17 SPORT ATHLETES LEAD BY EXAMPLE
CHAMPIONING FOR HUMANITY
At 17 Sport, we believe that true athletic success is more than just championships and trophies. Success encompasses meaningful, long-term aspirations that create a better future for humanity — in short, true champions use their platforms to make positive change.
Through our partnerships with professional athletes, we are committed to building the better world that fans are calling for.
NORMALIZING DISABILITY FOR A MORE INCLUSIVE WORLD
Ezra Frech is a Paralympic athlete, motivational speaker, and ambassador for adaptive sports. He is spreading the message that being different isn’t just okay — it should be celebrated.
Ezra perfectly embodies what it means to use your power as an athlete to make a difference. He is the youngest member of the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field team, co-founder of Angel City Sports, and a 2023 World Paralympic Champion who recently set a new world record in high jump. Ezra uses his platform to increase awareness around adaptive sports and heighten the platforms of para-athletes around the world. Through Angel City Sports, he works to provide free, year-round access to sports training and equipment for children and adults living with physical disabilities.
When Ezra signed with 17 Sport, it was important for him to not only find a partner that shared his values of making the world a better place through sports, but also one who could help him articulate it. Together, we’ve created a personal, purpose-driven strategy alongside a group of partners that will help share and amplify Ezra’s core values. He is already part of Team Sanofi in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games — and we’re just getting started.
Ezra Frech at the Long Jump Final in the Para Athletics World Championships, 2023.
TRANSFORMING THE NEXT GENERATION THROUGH SPORT
Benoît Badiashile is the epitome of a purpose-driven athlete. Not only is he one of the premier football players in the world — playing for Chelsea Football Club — but he also utilizes his position to unlock the potential of kids across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and France.
After seeing how sports transformed his father’s childhood in the DRC, Benoît chose to dedicate his platform to taking care of orphaned children and providing educational opportunities for youth through athletics. With 15 million children in the DRC living in need, Benoît’s goal is to guarantee their fundamental rights and provide options for their future through his platform as an athlete.
Finding a partner that was dedicated to supporting Benoît in both sports and purpose was crucial to his journey. 17 Sport is helping him bring his dreams and goals to life with a much greater reach — and a powerful network of partners devoted to transforming the sports industry for good.
Benoît Badiashile during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, London, March 2023.
BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE
As highlighted in Goal 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, at 17 Sport, we truly believe in the power of collaboration. Partnerships with athletes who keep purpose central in their sports journey is fundamental to our goal of generating a more positive future for everyone. Find out how 17 Sport is helping transform the sports industry by exploring more of our work.
