Over the past few years, it’s become more apparent than ever: Athletes want to tell their stories. Occasionally while they’re still on the world’s stage, but most often after, when their team obligations are over and they’ve secured themselves a legacy in their sport. But while many athletes have gone on to produce and/or star in podcasts, documentaries, and books about their lives, they’ve never truly broken into one of the world’s biggest entertainment engines: Hollywood.
Don’t get us wrong, we’ve definitely had some serious athletes-turned-actors. Others, like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, started their own production studios. (Bryant was also the first and only athlete to win an Oscar, thanks to his 2017 animated short Dear Basketball.) But–for one reason or another–there doesn’t seem to be a smooth path from athletedom into the sort of audiovisual creativity Hollywood offers.
Enter YouTube.
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In 2023, the NFL and YouTube (one of its longtime partners across multiple areas) launched the Access Pass Program, which would give an approved group of content creators permission to use NFL archive footage in their videos. For creators, the benefits were significant: Not only were they getting access to high-quality footage of games, but they were explicitly allowed to monetize videos where they used that footage, without worrying about being copyright claimed. And they got to develop their own relationship with the NFL.
Influencer marketing company Whalar, which is also involved with the program, told Fast Company that Access Pass generated generated more than 46.5 million views for the NFL in its first year, and over 200 million to date.
So, of course, the NFL is interested in continuing the program–but with some tweaks. As Fast Company points out, the landscape has changed somewhat over the past two years. More NFL players are starting and growing successful podcasts: There’s former Tennessee Titans player Taylor Lewan and his ‘cast Bussin’ with the Boys, and former Chicago Bears player Brandon Marshall with I Am Athlete. Can’t forget the Kelce brothers, either; they regularly appear on our Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Reports because their episodes are some of the most-watched sponsored videos on all of YouTube).
To embrace these former players’ successes, the NFL and YouTube are putting together Access Pass for Legends, which will give content creators and athletes permission to use official footage.
Marshall, an NFL multi-record-holder who played wide receiver for 13 seasons, is one of the first players to join the program.
As he told CBS back in 2016, “I think that the business of the NFL is growing every single day, and players are being told to stay in a box and just play football, and we’re missing out on a lot of opportunities, not only to grow as men and businessmen but to experience different things.”
This program may not be a fast-track into Hollywood, but it will give athletes the footage and support to kick off content careers on YouTube. (And, from the hybrid Hollywood/YouTube creators we’ve spoken to, it sounds like YouTube might be the better deal…)
“Now, the same guys that helped build the game are now in position to have this access, go on YouTube and build a business,” Marshall told Fast Company. “That is the biggest win, being able to tell stories from a different perspective. It’s going to be exciting to see how some of our legends take advantage of this program.”
Also joining Access Pass for Legends are former NFL players Cam Newton, J.T. O’Sullivan, and Kurt Benkert.
“NFL players and legends are no longer just seen as athletes but as creators and storytellers with valuable perspectives on the game that increasingly have a home on YouTube,” Ian Trombetta, the NFL’s SVP of Social, Influencer, and Creator Marketing, told Fast Company. “Access Pass for Legends reflects this evolution by giving NFL icons additional tools to build their own media businesses.”
Angela Courtin, YouTube’s VP of Connected TV and Creative Studios, added that YouTube sees this as a way to “[empower] these athletes to take control of their narratives, build powerful brands, and transition into successful media moguls in their post-playing careers.”
We’ll be keeping an eye on the program to see how players use this launchpad–and what YouTube creators they tap to collaborate.
