One of the country’s newest pro sports leagues is based right here in Charlotte
If you happened upon E. Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard May 20, you may have noticed groups of men and women sprinting out of the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center and hopping on bikes. Or maybe you noticed cyclists hopping off of their bikes and sprinting down Tryon Street.
Those men and women are part of the Major League Triathlon, the first and only professional triathlon league in the United States, which is based right here in Charlotte.
“About four years ago, the idea kind of popped into my head,” said CEO Daniel Cassidy. “I had been racing for seven years at the time and my girlfriend, who is now my wife, had literally been to every single race, which was probably somewhere just short of 100 or so. One day she said, ‘I love that you love doing this, but it’s really boring for me as a spectator.’ She had me sit through a triathlon that she did, and I got to experience it firsthand just how boring it can be for a spectator.”
Cassidy also noticed his friends who were professional triathletes lacked a platform to gain exposure for themselves and that it was difficult to make a living as a professional athlete.
So he created Major League Triathlon three and a half years ago, and after a year of planning and gathering funds the league had its first official season last year and is halfway through the second season.
“We wanted to see what we could do to make it more spectator-friendly, give the pros an opportunity to make money, and also create something that can be sustainable over time and grow the fan base of the triathlon world and hopefully encourage more people to race,” Cassidy said.
Moving MLT to Charlotte
Cassidy lived in New York City when he started the company but was looking for a change of pace. After visiting friends in Charlotte a second time and loving his time there, he signed a lease and moved.
Cassidy also found Charlotte to be the perfect base for headquarters because its international airport would allow him to get virtually anywhere and get athletes from around the world here if need be.
The athletes
The MLT opens up an application process for professional triathletes at the end of each season. More than 100 athletes applied this year, according to Marketing Manager and Athlete Liaison Dylan Sorensen.
There are eight teams with two men and two women each. The professional athletes are notified of the application process opening through social media, email and other forms of communication.
“They apply, fill out a form, tell me why they want to be in the league and what they can offer, kind of like an interview,” Sorensen said. “From there, I try and take a combination of the most competitive athletes that I can find and also factor in who they are as people, were they with the league last year and what value can we bring to them? …
“One of our big goals is to build brands around our athletes and we want to be long-term fixtures for our league.”
The Carolina Gliders
All teams are attached to a geographic location, whether it be a city or a state. For the most part, all of the athletes have some connection or tie to their team’s location. Graham Pimentel, a 2017 team member of the Carolina Gliders, is a rising junior at Queens University in Charlotte.
“The MLT sent out their applications in the winter, and I was like ‘This will be my first year as a pro, it would be a great debut’” Pimentel said. “When I competed in my first MLT race, it struck me how different it is from regular triathlons, because regular triathlons are individualized. With MLT, you are relying on your team, which has been a great experience.”
Learn more about the Major League Triathlon on their website, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat before the athletes head to Vail Valley on August 26.
Missed the Charlotte event? Don’t worry, they’ll be back next year.
Photos: Shea Parikh
This story was originally published June 4, 2017 at 11:10 PM with the headline "One of the country’s newest pro sports leagues is based right here in Charlotte."