Overtime, the leading brand for the next generation of sports fans, announced today the Overtime Elite launch (OTE). This transformative new basketball league will offer the most talented young players all over the world a better track to becoming professional athletes.
OTE will serve as a launchpad for the professional careers of elite young players all over, offering year-round development programs through world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that will help the athlete grow on and off the court.
The league, which will begin in September, will be comprised of as many as 30 players who will all live, train and play in the same city. Not only will OTE teams be competing against each other, but they will also play against international teams, offering a unique competitive experience.
OTE sees itself as a solution to the lack of compensation for amateur athletes and will offer every player a minimum salary of $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and equity shares in Overtime. Players will also profit from their likeness, a long-disputed issue in college sports, through sales of jerseys, trading cards, video games, and NFT’s.
Athletes will also be able to sign direct sponsorships with sneaker companies, something that is not allowed for collegiate athletes.
“Paying basketball players isn’t radical,” said Overtime President, Zack Weiner. “What’s radical is telling people who put in thousands of hours of work that they have to do it for free.” OTE will change this.
