Founded in 2022 by a group of Stanford alumni athletes, including entrepreneur and former men’s soccer player Allen Thorpe ’92 and former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck ’12, Lifetime Cardinal connects more than 130 student-athletes with alumni through networking, mentorship, education and career opportunities. The initiative aims to ensure student-athletes are recognized as individuals with potential far beyond their athletic careers.
The recent transformation of the collegiate athletic landscape with the introduction of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) regulations in 2021 has encouraged universities like Stanford to invest in their athletes in multiple ways. Lifetime Cardinal is taking a unique approach, incentivizing athletes by compensating them for community outreach and social impact efforts. Supporters of the initiative, like Ganesan, recognize multiple avenues for impact with this model.
“We get student athletes to spend time helping our community and give them the opportunity to learn,” Ganesan said.
Community connections
Lifetime Cardinal collaborates with organizations like the Women’s Coaching Alliance, founded in 2022 by Pam Baker . The organization addresses the lack of female coaches in the Bay Area. After her husband, a dedicated coach of youth female sports teams, passed away from pancreatic cancer, Baker launched the Alliance to train prospective female coaches through leadership programs offering mentorship and compensation.
Partnering with Lifetime Cardinal has amplified Baker’s mission. Benefit events hosted in collaboration with Stanford’s women’s sports teams, including the basketball team and its legendary former coach Tara VanDerveer, have drawn attention to the Alliance’s work.
