S.F.-based digital sports outfit Sqor Inc. "suddenly seems to be a ubiquitous presence on the social media feeds of professional fighters," as they are "being paid" to use it, according to Ben Fowlkes of USA TODAY. Sqor Inc. VP/Business Development Chris Little said that payment plans "can vary from one athlete to the next," but the "'pay-to-post' program normally tops out at about $4,000 a month." Sqor Inc. Founder & CEO Brian Wilhite said, "I never understood why someone who was famous or had a big following ... would build a massive audience for companies and get no financial benefit out of it." Paradigm Sports Management President Audie Attar said, "In football, social media is seen as a distraction by coaches. But in fighting, you are selling yourself. How much you can move the needle definitely helps you advance." Fowlkes writes it is "tough to know this early into Sqor's social media experiment" if it is sustainable to pay fighters to use the service. Sqor Inc. "has been active for less than a year," with former NFLer Brett Favre a member of its BOD to help "give it a kick-start around the time" of the NFL Draft (
USA TODAY, 10/14).
HE SHOOTS, HE SQORS: Sqor Inc. today announced the launch of a crowdfunding feature that allows athletes to raise money via the site. Athletes can use crowdfunding on Sqor Inc. to finance training and upcoming competitions, or to bring additional exposure to their philanthropic endeavors. Meanwhile, Favre announced today that he will use crowdfunding to raise money for his Favre4Hope foundation, which helps breast cancer survivors and children with disabilities (Sqor).
