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Fan Huddle offers hundreds of
on-demand fitness and wellness video classes with categories that range from
running to cooking tips.
Former
NFL running back Robert Smith, a Pro Bowler for the Minnesota Vikings in 1998
and 2000, has been around the medical field for his entire life. He spent
plenty of time around hospitals while growing up in a Cleveland suburb since
his mother was a registered nurse. As a student-athlete at Ohio State University in the early 1990s, he
took classes in biology, chemistry, and physics before the Vikings selected him
as a first-round draft pick in 1993.
“I've always been interested in
applied science and medicine. When I was at Ohio State, I worked at a hematology
and oncology lab doing cloning and sequencing of genes,” Smith tells
SportTechie. “This is all the way back in ‘91, so technology was pretty new at
that point and a lot different than what’s being done now.”
Smith retired from the NFL in 2001
at 28 years old after repeated knee injuries kept him from sustaining a longer
career. Now, he is the
founder and chairman of the digital health and well-being platform Fan
Huddle. The app offers hundreds of on-demand video classes
spanning categories such as:
- yoga,
- core workouts,
- stretching,
- nutrition,
- walking,
- running,
- strength conditioning,
- relationship health,
- meditation,
- and cooking tips.
The free content is taught by experts in fitness and mindfulness,
with appearances from athletes such as fellow former star running backs Emmitt
Smith and Eddie George, current NFL players James Conner, Cam Jordan, Jaylon
Smith, Irv Smith Jr., Blake Martinez, as well as Chelsea Gray of the WNBA’s Las
Vegas Aces.
Fan Huddle offers on-demand digital
experiences as well as coaching and insights from athletes and Olympians.
“To
actually have tips, advice, workouts, and stories from these athletes can
really help people in their daily lives,” says Smith, who also works as a
football analyst for FOX and the Big Ten Network. “People shouldn't have to
pay $1,000 or $2,000 for exercise bikes, or $40 a month for these premium
services and content. It should be provided by their insurers, and we want to
work with those insurers to help provide that.”
Fan Huddle already has partnerships
with healthcare plan providers Optum and BurnAlong,
which combined have about 15 million users that are now eligible to access Fan
Huddle’s content library. Fan Huddle is also in negotiations with other major
corporate health plan providers. The NFLPA has equity in Fan Huddle via OneTeam Partners in
exchange for player licensing rights given to the startup.
A lot of people moved to digital
solutions. A lot of people are going back to the gym, but I think that they
supplement it with that home content as well. Think of Peloton, Echelon, those
different companies for home equipment. We're looking to supplement the content
they have with the athletes and experts that we have as part of our roster.
“We're
the first company founded by a former player that the NFLPA has ever done a
deal with,” says Smith, who ranks only behind Adrian Peterson for career
rushing yards by a Viking. “Eddie George will give an introduction video talking about why
he likes yoga, what he does,” he says, describing content on Fan Huddle. “Then
an instructor will take you through different levels. Eddie will have
encouragement at the halfway point, telling people to continue with the
program, and then Eddie will provide a congratulations at the end.”
Former
Minnesota Vikings running back and current Fox Sports analyst Robert Smith
founded Fan Huddle.
“A lot of people moved to digital
solutions. A lot of people are going back to the gym, but I think that they
supplement it with that home content as well,” Smith says. “Think of Peloton,
Echelon, those different companies for home equipment. We're looking to
supplement the content they have with the athletes and experts that we have as
part of our roster.”
