BOSTON, MA and WASHINGTON, DC – April 24, 2017 – WHOOP, the human performance company, and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), via its newly formed athlete-driven accelerator, the OneTeam Collective, today announced a groundbreaking partnership that makes WHOOP the Officially Licensed Recovery Wearable Of The NFLPA. This is the first time a players association in professional sports has partnered with a wearable technology company, providing NFL players easy access to, ownership of, and the option to commercialize their health data.
The WHOOP Strap 2.0 will be distributed to every current and incoming NFL player to allow them to monitor their Strain, Recovery, and Sleep. The award-winning WHOOP Strap 2.0 is a lightweight, waterproof and screen-less device that’s worn on the wrist, forearm or upper arm. The Strap’s five sensors measure data 100 times per second and automatically transmit the data to the WHOOP mobile and web apps for analysis and actionable recommendations. WHOOP data has been shown to optimize training and recovery, correlate with in-game performance, and reduce injuries. WHOOP has also developed a Team Dashboard with 27 levels of privacy to ensure sharing data is completely secure and comfortable for all parties involved.
“Our mission at WHOOP is to empower athletes. This partnership with the NFLPA is truly the first of its kind in that athletes will finally become both healthier and wealthier by collecting, controlling, and ultimately having the ability to sell their own health and performance data,” said Will Ahmed, founder and CEO at WHOOP. “We applaud the NFLPA’s vision and share its commitment to work with athletes to better monitor their recovery and enable longer careers.”
WHOOP is the first NFLPA partner secured through the OneTeam Collective, which is designed to give innovative companies the opportunity to leverage the NFLPA’s exclusive group player rights. As part of the agreement:
- NFL players will own and control their individual data collected with the WHOOP Strap 2.0.
- NFL players will design custom licensed bands for the WHOOP Strap for personal use and commercial sale.
- The NFLPA and WHOOP will study the effects of travel, sleep, scheduling, injuries, etc. on recovery and generate reports to advance player safety and maximize athletic performance.
- NFL players will have the ability to commercialize their WHOOP data through the NFLPA’s group licensing program.
“Every day, NFL players produce data that can translate into physiological and financial opportunities. We see partnering with WHOOP as the first step in harnessing this exciting technology,” said Ahmad Nassar, President of NFL Players Inc. “We are excited to have WHOOP and its innovative, holistic monitoring technology serve as our first OneTeam Collective deal. Together, we’re paving the way towards a new frontier where athletes are empowered by data.”
“WHOOP and the NFLPA are putting the power of data directly in the players’ hands. I want to recover faster, avoid injuries, and have a longer career. This partnership has the potential to contribute to my health, which is imperative to my career in football,” said Russell Okung, Los Angeles Chargers.
To learn more about WHOOP, visit www.WHOOP.com. To learn more about the NFLPA and the OneTeam Collective, visit www.nflpa.com and www.oneteamcollective.com.
About the NFL Players Association
The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected—including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players, and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through 2020. For additional details, please visit www.nflpa.com.
About NFL Players Inc.
NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing arm of the NFLPA, connects businesses to the power of NFL players. NFL Players Inc. creates customized business solutions for partners, through licensing, marketing strategy and player activations. For more information, please visit nflpa.com/players.
About the OneTeam Collective
The OneTeam Collective is the first athlete-driven business accelerator for innovative companies seeking to incorporate sports strategies to drive growth. OneTeam Collective is comprised of founding partners, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), BlackRock, Harvard Innovation Lab, Intel, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, LeadDog Marketing Group, Madrona Venture Group and Sports Innovation Lab. The Collective offers access to the NFLPA’s brightest stars via licensing, marketing and content rights, research and development, funding and mentorship for product development and marketing support. OneTeam Collective, which features an Athlete Advisory Board, will be the first program providing rights to sports-related intellectual property, highlighted by the NFLPA’s exclusive group licensing rights and unparalleled access to more than 2,000 current NFL players. Prospective companies can apply to participate and submit their application at www.oneteamcollective.com.
About WHOOP
WHOOP is the first scientifically grounded performance optimization system worn by the most elite athletes in the world to positively change behavior and unlock peak performance. WHOOP provides individuals, teams, and their coaches and trainers with a continuous understanding of strain and recovery to balance training, reduce injuries, and predict performance. To learn more about the system being used by professional and collegiate athletes, Olympians, and the United States military, please visit https://www.whoop.com.