Athlete Finance League uses quiz contests to teach money

Pat Brown, a former University of Kansas linebacker and current wealth manager, launched the Athlete Finance League and ran a beta test with KU Jayhawks in Lawrence earlier this month. The event used a Jeopardy-style mobile quiz to introduce basic financial topics to student-athletes through timed competition and public scoring.

The league’s quizzes are delivered on phones in five- and 10-question formats. Questions draw on material from in-person presentations and cover subjects such as investing, taxes, credit and budgeting. An online leaderboard displays player scores and standings so athletes and fans can track results.

Brown, who served as team captain at Kansas in the late 1990s and works at Creative Planning’s Lawrence office, has run other education efforts aimed at athletes. He created Financial Literacy for Student Athletes and has produced websites and books on personal finance. For the debut event he dressed as a quiz-show host and invited current Jayhawks to compete.

Teams or individual athletes from different schools can challenge one another through the league website. Brown plans to expand the program from NCAA teams to high schools and AAU squads, and he is seeking sponsors and potential name, image and likeness agreements to support growth.

“A lot of the knowledge is very similar to sports or football in particular, because it’s all about the repetition,” Brown said. “Anytime you have athletes competing, they start talking trash, they start chirping at each other. That’s the environment that I want, just with financial literacy.”

Advisors and college staff have increased financial education options as NCAA athletes receive growing and sometimes complex NIL payments. Alex Chalekian, founder and CEO of Lake Avenue Financial, noted many young people lack basic financial instruction before college and can pick up incorrect ideas from social media. “Unfortunately, a lot of this stuff is not taught in high school,” he said. “Having the education and the literacy is truly valuable, but you’ve got to also make sure that you’re getting it from someone who has experience and is sharing good information.”

Ashley Goodman, director of player development on coach Lance Leipold’s staff at Kansas, praised the partnership between Creative Planning and the football program and described Brown as a credible resource for players. “Pat does a great job,” Goodman said.

Organizers describe the quiz format as a low-friction entry point to financial education. Brown says the contests are meant to expose athletes to a range of topics, create peer-driven engagement, and provide a foundation for deeper lessons on budgeting, debt and tax planning as the league expands.