So there amidst Pickleball, eboat racing, CBD speculation, content creation ventures was another eyebrow raiser for “athlete investment”… farming.
But is it? Or is it one that might not be buzzworthy, might not be the sexiest, but may be able to tie to many areas of cause marketing and social responsibility.
Think about farming for a few minutes. We are all aware of climate change, issues with affordable and healthy food especially in inner cities, childhood obesity, the plight of the small town, clean water, renewable energy, and in many ways science and technology.
Doesn’t the ability to invest in infrastructure at the literal grassroots level…in land…make a little more sense, especially for athletes looking not just for ROI or ROE (Return on Ego), but for than just chasing the latest hard to understand tech buzzy worthy risky investment. Heck, as CBD or even a move to interest in plant based foods also rises up, isn’t sustainable farming, and assisting those who can do the work, an intriguing investment?
The athletes also come from various sports…NHL, NBA, NFL…and backgrounds, with the investment led by the always savvy Mark Patricof, who looks for investment and equity deals for clients, a far cry from endorsements. Those athletes mentioned…Joe Burrow, Blake Griffin, Kevin Gausman, Anders Lee, and around 20 others came from a fund of roughly $5 million for agricultural investments that each contributed to.
Not huge money, but the areas this could touch and help and then spin off into could be very intriguing.
Now this isn’t without risk and its not the first time big names have tried to go all in on investments that have a throwback to the land, or to a ground floor of investment in things like livestock. There was a time when Llamas, and Emu’s were the hot investment around the NBA, and most of those farms went bust. A very limited market for all things Alpaca as well.
But sustainable farming to get a jump and to tie to a food chain, or scientific investment down the road? Could be a very solid try, and certainly one to watch and see where it goes, not just for the buzz, but for those who can help move the needle in so many areas of social issues we are seeing.
Will it work, or will it be a quick flip? Not sure, but it seems one worth watching that could have some pretty cool roots and return.
Maybe farming investment isn’t so unconventional as some think.
