Ex-athletes open sports ownership to investors with $500 minimum fund

What's the deal? Retired Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Marques ColstonDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and former mixed martial arts fighter Nick Edwards have launched Champion Fund, an interval fund that opens sports ownership to average investors with a minimum investment of $500. The pair, managing partners at Champion Venture PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, founded and manage the vehicle. Their pitch: "Alts for all!"

What's the endgame? With a single investment, the fund offers exposure to five categories of the sports world, including sports assets such as teams and leagues, sports venture, and media content. It uses a proprietary Sports Private Market Index strategy to break down the ecosystem into distinct buckets.

Why now? Sports ownership has historically been limited to insiders and institutional capital. Colston, who played for the New Orleans Saints, spent years as a financial advisor and saw the gap firsthand. "One of the biggest challenges is when clients are looking for alternative assets," he said, arguing that Champion "helps create a solution for advisors."

Who's it for? The fund targets registered investment advisers (RIAs) seeking to fill client portfolios' "alt sleeve," typically 5% to 30% of an allocation. Edwards, who leads capital markets strategy and deal sourcing, described it as "semi-liquid," high-growth, and SEC-regulated "with a high level of scrutiny and credibility." Colston sees particular potential in retirement planning.

The signal: The US sports industry generates about $2.65 trillion annually, according to the McGill Journal of Economics, and access to that market has long been gated. By lowering the barrier to $500, Champion reflects a broader push to bring private, uncorrelated assets to retail investors through regulated vehicles.

Read more: ThinkAdvisor

Image credit: wonker