Tech Startup Offering Scholarships to Athletes
NEW YORK, NY – When it comes to sports, the phrase “pay to play” has never been more applicable. No matter what sport you play — baseball, lacrosse, hockey, etc.— the price of gear is rising dramatically. Not only is gear getting more expensive, but costs to play and participate on club and travel teams are rising too. That’s why SidelineSwap, a startup which launched in 2015, built an online marketplace where athletes can make extra cash by selling their extra gear and find great deals when shopping for their next season.
Keeping in line with its mission, the company is introducing the #GearForTheYear Scholarship. The company will select six athletes and outfit them for their preferred sport at no cost (up to a $500 value). Applicants will be judged by a panel of experts based on a short application and an essay describing the special opportunities sports have given them.
Co-founder and CEO of SidelineSwap, Brendan Candon, is a former college athlete and experienced the high cost of competing first-hand. In addition to costly club registration and travel fees, staying equipped with high quality gear was expensive. At the time, his only option was to buy brand new equipment at high priced sport retailers.
According to Candon, athletes were looking for a “peer-to-peer marketplace” where they could buy, sell and trade their gear with athletes just like themselves. On SidelineSwap they know they are buying gear from someone they can trust, another athlete who has used the gear he or she is selling and can help with the buying experience. Large online auction sites and retail sport stores do not offer this specialty marketplace with a community of experts.
Sellers on SidelineSwap are currently generating millions of dollars in sales and they community is growing quickly. “Our mission is to empower athletes by making sports gear more affordable. We’re doing that everyday as our community grows, and our #GearForTheYear Scholarship initiative is an extension of that mission,” says Candon.
To apply, you can visit deals.sidelineswap.com/scholarships. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2017.