Former NFL quarterback Drew Brees has gone from flipping through the pages of the Sports Illustrated magazine to becoming the latest investor for the brand’s secondary ticketing platform.
The former New Orleans Saints star has joined the investor team for ticketing marketplace Sports Illustrated Tickets. The 13-time Pro Bowler graced the cover of the magazine multiple times during his lengthy career before retiring in 2021.
“This is my next chapter,” Brees said in an interview. “I had a chance to be a professional athlete for 20 years and now I get to be a full-time dad and businessman. … This is what wakes me up and gets me motivated every single day—working with great teams and great people, and continuing to build great brands.”
Brees, who has become a more active investor since retiring, will not only serve as a brand ambassador for the growing platform but will also provide business counsel and appear in various marketing initiatives. The 45-year-old future Hall-of-Famer is the second NFL player to join the Sports Illustrated Tickets investor group after former Dallas Cowboys DB James Washington.
Brees aims to help the platform stand out in a crowded space that includes more established ticket marketplaces such as Ticketmaster and SeatGeek.
“His involvement as both investor and helping us tell our story just reinforces who we are as a company and what we represent to the fans in trying to help create more awareness,” Sports Illustrated Tickets CEO David Lane said in an interview. “So when fans look for their tickets we’re one of the options that’s now available to them.”
Sports Illustrated Tickets, which is a separate company from the magazine but leases the SI brand name, is the third licensed channel of the NFL’s ticket network. The online ticket company, which was founded in 2021, is now allowed to leverage the popularity of NFL games where fans can now buy game tickets directly on their website.
Sports Illustrated Tickets is taking advantage of the league’s annual schedule release, with demand for single-game tickets for the upcoming season expected to spike in the next 72 hours.
Brees’ portfolio includes investments in various industries from restaurant chains to theme parks. The Super Bowl MVP-turned-entrepreneur is now adding this ticket venture to his business empire, which includes franchises at Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s and Walk On’s Sports Bistreaux.
“I would never get into a space if I didn’t feel like we have an opportunity to be best in class,” Brees said. “That goes for any business or brand I choose to affiliate myself with. … The brand already carries a ton of weight. So now it’s just the education as to Sports Illustrated the publication and Sports Illustrated the ticketing platform.”
Sports Illustrated made headlines in January when The Arena Group, the publisher of the iconic sports magazine, lost the license to publish the magazine from its owner, Authentic. This news came amid significant layoffs, departures of key executives and the revelation of artificial intelligence-generated articles on its website.
SI has continued to publish under new licensee Minute Media, a sports content and tech company which also owns other publications including The Players Tribune and FanSided.
“When the stories came out about Sports Illustrated, nobody said goodbye, what you saw was this homage and passionate emotional connection,” Lane added. “I think everyone got a reminder of how important Sports Illustrated is to fans and athletes around the world.”
(This story has been corrected in the fourth paragraph to clarify that James Washington played for the Cowboys.)