Kobe Bryant started a venture capitalist fund. LeBron James produced a reality television show. And you know what? These two NBA legends are not alone in their new endeavors. But they are part of that infamous "cool kids" crowd which helps legitimize a thing simply by taking part in it.
What else are all of sports' cool kids doing these days? Read on to find out.
Owning a Piece of the UFC
In July, WME/IMG bought the UFC for $4 billion—that's billion with a "b." The apparent financial health of the MMA juggernaut has led to some high-profile investments from the sports world.
For instance, in September, Conan O'Brien said on his show Conan, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports:
After the UFC deal was announced, WME — William Morris Endeavor — gave some of their clients an opportunity to purchase a small ownership stake in the UFC. I'm excited to announce that I was one of those clients. I said yes and so now I technically own a piece of the UFC. I am now part of a group of investors that includes Ben Affleck, Tom Brady, Mark Wahlberg, Adam Levine, Cam Newton, LL Cool J, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Sylvester Stallone, just to name a very few.
Buying into Esports Teams
The UFC isn't hogging all the love from sports investors. In addition to counting athletes as participants and fans—NBA players Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Lin, for example—esports are also a hot buy.
In March, NRG eSports—which has a League of Legends team—announced it counts Shaquille O'Neal and Alex Rodriguez among its investors. And in September, Diamond Leung of Sporttechie.com reported three big-time sports owners—Peter Guber, Magic Johnson and Ted Leonsis—had acquired esports franchise Team Liquid:
Appearing on 'Lip Sync Battle'
Dancing with the Stars is sort of old news for athletes—although they are still appearing on the show with regularity. And yet, there is a new game in town: Lip Sync Battle. In 2016, sports stars Chris Paul, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Tebow and Michael Phelps have all strutted their stuff on Spike's hit show.
Hitting Drake's Summer Sixteen Tour
Drake is definitely in the running for the title of "sports' biggest celebrity fan," but the love-fest is mutual and on display at the rapper's Summer Sixteen Tour:
Drake invited Kevin Durant on stage during an appearance at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, LeBron James during a stop in Columbus, Ohio, and Derrick Rose during a trip to Madison Square Garden.
Living that Tech Life
Besides UFC and esports ventures, sports folks are warming up to the tech boom. For example, recently retired NBA great Kobe Bryant started a $100 million venture capital firm with plans to invest in technology, media and data companies, according to Dennis K. Berman of the Wall Street Journal:
Marisa Kendall of the Mercury News added sports stars like Stephen Curry and Derek Jeter "have founded their own startups," and Andre Iguodala helped plan a technology summit on behalf of the National Basketball Players Association.
Sporttechie.com also presented a list of notable tech investors from sports that includes Carmelo Anthony, Joe Montana and Steve Nash.
Supporting the Soccer Movement
Soccer is the jam, in case you haven't noticed. U.S. viewership of Premier League coverage has gone up on NBC Sports Group networks for three consecutive years, according to Ken Fang of Awful Announcing.
And, all kinds of big-time athletes are choosing sides. Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been a Liverpool fan since (at least) the time he bought a minority stake in the club in 2011, and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is a noted Manchester United supporter.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Barcelona's Lionel Messi have developed quite the Instagram bromance, and Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook recently swapped jerseys with Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo:
Exploring Veganism
Athletes are constantly coming up with new diets and training regimens to achieve their peak physical potential. That said, vegan diets—or, those that do not contain animal products—are gaining ground in the NFL.
In June, ESPN's Rob Demovsky reported Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had eliminated dairy from his diet and put a focus on fruits and vegetables (not officially vegan, but heading in that direction):
In April, Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu tweeted he was "tired of eating poison" in response to a question about trying veganism. And while not vegan himself, New England Patriots QB Tom Brady eats a notoriously healthy diet and recently started peddling vegan snack packs for $50 a pop.
Meanwhile, former NFL defensive lineman David Carter is officially vegan and "travels the country advocating for the diet," according to Rachel Wenzlaff of NFL.com.
Penning Letters
When it comes to writing letters, it looks like what's old is new again. Several big-time athletes have recently given advice to their younger comrades via letter—sometimes digital and sometimes physical.
Retired MLB star Derek Jeter left typed letters in the locker of every Michigan Wolverine football player ahead of an October matchup with Wisconsin. Wayne Gretzky left a handwritten note in Team Europe's locker room during the World Cup of Hockey in September (so vintage):
Meanwhile, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell each wrote open letters of the digital variety to young players in their respective sports.
Rocking Statement Cleats
OK—wearing custom shoes is not exactly a new thing in sports, but it's definitely still going on. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (definitely cool), honored golfing great Arnold Palmer with a pair of custom kicks, and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton sported music-themed cleats that looked straight out of the 1990s. Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson even brought the trend to baseball when he wore LeBron Soldier 10 cleats during a series against the New York Yankees.
Reality Shows…Yes, Really
So, it used to be that athlete reality shows were fairly…uncool. (Really, remember What Would Ryan Lochte Do?)
Now, both NBA star LeBron James and NFL MVP Cam Newton have gotten into the reality biz game, giving it a much needed endorsement from popular athletes. Newton starred in the Nickeloden's inspirational kids show, All In With Cam Newton, and James produced CNBC's Cleveland Hustles:
And be honest, you're at least semi-intrigued by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce's dating show. Right?