the story behind the campaign

Two deaf athletes. Two different sports. One conversation in college that turned into something neither of us expected.

Skip grew up in Massachusetts where his hometown wouldn't let him play baseball — not because he wasn't good enough, but because he was deaf. That rejection became fuel. He went on to play college and professional baseball and built a career as a mental performance coach helping athletes unlock what's already inside them.

Payton took the lacrosse field in Ohio knowing most people had already counted him out before the first whistle. He played anyway. He competed anyway. He showed up anyway.

When we found each other in college, we realized we had been carrying the same story in different uniforms. Both of us had been underestimated. Both of us had been handed excuses that we refused to keep. And both of us believed that the deaf community — and really anyone who has ever been told they don't belong — deserved a brand that reflected that fight.

That's where the ‘Can't Hear Excuses’ campaign was born. The "Can't Hear" is an ode to who we are — deaf athletes who built something in spite of the noise. The "Excuses" is for everyone. Because there is no excuse for not putting in the work. No excuse for not chasing who you're meant to become.

This is our campaign. And we're just getting started.