Connecting Professional Sports and Onchain Innovation for Public Good

TL;DR

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This proposal requests $380,000 to fund a year-long program featuring –

• Nounish workshops: Focused on entrepreneurship, wellness, and blockchain education.
• Youth initiatives: Designed to empower underserved and gifted youth.
• Intimate IRL events: Engaging top NBA players, Drew’s network, and the community.

This collaboration introduces Nouns’ mission, values, and approach to onchain building to influential athletes, educators, and youth organizations, embedding Nounish culture in new communities and industries.

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PROPOSAL SUMMARY

Drew Hanlen is widely recognized as the #1 NBA skills coach globally, having secured over $4 billion in player contracts for clients like NBA MVP Joel Embiid and All-Stars Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, and Tyrese Haliburton.

He committed to the Nounish mission with his recent acquisition of Noun 1240 — a symbol that will become an integral part of his personal brand, merchandise, and real-world activations.

Drew’s lifelong dedication to giving back is reflected in his community-driven initiatives in Haiti, Africa, and underserved U.S. communities. His passion for education and youth empowerment aligns seamlessly with the Nounish mission.

By onboarding Drew into Nouns, we gain unparalleled access to –

• Elite NBA players, teams, and global brands.
• Public goods partnerships aligned with philanthropic causes tied to Drew’s work.
• Workshops and digital programs are designed to educate, empower, and inspire.
• Partnerships with leading sports and lifestyle brands, keeping Nouns at the forefront of mainstream culture.

Priority Initiatives for 2025

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Drew Hanlen x Nouns – Home Court & Away Days

Events will feature Nounish branding, messaging, and onboarding, and all content will be amplified via Drew’s 1.8MM+ social followers and participating partners’ platforms.

Key Themes –

• Entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
• Wellness and mental health education.
• Onchain innovation and Web3 opportunities.

Home Court – A series of Nounish workshops in Los Angeles focusing on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and wellness education.

Away Days – Additional events in key cities like Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and one international market, connecting underserved and gifted youth to hands-on learning opportunities.

Athletes, Brands & Nouns as a Service

• Partner with DAO ecosystem members (i.e. developers, marketers & artists) to offer turnkey solutions for empowering athletes and brands to build onchain tools.
• High-profile athletes and brands leveraging Nouns to support onchain programs, sports, and culture.
• Collaborations with sponsors and teams, creating co-branded merchandise and IP development.

Boston Event Recap (2/11/2025)

Funded by Cares and Drew Hanlen, the Boston event at TD Garden featured NBA MVP Jayson Tatum, marking a major step in bridging Nouns to professional sports.

Key Deliverables

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Running Event Schedule (10 Total between 2025-2026)

Nouns Home Court –

• Los Angeles, CA (6x events)

Nouns Away Days –

• San Francisco, CA – 1st Quarter (1x event)
• Philadelphia, PA – 2nd Quarter (1x event)
• Boston, MA – 3rd Quarter (1x event)
• International Event (TBC) – 4th Quarter (1x event)

Partnership Commitments from Base and Coinbase

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Coinbase will play a key role in social amplification, press coverage, and content creation, ensuring each event receives high-level visibility and engagement across media platforms. Their involvement will further cement the Nounish message within professional sports and broader communities.

Coinbase and Base Commitments Include –

• Co-branded event activations, merchandise, and content, including exclusive giveaways in partnership with Base and Coinbase, reinforcing collaboration and increasing engagement.
• Collaborative program development focused on education, onchain rewards, and public goods initiatives that empower underserved and gifted youth.
• Active support from Base and Coinbase, with teams lending their expertise and resources to enhance program development and event execution.
• Seamless integration of onchain tools into workshops and events, providing athletes, youth, and communities with hands-on experience and actionable insights into real-world onchain applications.
• High-level visibility and amplification through Coinbase and Base’s platforms, leveraging their networks to extend the reach and impact of the initiative.

Funding Request: $380,000 USDC

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• Venue rentals, event space, production expenses (incl. insurance, training staff, equipment needs / rentals, etc.) – $250k (10 events, $25k per event)
• Marketing, asset creation, and production for event documentation, media coverage, and activations – $53k
• Merchandise production and distribution (co-branded Nouns x DH) – $40k
• Travel and accommodations for key participants and organizers – $37k

Strategic Noun Onboarding – A Long-Term Investment

Cares is waiving any monetary fee for program management in exchange for five Treasury Nouns – Requesting Nouns 826, 519, 758, 915, 573. This preserves treasury liquidity while unlocking high-value opportunities for collaboration, governance participation, and visibility.

Cares will establish a delegate-governance participation program within Nouns by strategically onboarding NBA MVPs, teams, and key partners who actively shape sports, philanthropy, and entertainment. By integrating Nouns into leagues, brand strategies, and philanthropic programs, we create a direct pipeline for real-world decision-makers to participate in governance, leveraging onchain infrastructure to drive scalable, high-impact initiatives.

Why This Matters

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This initiative presents a rare opportunity to merge professional sports, education, and philanthropy with onchain innovation. By funding this proposal, Nouns will:

• Expand Nouns’ reach into professional sports, introducing Web3 to high-value audiences.
• Empower underserved communities with education, wellness, and entrepreneurial resources.
• Leverage top-tier media and brand amplification, increasing visibility for the Nounish ecosystem.
• Foster long-term partnerships with athletes, teams, and brands aligned with public goods.
• Create a sustainable model for onchain integration in mainstream culture.

Why Cares?

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Cares is a decentralized, Nounish collective that helps bridge the gap between creativity, commerce, and technology while supporting public goods. It was founded by the team behind Problem, an integrated marketing and strategy firm that has worked with best-in-class global brands and start-ups throughout its 15-year history.

In its first year, the Cares team has dedicated itself to amplifying Nouns’ mission with its own brand of Nounish creativity and energy.

From supporting last year’s ETH Denver activations and merchandise programs with The Hundreds, to bringing Nouns to EDCON 2024 Tokyo (Prop 559) with an unforgettable presence on the Shibuya Scramble billboards and building the Cares Club phygital retail experience for the DAO — we’ve pushed boundaries, heightened Nouns’ visibility, and onboarded countless builders and non-crypto natives to Nouns.

We launched Base Runner, a Nouns-themed game (demoed live at EDCON), got Noggles on Vitalik, created a Nounish CC0 art collection with Base, and hosted dynamic events, workshops, and onboarding sessions in California, New York, and Tokyo.

Now, we’re gearing up to welcome global partners such as the NBA into the Nounish ecosystem.

CONCLUSION

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By partnering with Drew Hanlen, Nouns can seamlessly integrate into professional sports, align with a proven leader who embodies Nounish values, and create meaningful impact across communities and industries.

This collaboration will expand the Nounish movement by introducing Web3 to new audiences, empowering underserved communities, and fostering long-term partnerships that bridge onchain innovation with real-world impact.