ContestedSee How Brands Use Contested to Turn Athlete Partnerships Into Measurable Growth.
App downloads
+347%
From campaign brief to athlete-led launch.
Reach
198.6K+
Turning OCSC Matchdays Into a College Athlete Content Engine
Challenge
Orange County Soccer Club needed a way to reach college students across Orange County and turn local campus awareness into real matchday attendance. Traditional sports marketing was not moving students who were outside the existing fan funnel.
Solution
Contested recruited and managed a roster of college athletes across Orange County, activating them before, during, and after matches to create trusted social content that drove reach, engagement, and attendance.
3.84x
Higher Engagement Rate than Traditonal Influencers
Instagram influencer avg: 1.59% • Source: Statista
How Par Bar Reached 27,000 Golfers Without Spending a Dollar on Ads
Challenge
Par Bar launched into one of the most saturated categories in CPG with a clear niche thesis: a golf-culture protein bar for players who want real food at the turn, not sugar or seed oils. The question was how to reach golfers directly, without burning through paid social against audiences already numb to protein bar ads.
Solution
Contested built a tightly targeted TikTok Shop creator program inside golf TikTok. We handled sourcing, briefing, and tracking — activating 32 creators on commission-only partnerships, with a clear product brief and content angles that let creators work in their own voice.
3 Athletes, 2 Activations, and Some of World of Racing's Top Content of 2026
Challenge
World of Racing wanted fresh, platform-native content that could reach new audiences across Instagram and TikTok without leaning on the same creative or the same followers every time. The goal was broad reach across different customer segments, not just more posts.
Solution
Contested activated a range of college athletes across different sports and campuses, each bringing their own audience and content style. Across two activations, athletes created authentic, creator-led short-form video that World of Racing could publish on-grid and reuse across its wider marketing channels.
Athlete Spotlight
A range of athlete audiences, giving broad reach across target customers.
Micah Goss
UCI Basketball
Michelle Urkov
UCI Waterpolo
Judah Withey
CSUF Track & Field
Emergent Themes
- Authentic creator-led experiences consistently perform well.
- Short-form video continues to outperform static content.
- Different athletes contribute different strengths — some drive greater reach, while others generate stronger audience engagement.
- The campaign has built a growing library of content that World of Racing can continue using across its marketing channels.
Accelerating App Downloads With Athlete-Led Social Proof
Challenge
Altering needed to increase U.S. downloads for a new wellness app and required a low-cost way to reach students who care about routine, focus, and mental wellbeing.
Solution
Contested's AI matched Altering with an NCAA athlete whose lifestyle matched the brand and audience. The athlete created platform-native UGC that demonstrated the app in context and converted attention into installs.
"Contested helped us turn small athlete partnerships into an outperforming growth channel. The ROI on our first campaign outperformed every paid channel we've tested this year. I have struggled to find influencers before, but you guys made it so easy"
Mike Greer
Founder, Altering
Launching Blend Cup With an Athlete-Led Awareness Push
Challenge
Blend Cup had just launched and needed fast, efficient awareness for a new protein + collagen coffee product. With no existing audience and limited brand recognition, they needed a simple way to get in front of consumers quickly.
Solution
Contested matched Blend Cup with athletes who could immediately drive reach through short-form social content. We handled shortlisting, briefing, and delivery, producing quick-turn videos that introduced the new product to consumers and generated top-of-funnel awareness.
Strengthening Techcare's B2B Presence With Athlete-Driven PR Assets
Challenge
Techcare wanted to stand out in a crowded IT services market by demonstrating genuine support for its local community and publicly championing female leadership and empowerment; values core to the brand.
Solution
Contested aligned Techcare with an athlete whose background reflected the brand's mission and delivered PR-ready quotes, photography, and LinkedIn content to strengthen founder-led storytelling.
Ready to Create Your Success Story?
Join top brands achieving exceptional results through authentic athlete partnerships