People tend to simply see a player when they think of their favorite athletes, but many of them do way more than play the games they watch on their TV. They are dedicated individuals. Many of them have shifted their focus and diversified their pursuits into business ventures that span across all kinds of industries. 

Seeing the athletes I love express their diverse and well-rounded selves off of the playing field is so inspiring and helps me relate to them in a way where they don’t seem too different from me. 

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Take McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris for example. Apart from being the best driver on the grid (this isn’t me being biased, obviously), he also has a deep interest in gaming, apparel and content. These interests were the foundation for his gaming and lifestyle brand, Quadrant. Norris describes this as his “passion project,” one with a simple mission: “to craft more entertaining and uplifting moments than anyone else.”

Quadrant upholds this mission through its content creation, collaborations with influencers, partnerships with athletes and branded apparel, all things meant to engage and entertain the Quadrant community.  

The brand has already amassed immense success, scoring a partnership with the Halo Championship Series, a tournament series for esports. The partnership brought players special Quadrant skins and unlockables. 

While Norris showed athletes can pursue their passions in ways that bridge all their interests, others keep their focus on their love for their sport. In that case, the athlete-to-business-owner pipeline is full circle: An athlete loves their sport so much that they create something that builds on that passion.

This is exactly how I think about Tony Hawk, the 12-time skateboarding world champion who created his own company, BIRDHOUSE SKATEBOARDS. Hawk founded his company with the idea that, “If you love something, you support it and nurture it.” 

Birdhouse was created in 1992, at a time when vert skateboarding was losing its popularity, and Hawk was having a hard time finding sponsors. He took initiative, giving rise to a brand he used to represent not only himself but also fellow skateboarders Jeremy Klein, Steve Berra and Willy Santos.

While Hawk expanded to an area he knew well, other athletes have shown they’re willing to stray away from the things they know the best. This is my way of saying, “What’s up with all these athletes launching their own production companies?”

We have LeBron James with SpringHill Entertainment, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe’s A Touch More, Dwayne Johnson and Seven Bucks Productions, Tom Brady with 199 Productions and, of course, Kobe Bryant’s Granity Studios, which produced his Oscar-winning film “Dear Basketball” (2017).

Although I joke about so many athletes going into the entertainment industry, it is nice to see them connecting their business ventures to things that are important to them. 

James named his company after the apartment building he lived in with his mother in Ohio. Bird and Rapinoe lead their company with the goal of spotlighting stories to “move culture forward.” Brady picked 199 because it was his selection number in the 2000 draft. And Bryant’s “Dear Basketball” was a heartfelt storytelling of a poem detailing his journey with basketball.

Going back to my initial question, “Why do athletes start production companies?” Players’ move to the entertainment industry isn’t all that shocking when you consider that while, yes, they’re athletes, they’re also entertainers. Sports are a source of entertainment for fans. Athletes are given a platform where they can share their moments, stories and thoughts, things that can often go away as they head into retirement.

It really is no surprise that many of them choose to take control and create something where they can continue telling stories and spotlighting things that matter to them.         

As you may have noticed, most of these well-known businesses are owned by men athletes, but what about women? So many women athletes run incredibly successful businesses yet they aren’t recognized on the same level as men.

Take re—inc, a lifestyle brand founded by soccer champions Christen Press, Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg and Rapinoe. Their goal is to challenge the status quo with their global community. 

They have built their brand on admirable values, those of promoting inclusivity and equality, and they are doing just that through six avenues: their team of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences; their partnerships with entrepreneurs and companies; stories that inspire strength and radiate positivity; their products that offer eco-friendly goods and clothing, all made to cater to every body type and gender; giving to organizations doing good in their communities; and prioritizing wellbeing by providing their community the resources needed to find this balance. 

However, despite their accomplishments, it is important to recognize the disparity in recognition between men and women athletes. While men dominate headlines, female athletes like Press, Heath, Klingenberg and Rapinoe are doing equally as commemorable things with less recognition.  

Regina Correa is a freshman writing about the world of sports, its intersection with culture and the stories that lie within in her column, “The Cultural Playbook,” which runs every other Monday.