Ontheside makes it simple for athletes to get paid for the content they create. Athletes showcase their stories, connect directly with fans, and benefit from partnerships with brands eager to amplify authentic voices in sports.
Athlete sponsorships have historically been dominated by a select few at the top of their game. Most brand sponsorships only last throughout an athlete’s competitive years. Many sponsorships are tied to brand requirements difficult for most athletes to meet. Athletes outside the spotlight—whether rising professionals, collegiate competitors, or dedicated amateurs—struggle for funding or brand attention. Most athletes who build loyal followings and create high-value content never hope to get paid for those efforts. Ontheside is here to change all that.
“We built Ontheside to level the sponsorship playing field,” said Richard Lee, CEO and Founder of Ontheside. “Ontheside, athletes at all ages and levels have a stage where their stories matter as much as their performance. We help athletes share their experiences and connect with brands and fans to earn and learn in new ways.”
Ontheside was built for athletes who want to share the everyday realities of their athlete life. From unfiltered training sessions and lessons learned, to breakthroughs and successes, athletes show what it takes to be their best.
With Ontheside, athletes can:
Unlike many social channels, connection on Ontheside is based on shared sports interests, passions, and goals. On Ontheside, athletes can be athletes first and fully themselves. Fans and brands on Ontheside have many opportunities to rally behind that authenticity and reach their own goals. Content on the platform is not subject to popularity algorithms. Fans will not see ads in their feeds. The experience is designed for athletes and fans who want an alternative to the irrelevancy, distractions and toxicity of existing channels. The best part is that athlete-creators receive 80% of all sponsorship proceeds.
Representation and minimizing the barriers to their sports are common motivators for the first mover athletes who have joined Ontheside.
“If that middle aged woman, who is not the most athletic woman I've ever met, and has had a normal life is able to go do that, I certainly can too.“ – Crystal Kovacs, Gravel Cyclist and DirtSquad Founder
“Our bodies were created to actually move so I want to inspire people to find that movement that they enjoy and then pursuit it.“ – Reesa Zagnoli, Ultra Marathon, Triathlon and Aerial Silk
“Derby is not a secret and neither is training for it. I joined this platform to share my knowledge and help roller derby become a professional sport.” – Thrasher, Roller Derby Coach
For fans, Ontheside provides windows into athletes’ worlds. Beyond the highlight reels, fans see the dedication athletes put into their sport. Fans can support athletes directly by sponsoring their exclusive content to grow their own skills or help athletes reach milestones.
For brands, Ontheside offers access to an expanded universe of athlete micro-influencers and their content. With the brand sponsorship program, Ontheside matches a brand’s ads to a portfolio of athlete content across sports categories. Ads are then shown to segmented and engaged target audiences to achieve the brand's goals. With 80% of brand sponsorship proceeds going directly to athletes, brands impact athletes’ success beyond free product and gear. Brands and businesses have the opportunities to support hometown athletes, reach niche audiences, and grow loyal, lifelong customers.
Hundreds of athletes, including cyclists, triathletes, and derby skaters, are already building their profiles and showcasing their journeys on Ontheside. Ontheside recently started outreach to a select group of brands to pilot and develop the brand content sponsorship program.
“Our goal is to democratize athlete sponsorship,” added Mr. Lee. “We believe that sports sponsorship shouldn’t be limited to the mega-stars. Tens of thousands of hard-working athletes have unique and powerful stories that inspire us and show us what’s possible. Ontheside showcases those stories and makes it possible for all athletes to fund their athletic goals and inspire through sport.”