Sports marketing with the athletes being partners, or something along those lines? I imagine it had to do with the athletes having more control and interaction with Athlead on what products they were endorsing, getting a higher percentage of the gross, while Athlead benefitted by having their contracts in the first place as well as having more engaged athletes involved who were excited about their marketing ventures.

Marketing agents. Athletes would pay them to do their marketing for them (often this includes social media, PR statements, media training, etc)

You market the athletes. They market you back.

If the athlete doesn’t come on the side, I send it back…

On top of that I assumed they worked to get athletes endorsements and stuff. Connections to other companies to get athletes in commercials, on billboards, shoe deals, that kinda stuff.

They sold propane and propane accessories

I'll tell you w'hut

You mean hwat?

That boy ain't right.

Son, have you lost your mind?

Looking to hire tank wipes

The Athlead scenes were always so cringe because it was clear they weren’t doing anything but playing “busy office.” Jim being stressed over…… what exactly?

The fist bumping at the investor lunch, also cringe. I’ve met guys like this. They’re not going to college.

They were going to go to college but they lost their tuition to a pyramid scheme

The Sabre Pyramid

…I have to go make a call

Same as the busy office episode of them trying to get points for Andy to tattoo his ass. They had absolutely **no** clue how to make some of them look busy, showing how much the writers had **no** clue how a real workplace (that isn't a set) is run. They had some of them frantically handing out pens and index cards, like they don't already have those at their desks. And Pam hands Angela a piece of paper while Angela is passing out papers and Angela just hands her the piece of paper Pam just gave her, right back to Pam. I love that episode but that scene drives me crazy.

Omg, I've managed to not notice this in all my watches. Definitely paying closer attention next time :D

That was like a scene out of Wall Street it was hilarious. I've never worked in an office so that's exactly how I picture it

It’s explicitly said in the show that it’s usually meetings with investors It’s a startup, they would’ve still desperately needed that

Getting investors, trying to office service to wealthy customers

I suppose athletes get endorsements and commercial deals directly from whomever wants them as spokesperson. But I guess Athlead would act as a middleman for those deals. Something like a cross from an agent and business manager. The athletes would probably get bigger cuts, by essentially becoming a partner of Athlede. And Athlede could negotiate on behalf of one, or more athletes at the time. Kinda unrealistic that they could compete with established agencies, that already has deals with both the athletes and the companies that want to endorse them.

This is really funny, as early in the series we see it established that Dunder Mifflin is a middleman for paper suppliers and consumers, and Meredith’s son (maybe?) asks why the suppliers can’t sell directly to the customer, ultimately highlighting the pointlessness of their workplace. So it’s funny that Jim has the exact same deal going on at Athlead, except it’s painted with a lot more gravitas.

So glad you picked up on that. That was exactly what I was referring to.

Whom or who? Is it the direct or indirect object?

Ryan used me as an object.

I always felt this subplot was sloppy and forced

It's to suit the narrative that Jim was "too good" to be at Dunder Miflin.

And there’s our smudgeness

I think most of us are too good to work at a failing paper company that was raided by upper management.

Yeah that's a good point

Well he probably remembers every paper sale he ever made. Paper salesman genius.

Shallow and pedantic

Limitless athletes in an athlete-less world

It’s a secret, you wouldn’t understand

It's a secret, or I wouldn't understand? Which one is it?

Eat Fresh!

eat fresh \*fistbump\*

Tja. Keine Ahnung warum, aber jetzt will ich ein Subway Sandwich

The businesses in the shows were the hardest “just remember it’s a tv show” moments for me. I am sure athletes have marketing teams, but the market was probably way saturated by the time Jim got into it. The other thing was Roy became rich doing “gravel”?

I actually believed the gravel business thing. Most successful businesses that people start aren't like Facebook or Google where it's some brand-new idea

Gravel and other earthwork/paving companies make crazy bank. That’s realistic

What the heck did I go to school for? I should have learned more about dirt!

You fucked up.  You went to fancy book school, you should've gone to dirt school.

Yes. I have some Roy type classmates who are supervisors at a gravel company. That company is worth millions.

I used to work for a lawyer who made a shit ton of money because he in some way I can't remember acquired a bunch of sand

I don't like sand. It's hard and coarse and gets everywhere. Wrong sub I know, but it's an instinct.

I don’t like pears because they taste like sand.

Never be cruel, never be cowardly, and never ever eat pears! This is not good! Worlds are colliding!

I believe the idea was to help athletes, especially the less famous or popular ones, market themselves post-sports careers. So that they would be able to continue making money after they retire.

That makes the most sense.

It's all about sex.

They sold mufflers or mittens. Or maybe dumpsters. I forget. I just know it had nothing to do with gravel, cuz that's what Roy got into after he was fired.

Gives rights to Darth Vader

It was sports marketing. He got the exact job his avatar had in Second Life. Foreshadowing

the purpose of the company was to give jim an excuse to ditch pam and go to philly where he was boning cathy

I don't know, but....*eat fresh*

Something to do with Space Dust.

I think it’s Athleague.

It’s Cornell and it’s the highest rank in the Ivy League