NFL legend Drew Brees talks 'unbelievable' opportunity to join Sports Illustrated Tickets as investor
Brees loves Sports Illustrated Tickets' transparent, no-transaction-fee process
Sports Illustrated Tickets, a fan-first primary and secondary ticketing marketplace, has added a legendary NFL quarterback to its group of investors.
Drew Brees, a Super Bowl MVP and the best quarterback in New Orleans Saints history, was announced Thursday as Sports Illustrated Tickets latest investor. And it comes as the full 2024-25 NFL schedule was released for all 32 teams in the league Wednesday night.
Brees spoke with Fox Business Digital about why he believes in Sports Illustrated Tickets.
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Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees speaks to the fans during halftime of a game against the Buffalo Bills at Caesars Superdome Nov. 25, 2021, in New Orleans. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images / Getty Images)
"I can’t think of a more iconic brand to be associated with," Brees explained while reminiscing about dreaming of being on the Sports Illustrated cover as a kid. "I think also when you start looking from a pure business perspective and the ticket marketplace, the bottom line is it can be done better, and we plan to do it better than anybody else has done it.
"Providing a more transparent process than anybody’s ever done it. Provide access to any possible event, whether it’s sports, concerts, theater, across some of the greatest venues in the country."
Brees also touched on the "unbelievable" team Sports Illustrated Tickets CEO David Lane put together, which has led to more than $2.5 billion in inventory and over 50 million sports, concert and theater tickets.
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Lane explained why Brees’ addition isn’t just because of what he did on the football field. It’s his business acumen, leadership skills and commitment to excellence, among other qualities that make this partnership perfect.
"Drew represents everything about who we are," Lane said. "Drew and I met for the first time. In the hour we might have talked about ticketing and fans, but we talked about Sports Illustrated.
"Sports Illustrated is in our culture. It’s in our blood. I think it is who we are as fans. We have captured some of the most meaningful moments in history for decades. Drew has experienced that, and not only have we been a part of … capturing his greatest moments, but everything that we talk about together is authenticity and credibility and champions. That is who Drew is. There isn’t someone who is sitting next to me at this moment who can help us tell our story better than Drew."
Quarterbacks coach Drew Brees of the Purdue Boilermakers during the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against the LSU Tigers at Camping World Stadium Jan. 2, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Brees appeared on one of the most memorable Sports Illustrated covers, hoisting his son over his head with confetti falling down after winning the Super Bowl in 2009.
Sports Illustrated Tickets features a transparent pricing model with zero transaction fees, so fans know exactly what they’re paying.
The NFL also sees the potential of Sports Illustrated Tickets, which has become one of three ticket services under the NFL Ticket Network.
"Seventy years. Iconic, global, recognized part of sports," Lane said when asked why the NFL has faith in Sports Illustrated Tickets. "When they think of us, they think of being there. What it matters being at the game.
"The feeling you have, the emotion. I tell this story all the time. You’re never going to tell the story when you saw your team winning from your basement on your TV. You will tell it forever when you are in the stadium and they win that game with 60,000 people in that moment. That’s what that means.
Drews Brees is the latest investor in Sports Illustrated Tickets. (Sports Illustrated/Getty Images / Getty Images)
"For us, adding live events for our 60 million fans who move through the SI ecosystem every single month, they’re already going to games, to concerts, to shows. It’s a natural emission of how we’re evolving around the world."
Brees and Lane are excited to get to an NFL stadium again, and tickets for every game, including the Philadelphia Eagles-Green Bay Packers' groundbreaking matchup in Brazil in Week 1, are available for purchase now.
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"That’s what our fans deserve," Brees said. "We want to create the experiences that they can share not only with the ones they love but create memories for a lifetime."
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