Overtime Elite has added a heavy hitter from the TV executive side as they get set to launch their alternative to college basketball in less than three months. Former Turner Sports exec Mark Johnson is serving as OTE’s executive vice president of business operations. Johnson was Turner’s senior vice president of digital. He oversaw NBA and NCAA Digital platforms, like March Madness Live and NBA League Pass.
Johnson is now a key part in getting the elite high school prospect league off of the ground. He will play a role in budgeting, facility management, and strategy decisions for the league.
“We’re going to focus on: How do we grow quickly?” Johnson said in an interview. “We’ve got to get it up and launched, but then quickly move toward a growth plan. This will definitely evolve pretty quickly from year one to year two—maybe even from the first four-to-six months to the second four-to-six months. I think we’re going to learn a lot.”
The league has a groundbreaking plan to not only have high school graduates get paid like professionals, but kids still in high school are welcome to join as well. According to an Overtime press release, OTE consists of 30 players who earn a floor of $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime.
Players profit off their name, image, and likeness through custom jersey sales, trading cards, video games, and sneaker deals. Overtime Elite provides health care for players, and those who don’t pursue professional opportunities after playing in the league get up to $100,000 of college tuition covered. The third-ranked prospect in the Class of 2023, Matt Bewley, is one of many “elite” prospects to sign with the league.
One of Johnson’s roles is to make sure these athletes transition into the new environment as seamlessly as possible
“I don’t think any of us are going to figure it all out for years to come,” Johnson said of the NIL opportunities players now have. “We want to make sure we do it right.”