Christine Sinclair signed a partnership with SportsShare to become a brand ambassador and content creator in exchange for what the B.C.-based tech startup says is a 'significant' ownership slice.Kristina Barker/The Globe and Mail
Christine Sinclair knows where her strengths lie – and where they definitely don’t. After more than 25 years in soccer, she holds a world record for goals in international play (190), she appeared 331 times for Canada, her 62 goals in National Women’s Soccer League play are the third-highest in the league, and she is a national sporting icon. And yet, she recognizes that her famously low-key demeanour off the pitch is a constraint. “Anyone who’s followed me on social media, it’s probably been a fairly boring follow,” she said recently, with a self-deprecating laugh.
But this week, Ms. Sinclair will begin posting videos for an audience that will almost certainly be more discriminating than your average casual Instagram fan. Her content on SportsShare, a nascent subscription-based sport education platform, will be aimed at up-and-coming soccer players and coaches eager to hear advice from someone who’s seen it all: everything from skill drills to teamwork to how to get the most out of the coach-player relationship.
Earlier this year, with retirement from pro soccer on the horizon – she signed a one-year deal in January to stay on another season with the Portland Thorns, her home since 2013 – Ms. Sinclair, 41, struck a partnership with SportsShare to become a brand ambassador and content creator in exchange for what the B.C.-based tech startup says is a “significant” ownership slice. It is her first equity venture, part of a wave of newly empowered athletes betting on themselves by taking stakes in the companies with which they’re aligning, rather than the traditional sponsorship cash payment.
SportsShare is part of a growing market of online sports coaching, where athletes and weekend warriors are increasingly willing to pay for expertise. Triathlon Canada signed on as a partner last year to create a channel for the sport’s enthusiasts. Canadian triathlete Simon Whitfield, who won Olympic gold and silver, is an adviser. Earlier this month, the company struck a deal with FC Regina through which all members of the community soccer association will have access to SportsShare’s soccer content, including hundreds of videos and custom drills and practice plans.
Ms. Sinclair says that she would have loved to have been able to tap in to that sort of expert advice when she was developing her skills as a young player. “I grew up with a lot of opportunities. But I would have killed for this type of access – whether it was lesson plans, little skill sessions you could do against a wall or in your backyard or your basement.”
“I’ve learned a lot from all the coaches I’ve had in my career, good and bad, and to be able to pass some of that knowledge on, I think, will not only help the coaches but then, ultimately, help the players that they interact with on a daily basis.”
And, she adds, the price point (monthly subscriptions run US$3.99 per sport) underscores the access-for-all ethos.
SportsShare, which says it vets its content creators, hopes Christine Sinclair will help it stand out as a legitimate place for professional-grade advice.Kristina Barker/The Globe and Mail
“My parents weren’t able to afford a lot when I was growing up, but this was something that they could have done,” she said. “I truly believe that it shouldn’t matter where you are, where you’re living, where you’re from, how wealthy your parents are – everyone should have the same access, and SportsShare allows athletes, coaches to all have that same access.”
Still, there is an ocean of freely available sports education content on sites such as YouTube. SportsShare, which says it vets its content creators, hopes Ms. Sinclair will help it stand out as a legitimate place for professional-grade advice.
“The other platforms – they’re social in nature, and they’re designed to be for the consumers first,” said Alan Schuler, the company’s co-founder, president and CEO, in an interview. “So, the requirements on the contributors to have any sort of particular capability or competency isn’t there. There’s no filtering. When we think about what SportsShare should be to the community, it’s a trusted destination.”
Random coaches on YouTube may be good, but they “are amongst an entire spectrum of people who are claiming to be credible,” Mr. Schuler said. “So, it’s a very critical factor for us, and it’s a really clear and great indication of why somebody like Christine would choose to be here.”
He adds that the company “leverages advancements in AI” to match users to the content they would find most pertinent.
The offer of equity helped Ms. Sinclair buy in. “It’s definitely different than a sponsorship,” she said. “With other sponsorships, you go in and you do an appearance, because it’s in your contract.”
“I’m a Nike athlete, and you go and do an appearance and you wear their shoes.” But, “as this builds, it’s going to be my own blood and sweat into this. You’ll get out of it what you put in, and that excites me.”
Despite the ownership stake, Ms. Sinclair insists her contributions will be limited to the content: She’ll leave business strategy to others. “This is just sticking my toes in and seeing what it’s like,” she explained. “Starting a business doesn’t exactly get my heart pumping – like maybe coaching does. So, this is, in a way, a combination of them both. I can still share my soccer expertise, while dipping my toes into the business world.”
“If I’m coaching, that’s only 24 people I can impact, whereas with a company like SportsShare, someone in Yellowknife can get training from me.”
She doesn’t yet know exactly what her retirement will look like. “I’m going to be in sports. I do want to try out coaching. I have no desire at this point to be a head coach of a professional team or a national team. That is not my aspiration. Just with my personality, the idea of being an assistant coach or an attacking or forward coach with a club team is kind of what excites me right now. You’re able to focus on the different nuances of the game, and you don’t have the stress and pressure that a head coach has.”
She’s keeping her options open, she says. “Broadcasting, maybe – I want to try a bunch of different things the first couple of years after I’m done playing and see what truly inspires me. I’ve been a soccer player since I was 4. It’s time to just kind of spread my wings and see what’s possible.”
Ms. Sinclair has seen other pro athletes move into ownership after retirement – friends such as Brandi Chastain, who is now part of the leadership of the Bay FC National Women’s Soccer League team; Naomi Osaka, who has co-founded a media company while still part of the WTA Tour; LeBron James, whose billion-dollar-plus worth of business interests include media, hospitality, tech, and sports.
“You’ve got to look at someone like a Serena Williams and just how she’s kind of a transcended sport,” Ms. Sinclair said. “At the same time, I’m going to forge my own path. You know, I never really played soccer to be like anyone else, and I don’t see my postsoccer career being any different.”