Guest Post: Hashtag Sports Learnings…

Tonight’s guest post is from our summer intern from Elon University Wynne Kenna, who spent time this week at the Hashtag Sports Conference at The Paley Center in New York.

1. Sports is beyond the game, it’s about the story behind it.

Throughout the different panels presented at the Hashtag Sports conference this past week, I noticed a common theme. The sports industry is starting to expand its ways of reaching the public to bring in more fans, especially through storytelling. That being said, each panel shared different ways they are using this tactic. 

The Tzero Studios panel explained an interesting approach they are taking to expand sports to all ages. When I say interesting, I mean that I was surprised with the outcome of the idea. Justin Shenkarow and Tom Borowski discussed their cartoon called Bronx Buds, which is a show made with the YES Network streaming on the Gotham Sports app. The fictional cartoon is about a youth baseball team from the Bronx called the Pinstripes, inspired by the New York Yankees and their fans. The idea for this show was simple: to showcase the culture and values of the Yankees to young kids, to hopefully encourage them to become emotionally connected to sports at a young age. Borowski and Shenkarow explained their thought process behind each detail. For example, each episode is seven  minutes, making it easier for kids with short attention spans to engage, and a life lesson is built into every episode to ensure there is an “educational” piece to it. 

Based on their pitch, the idea seemed reasonable and made sense, but as I thought more about it, I had questions. For starters, the cartoon is streaming on the Gotham Sports app and with YouTube being the most used (over 80% of children watch youtube regularly), it’s hard to make a show and stream it on a site not all can go to as their default. In order for this idea to reach their target audience, they have to think about what apps kids use and where it will be most accessible. Adding onto that, the purpose of this show is to create young sports fans, which makes it logical to assume that before these kids watch the show, they are not heavily into sports. This leads me to think that these kids don’t know what the Gotham Sports app is. It is essential to learn about the audience and their interests before creating and posting a show that is trying to reach this new group of viewers.

The panel regarding the NFL mascots shared a different idea but with a similar goal. Trey Mock and Grace Worcester of the Indianapolis Colts, and Andrew Johnson and Ryan Records of the Houston Texans discussed their approach to growing their fan bases and promoting their teams through the social media of their mascots. NFL teams strategize content for mascots whether it’s following recent trends, or trying to start a trend. The idea behind using the mascot as a brand identity comes from the fact that the mascot will always be with the team and always be somewhat of a representation of the team. I have seen much of this content on my feed, and in my opinion, I appreciate when teams make an effort to connect with us and make content that feels like they want to know their fans. 

2. The Media is Blurring the Lines Between Athletes and Fans→ Leading to Connection

Dreon Guidrey, a co-founder of PlayersTV, and Aerial Powers who is currently a free agent in the WNBA and an investor in PlayersTV, discussed the purpose of PlayersTV and why it was created. The goal was to create a global media network and content provider run by professional athletes and their fans for athletes to have a chance to show their lives beyond sports. Athletes are able to create their own story and connect with fans by shifting the focus from sport life to real experiences and values.

Powers took the time to explain her reasoning behind why she joined PlayersTV and how it has benefited her life. She wants people to know that basketball is not all she has going for herself; she is a human with a whole life outside of basketball and has so much to share and offer to the world. Hearing her talk about this passion she has for PlayersTV made me realize that it wasn’t created just for the fans to see the real side of athletes, but it’s for athletes to be able to show another part of them to us. I believe that the media can alter the way athletes are portrayed, and as emotional as sports is, these emotions can get the best of us and create false understandings. Having a company like PlayersTV allows for fans and athletes to understand each other outside of sports in a new way. Athletes are now advocating for themselves and not waiting for the media to capture and tell their stories. 

3. Fair Showcasing in Sports 

Jack Liechtung, CEO and co-founder of Canopy Talent, Olivia Greaves and Sophia Greaves, Auburn gymnasts, had a conversation about the support of Canopy and the reasoning behind its creation. Canopy works closely with student athletes who often receive less NIL attention because of their sport, such as gymnastics, volleyball, swimming, etc. During the Olympics, or recruiting era, there is definitely a spotlight on these athletes, but it isn’t consistent. Other athletes who play football or basketball, for example, have a stronger support system. This is a harsh reality of sports, but Canopy was created to help strengthen athletes personal brands and not just do a one and done deal. In other words, they are not simply helping athletes sign deals, but are helping athletes understand themselves as brands, with legacies to protect and stories worth telling. 

Olivia and Sophia are proud to be a part of Canopy and shared their experience. Olivia explained how she hopes to inspire others by showing both the discipline and personality behind life as a student athlete. Sophia spoke about the time and energy that goes on behind the scenes to create content for the public. There are lots of questions to keep in mind such as: Is this a good brand partnership and does it align with this athlete? Will the public find this interesting and will it help lead me to success? Luckily, Liechtung is a licensed attorney with a background in entertainment law, so he is able to use his knowledge to help the athletes strategize their content. I truly think it’s important to have this long-view approach to the development of athletes in order to further strengthen the industry and create a fair spotlight for all talent.

4. The Industry is Constantly Changing and so are we 

Tuesday, I attended five different panels and was able to learn the stories and values behind these companies. Before attending, I knew nothing about any of them. 

What I took away was that sometimes in sports, those who are doing some of the most innovative work and creating companies from the ground up to benefit athletes and the fans are the ones who we don’t know about. They are able to develop ideas from many aspects of life and create a connection between them, ultimately leading to these creations. Additionally, many of the professionals speaking did not have one simple journey. Justin Shenkarow is an actor, producer, and runs an animation studio. Jack Liechtung went to law school and now has an agency for college athletes. Having different backgrounds and opportunities allows us to build skills along the way and apply them to create new ideas. Learning from the panels was very impactful for me as I find my path. I know to keep an open mind and take every opportunity I can get that will one day lead me to achieve my goals. 

Being able to attend the Hashtag Sports conference opened my eyes into yet another part of the industry. It’s not just about the scores and the standings, but it’s about the history, the background, the culture and values, and overall, the stories.