Be a Part Of History: The Black-owned North American Track & Field League® Needs Your Support!
If you love track and field, then you need to tap into the North American Track & Field League® — the first, Black professional sports league of its kind.
North American Track & Field League® was created three years ago by Joseph and Lauretta Codrington after noticing the need for a Black-owned, track and field sports league that focused on supporting its athletes. Collectively, the couple has been involved in professional track and field for over 20 years, with Joseph running as a collegiate athlete in his native country of Barbados.
Given their closeness to the industry, they have a front-row seat to the sad reality of how many talented track and field athletes find it hard to make a living doing what they love after college.
To make it as a professional track and field athlete in today’s world, “you’d better number one or two in your event and hope to get the attention of an agent, and hopefully, that agent can broker a deal with a shoe company for you,” explained Joseph.
His real-world example: Ask yourself, how many times have you seen Allyson Felix (the most decorated track and field athlete in Olympic history) in an ad campaign?
Today, the North American Track & Field League® has three teams: The Detroit Turbines, The Chicago Blazing Storm, and The New York Quick Steppers. Ultimately, the team plans to create three national conferences: Western, Central and, Eastern with 18 teams in total.
To fuel its growth, the North American Track & Field League® is looking for support from fans, community supporters, and larger investors. The Codrington’s hope to build a national fan base of supporters who will follow their athletes throughout their careers.
While they have already nabbed the support of heavy-hitting sponsors like Mondo, a premier track and field surface manufacturer, the Codrington’s hope to raise the most money, and support, from everyday people who want to help these athletes and the league score a win.
Currently, the North American Track & Field League® has an equity crowdfunding campaign active on Wefunder with a goal of $50,000. Your donation earns you future equity in the company.
“We want to see our community get involved at the ground level,” Lauretta said. “So when the league grows people can look back and say, ‘I helped build something great and I’m also able to reap a return on my investment.’”