We’re Sponsoring the Inspired Underdog in College Sports—And Here’s Why

Written by Kyle Nakatsuji | July 14th, 2021

3 minute read

When we started Clearcover Insurance Company, we knew we were entering an industry that’s been dominated by powerful incumbents. So we had to embrace the idea of being an underdog, and we still do today—it’s one of our core values. Our team knows what it looks like to face adversity with courage and tenacity, putting in behind-the-scenes effort each day to play the long game—and win.  

We believe in underdogs because we ourselves are underdogs.

And that’s why we’ve made a decision to support other inspired underdogs. On June 21, 2021, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the N.C.A.A. could no longer restrict college athletes from receiving compensation for their talents. It’s an important decision for student-athletes, and one that’s opened the way for our own decision:

At Clearcover, we’re committing to provide a select number of $10,000 sponsorship contracts to underdog or walk-on college athletes. 

Let me tell you why—and how my own experience as a student-athlete has helped inform this commitment.

I played football throughout my time in school, and I loved the game and my team. So much so that when I tore my ACL my sophomore year of high school, I kept playing after my recovery—even when many people would’ve moved on to gentler sports. 

I ended up tearing my ACL again my senior year of high school football (in the first play of our first game—talk about disappointing), but I played the rest of the season on it, and later I played an additional five years in college. 

Overall, I had my own underdog journey as a college football player. I played on multiple teams over the course of my career, and while I was never the star, that didn’t stop me from learning and growing along the way.

Playing on multiple teams—even on the practice field—helped me develop respect for the values of resiliency, preparation and planning, and hard work. It helped me learn what it feels like to try your hardest and fail. And, perhaps most importantly, it showed me what people are capable of when they work hard together. 

And as an entrepreneur in an industry that has been around for generations, resiliency sticks out as one of the most important values from my time playing college sports that I took with me into my career.

Here’s the thing: I know firsthand that walk-ons and underdogs are some of the most resilient, passionate, and dedicated athletes out there. There’s a lot of grind involved without a lot of glory—or even support, in some cases. 

In my time playing sports, I learned that success and dedication are positively correlated but not necessarily connected. Put another way, there are many athletes who work incredibly hard and give all of themselves to their sport, but they don't find the right outlet to display that work. Or maybe they get unlucky with an injury or just don't have the same abilities or star quality as other players, so they never get their big break or recognition for what they’ve accomplished. 

I think those people deserve recognition for doing the right things day after day, often without reward. At Clearcover, we like to say that our behavior is a signal for our values—and that our company culture is seen in the behaviors we promote, encourage, or demand. So we're going to find these types of college athletes and help them out, honoring their hard work and dedication.

While big insurance companies have been sponsoring professional athletes for years, Clearcover is an up-and-coming car insurance company that wants to sponsor student-athlete up-and-comers as official Clearcover athletes. We believe that hardworking, inspired underdogs—when surrounded by the right support—can make a huge difference in their teams, the marketplace, and even the world. 

So that’s why we’ve decided to sponsor underdog or walk-on college athletes with great inspired underdog stories (like Clearcover’s). If you share our same core values, apply and share your story with us. Athletes who are selected will be awarded with $10,000 directly through our partnership with Opendorse. 

Think of this as our way of recognizing you for the work you do and have done that no one sees: the work done on practice fields, in nearly empty gyms and workout rooms, on the bus rides to away games, in the library as you hit the books. 

To all the walk-ons, redshirts, grayshirts, and more, to all those student-athletes who have been injured and keep going for the love of the game and your team, I see you. 

I’m rooting for you, underdog.