About

The Team USA Athlete Marketing Platform is a digital marketplace connecting Team USA athletes to Team USA sponsors for endorsement deals and marketing opportunities. AMP is designed to expand, streamline and elevate marketing opportunities and earning potential for U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, while also providing athletes with name, image and likeness resources and marketing tools to continue to grow their brands. 

Since the pilot launched in the spring of 2021, more than 800 Team USA athletes have enrolled and earned, on average, over $3,000, with $2.6 million in deals going through the platform. 

In addition to commercial use by Team USA sponsors, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, LA28 and National Governing Bodies utilize the platform to engage athletes in social, branding and fundraising opportunities to drive awareness for Team USA. 

How It Works

AMP provides expanded earning opportunities to more Team USA athletes in a variety of ways – including: 

  1. Potential for incremental revenue via individual endorsement deals
  2. New revenue streams such as royalty fees for licensed product
  3. A guaranteed base payment for group marketing rights for eligible athletes
  4. Access to content and Getty imagery for social media publishing
  5. Education, marketing tools and resources, and data and analytics for ongoing brand development  

ATHLETE PARTICIPATION PROCESS:
For the pilot program running through March of 2022, athletes are eligible to enroll in AMP based on specific criteria.  

  1. Eligible athletes are invited to opt in on a rolling basis.
  2. Athletes can optionally enroll in group marketing rights with a deadline of Dec. 31, 2021 to enroll.
  3. Athletes complete profile and contract, with opportunity to opt out of specific categories where they may have existing endorsement deals or personal conflicts, or, if they choose, where their NGB has a conflicting sponsor.
  4. Ongoing opportunities to connect directly with Team USA organizations and partners for individual endorsement deals and marketing opportunities.
  5. Athletes will have the ability to modify their profile and availability throughout the pilot. 

ATHLETE EARNING THROUGH AMP:

Athletes can connect with Team USA brands, organizations and other partners for marketing opportunities. AMP makes the connection, and the athlete negotiates the payment and terms.  individual endorsement opportunities require additional time from the athlete.  

Examples:
Toyota: Toyota is using AMP to offer sponsorship opportunities to all athletes named to the U.S. Paralympic Team for both the Tokyo and Beijing Games. Over 200 Team USA athletes have already signed a one-year endorsement deal with Toyota through AMP. 
 
Intel: Intel has used AMP to invite 148 athletes to promote Samsung laptops with Intel technology, driving a series of sponsored social posts that highlight staying in touch with loved ones. 
 
United: United used AMP to sponsor social media posts with 80 Team USA athletes on their flights to and from Tokyo. 
 
P&G: To promote their "Equal Too: Achieving Disability Equality" podcast, Procter and Gamble sent deal offers for sponsored Instagram Stories to 68 Team USA athletes in AMP. 
 
Salesforce: Salesforce sent deal offers to 18 athletes in AMP to promote their new Team USA partnership, including podcasts, social media promotions, and appearances 

Athletes may earn additional funding when fans purchase official Team USA merchandise that features their name, image, or likeness.  Athletes will receive a royalty for their name or likeness.

Eligible athletes may opt-in to earn a base payment of $1,250, split into two equal installments, for group marketing rights for thepilot. As part of AMP, Team USA partners can use the name, image, and/or likeness of a minimum of three athletes in a group to show their support of Team USA. All athletes shown must be from different NGBs and shown collectively as Team USA. This model uses athletes’ existing name, image and likeness, and does not require additional time or commitment from the athlete beyond a potential initial photo shoot (where existing imagery may not exist).

Examples:

Salesforce: 
Salesforce used AMP to work with athletes who have Salesforce experience, for inclusion in a group marketing campaign displayed in their office lobby in San Francisco.

Make The Best Decision For You

As you consider your option to enroll, we want to be sure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision. Reach out to athlete.marketing@usopc.org with any questions.

1. Understand the program and review the AMP Guidelines to understand the program components. You are in control of your story with AMP.
2. Connect with your NGB to understand your responsibilities, and the full scope of support you receive.
3. Chat with your support team. If you’re unsure if the AMP program is right for you, we recommend you consult with your agent, a parent or trusted independent advisor such as the Office of the Athlete Ombuds. If you have an agent, please work with them to discuss if and how your agent may help support in managing your AMP account.
4. Review all current contracts. AMP is completely optional and allows you the flexibility to opt out of brands and categories to protect your individual or sport-specific endorsement deals. Review the AMP Athlete Agreement and contract summary to understand what you are signing.
5. Consider your brand. Think about how you want to represent yourself, and the brands and causes you care about. Understand the categories and brands that will be part of the platform and what opportunities you are interested in. Once enrolled in AMP, you will have the ability to choose the brands you are open to work with.