JPMorganChase just launched the JPMorganChase Athlete Council — a nine-member advisory body chaired by Dwyane Wade — Powered by real-life experiences, our Council shapes JPMorganChase's financial education programs, empowering athletes with more confidence and knowledge to manage their money—today and for years to come.
This isn’t a PR play. It’s a platform. And for anyone watching the intersection of sports, fintech, and athlete services this move carries real signal.
<2%
of NCAA athletes turn professional
35
avg. age most pro athletes retire
1 in 6
NFL players file for bankruptcy within 12 yrs
65%
of athletes never had financial education
Those numbers frame the problem. A sports career is compressed, unpredictable, and followed by decades of life with no guaranteed income. Yet the financial education system never built a lane for athletes. JPMorganChase is building it now.
The Council: Who’s in the Room
The inaugural Athlete Council brings together stars across the NBA, NFL, WNBA, soccer, and fitness — with Dwyane Wade serving as chair:
• Dwyane Wade — NBA (Chair)
• Tom Brady — NFL
• Sue Bird — WNBA
• Jalen Brunson — NBA
• Ally Love — Peloton / Fitness
• Alex Morgan — Soccer / USWNT
• Megan Rapinoe — Soccer / USWNT
• Kayvon Thibodeaux — NFL
• A’ja Wilson — WNBA
The council will meet regularly with JPMorgan’s senior leadership to shape education programming, guide product development, and build outreach strategies tuned to athletes at every career stage — from NIL deals in college to managing wealth after retirement.
“Athletes face unique challenges and opportunities. Having the right educational resources and guidance is critical to making smart decisions about money as your career evolves.”
— Dwyane Wade, Chair, JPMorganChase Athlete Council
More than a council: the full stack
The Athlete Council is the headline, but JPMorganChase is stacking supporting infrastructure underneath it. The Athlete Center of Excellence (ACE) — live now at jpmorgan.com/ace — is staffed by financial professionals with direct experience in the athlete space, some of them former players. The platform serves career-stage-specific resources: NIL guides for college athletes, income management tools for working pros, and long-term planning for retired players.
JPMorganChase has also committed to financial literacy programming at universities and major sporting events — taking the curriculum directly into the environments where athletes are making financial decisions for the first time.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR ATLANTA
Chase is already the official financial partner of Hawks Rewards presented by Chase — making Atlanta a live market for athlete financial products. Chase is also the designated financial education partner for Hudl, a leading sports tech platform serving youth through college athletes. Atlanta’s growing sports tech ecosystem sits squarely in this initiative’s crosshairs. As capital flows into athlete services, the city’s startups, universities, and franchise networks are positioned to plug in early.
The Sports Tech Atlanta take
At Sports Tech Atlanta, we’ve been watching the “athlete services” category mature from niche consulting into full-stack infrastructure. What JPMorganChase is building is essentially an operating system for athlete wealth — layering education, advisory, content, and financial products into a single pipeline that follows an athlete from their first NIL deal to retirement planning.
The technology angle is real, too. Hudl’s partnership with Chase as a financial education platform means fintech rails are being built directly into the sports performance tech stack. That’s a playbook Atlanta builders should be reading closely. The athletes who grow up on Hudl will eventually need wealth tools. JPMorganChase is positioning to be the default provider. The window for sports tech companies to embed inside that ecosystem — before the defaults are set — is open right now.
