Tuition-Free Sports Academy – How Academy 48 is changing the game.
The other day, I was scrolling through social media when I saw an ad for a competing Sports Academy in Arizona. Naturally, I was intrigued by the ad because Academy 48 is building something very similar.
Like any good marketing pro, I started looking at their site, social media, and anything else I could find to see how they were different. What was their value proposition? Who was running this new academy? I like to try to reverse-engineer businesses and plans. It is why I went to college.
During my market research, everything looked promising. Solid coaches, great-looking facilities, and solid academics. I remember thinking, “Dang, another competitor. We are really going to have to do work.”
I kept digging because, well, curiosity. What I found next floored me.
$25,000 annual tuition per student.
Say what?
I reviewed the breakdown and couldn’t accept the cost. To me, it seemed like the next stage of a bigger problem in youth sports. Club and travel fees weren’t enough anymore. Now, organizations see parents willing to pay $10,000 a year and are pushing to charge even more.
At that point, it became very clear that we would be the only tuition-free sports academy in Arizona. We will not back off from that mission.
People Over Profit
Full transparency: Running the Academy this past year has been hard. We operate on shoestring budgets and regularly chase invoices to pay employees and vendors. As the school’s operator, full-time coach, and teacher, I have paid myself less than 10,000 over the past year.
There are days when I wonder if it is worth it. I sit back and look at other “Sports Academies” that have high-end facilities, more coaches, decked-out merchandise, and financial backing. I think that could be us.
Here is what I know. Growing up, my family could not afford travel baseball, sports camps, or clinics. It was not for a lack of trying. Both of my parents worked, but still could not afford the “luxury” sports items.
I still remember my senior year when I got a white TPX. If you are over 40 like me, you know the bat. Today, as a parent, I know the sacrifice of buying a bat, glove, or cleats can be.
I know there are thousands of families in the same situation my family was in when I was growing up. Doing everything they can to allow their kids to play. These families know the real benefits of their kids playing sports.
Families shouldn’t pay so much for good sports development. They shouldn’t think this is the only way their kid will succeed.
Academy 48 is Not D1 or Bust
We hope our athletes can keep playing after high school. We also know this is not always the case. Maybe they do not want to keep playing. Maybe they have another passion they want to pursue after high school.
It is also our goal to help them pursue further education. If baseball, soccer, or any other sport gives them the opportunity to pursue college or further their education, this is what we are here for. However, we want our student-athletes to go pro in life.
I have 2 master’s degrees, and I know they have opened many doors for me. This is what I want for our students: opportunities. Yes, sports can provide that, but we need to ensure they are prepared for life after sports. This is most important.
Here is the reality. I know many athletes who have been drafted, gotten scholarships, and are now working full-time jobs.
The D1-or-bust mentality is hurting our current athletes. Yes, I want them to chase their dreams and goals and strive for greatness. But the reality is that the odds are stacked against athletes retiring as professionals.
Academy 48 was built to help student-athletes build the skill sets to be successful after sports, not go Vegas-style, all-in on a multi-year, multi-million-dollar NIL deal or a professional contract. We know that this is not realistic for most student-athletes.
Money does not Equal Better Results
Throughout my professional life, I have seen what private equity or investment capital can do to a company. After serving as a VP of Marketing and seeing the “good” private equity and financial investment can do, we decided to become a non-profit.
In my professional life, I helped build and sell a company. We had 2 deals on the table during the sale. One was $50,000 more. Ownership and the board took that deal. Fast forward 3 years, and there are 0 employees from the original company, and the product we built is dead.
Private equity capital required a massive return on investment, and ultimately killed a product that served millions of kids’ meals every year.
The point here is that when investment money comes into play, expectations arise. A massive return on investment and input into company decisions. Ultimately, the cost is pushed to the consumer, the student-athlete.
At one point, we had a potential investor. It did not work out, and we probably dodged a bullet. The expectations were too high for a new school just getting started, building a new concept. We would have been required to raise our prices.
We are determined to remain tuition-free. It will be harder, but we will help more people, which is the real goal.
A Real School Experience
This year has not been exactly what we had envisioned. We also know that it takes time to build something from scratch with limited resources.
Here is what we are not trying to build, and a glimpse into why it might be more challenging. We are not building a school where athletes come in, log in to their laptops, and then train for most of the day.
We want our students to have real school experiences. The sports academies in Arizona, or at least the ones I have visited, do not give these experiences. I am talking about prom, home games with a packed crowd, and rooting for your friends on the basketball team. I am talking about building a real school culture that unites people around shared motivations, such as sports.
This will take some time, but it will be worth it.
The Only Tuition-Free Sports Academy
This year has been full of ups and downs. Maybe that is another post for another day. However, the more I see in the youth sports world, the more I know I am doing the right thing. I know that our vision is needed. I know we will impact the right people and help the right families.
This is why we stay tuition-free. It will take longer, but we are helping the right people and providing opportunities others cannot.
