Key Takeaways
- Pure Athlete named NU/KE Hydration its first Official Hydration Partner on October 8, 2026, opening a new sponsorship category for the Atlanta-based platform.
- Pure Athlete’s weekly podcast has published more than 180 episodes approaching 2 million plays, and its content has drawn over 250 million social views, per the announcement.
- NU/KE is made with seven ingredients and contains no dyes or additives, the company said, selling direct to consumer, by subscription, and through schools and teams.
- A 15% discount code, PURE15, gives both brands a trackable link between podcast audience and product sales.
Pure Athlete, the Atlanta-based youth sports podcast and content platform, named NU/KE Hydration its first Official Hydration Partner on October 8, 2026. The youth sports hydration partnership pairs a show co-hosted by former MLB outfielder and Atlanta Braves broadcaster Jeff Francoeur with a clean-label drink brand founded in Jackson, Mississippi, and includes a 15% listener discount at NUKEHydration.com with code PURE15.
A First for the Hydration Category at Pure Athlete
The deal marks the first time Pure Athlete has named an official partner in the hydration category, according to the announcement. The platform framed the fit around a shared message to families: block out the noise, focus on the work, and develop the athlete over the long term.
Francoeur, a sports parent himself, put the decision in consumer terms. “It’s a product I feel good about giving my own kids, and that’s the kind of partner we want to bring to Pure Athlete families,” he said in the release.
For NU/KE, the partnership buys access to a concentrated audience of the exact buyer it targets: parents making purchase decisions for young athletes.
What Is NU/KE Hydration?
NU/KE Hydration is a clean sports hydration brand founded in Jackson, Mississippi, by Marty and Lesley Frascogna, parents who the company says were looking for cleaner hydration options for their own kids. The drink is made with seven ingredients, contains no dyes or additives, and comes in two flavors, Lime Time and O.G. Orange.
The company sells direct to consumer, runs a subscription service, and works directly with schools, teams and athletes, per the release. It also operates the FREEK athlete program, which partners with athletes to support their individual goals.
“We both believe young athletes deserve more than the noise and hype that so often surrounds sports today,” said NU/KE co-founder Marty Frascogna in the announcement.
The Audience Both Brands Are Chasing
More than half of U.S. kids ages 6 to 17 play on a sports team or take sports lessons, per the release. That participation base is the commercial foundation under the deal: as families invest more in youth sports, the announcement notes, parents are paying closer attention to what their kids put into their bodies.
Pure Athlete brings reach into those households. Its weekly podcast, hosted by Francoeur, Britt Lee and Brad Williams, has published more than 180 episodes approaching 2 million plays, and its content has earned more than 250 million views across social platforms, according to the company. Past guests include Bobby Witt Jr., Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban, Mallory Swanson, Chris Sale and Kerri Walsh-Jennings. The platform also sells a premium membership, Pure Athlete Plus (PA+), covering performance, nutrition, mental health, injury prevention and character development.
Seven Ingredients, One Promo Code: How This Deal Gets Measured
Sponsorships built on trusted media live or die on conversion, and this one ships with its own scoreboard. The PURE15 code ties NU/KE’s direct-to-consumer sales to Pure Athlete’s audience from day one, giving both sides a clean read on whether podcast credibility moves product.
The agreement also lands as both companies expand: Pure Athlete is growing its resources for sports families through PA+ and its call-in show, while NU/KE pushes distribution into schools and teams. The first public signal of whether the pairing works will show up in one place: a six-character code at checkout.
Source: Pure Athlete / NU/KE Hydration press release, October 8, 2026
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About Youth Sports Business Report
Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted media platform covering the business of youth sports worldwide. YSBR delivers youth sports news, market intelligence, and original analysis daily across facilities, sponsorships, private equity, NIL, sports technology, and league operations. With more than 50,000 followers, YSBR is the leading source of youth sports industry news for the investors, owners, operators, and brands shaping the future of youth sports.
How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
What does YSBR cover?
YSBR delivers original reporting and market intelligence on youth sports facilities, youth sports technology, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital deals, NIL policy, coaching development, equipment and apparel, tournaments and events, and community sports initiatives. Readers include industry executives, investors, facility owners and operators, league administrators, and youth sports parents.
Youth Sports Business Report resources
- Newsletter: Subscribe to Youth Sports HQ, the most-read newsletter on the business of youth sports, delivering curated youth sports industry news and analysis to thousands of industry leaders every week.
- Research: Read the Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, an exclusive YSBR and Kinetica Group analysis of market size, parent spending, and marketplace opportunities.
- Jobs: Browse the YSBR Youth Sports Job Board, the most comprehensive destination for careers in youth sports, with hundreds of active listings across facility management, league operations, coaching, sports technology, and marketing.
- Services: Find vetted partners and solutions for your organization in the YSBR Services Hub, connecting youth sports operators, brands, and investors with verified providers across the industry.
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Check out Jr. Sports Marketing on YouTube or Spotify
Hosted by Cameron Korab, founder of Youth Sports Business Report, Jr. Sports Marketing features candid 1-on-1 conversations with the brands, athletes, leagues, and innovators building the future of youth sports. Each episode breaks down how the smartest brands are activating, building equity, and winning with youth sports families. If you’re an operator, founder, investor, or marketer trying to understand where this space is headed, this is your show.
Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
