What’s wrong with the current landscape of the industry?
My Truth
What’s wrong with the current landscape of the sports industry?
Organizations function on a trickle-down effect, with the top tier being the governing bodies. My belief is that it actually needs to start with the athletes and then go up the rest of the ladder. Increasing revenue and reducing employee turnover comes from an inversion - it starts with the athletes.
Here’s the thing. Sports is a business, the bottom line comes down to the revenue that you’re generating. The landscape is missing a huge opportunity. Passion, purpose, and legacy start with the athletes and should be woven in to spread throughout your organization.
The missing component
If you’re not using storytelling in your communications strategy then you’re leaving your legacy and a lot of revenue on the field.
The story connects people. It draws in your ideal fan and repels people that aren’t. The story builds connections that lead to inspired action.
Successfully executing this and you’ll have fans speaking about you in rooms that you aren’t in.
A story about Word-of-Mouth Marketing
I was working as a business coach, specifically teaching and training small business owners about all things marketing and branding. Foundation, story, connection, and building connection are pieces that I’ve always been drawn to. I’ve also often found gaps in those areas. So a lot of the training that I led were centered around these elements.
This would have been last year from Nov - to April. I was leading multiple weekly training for the business owners in this program.
And during that period, a personal interest of mine was Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanual Acho. Acho played in the NFL and then became a sports broadcaster sharing his views in the booth. After George Floyd’s murder, he started a video segment called Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man that led to a book published by Oprah’s brand. And later various collaborations.
I am moved by his ability to educate on a challenging topic, create the space for difficult conversations, and use his platform to perform his calling. I believed in the need for it. I trusted him and turned to him for my own learning and unlearning.
I believed his calling was moving, important, and needed. And that resulted in me bringing him up during these training sessions 1+ times per week.
I used words and a story to connect it. My ultimate goal was to use my platform and position to share about social justice. Ideally, to hold the space for these conversations and inspire their own actions.
I spoke about it frequently on my podcast. And I’m now writing about it.
Why?
Connection. It spoke to me. It inspired action.
How?
Through words and story.
My Core Belief
Storytelling should lead to content creation.
Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer, is one of the only books that I can read over and over, and that still gives me chills and excitement every time I pick it up. Kramer has a way with words. He takes readers into the locker room, he shows the personality of his team and his coach. You feel like you’re right there in the room with them.
“I want to show exactly what it’s like for me - an offensive lineman, a right guard, definitely not one of the glamour positions - to struggle through a professional football season. I want to show what my teammates are like in all their dimensions. I want to show what it’s like to push yourself almost beyond endurance for a coach who considers pain only something that you must shrug off. ”
Jerry Kramer, Feb 1967, Instant Replay
Story. Connection. Unity. Passion.
It’s all so interwoven.
Story Connects
The story brings us together, it unites us. Connection sparks inspired action (i.e. signing up on an email list, purchasing a ticket). As a result, effective storytelling increases your sports revenue generation.
Seeing Yourself in Others
People are emotional purchases. We later justify our purchases through logical reasoning.
In marketing, there’s something known as the know / like / trust factor.
I have to know about your sports team or your athlete's brand in order to make a purchase
There have to be some elements of liking you, your organization, or the promise that your offer gives me for me to make a purchase
I need to have some level of trust in you (i.e. the exchange of money goes deeper than just throwing money at a wall)
We see pieces of ourselves in the stories of others. As a consumer, we’re selfish. We’re motivated by our own needs and wants.
The key takeaways?
Know exactly who your ideal fan profile is, and speak directly to them using their language. Solve a problem or get your ideal fan to a place that they otherwise wouldn’t be, if they didn’t make the purchase. Use the story to connect.
Analyzing sports content
Sports Industry
I believe that there’s passion, purpose, and legacy in the sports industry that’s unmatched in other industries. But where does that really come from?
Traditionally in most industries, the passion comes from the head of the organization. It’s the founder, CEO, and top leadership that holds the bigger vision. And from them, it trickles down to the rest of the team.
In my opinion, it’s not the same in the sports sector. In sports, it starts on the field.
Athletes are the initial touchpoint that a fan has with a team.
Athletes carry the fire and drive that ultimately results in consumer interest, fan engagement, ticket and merch sales, sponsorship opportunities, etc. The athlete acts as a bridge, it’s because of the team that the community connects with the organization. It’s through them that people see a gateway to a community, a career path opportunity, a way to be a true changemaker, and a future available to them.
The problem is that this is being left on the field. It’s not trickling back up through the organization.
It’s Time to Shake Things Up
The current climate is calling for us to shake things in the sports industry. Companies are faced with:
Coming up with new strategies to tap into the market, expanding beyond their traditional streams of marketing
Developing new ways to tap into the millennial market
Reducing employee turnover - employees are searching more and more for their purpose, feeling a calling to the work that they’re doing & desiring to truly leave a legacy behind them
Learning how to teach athletes to tune out the outside noise, in a world where we’re expected to be on 24/7
Traditional sports marketing emphasizes creating in-stadium experiences (and advertisement opportunities) and ticket sales. Consumer consumption is changing, the new covid-19 variant is leaving us looming with questions. Are things going to be shut down again? What are the new reduced capacities going to be? How is this going to impact our bottom line? How do we get on top of this now?
Here’s the Thing
Here’s the thing… I don’t do surface level well. I need depth. I need meaning. I require passion in my work. I’m inspired and admire strong leadership.
The guiding principles for me, are the things you’ll hear me talk about storytelling. Legacy. Passion. Energy.
If you’re interested in professional development for your digital and production teams and/or for your athletes, I offer customized training and consulting. Please inquire for more.