The athletes and the artists gathered on September 30 at the City National Bank Pro Sports Advisory Summit to prove that the two terms do not exclude each other. The event, which took place in Virgin New York hotels in Manhattan, culminated in a final panel entitled “Athletes in Zeitgeist: Extend Fandom Beyond the Game”, fueled by Variety.
The panelists included Marcela Garcia, president of marketing at Major League Soccer; Andrew Carson, executive vice-president and CMO of Brooklyn Sports Entertainment; Josh Levy, head of WME sports broadcasting; Yael Averbu West, Managing Director of Gotham Football Club; And Mike Foss, main vice-president of the sports studio and entertainment for ESPN. VarietyThe editor -in -chief of television, Joe Otterson, moderated the panel.
Each panelist has given an overview of how general sports and individual athletes can exploit the media to tell stories, cultivate consequences and build marks on and off the field. As Garcia said, she is interested in “cultivating the game beyond the game” and helping athletes and teams to use a myriad of resources and points of sale to connect with fans.
Foss agrees, adding that the “ESPN mission for 40 years has been sports fans at any time, anywhere, but the” anywhere “has changed fairly spectacular in the past 20 years”. While traditional sports media and games are always an important part of the ecosystem, applications, tweets, podcasts, vlogs and videos have become just as large and offer fans better access to their favorite sports figures.
“The keyword I use is access,” said Levy. By approaching documentaries, podcasts and players who publish frequently, he added: “This makes the fan felt much more connected, answering:” Who are these players beyond the field? ” What do they like to do? Most of the time, they will show them in their family life, with their children and it takes the level of Fandom a little deeper. “”
In addition, while athletes who transition to the media, whether during or after their sports career, were once relegated to sports analysis and comments, the canvas has become much wider. Levy noted: “There are customers of our customers who have been a little more targeted with:” I want to cross that I am an expert in X. I love history. I love travel ”. I say, “Great.
Carson, whose company encompasses the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty, shared the story of one of its athletes, Cam Johnson, who was “incredibly passionate about astronomy”, so they ended up making a video with him and Neil Degrasse Tyson in the Museum of American History, which turned into partnership. “We filmed incredible content. One of the most efficient pieces we had two seasons ago was actually a galaxy project where the two chose nebula and random stars, etc.”, recalls Carson. “The athlete remained incredibly delighted. It was incredible for our fans.”
As these avenues for the connection and exploration of fans develop, there are also precautions. West explained that toxicity can range from two ways on social networks. “People see it and there are many and it’s really difficult to help athletes manage this,” she said, “I think it’s a new border that we are trying very hard as a club, but there can always be more.”
Although authenticity and accessibility are explored and celebrated at the moment in sports, the leaders of these spheres are always struggling with management and railing that may have to be set up to ensure that athletes and fans are both protected.
“Think before typing,” said Levy, but at the same time, social media gives athletes the ability to explain things in their own terms. “These people use it as a greater extension of what happened in the field or in the field,” said Levy, “instead of a camera is put in front, I think it allows these people to direct these things in their own words.”
