The Fans' Network

 

FoundingMember

Private equity is moving into college athletics. We're building the fan-owned alternative. Be part of the founding group that changes what's possible.

Join the Movement

The Fans' Network is building fan-governed channels for college athletics — starting with your school. Founding members shape what this becomes. No PE. No outside investors. Just fans.

Your School
Claim Your Founding Member Spot

What founding members are joining

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Fan sovereignty over PE moneyPrivate equity is buying revenue rights in college athletics. Founding members are the organized fan response — before it's too late.
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A platform built for fans, by fansLive audio, AI sports companions, FanCast broadcasts — infrastructure that belongs to the community, not a fund.
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Fan community supporting student athletesThe Fans' Network is committed to supporting NIL initiatives at your school as the platform grows. Fan community backing the athletes you love.
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Founding member status — permanentThe first members of each school's fan association hold that status forever. You can't become a founding member later.

What We're Up Against

The threat has a name.
It's called Project Rudy.

In October 2024, a proposal called Project Rudy quietly began circulating among college athletics leadership. Spearheaded by former Disney executives now at a private equity firm called Smash Capital, it would restructure college football into a 70-team super league backed by $9 billion in private capital. More than 25 athletic directors from Power Four conferences have already seen the presentation. This isn't a conspiracy theory — it's been reported by CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, and Sports Illustrated.

What Project Rudy Would Mean for Fans
  • A 70-team structure that permanently excludes the bottom tier of college football programs
  • All games against smaller schools eliminated — because they don't fit the media package
  • No more Boise State upsets. No more App State moments. Engineered out by design.
  • One consolidated media rights deal controlled by private equity — not fans, not schools
  • A tiered revenue system where the top 16 schools earn up to $250M per year while others get table scraps
  • Decisions made quietly, around 2031, long before most fans realize what happened

Sources: CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, On3, Sports Illustrated — October–November 2024

We're not here to stop private equity with a hashtag. But we believe fans deserve to know what's being decided in their name — and an organized, vocal fan base is harder to ignore than a passive one. That's why we're building this.

Read the Full Manifesto →
Your Next Step

A Seat At The Table

This is where founding members begin. One seat. Your school. Your voice in what comes next — before the decisions get made without you.

Claim Your Seat →