Golf legends Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are making inroads into the tech and entertainment space with the launch of a new company called TMRW Sports, which they say will "develop progressive approaches to sports, media and entertainment".
The pair are working with veteran sports media executive Mike McCarley on the project, which former NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol has invested in.
"Since retiring I've given up all real work except mentoring a lot of friends, but this is the right idea at the right time with one of the few people I'd be doing it with," Ebersol said in his statement. . “Mike and I were close and knew him, his impeccable track record in business, and most importantly, we saw firsthand how he handled relationships – he would bet on anything he created. So when he shared with me his vision of what he was building with Tiger and Rory, I was excited to find a way to get involved."
McCarley most recently served as President of NBC Sports Golf and Global Strategy, overseeing the company's golf portfolio, including the Golf Channel. Before that, he was a senior vice president at NBC Sports.
Exactly what TMRW Sports will develop remains under wraps, though McCarley said in a statement that the company has "a number of exciting projects in development."
In a statement, Woods added that through this project he hopes to "build a better future for the next generation of sports fans" and "use technology to bring new approaches to the sport we love."
McIlroy added that he believes the company "can transform the way media and technology enhance the sports experience."
"In a world where technology gives us so many ways to use our time, we want to make sport more accessible to as many people as possible," he added.
Additional investors and partners for TMRW Sports and its projects will be announced at a later date.
Athletes are increasingly looking beyond the courts, fields, tracks and fields in their professional careers.
NFL legend Tom Brady is a partner in sports content company Religion of Sports and entertainment studio 199 Productions. LeBron James owns The SpringHill Company (which recently raised $725 million in cash) and tennis star Noami Osaka is launching her own media and entertainment company called Hana Kuma with SpringHill backing.