Chris Meade, his brother Gregory and friend Mike Delpapa launched the fast-growing brand CROSSNET—a game, combining Four Square and volleyball—in 2017, and now they’ve teamed up with YouTube influencer Danny Duncan to launch a new sporting goods brand Good Sport.
Duncan has 6.8 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 12 million across all social media. He also sells apparel in an online store, DannyDuncan69, and mass retailers such as Zumiez, Spencers, and Tillys. CROSSNET is sold in more than 3,500 stores. (You can read about CROSSNET here.) Chris and Gregory Meade have made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Duncan announced the partnership in YouTube last night in a video. The other partners in the venture are CROSSNET CFO Chris Koop and Stefan Toler, Duncan’s manager.
“Celebrities get involved in every industry from alcoholic beverages to digital apps,” says Duncan. “I wanted to disrupt the outdoor sporting industry, and I love being outdoors. It’s so important to me and my mental health to get up and be active each day. We really hope these products inspire others to do the same.”
YouTuber Danny Duncan has teamed up with the founders of CROSSNET to launch Good Sport.
The goal of the six-person team, headquartered in Miami Beach, is to disrupt the sporting goods industry with the influencer-led brand by providing alternatives to dated backyard games. Duncan, known for his outlandish videos, has a big following among teen boys and young men, generating multi-million-dollar revenue from sources such as advertising. He has experience in the sports world, having worked with the NFL.
The brand plans to roll out a series of 30 to 40 games, such as SmashNet, which combines roundnet and ping pong; Bubble Bash, where players wear inflatable suits, bump off each other and fall to the ground; and backyard pong, an oversized beer pong game. They plan to roll out the products in stores such as Academy; Scheel’s, the Midwestern sporting goods chain, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, in spring 2023. In the meantime, they are selling the first three games through their website.
Meade says they are responding to a hunger among young people for active things to do. Many spent the pandemic in front of computer screens, doing lessons on Google Classroom. “Kids want to get outside and be kids,” he says.
Good Sport is launching with three games in its portfolio.
The partnership came together when Meade reached out to Duncan with an offer to advertise. Finding they had a lot in common, they got to texting and talking all night, which led to an in-person meeting at Duncan’s home. They had soon agreed to create a sporting goods company together.
The partnership will allow the company to promote the products on Duncan’s YouTube channel, providing a strong competitive advantage, according to Meade. “Marketing is more expensive than ever before,” says Meade. “We have the chance to have the majority of our acquisitions come through Danny’s social media channels.”
