A Conyers kid who says he'd rather shoot hoops than kick a soccer ball is now a quarter-finalist in a national competition that could hand him a $25,000 prize and a shot at mentorship from professional athletes. Antario Jacas, who wants to grow up to be both a doctor and a professional basketball player, is one of thousands of young athletes still standing in the Youth Athlete of the Year contest, a social-media voting tournament that drew 163,072 student entries this year.
From Essay to Quarter-Final Bracket
The contest, run by the Why Not You Foundation, asks applicants to submit a short essay before the foundation selects kids to showcase their talents in a bracket-style public vote, as reported by WSB-TV. Only the top vote-getter from each group advances, and Jacas has made it to the quarter-finals. Supporters can back him directly through his page on athleteoftheyear.org, and the public can track the broader competition at the same site.
Jacas named Steph Curry as his favorite player and made his sport of choice clear. “I love playing basketball, it's better than soccer,” he said, per WSB-TV's reporting. His mother, Amanda Jacas, said the competition is encouraging and empowering families and reminding them to pursue their dreams.
Who's Actually Behind the Prize Money
The Why Not You Foundation was founded in 2014 by Russell Wilson and Ciara, and it empowers kids across the country and in metro Atlanta by providing resources for children in underserved communities to achieve their dreams. But the foundation doesn't run the voting contest's day-to-day operations itself. According to the event's own guidance published on Colossal.org, the Youth Athlete of the Year competition is operated entirely by Colossal Management, LLC, a Delaware for-profit commercial fundraiser, acting on behalf of the registered 501(c)(3) charity DTCare — which in turn grants net campaign donations to the Why Not You Foundation after retaining a 36.5 percent competition fee plus operational costs. Russell Wilson's foundation and the 3BRAND apparel line serve as featured charity and brand partners rather than operators of the public vote.
The grand prize package for this year's winner includes the $25,000 cash honorarium cited by WSB-TV, along with a professional photoshoot for a national 3BRAND advertisement running in Sports Illustrated and on CBS, plus mentorship opportunities from prominent professional athletes, according to Colossal.org's event guide. That media exposure dovetails with Wilson's own career pivot: the Super Bowl-winning quarterback retired from the NFL in June after 14 seasons to join CBS Sports as a full-time studio analyst on The NFL Today, a move Hoodline covered in its report on his CBS move.
Tens of Millions Raised, With Scrutiny Attached
The scale of the fundraising effort is substantial. Last October, the competition generated over $21.66 million, split equally between the Why Not You Foundation and the V Foundation for Cancer Research to support youth empowerment programs and pediatric cancer research grants, according to a release distributed via PR Newswire. The V Foundation was created by ESPN and basketball coach Jim Valvano.
That fundraising muscle has drawn scrutiny before. A USA TODAY investigation reported in February 2023 that the Why Not You Foundation spent 24.3 cents of every dollar raised on charitable activities in 2020 and 2021 combined, while allocating $1.1 million toward employee salaries and benefits during that period, according to a report from CBS Sports. Foundation leadership responded at the time that millions in additional donations are raised directly through corporate partners like Seattle Children's Hospital and do not appear on its tax forms.
Closer to Jacas's own backyard, the foundation's giving has been tangible. In December, the Why Not You Foundation donated $500,000 to the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Southwest ATL Cares to provide over 1 million meals to Metro Atlanta families during a federal government shutdown, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Atlanta-raised singer Ciara cited childhood hunger as a key barrier preventing youth from fulfilling their potential.
Commercial Ties and Youth Sports
Part of the money flowing into the foundation comes from retail. Launched in June 2021 by Wilson and Ciara in partnership with Nike and Haddad Brands, the children's apparel line 3BRAND donates 3 percent of all sales to the Why Not You Foundation and surpassed $100 million in total sales by 2024, per Face2Face Africa. The brand takes its name from Wilson's old jersey number, meant to represent the intersection of sports, music, and fashion.
The prize money and visibility on offer underscore the role youth sports play in the competition. Jacas's run gives him a chance to showcase his talent and pursue his ambitions.
For now, the Jacas family's focus is on the vote itself. Amanda Jacas has framed her son's run through the bracket as something bigger than basketball, telling WSB-TV the competition reminds families to keep pursuing their dreams even as the broader costs of youth athletics keep climbing.
