Michael Strahan’s time in the National Football League (NFL) proved why he is considered a legend in the sport. Since his time in the league, the former Super Bowl champion has managed to win across multiple industries.
As a TV host, brand ambassador, and partner with multiple brands, Strahan is also the co-founder of Religion of Sports — a sports media company.
Investing In The Next Level
Religion of Sports, co-founded by Michael Strahan, Tom Brady, and Gotham Chopra, recently raised $50 million in a Series B funding round led by Shamrock Capital. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Elysian Park Ventures and Cerro Capital joined the efforts of the latest funding round.
The production company plans to use the new funding to help grow its unscripted content, produce more scripted series, invest in audio production, and build a platform for athletes to enter the NFT community.
It is investing in content, building IP, expanding into other formats and areas,” Chopra told The Hollywood Reporter. “To really bet on ourselves, bet on the talent we believe in, bet on stories we believe in.”
Capitalizing On What Works
The Series B funding round brings the company’s total to $66 million raised over three rounds.
In the previous series, Advancit Capital led a $3 million venture round in 2018, and Elysian (a returning capital partner) led the Series A round in 2020 for $13 million.
According to Ameeth Sankaran, Religion of Sports’ CEO, the company’s revenue is up more than 50 percent year-over-year and has similar growth projected for the upcoming year.
“Religion of Sports has grown at a pace we could have only dreamed about five years ago,” Tom Brady said about the recent funding round.
Strahan and his co-founders leverage their relationship with celebrities and other athletes to grow the production company. Since its founding in 2017, the media company has released several pieces of content that include high-profile athletes available for streaming on ESPN, Apple TV+, and Facebook.