issues with undefined scope, compensation mismatches and even the celebrity wanting to avoid feeling like a walking billboard. In my mind, these all fall under the category of mismanaged expectations and they aren't only celebrity problems.

Here's two parts that stuck with me, maybe because of my fairly unimpressive social media presence.

First, Hughes argues fit over size. Alignment between the brand and celebrity over follower count all day long. I couldn't agree more, I have heard this validated countless times in my own conversations with startups and with the startups on the A&A platform.

Next, that big name a company is chasing might want $1M or 20% equity for a few posts. Here's what I would ask those companies. How valuable is that really? Can you even afford it? In my experience I've seen mid-tier athletes with genuine alignment and a real willingness to actively drive value for companies outperform the household name every time.

For the companies reading this, the framework is simple. Does this person genuinely align with your brand? Is the scope clearly defined? And if they only deliver the contractual minimum, are you still okay with the deal? The goal should not be to land the biggest name you can afford. Above all else, find the right partner and structure a deal you can both actually live with.

After requests from both sides, we’ve rolled out notification controls across the platform for both athletes and companies.

While we send a high volume of notifications to make sure no one misses a meeting or opportunity, you now have full control over what you receive and when.

Throne Sport Coffee is a ready-to-drink coffee with natural caffeine and protein with Patrick Mahomes as their lead investor. Watch Noah’s interview with Michael Fedele, founder and CEO of the brand, here:

Why should athletes care?

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For athletes, Throne is a drink that fits pre-workout, post-workout, or in between travel and training, meaning fewer products to manage and a more streamlined routine, built around both energy and recovery.