MAURICE MANSWELL
“People my age have grown up with apps since elementary school,” he said. “I know it’s one of the easiest forms of interacting with my phone. It’s not like brick and mortar but can generate a lot of revenue as well.”
INFORMATION SCARCE
Growing up with two brothers who played football (Mykal, 26) and soccer (Malcolm, 31) at the Division I level for the University of West Virginia gave Manswell insight from a young age about the needs of studentathletes.
He learned over time that his family either had to find ways to train on their own or be fortunate enough to find a local trainer. Information on what it took to get to the next level of sports often seemed scarce.
Since Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payments began being disbursed in July 2021, it is estimated that college athletes earned about $917 million over the course of the 2021-2022 sports season. Former University of Alabama Heisman Trophy-winner and current Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young had an NIL valuation of $3.5 million before he left college for the NFL. Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunne gained fame for earning $500,000 in a single NIL deal.
NIL allows college athletes to get paid for the use of their name, image and likeness. College athletes can now appear in TV commercials and other ads for businesses or be tagged on social media for money and still be eligible to compete in college athletics.
Sydney Hill is a former lacrosse player and graduate student at Lynn University and a founding athlete for WeTrain. Hill and Manswell have been friends since they were elementary school students in Maryland.
Hill, 21, said she believes the app’s offerings reflect the recent addition of NIL and can assist families in learning how it can help their studentathletes generate income.
“Now that I’m in college, NIL rules have changed things and I think it’s beneficial,” she said.
“Normally, only a small percent of college athletes get the attention on them for big deals. I played at a small D2 school and I think this platform will change the game because athletes at smaller schools will get opportunities.”
As NIL is becoming of more importance to student-athletes and their families, Manswell sees WeTrain as a vital tool in helping them connect the dots.
“They’ve been curious about it because they’re new to it as well and would ask, ‘Is it a brand deal?’” he said. “We would explain that NIL is normally to benefit the brand, not the athlete. We’re a platform saying we won’t give athletes a brand deal and we’re just providing a platform for kids looking for training. Every parent has loved it so far and fully understands.”
Coral Springs chiropractor Jared Cohen played football in his youth and appreciates the training Manswell has done with his 15-year-old son Jonah, a high school football player. Cohen helped treat Manswell’s back problem in the past and sees his work with WeTrain as a way of paying it forward.
“My son has a lot more resources now,” he said.
Balancing the life of a student-athlete, the college experience and entrepreneurship was difficult for Manswell. To allow more time for WeTrain he is shifting from a full course load to four classes and stopped playing lacrosse.
With the app now on the market and 50 trainers signed up in less than two weeks, the WeTrain team of eight people has no time to rest.
“The landscape has changed and is so competitive now,” he said. “It’s starting to elevate sports. We were all kids that used to look up to those college athletes.”