---
title: Genisys Credit Union x Detroit Lions Case Study
description: How Genisys Credit Union renewed Detroit Lions athletes Sam LaPorta and Isaac TeSlaa every season since 2024, and what credit unions can learn from it.
---

[We Match Brands to Athletes for Marketing Campaigns - OS Blog](https://opensponsorship.com/blog)

# [Genisys Credit Union x Detroit Lions Case Study](https://opensponsorship.com/blog/genisys-credit-union-detroit-lions-athlete-sponsorship)

 Written by [Rita Sengupta](https://opensponsorship.com/blog/author/rita-sengupta) | Oct 6, 2026, 1:58:55 PM

**Genisys Credit Union**, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, has done something most brands never do with athlete sponsorship: it kept renewing. What started as a single partnership with Detroit Lions tight end [Sam LaPorta](https://www.instagram.com/_slaporta/) has become a multi-year, two-athlete program that Genisys has renewed and expanded every season since 2024, adding Lions wide receiver [Isaac TeSlaa](https://www.instagram.com/isaac.teslaa/) in 2025 and renewing him again in 2026.

This case study looks at how a regional credit union used local athletes to reach younger members, why the partnership kept growing, and what other credit unions and regional banks can take from it.

**At a glance**

- **Partnership length:** working with OpenSponsorship since 2023, athlete program since 2024
- **Athletes:** Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions TE) and Isaac TeSlaa (Detroit Lions WR)
- **Renewals:** Sam LaPorta renewed for three straight seasons (2024, 2025, 2026)
- **Expansion:** Isaac TeSlaa added in 2025 and renewed in 2026
- **In person:** branch Meet & Greets, Family Fun Day, and Lions ticket and memorabilia giveaways
- **Top post:** 10,382 likes and 85 comments on Sam LaPorta's "What's up Detroit?!" Genius Checking post, close to 2x his usual engagement

## The challenge: reaching younger members in a crowded Michigan market

Credit unions compete with national banks and fintech apps for the same younger customers, usually with a fraction of the marketing budget. Traditional credit union marketing (billboards, branch promotions, direct mail) is good at reaching existing members. It is much less effective at reaching people under 35 who choose a bank through their phone.

Genisys wanted to promote **Genius Checking**, its high-yield checking account, to a younger, digitally native audience in Detroit and across Michigan. It needed a messenger that audience already trusted and paid attention to, and that felt local rather than corporate.

## Year 1: why Sam LaPorta was the right first athlete

Genisys started its athlete program with [Sam LaPorta](https://www.instagram.com/_slaporta/), the Detroit Lions tight end. The choice was about fit, not just follower count. LaPorta's Instagram audience is heavily weighted toward Lions fans in Detroit and Michigan, exactly the community Genisys serves, so a partnership with a local credit union felt natural rather than paid.

The first season combined sponsored social posts with an in-person appearance. The standout was a simple, local explainer post in December 2024: **"What's up Detroit?!"**, in which LaPorta talked through Genius Checking in his own voice. It earned **10,382 likes and 85 comments**, close to twice the engagement of his typical content.

That result matters. Sponsored posts usually perform below an athlete's normal content. This one performed well above it, because the product, the athlete and the audience all lined up.

The partnership also came to life offline. At Genisys's **Family Fun Day in May 2025**, LaPorta met members in person, with a signed jersey giveaway tied to opening an account, turning social attention into a reason to visit and sign up.

## Turning a Lions star into a reason to visit the branch

Genisys has kept bringing LaPorta into its branches, not just its feed. In **July 2026** it hosted a **Meet & Greet with Sam LaPorta at its Fenton branch**, where members could meet him and enter to win an autographed jersey and helmet. Signed memorabilia and Lions ticket giveaways, promoted by LaPorta and on Genisys's own channels, give fans a concrete reason to engage with the credit union, follow it and walk into a branch.

Sam LaPorta Meet & Greet at the Genisys Fenton branch, July 2026LaPorta signing a Lions helmet for a Genisys member giveaway

## Renewing three seasons in a row

The clearest sign a sponsorship worked is that the brand comes back. Genisys renewed its partnership with Sam LaPorta for **2025** and again for **2026**, three straight seasons.

Each renewal kept the content fresh rather than repeating the same ad. Later posts included:

- "The best plays are the ones that pay", a Genius Checking post in September 2025 (1,409 likes)
- "Coffee hits better when your checking account basically pays for it", in November 2025 (4,962 likes)
- A "Wear the 87" fan contest in February 2026 (3,392 likes and 28 comments)

Genisys also ran Lions ticket giveaways around the partnership, including **four tickets to Lions vs Vikings at Ford Field**, fronted by LaPorta holding a Genisys card in a Genisys #87 jersey, and **tickets to the sold-out Lions Training Camp** on its own Instagram, where members entered by following, liking and commenting.

Ticket giveaway featuring LaPorta and a Genisys cardGenisys giveaway for sold-out Lions Training Camp tickets

Mixing product explainers, everyday humor, fan contests and ticket giveaways kept the audience engaged across multiple seasons instead of tuning out a repeated message.

## Adding a second Lions athlete: Isaac TeSlaa

After seeing the results with LaPorta, Genisys expanded the program in October 2025 by adding Detroit Lions wide receiver [Isaac TeSlaa](https://www.instagram.com/isaac.teslaa/). A second athlete from the same team builds on the same local loyalty while reaching a slightly different group of fans.

TeSlaa's partnership announcement, "Proud to team up with @genisyscu!", earned **4,152 likes and 37 comments**, a strong result for a brand introduction post, which typically draws less engagement than an athlete's regular content.

In August 2026, Genisys **renewed TeSlaa as well**. Instead of trying a new athlete each year, Genisys kept investing in the athletes who were already working.

## Why local athletes outperformed bigger names

The Genisys program shows a pattern we see across thousands of athlete partnerships on OpenSponsorship:

- **Local fit beats follower count.** A Lions player with a Detroit-heavy audience is worth more to a Michigan credit union than a much larger national celebrity whose followers are spread across the country.
- **The right content beats the average.** An athlete's average engagement rate tells you little. What matters is how their audience responds to content about your product. LaPorta's Genius Checking explainer outperformed his own average.
- **Consistency compounds.** Renewing the same athletes season after season builds familiarity. Fans start to associate the athlete with the brand, which a one-off post cannot do.

## Lessons for credit unions and regional banks

For credit unions, community banks and other regional brands considering athlete marketing, the Genisys program suggests a simple playbook:

1. **Start with one local athlete whose audience matches your footprint.** Check where their followers actually are, not just how many they have.
2. **Tie the content to one product.** Genisys focused on Genius Checking, giving every post a clear, repeatable message.
3. **Bring it offline.** Branch appearances, signed memorabilia and ticket giveaways turn online attention into members walking through the door.
4. **Judge success by whether you would renew.** If the answer is yes, invest more in what works, as Genisys did with LaPorta and TeSlaa, before adding new names.
5. **Add a second athlete from the same team** once the first is working, to widen reach while keeping the same local loyalty.

## About OpenSponsorship

OpenSponsorship is a Serena Williams-backed, tech-enabled agency that connects brands with **33,000+ athletes and creators** across 160 sports. We help brands find the right athletes for their audience, run the campaigns end to end, and measure what works. Read more [case studies](https://opensponsorship.com/learn-more/case-studies/athlete-brand-partnerships), including our [glutathione ingredient branding campaign](https://www.opensponsorship.com/blog/ingredient-branding-glutathione), or see [how pricing works for brands](https://www.opensponsorship.com/pricing/brand).

[View full post](https://opensponsorship.com/blog/genisys-credit-union-detroit-lions-athlete-sponsorship)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Rita Sengupta"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2026-10-06T18:27:47.226Z",
  "datePublished" : "2026-10-06T13:58:55Z",
  "headline" : "How Genisys Credit Union Built a Multi-Year Detroit Lions Athlete Program",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 704,
    "url" : "https://4891106.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/4891106/case-studies/genisys/genisys-sam-laporta-meet-and-greet-fenton-branch.jpg",
    "width" : 564
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://opensponsorship.com/blog/genisys-credit-union-detroit-lions-athlete-sponsorship",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "Helping brands to partner with athletes in their influencer marketing and sponsorship marketing campaigns"
  }
}
```