From buckets to business: UC alum scores big in athlete management

Eanes’ journey into the worlds of sports and business began at an early age. Born just outside of Cleveland, where he grew up alongside his twin brother, Aaron. Eanes was raised in a household immersed in the realities of managing a business. His parents ran several Burger King franchises in the region, and as children the twins spent their days walking in their parents' footsteps, pretending to hire and fire employees and slowly learning the realities of managing a business. At the same time, both Eanes brothers jumped head-first into the sports world.

Basketball was André’s first love, playing AAU basketball from third grade until his junior year in high school. Playing against top teams in the state and attending national tournaments annually, André developed a network of fellow athletes that would later prove instrumental in his professional journey.

The goal was clear to Eanes and his brother: build a sustainable model that addressed the financial challenges athletes often faced post-retirement. To the duo, the most important factor with the business was to partner their clients with sponsors who held similar ethics and long-term goals.

“One thing about Travis is that he understands the 'why' [behind our decisions],” Eanes said. “He will pass up a million-dollar opportunity if it’s with a brand he doesn’t resonate with. I think the industry is headed that way. Advertisers are paying for authenticity.”

In the years since adding Kelce as a client, A&A has signed a laundry list of big-name clients including other NFL players such as the Detroit Lions’ Donovan Peoples-Jones, Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns and the Seattle Seahawks’ Tyreke Smith. A&A’s clientele also includes NBA players such as Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga and Bones Hyland of the Los Angeles Clippers.

In their decade-plus in business together, Eanes and his brother have narrowed their strategy down to a tee. Aaron handles the creative and exterior elements of the business, while André maintains the revenue strategy and financials. As twins, the two have found a way to divide and conquer while complementing each other’s skills.

“It helps because we're twins, and no matter what [conflict] happens, we're just going to patch it up regardless,” Eanes said. “We might as well just say what's on our mind. Plus, we have that clear division of what we are and what we want to do. I think if we were completely the same person and had the same goal and focus, it wouldn't work out as much as it does. So, we're lucky to have two different passions when it comes to the things that we're doing.”

While the brothers took a lot of knowledge from their experiences in building A&A, Eanes also credits his time in UC’s Sport Administration program for supplying the building blocks for growing the business.

Eanes started college as a business undecided major, but he soon switched to Sport Administration when the major was created in 2009.

His major, and especially his capstone project, proved pivotal for Eanes’ interest in the behind-the-scenes aspects of the sporting world. In the project, Eanes worked on analyzing and building clientele for A&A Management, which allowed him to graduate with his company’s foundation already in place.

 “That was one of the big things about being in the program, with my senior capstone, and being able to learn the business side of it. I’ve re-used those experiences with the clients we’ve signed in the future.”