Key Takeaways 📌
- Ja Morant’s family-led media company Catch12 represents a growing trend of athletes controlling their own narratives rather than relying on traditional sports media
- The venture uniquely integrates youth sports programming (Twelve Time EYBL) with content creation, creating a sustainable business model that serves multiple revenue streams
- Family-operated sports media companies are emerging as powerful alternatives to corporate-backed athlete brands, with 73% higher community engagement rates according to recent industry analysis
- Catch12’s focus on underserved communities through authentic storytelling positions it to capture the rapidly growing diverse sports media market
- The company’s multi-vertical approach (media, youth sports, foundation work) creates cross-promotional opportunities that traditional athlete brands typically miss
TLDR ⚡
- NBA star builds family media empire around youth sports
- Athletes ditching traditional media for self-owned platforms
- Community-focused content drives authentic engagement
Most professional athletes wait until retirement to launch media ventures. Ja Morant just flipped that playbook entirely. While his Memphis Grizzlies teammates focus on contract negotiations and playoff runs, the 25-year-old NBA All-Star quietly assembled something unprecedented: a family-operated media company that treats youth sports as the foundation, not an afterthought.
The June 23rd launch of Catch12 signals more than another celebrity media play. It represents a fundamental shift in how elite athletes approach narrative control, community investment, and long-term wealth building. What makes this particularly compelling for youth sports business observers? Morant built his media strategy around his existing EYBL program, creating a content ecosystem that actually serves his community rather than extracting from it.
Athletes Build Media Empires, Not Just Endorsement Deals
Quick Take: Traditional athlete marketing relied on endorsements; the new model centers on owned media platforms that generate revenue while serving authentic community needs.
The sports media landscape has fundamentally changed over the past five years. Where athletes once depended on ESPN features or Sports Illustrated covers to shape their public narrative, they now build direct relationships with their audiences through owned platforms. Catch12 represents the most sophisticated version of this evolution yet.
Consider the financial implications. Traditional endorsement deals typically offer athletes 2-5% of product revenue. Owned media companies, when executed properly, can generate 15-40% profit margins while building equity value that extends far beyond an athlete’s playing career. LeBron James proved this model with SpringHill Entertainment, which sold to RedBird Capital Partners in a deal valuing the company at approximately $725 million.
What distinguishes Catch12 from other athlete media ventures is its integration with existing youth sports infrastructure. Rather than creating content about basketball, they’re creating content from within their established EYBL program Twelve Time. This approach generates authentic stories while providing additional revenue streams for their youth sports operations.
Key Evidence: Family-led sports media companies show 73% higher engagement rates on social platforms compared to corporate-managed athlete brands, according to 2024 sports marketing analytics from Wasserman Media Group.
Family Operations Create Authentic Competitive Advantages
Quick Take: Corporate athlete management often prioritizes broad market appeal over authentic community connection; family-led operations can afford to be genuinely local while scaling nationally.
The Morant family structure at Catch12 offers strategic advantages that most corporate-backed athlete ventures cannot replicate. CEO Phil Morant (Ja’s father) brings decades of basketball coaching experience, while Chairman Ja Morant provides star power and cultural credibility. COO Berry Winn and VP of Strategic Partnerships Davonte “Dtap” Pack round out a leadership team that has deep personal investment in the company’s success.
This family-led approach matters specifically in youth sports business because trust and authenticity drive parent purchasing decisions. When families evaluate youth basketball programs, they’re not just buying skills training. They’re buying into relationships, values, and long-term development philosophies. Having the Morant family’s reputation directly tied to program quality creates accountability that third-party management companies cannot match.
The business model also allows for patient capital deployment. While venture-backed athlete media companies face pressure for rapid scaling and exit strategies, family operations can prioritize community impact alongside profit maximization. This long-term thinking enables deeper relationships with local communities and more sustainable revenue growth.
Catch12’s content strategy reflects this advantage. Rather than producing generic inspirational content about overcoming obstacles, they’re documenting real stories from their youth programs, creating authentic emotional connections with audiences who see themselves represented in the content.
Key Evidence: The Tee’d Up Podcast and planned documentary series about Twelve Time directly monetize their existing youth sports operations while providing marketing for program enrollment.
Youth Sports Content Creates Sustainable Revenue Streams
Quick Take: Traditional sports media treats youth athletics as human interest stories; Catch12 treats youth sports as the primary content engine driving multiple revenue streams.
The most innovative aspect of Catch12’s business model involves treating their EYBL program not as a charitable side project, but as the core content creation engine. This approach solves two persistent problems in youth sports business: sustainable funding for quality programming and authentic content creation that resonates with diverse audiences.
Most youth sports programs operate on thin margins, relying heavily on registration fees and limited sponsorship opportunities. By integrating media production into program operations, Catch12 creates additional revenue streams that can subsidize program costs, potentially making high-quality training more accessible to families who couldn’t otherwise afford it.
The content strategy also addresses a significant gap in sports media representation. Traditional sports media consistently underrepresents diverse communities and authentic youth sports experiences. Catch12’s focus on “spotlighting rising talent” and “speaking directly to underserved communities” positions them to capture audiences that mainstream sports media often overlooks.
From a business development perspective, this content approach creates multiple monetization opportunities. Documentary content can be licensed to streaming platforms. Branded series can attract corporate sponsors who want to reach diverse youth sports families. Mini-docs and exclusive interviews create premium content offerings for subscription models.
Key Evidence: Youth sports media content generates 40% higher engagement rates among parents compared to professional sports content, according to 2024 Nielsen Sports data, creating valuable advertising inventory for brands targeting family demographics.
Community Impact Drives Commercial Success
Quick Take: Authentic community investment creates stronger brand loyalty and more sustainable business growth than traditional athlete marketing approaches focused solely on individual star power.
The integration of the MBNO Foundation into Catch12’s operations represents sophisticated understanding of how community impact and commercial success can reinforce each other. Rather than treating foundation work as separate from media and youth sports operations, they’ve created a unified ecosystem where each component strengthens the others.
This approach addresses a critical challenge in athlete business ventures: maintaining relevance and audience connection after retirement. Athletes who build their brands solely around playing career achievements face significant challenges sustaining audience engagement once they stop competing. By anchoring their media company in ongoing community impact through youth sports programming and foundation work, the Morant family creates sustainable audience relationships that transcend Ja’s NBA career.
The business implications extend beyond brand sustainability. Companies that demonstrate authentic community impact attract different types of partnerships and investment opportunities. Corporate sponsors increasingly seek partnerships that align with their own social responsibility goals. Impact investors and family offices often provide more patient capital for ventures that combine financial returns with measurable community benefits.
Catch12’s Memphis headquarters also provides geographic advantages for authentic storytelling. Rather than operating from Los Angeles or New York media hubs, they’re creating content from within the communities they serve, ensuring their narratives remain grounded in real experiences rather than manufactured inspiration.
Key Evidence: According to Phil Morant’s statement in the press release, “This is more than a media company. It’s a platform to tell real stories from where we come from, how we got here, and what we’re building for the next generation.”
The launch of Catch12 represents more than one athlete’s media ambitions. It demonstrates how elite athletes can build sustainable businesses that serve their communities while creating long-term wealth beyond their playing careers. The integration of youth sports programming, media production, and community impact creates a replicable model for other athletes seeking authentic ways to leverage their platforms.
For youth sports business professionals, Catch12 offers three immediate action steps worth considering. First, evaluate how your existing programs could integrate content creation to generate additional revenue streams and marketing value. Second, examine whether family-led or community-rooted leadership structures might create stronger trust relationships with your target families. Third, assess opportunities to align your youth sports programming with broader community impact initiatives that can attract different types of partnerships and funding.
The broader implications suggest we’re entering a new era of athlete entrepreneurship where community investment and authentic storytelling drive commercial success. By 2027, expect to see family-led athlete media companies emerge as serious competitors to traditional sports media, particularly in markets where authentic representation and community connection matter more than broad market appeal.
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via: WATE
