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SPORTS PUBLICITY, MARKETING & BRAND BUILDING IN A NEW AGE: WITH JOE FAVORITO
On the way to the mainstream, niche sports often face a common challenge – convincing fans, media, and partners that their participants are true athletes. Today, few would claim NASCAR drivers are not real athletes. Decades ago, the sentiment was decidedly different. Mark Martin, perhaps the best driver to never win a NASCAR championship, gave …
There has been so much talk and interest around the new “hot” elements of sports business; from the rise of esports to niche streaming services to sports gambling it is always good to take a look back and see what was “hot” for many became what was “not” over time, as a rush to one …
On a sultry summer evening in June, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and fellow UFC star Chris Weidman are facing off on the roof of IMG Models across from Madison Square Park. “Never hit with a fist in a street fight,” Thompson says. “You’ll bust up your hand and cut your assailant’s face. You do not want …
The following was primarily written by colleague Jesse Ghiorzi director, brand strategy for CHARGE Big brands, big money, young fans and professional teams from traditional sports are all heading to eSports, but it still seems like the Wild West out there. There’s no clear top league or major event(s) that crosses over to the mainstream …
There has been much made of the sexiness and growth of eSports, and with the growth and buzz comes considerable debate. When you are working in the mainstream billion dollar business of sports globally, where exactly does eSports fit? Fad, phenomenon, surrogate business, parallel opportunity, engagement tool, nuisance; all of those listed, none of those …
On a Friday morning a few weeks ago on the third floor of a pretty deserted mall in downtown Las Vegas we got to see a bit of the future; the future of scalable and engaged eSports, the future of how the distressed mall business in America may find a way to revamp as it …
When you are a disruptor sport like Mixed Martial Arts, you should always be looking for unusual places to insert yourself into a positive national conversation. On Sunday night, Academy Award winner Meryl Streep helped open a door for engagement, an unlikely one, that MMA was able to step through by using the platform that …
One of the great risks in Mixed Martial Arts fighting is that fact that because there are so many disciplines, even the best of fighters can get caught against a specialist and lose in surprising seconds. Often times with the loss comes a huge amount of human capital that has been built into the building …
Every team, and most brands, are on the eternal quest to get younger, more engaged fans. Get em early, and maybe you convert them for life. It’s why there has been a fascination with MMA and an ever-growing obsession with “eSports” (although ask 10 people in the industry to explain what the value proposition is …
Last week ended with the UFC being put into a tizzy with Ronda Rousey’s surprising loss to boxer Holly Holm in Melbourne, Australia, and this past week ended with boxing gaining even more traditional steam with a growing Latino ambassador, Canelo Alvarez taking control of the always desirable middleweight division with a win over Miguel …