Some thoughts from a great week on the road before Thanksgiving…best part was the people…although some of the places were cool too.
Listings Matter: I was driving to San Francisco airport Sunday when my colleague Terry Lyons called to catchup. In the midst of our discussion he mentioned that he wanted to go see the PWHL Boston Fleet play this season, and he was reminded of it because he now sees their game listed both online and in the print section of the Boston Globe…a constant reminder in a time when we are challenged to remember who is playing where and when. In a time when many people struggle to find what games are on what platform and when teams…especially ones that are not always top of mind…are playing, the work…and it is work…of getting events listed is really critical. Sure, you can get updates on your mobile device for anything you want to follow, and will get prompts for things algorithms may send you to, but how often do we miss something that might be of interest.
Hence the listings…not for those who DO follow a team or a league, but for those who may WANT to follow but get caught up in the clutter. For a start up like the PWHL, those listings have been a very smart proactive effort that took some time. You have to convince those in charge of editorial that you matter, your fans have to ask, and those on the edit side have to see the valid case to choose you in their valuable space over anyone else. For the league and the team, it brings a form of legitimacy. They are listed right there in Boston for example, with the Bruins and the Celtics. For the media outlet…the NY Post has done something similar in an even more crowded market with the PWHL Sirens…it opens you up to more clicks for an audience that is growing. One benefit that listings brought to the PWHL? It opened the door for other leagues to join them. Check out the NY Post, which now has an NWSL listing as well on the top. Not “soccer” or “other,” but a league listing.
The attention pie gets bigger, one city at a time. Well done PWHL.
Niners Museum A Treasure: On Saturday before the NWSL finals I ventured to Levi’s Stadium to check out the 49ers Museum. Now I have been to everything from the Packers Museum to the Joe Jackson Museum to the Patriots Museum and on and on, so you never know what will come out of old footballs and helmets. The result for this one was pretty amazing. From the life-size, lifelike statues of Niners Hall of Famers (akin to the statues of the Presidents in the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia), to the ceiling track telling stories of EVERY Jerry Rice catch, to the interactive holograms, there is something for people who don’t even like the 49ers. Now of course it empties into the gift shop, and unlike other stadia you never get to actually see the field (and it is a bit pricey and only open two days before a game, which Saturday was), but it was worth the short drive. The STEM programs they have built, the Harry Edwards equality exhibition, and lots and lots of really unique storytelling around the players and coaches put this one near the top of the list, if you are in the area.
Historic Media Row By NWSL; I’m biased because I have both worked with and for the “Media Row” platforms that both the NFL at Super Bowl and USAA does for Army-Navy, but the NWSL had a big proof of concept moment on Thursday with their own Media Row engagement. Per Alex Silverman at SBJ today
At its Thursday media day, the NWSL built buzz with its first-ever “Media Row.” The league’s communications chief, Jennifer Levine, championed the idea for a digitally focused version of the NFL’s long-standing “Radio Row” after seeing it first-hand in New Orleans at the Super Bowl in February.. The inaugural edition featured 11 outlets, strategically chosen to hit a range of audiences. The cohort included the likes of Just Women’s Sports (women’s sports coverage), Self (women’s lifestyle), The Athletic (general sports) and Bloomberg Sports (sports business).
Like any startup idea, these events take A LOT of effort, buy in and coordination, with the hope that stakeholders, from the athletes to the brands to the outlets, see value in a cost effective way. Once it’s executed it is easy to visualize and see where growth can happen with any proof of concept. Getting to the execution and getting the buy in, that’s the battle to win, and NWSL won the day.
Lastly, A Proud “Father”. At the end of the 2023 NWSL Championship game, one of the players I took to do media was Rose Lavelle, then playing for OL Reign, who lost to Gotham in the final. While waiting a fan came over and asked me if I was her father, which we both found funny. Glad to see my surrogate “daughter” with the game winner on Sunday lol.
