I subscribe to Religion of Sports, but sometimes I have trouble figuring out what it is supposed to be. There is a newsletter which has promoted original content and at one time linked to other current and classic versions of storytelling. There was the self-produced Tom vs. Time short docuseries the company did for Facebook Watch which got rave reviews, awards and downloads, and there have been some great third party video content pieces which have also done well, and a daily dose of inspiration from athletes around the globe…but how does it cut through the clutter of so many other athlete turned content creator platforms out there.
A colleague closely connected to the platform told me over the weekend that the two biggest names involved with the platform, Tom Brady and Michael Strahan, are very deeply connected and involved, and most importantly, available to the creative team on executing the vision of what they believe will be a robust machine that will generate not just unique and quality content tied to the stakeholders, but will be able to pull in other amazing storytellers who are probably athletes to make the platform a business that can work with anyone, on any large scale media platform to drive interest and a unique POV. Unlike say a Player’s Tribune, not everything is beholden to living in and around Religion of Sport…the content can exist anywhere there are eyeballs and mobile devices that can drive viewership to the existing audience and beyond.
Monday a great example of that content sharing and creation appeared in my inbox, courtesy of the Boston Globe. It is a custom created new seven-part animated video series where Brady’s teammates reminisce about the man who said goodbye to New England this year after six Super Bowls and countless memories for Patriots fans, and share the lessons they learned from him.
Religion of Sport, obviously with Brady’s input, created a multimedia experience with Wes Welker telling the story of a particularly memorable cross-country flight with Brady; Willie McGinest recalling what he thought of Brady when he showed up in New England as a rookie; Matt Cassel’s retelling of a prank war gone terribly, terribly wrong as well as pieces from Randy Moss and others. It is not just a sit-down story…it has amazing animation, great attention to detail and deep storytelling that also plays out in print and in audio. Whatever medium you choose, even if you are just a casual fan, it is fun to absorb, all the while Brady is readying for his next step of his career in Tampa.
For The Globe, it shows another aspect of where a respected and widely consumed media property can go with short form storytelling. It is nontraditional but speaks directly to Patriots Nation without ripping open the wounds of their star quarterback’s departure. It hits at the core of what consumers still want in New England…great stories about the championship days they may not already know. It also shows another example…a snippet…of what Religion of Sport can do as a third-party creator of very unique storytelling, tied to a larger platform.
Yes, it is Brady related, but why can’t they take this example…one which a media partner could also sell to a brand to offset any costs…and use it for any number of occasions and big names? Sure, others can try and replicate, but the test case is set really well, and is worthy of checking out.
How well it can scale remains to be seen, but it certainly is a great look for the Globe, and for what Religion of Sport can do that is different than the usual creation, especially when you have big names that aren’t just along for the ride, they are involved in the decision making process.
