College sports are changing faster than a draft pick scandal goes down these days, but there are some names (or dynasties) that just keep going strong. In this case, we’re talking about the Manning family — University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning, to be specific. Given his high-profile status, any brand partnership he’s part of is going to get major visibility. Which is both a pun, and exactly what Warby Parker is banking on (visibility, eyewear, get it?) with their first leap into college athlete sponsorships.
On the surface, the collab is an easy win:
Warby Parker was founded on a “buy one, give one” model of corporate philanthropy, and Arch Manning has been widely praised for his intentional, purpose-driven approach to brand partnerships. He’s also worn glasses since he was a kid, so repping an eyewear brand seems like a natural fit. As far as what the partnership entails, the press release mentions “new eyewear collections, local Austin initiatives with Warby Parker’s school-based vision program, Pupils Project, and more.”
This got us wondering…what sort of “local Austin initiatives” do they have planned? And what's behind the “and more” they’ve got tucked away in their cleats?
Of course, we have a few ideas of our own to toss into the mix…
🎤 LAUNCH A “VISIONARY VOICES” CAMPUS SPEAKING SERIES
Warby Parker was founded by Neil and Rachel Blumenthal, who also have strong ties to the academic world through the Derby Entrepreneurial Center at Tufts University. The brand could team up with both the University of Texas, and Tufts, to create a cross-campus speaker series called "Visionary Voices," which would bring together a mix of accomplished leaders from both sports and business to share their personal stories about vision — both literally and figuratively — in their careers.
The events could be hosted live on one of the two campuses and streamed digitally to students, faculty, and alumni at the other, with Arch, of course, headlining at least one of the sessions. It’s a great way for Warby Parker to not just support one college athlete, but to inspire an entire generation of students across two major universities.
🧠 INTRODUCE THE “FRAME OF MIND” MENTAL WELLNESS INITIATIVE
The Manning Family’s always been known for their mental toughness in football. Warby Parker and UT could build on this by launching "The Frame of Mind," a co-branded mental wellness initiative powered by The Hidden Opponent (THO), a nonprofit that’s already doing incredible work in the field of collegiate athlete mental health. It’s a classic WIN | WIN:
1) Arch Manning’s presence, and Warby Parker’s funding, would give THO’s existing campus programming and impact a massive boost.
2) By associating with THO, Warby Parker would get in front of thousands of new potential customers, reaching an entirely new audience of kids who were still in elementary school when the eyewear brand was founded back in 2010.
👓 START AN “EYE TO THE FUTURE” NIL COLLECTIVE
Warby Parker could use the deal with Arch Manning as a stepping stone to build a more extensive NIL network of college athletes with vision challenges. If you’ve ever needed to wear glasses while playing sports, you know that it’s not just an inconvenience (they can fall off, they can get foggy, they can be distracting), but for many kids, it also makes them feel different from, or even “less than,” their non-glasses-wearing teammates.
By recruiting a group of college athletes who all understand — and have overcome — the challenges firsthand, Warby Parker could amplify awareness for its school-based vision program, Pupils Project, and show younger kids that wearing glasses isn’t a deficit, but a difference to be celebrated in style.
Like usual, we’ve got more ideas for where to take this collaboration. But we also have to give credit where it’s due: the authenticity, accessibility, and playfulness of this partnership is already a major win. We just believe, much like the Mannings and Warby Parker, that there’s always more good to be done, both on and off the field.
