Patrick Whitesell’s New Rep Banner Is Called WIN Sports

Patrick Whitesell, the co-founder of WME and Endeavor, who recently left after going private again, is launching a boutique football-representation shingle called WIN Sports Group.

The Big Play: Football is by far the most popular sport in America, with players and coaches reaching the heights of influence usually reserved for global movie stars. WIN hopes to leverage that appeal beyond the relatively short sports career into successful businesses that give players a lifelong winning streak.

Behind the Signings: WIN Sports is born out of WME’s former football division, which Whitesell took on his way out the door.

• The firm will rep athletes, coaches, and other leaders in the sport, including Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa.
• WIN will service their personal brands, businesses, media ventures, and other proprietary platforms — a growing opportunity after YouTube and the NFL struck a deal that allows players to use official league footage in their videos. 
• The firm is made up of the same senior team from the former WME Football division, led by Whitesell.

Last Down: Pro football is only growing in popularity, with games representing 45 of the top 100 TV broadcasts last year (including the entire top 10). Revenue is also up 9%, and games are now accessible in over 20 international markets. On top of that, college football is heating up just as much — collegiate programs are even turning their players into content creators to attract media attention and endorsement deals. In this ecosystem, WIN could have plenty of popular talents to build 360 degrees around.

Prediction: Considering that WME can still represent retired football players and coaches (just not current ones, due to Silver Lake co-CEO Egon Durban’s stake in the Las Vegas Raiders), WME and WIN could soon become fierce competitors down the road — pitting Whitesell against WME CEO Ari Emanuel.