Journal · Real Estate · Oct 20, 2026
Athlete-Branded Hotels and Resorts: Matching the Deal with the Financing
An athlete's name can anchor a hospitality project. The structure behind it has to hold up first. How TASG thinks about matching the deal with the financing.
Team Avenue Sports Group. Managing Partners Thomari Story-Harden and Ricardo Shepherd-Bey.
Athletes build brands that people travel for. Hospitality is a natural next step: a hotel, resort or mixed-use stay where the athlete's story shapes the guest experience. The idea is simple. The execution is not.
Concept first, name second
A name on the building doesn't carry a project. The deal has to work on its own: the market, the site, the operator, the guest it's built for. The athlete's brand adds a reason to stay and a story to tell. It's a layer on a sound deal, not a substitute for one.
Matching the deal with the financing
Our role is to help match the deal with the financing that fits it. Every hospitality project has its own stage, size and risk, and the debt structure should follow from those, not the other way around. That starts with a clear package: the concept, the sponsor's track record, the site, a realistic budget and timeline, and an honest read on the market.
Where TASG fits
Team Avenue Sports Group sits between sports and real estate. We work with athletes, families and project sponsors to shape the concept, organize what lenders expect to see, and make introductions to commercial lenders where there's a fit, subject to NDA. We don't promise terms, and we don't put an athlete's name on a project they haven't fully approved.
What to bring us
A short summary of the project and location, who the sponsor and operator are, the stage you're at, and the role the athlete's brand plays. Start with "What to Send Before a Commercial Lender Introduction" in the TASG Journal.
This post is for general information only. It is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security or interest, and it is not a commitment to lend or arrange financing. Any financing is subject to lender review and approval.
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