A busy few days in San Diego for NWSL Championship…some thoughts and observations form the road…
NIKE with a submission as stunt. It’s a great play for a partner looking to draw some ancillary buzz…with no downside. Nike last week “announced” they were submitting the NWSL in the “Best Drama” category for the Golden Globe Awards. Now the writer’s strike may have narrowed the field and let’s not forget the awards are selected by the Hollywood Foreign Press who may or may not be women’s soccer fans, nor is it perfectly clear that a season of soccer…or basketball…or football…fits the detailed category, but hey it was a fun idea that got some exposure in trade press for sure. It does set an interesting stage for the future with lots of what ifs…heck maybe Golden Globes could create a “Best in Sports Drama” category. Will it lead to content and trailers playing out as the next stage of the campaign for Nike? Let’s see where it goes. Well played.
Understanding The Role. Friday at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego Meagan Rapinoe did her last formal press availability and talked a great deal about the value of media coverage, as captured by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan here. The full quote is below. In a time when many athletes, most recently the New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals, are questioning the need to interact with “The Media,” here is veteran who took the time to develop relationships and understands the value of part of her job. Now as we have seen this is not always rosy…Rapinoe more than almost any other athlete has been pilloried for some of her stances by some members of the media…but that doesn’t take away from her fully getting the value of what an amplifier those working to cover events can be. Lots of respect for her as she headed to her final game on Saturday.
Where did the paper go? While there were very few things that were a downer this past weekend in San Diego, the fact that not one piece of paper was used for rosters, notes, statistics, in the press room during the NWSL Finals was sad…and probably a landmark for a major sports championship. The OL Reign pointed out that at home they are not allowed to print anything in order to help be carbon neutral, but I think some of these policies go too far. Case in point, as the end of the game, as the craziness of Gotham FC’s 2-1 win played out, one media member from a large outlet, trying to file a story, scrambled to find a quick roster to get a player’s name. He would have had to transition out of his story, go to the website and then quickly scroll to match a name with a number. Luckily someone was sitting close by to answer a question as many media were getting down to the field. There is still value in having SOME tangible things like rosters and some notes to read through without always resorting to a screen. Maybe next year the empty shelf gets filled a bit.
Moderation in all things.
A New Title To Ponder. I was scrolling through Axios Communicators last week when I came across this. Jessica Reed was named as head of narrative at The Guardian. Like chief storyteller, head of narrative is an evolving position, one largely found, at least for now in the gaming and movie/entertainment industries. A broader look is this.
Lead the creation of a compelling and well-structured narrative, including plotlines, characters, dialogue, and quest elements. Partner with the other leads and directors to ensure excellent collaboration and trust across all groups. Drive creative and narrative direction for key aspects of the product.
Now could this apply to sports and its ancillary pieces? Sure. The one difference really is that as it applies to communications, we can’t control the outcome. Still, making sure all are aligned in the buildup is key to success. Messaging and consistency are so important, especially given today’s fluid storytelling.
And Then There Was This… Anyone who has been involved in major events knows how important the value of being all hands-on deck is. As the drama and celebrations unfolded after the game, there were jobs to do for all on the communications side, and getting athletes and coaches into interview areas was not the easiest of tasks. Again…stuff needs to get done. So, there I was escorting young star Rose Lavelle of OL Reign to the Mixed Zone spot below the stadium. The personable star took the time to sign some autographs and pose for a few selfies with fans as she had the time to do so.
As I waited patiently by, one fan who was grateful for the stop smiled and looked over and asked me a simple question.
“Hi, are you her father?” LOL. Never got that one before. Worth a smile during a great week.
Onward.
