Overtime is expanding its slate of programming, collaborating with the Heisman Trophy winner for a new 7-on-7 football league coming to Las Vegas this June.
Cam Newton has his eyes set on his next move.
Overtime has teamed up with the NFL MVP quarterback to form a 24-team, 7-on-7 high school football league called OT7. The endeavor will kick off with a tournament in Las Vegas during the week of June 6, the company announced Tuesday.
Newton, the 32-year-old, three-time Pro Bowler who’s played 11 pro seasons with the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots, will serve as a partner, strategic advisor, and board member for the league. The 7-on-7 format is wildly popular across the country, with youth, middle school, and high school tournaments where players can show off and develop their skills.
“I have spent the better part of the last 15 years dedicated to bettering the lives of young football players through 7-on-7 football,” Newton said. “7-on-7 was an invaluable outlet to me growing up, and many professional football players would not be where they are today without that exposure and training in the spring. I felt that now was the time to leverage my knowledge of the space and partner with Overtime to give 7-on-7 the exposure and investment it deserves.”
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The 24 teams from across the U.S. will begin in pool play, with qualifying teams advancing to a single-elimination tournament. Overtime will exclusively broadcast the action, along with a docuseries chronicling the games, teams, and players. The schedule of events will even include a combine.
There will also be a series solely focused on Newton throughout the week of the tournament.
“As a company, we continue to create, invest in, and grow disruptive sports IP that rethinks the athlete and fan experience for the physical and the digital world,” said Dan Porter, Overtime’s co-founder and CEO. “OT7 will introduce fans to highly competitive 7-on-7 football and bring them closer to the next generation football stars through Overtime’s storytelling.”
Overtime just completed the first season of its Overtime Elite basketball program, which saw 27 top high school and prep prospects move to Atlanta to live, play and receive an education under one roof for six-figure salaries. We’ll see if OT7 is the start of something similarly ambitious in the football space.
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