CNBC: Fanatics Helps Pro Athletes Transition to Life After Sports with Business Immersion Program

Fanatics is helping professional athletes transition to life after the final buzzer — or pitch, or whistle.

The company is expanding a pilot program to offer business education and exposure to players with the WNBA and MLB via a partnership with the University of Southern California. Through the one-week immersion program, players get in-classroom learning combined with hands-on experiences in Fanatics’ different business units.

The company says it is uniquely positioned to help athletes lay the groundwork for the next chapter of their careers with its wide-ranging sports portfolio. Fanatics has in recent months grown from its e-commerce core to add sports betting and live events to its growing business.

“Having a vehicle to help these athletes is not only the right thing to do, but it’s actually good for our business,” said Orlando Ashford, chief people officer at Fanatics. “These people will be friends of Fanatics, which will help us in a lot of different ways.”

Athletes in the program get a first-hand look at everything from Fanatics’ collectables business to its apparel company to its VIP and loyalty programs. They also get exposure to CEOs and experts in everything from design to marketing….