3 days ago
Aaron Rodgers-Backed Group Building ‘IMDb' for Athlete Deals
Aaron Rodgers-backed startup wants to make it easier for players to do more off-field deals. After rebranding from Online Sports Database (OSDB), the new site has launched a $30/month subscription offering geared towards marketers looking to connect with—you guessed it—athlete agents.
The idea for began with actor Ryan Rottman, whose credits include appearances on 90210 and numerous Hallmark movies.
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'IMDb was my business card,' he said in an interview. 'It was a lifesaver for me in a few instances.'
As a 'massive sports fan,' Rottman didn't know why a similar database didn't exist within athletics, providing key information for others within the industry, including preferred contact information. With Rodgers' support, the site first launched in 2021, listing basic biographical details as well as endorsement relationships and philanthropic interests.
In the years since, site managers have received 'tons of emails' from people looking to get in touch with the players listed, leading to the latest product. Player contract information is still available for free on the site.
The company added Sean O'Brien as CEO in 2023. O'Brien said sports agencies have helped the site develop its contact information listings as those representatives look to source more deals. Baseball agent Scott Boras is among AthleteAgent's investors. The company is currently looking to close a $2.5 million seed round, having raised $3 million to date, including in a 2023 crowdfunding round. It says it already has hundreds of paying users. The site has also seen an uptick in artificial intelligence services using its data to inform results.
currently includes information on NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB and MLS players, with golf, Formula 1 and UFC additions on the short-term roadmap. In addition to the subscription offering, AthleteAgent will help design entire marketing campaigns as a service for higher-paying clients.
'We're solving a lot of problems,' O'Brien said. 'It's more than just connecting with the athlete.'
The company also intends to help athletes find agents, at a time when high school and college students are increasingly leaning on representation to grow their personal brands. The platform claims to have information on more than 4,000 athletes and 2,000 agents to date.
'The use case scenario of what we originally thought has just completely expanded,' Rottman said. He added that Rodgers remains 'thoroughly involved' with the company, providing a pro athlete's perspective and connections. Rodgers, now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the ninth-highest paid NFL player in 2024, according to Sportico's calculations.
'We're not building this for the 1% of athletes,' Rottman said. 'It's the other guys that we really feel passionately about—that we can help. We can get more eyeballs on them, we can help put money in their pockets. And that's something that [Rodgers] really is passionate about.'
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