Three College Bros Started A Business Selling Used March Madness Gear And The NCAA Can't Do Anything About It
Source - For many sports fans, March Madness is the most exciting event of the year.
But not for the trio behind the Players Trunk: They’re pumped for what comes immediately afterward.
Brothers Hunter and Austin Pomerantz, 22, and 21, and their friend Jason Lansing, 22, started their online marketplace nearly a year ago, as a place for former college athletes to sell the gear they accumulate over the course of their amateur careers. From uniforms to practice jerseys, sneakers and collectibles, everything the players touch is gold to their droves of rabid fans.
The only caveat is that student athletes are barred from selling anything until they’ve exhausted or forfeited their NCAA eligibility, which is why the end of March Madness is such a solid business opportunity at the Players Trunk.
Good for these guys. They identified a problem, created a solution, and now they're going to be rich. That's the American dream. If I'm a former college player with any sort of name, these guys just became my new best friends. I'm taking every game-worn sock, sneaker, jersey, whatever and giving it to them to auction off. I bet they're going to get a shit ton of business too. Think about how many college athletes leave the NCAA feeling slighted? Like they gave it their all and got nothing in return? No career, no direction, no money. Athletes are going to sign up for Players Trunk out of spite just to fuck the NCAA who, by the way, can't do anything about it. The only way they could shut this business down is if they forced players to return gear after each game, which I wouldn't put past them. Regardless, here's how Jason and Austin came up with their idea...
As seniors at the University of Michigan, Jason and Austin are student managers of their school’s basketball team, and Hunter worked with the Syracuse squad before he graduated last May. The trio know firsthand how important merch is to college teams — and how quickly it piles up.
“Being student managers, we’ve seen how gear is a huge part of the [college sports experience]. We’ve seen how much these guys get over their playing career and at the end they’re stuck with tons saying, ‘What can I do with this?'” said Hunter.
The idea for the Players Trunk came from there. The guys do all the heavy lifting: photographing the gear, negotiating prices, packing and shipping. They take a percentage of the sales or work on a consignment model.
“The whole idea was to put the power back in the athletes’ hands, and we’re just the connecting piece to make it happen for them,” Hunter said.
It seems to be catching on too, Cassius Winston sold a jersey for $5,000, Duke's Javin DeLaurier sold a trunk for $7,000, and a single uniform for $1,500. They're also getting a ton of requests for football college jerseys and are looking to expand into that area. Long story short, I can't see any college athlete not wanting to do this once the word gets out. What else are they going to do with their gear, save it? Put it in the attic? May as well make a few bucks while you can. Hopefully Hunter and Austin can figure out a way to do the same for themselves before this is all over.