In partnership with Sporte Agency and Morgan Stanley Global Sports & Entertainment

CLEVELAND, OHIO, UNITED STATES, February 17, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Players’ Impact (“TPI”) and the National Basketball Wives Association (“NBWA”) presents the 2022 Full Court Pitch Competition Friday, February 18, 4pm – 6:30 pm ET via virtual live stream. The event is presented by Sporte Agency, Morgan Stanley Global Sports and Entertainment (GSE) and STATSports.

The Shark Tank Style Competition—Emceed by Heidi Watney, current host and reporter for MLB Network and Mo Evans, former NBA player and Vice President of the NBA Players Association - will feature six non-athlete and athlete founders that will pitch their venture to athlete and investor “sharks.” There will be over 200 venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and athletes in attendance - including former Ohio State University and Cleveland Browns player Donte Whitner and Nottingham Spirk advisor, Katherine Hill Ritchie.

“TPI is thrilled to again be a part of the 2022 NBA All-Star weekend in partnership with the National Basketball Wives Association,” said Tracy Deforge, CEO of The Players’ Impact. “We are looking forward to another signature Pitch Competition featuring athlete founded start up companies and athlete 'shark' judges.”

The start-up companies and founders highlighted in the event are: Impact Wellness, Vanta Leagues,18 Birdies, ShuPlug, TAPanGO and Luxus. Athletes expected to appear include Alfonso Mckinnie, Ricky Watters, James Roche, Patrick Cronnin, Angella Goran, and Shawn Springs, the founder of Windpact, who is an advocate for the 2022 Full Court Pitch Competition.

"This competition is an important event, giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase innovative ideas. As an entrepreneur, it's important to continue to receive input and feedback on your ideas. Oftentimes you get the most insight from a different network because they can provide a different perspective and may see things in a different light.” said Springs. “For the athletes, TPI gives you the opportunity to invest in some of leading companies that you might not normally come across"

The Players’ Impact’s diverse ecosystem provides unique investing opportunities not only to athletes, but to investors and entrepreneurs in several industries. In 2021, TPI and the National Basketball Wives Association began working together to enhance their respective networks’ resources.

“The NBWA is excited to bring a new event to our ALL STAR WEEKEND activities. We have partnered with TPI to bring Full Court Pitch Competition. Our membership is comprised of investors and entrepreneurs across several different industries. Events like this provide a great opportunity to get a front row seat into companies at their early stage.” Said Sabrina Galloway, the president of the National Basketball Wives Association. “Our goal is to continue to partner with TPI to educate our membership on how to become smart investors. This is just the beginning.”

The NBWA and TPI named Morgan Stanley GSE as a title sponsor of the event. NBWA and Morgan Stanley have a longstanding partnership around impactful events aiming to achieve both their missions.

TPI is also announcing its year long partnership with Sporte Agency at its 2022 Full Court Virtual Pitch Competition during the NBA All Star weekend. Sporte Agency has 30 years of experience and expertise in sports, brand promotions, collectibles and digital gaming. Providing fully tokenized services, they help brands and partners navigate and create a perfect synergy and gateway between the physical brand and the virtual meta world brand experiences. Commercialization is achieved through creative excellence in AR and CGI experiences, digital tokenization, NFT collectibles, branded marketplaces, immersive def1, gamefi, dapp and event experiences. Sporte Agency becomes a year-long official sponsor of all TPI events during major sports events including The Masters, ESPY’s, 2023 Super Bowl, and all of TPI’s regional summits.

“We are thrilled to be a part of TPI’s mission of education and providing opportunities for professional athletes development in learning about crypto and NFT’s” says Corey Jackson, Co-Founder of Sporte Agency.

Corey Jackson, along with industry titan Sandra L. Richards Head of Global Sports & Entertainment at Morgan Stanley GSE and Paul McKernan, the Managing Director from STATSports, will participate in an executive panel moderated by Donte Whitner. The panel discussion will focus on emerging industry and business trends as well as the increasing collaboration between athletes, investors, corporations and start-ups. Attendees will learn about some new, up and coming companies at the virtual showcase with a chance to learn about these companies by interacting with the brand, products, and mission.

Registration is required for full exclusive access and can be made on the TPI website www.theplayersimpact.com

###

The Players’ Impact (”TPI”) empowers athletes to pursue business endeavors through a community built around access to coaching, educational and professional networking events, preeminent speakers, distinguished investors and premier private market investment opportunities.
The National Basketball Wives Association is the official 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization representing active and former NBA and NBA G-League player wives and significant others.

Sporte Agency has 30 years of experience and expertise in sports, brand promotions, collectibles and digital gaming. Providing fully tokenized services, to help brands and partners navigate, and create the perfect synergy and gateway between the physical brand and the virtual meta world brand experiences.Commercialization is achieved through creative excellence in through AR and CGI experiences, digital tokenization, NFT collectibles, branded marketplaces immersive def1, gamefi, dapp, and event experiences, with live examples being Greyhound Racing Game and Sporte NFT.

About Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, a global leader, provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, cash management and lending products and services, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust services.

Morgan Stanley Global Sports & Entertainment is a highly specialized wealth management division, dedicated to serving the unique and complex needs of athletes, entertainers, creators and top professionals in the sports and entertainment industry. To learn more about Morgan Stanley GSE, visit www.morganstanley.com/gse.

About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

About STATSports: STATSports are global leaders in GPS sports performance analysis. They combine cutting-edge proprietary technology, with revolutionary sport science and first-class client support. STATSports have more than 5,000 elite clients across the world in multiple sports, including soccer, American football, rugby, baseball, and basketball. In 2019, STATSports moved into the consumer market with its Apex Athlete Series GPS performance tracker for the individual player.

Nicole Verdin
The Players' Impact
nverdin@theplayersimpact.com