Too often athletes are seen by potential sponsors only for what they are—golfers, hockey players, football players, basketball and soccer players, etc.—where the only perceived differentiation is what happens on the field. Performance is always going to be part of the value equation, but athletes are more than that. Every athlete has a story, every athlete has unique motivations, every athlete believes in something. And sometimes these stories, motivations and belief-systems intersect with those potential sponsors. At The Branded Athlete, our process uncovers the athlete’s authentic “brand idea” and then articulates it in a way that potential sponsors and athletes can evaluate each other in much more productive and useful ways. The result: more meaningful, more motivating, more valuable corporate allies (not sponsorships).