SAN DIEGO – The Players Company, a San Diego-based business collective of more than 500 professional athletes, entrepreneurs and accredited investors, is partnering with fractional real estate platform mogul Club to help create a path to long-term wealth for its clients.
Launched by co-founder Tom Zheng in 2019, The Players Company is dedicated to empowering its community of athletes and business leaders to build generational wealth through education, access and event activations centered around sports and finances.
Co-founder
The Players Comany
Zheng said the partnership with mogul Club officially began July 30 but has been a work in progress for two months. There are no financial terms associated with it, he said.
Washington, D.C.-based mogul Club co-founder and CEO Alex Blackwood said his company is working to democratize access to real estate investment by “creating a new paradigm of real estate investing, blending the enduring values of old money (while) investing with the boldness, mentality and technology of today’s generation.”
Blackwood founded mogul Club in 2022 with fellow former Goldman Sachs Real Estate Investment Group member Joey Gumataotao, the company’s president and COO.
The Players Company network – about 60% athletes and 40% traditional businesspeople – now have access to elite opportunities through mogul Club’s fractional real estate ownership model, a fund and platform dedicated to real estate opportunities.
“Fractional ownership means multiple people can invest in a home, basically owning a fraction of the home, and therefore, receiving pro rata returns based on their percentage of ownership,” Blackwood said. “mogul Club sources single family properties in top-performing markets, then lets people invest in a portion of that property, and passes along all of the benefits of the property including monthly rental income, appreciation in real time and potential tax benefit.”
Co-founder
mogul Club
Through the fractional ownership model, “both accredited and non-accredited investors can invest anywhere from $250 to $250,000 into single-family rentals vetted by Goldman Sachs alumni with billions of dollars in experience,” Blackwood said.
The integration by The Players Company platform allows its members to reap the benefits of high-class residential real estate properties that have been vetted.
“Through the partnership, we aim to bring our fractional access to blue-chip residential assets to the members of The Players Company, creating co-investment opportunities for them to invest in quality, high-value properties for a lower cost to entry,” Blackwood said.
Zheng said The Players Company’s mission has always been to help its community build generational wealth through educational empowerment and access to quality opportunities by bringing together the worlds of sports and venture.
“Our collaboration with mogul club allows us to bring residential real estate into the mix which is a big win for diversification,” Zheng said, and that this type of real estate investment “provides both passive cash flow on top of potential ROI upon exit.”
Zheng called real estate a different asset class compared to traditional venture investments and pointed out that The Players Company partners with a variety of venture and private equity funds “to source the best deals that we syndicate as a co-invest to our existing community.”
Founded in 49ers Locker Room
The Players Company was co-founded by people with close connections to the National Football League – former San Francisco 49ers sports scientist Zheng, former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman and current NFL defensive end Sheldon Day.
Zheng said the idea for the company germinated in the 49ers’ locker room and describes his role as sports scientist as a go-between liaison for athletes and their physical therapy and fitness training needs.
Zheng said he grew up in a family in Northern California that faced financial challenges, and said he came up with the idea for The Players Company knowing that many NFL players also came from similar backgrounds. He then expanded its reach to athletes in the National Basketball Association, then all professional athletes, and this year opened the doors to start-up entrepreneurs and investors.
“The NFL is a very short-stint sport for the most part, and unfortunately most of the contracts aren’t guaranteed so the likelihood of basically going to financial distress is substantially higher compared to like NBA,” Zheng said. “So that was our overall goal. The mission was essentially to inspire and help NFL athletes build generational wealth.”
Zheng also noted that the average careers for most professional athletes last from about 3.5 to 5.5 years. He also said that many athletes only earn one contract in their lifetime, which affects their post-career finances.
Sports Illustrated has reported that an estimated 78% of NFL players face financial trouble within two years of leaving the game and another 60% of NBA players are in the same situation five years after retirement.
Zheng said his company plans on launching a more robust education arm in September, adding to its promotion of financial empowerment through webinars, sports and venture-focused events.
He said he expects the number of non-athletes who become part of The Players Company network to soon surpass its roster of athletes.
The company since 2023 has been based in San Diego, largely because of what Zheng said is the region’s growing venture community as well as many retired and current athletes living in the area.
mogul Club
FOUNDED: 2022
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO: Alex Blackwood
HEADQUARTERS: Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS: Alternative real estate investing platform
REVENUE: Platform has seen 400%+ MoM investment growth since launch
EMPLOYEES: 25
WEBSITE: mogul.club
CONTACT: mogul@astrskpr.com
SOCIAL IMPACT: Founded by two Goldman Sachs-trained leaders, mogul Club seeks to democratize access to real estate investing
NOTABLE: mogul Club’s investment model has resulted in significantly higher returns for its investors, boasting a historical and projected Internal Rate of Return of 18.8% on average across all properties, compared to the S&P 500’s historical average return of 9%
The Players Company
FOUNDED: 2019
CO-FOUNDERS: Tom Zheng, Richard Sherman, Sheldon Day
HEADQUARTERS: San Diego
BUSINESS: Collective of professional athletes, accredited investors, and entrepreneurs dedicated to empowering individuals through financial education and exclusive investment opportunities
GROWTH: 150% membership growth from 2023 to now, team has doubled since 2022
EMPLOYEES: 12
WEBSITE: theplayerscompany.co/
CONTACT: operations@theplayerscompany.co
SOCIAL IMPACT: Company is committed to education, empowerment and social change. Its nonprofit partners range from champions of literacy to local Boys & Girls Clubs.
NOTABLE: Company is co-founded by former San Francisco 49ers sports scientist Tom Zheng, former NFL player Richard Sherman and NFL defensive end Sheldon Day
