This happens from time to time in cyclical worlds, be they sports, entertainment or even education. You get to a point of rinse and repeat, hopefully taking the best practices of years past and reframing so that the core messages or best practices stay consistent and true, while the anecdotes, even the best ones, get a refresh. Sometimes we can fall into a trap that what was a great example or best practices of the past remains relevant for the current. This is the case especially when you are in a business where the audience constantly changes and often times is younger, and you make th ..read more

So much of what we look at as successful storytelling comes in how we frame the message. A nuance, a look at different angle, a slight shift of a phrase, and suddenly we look at things in a much different light. I remember when my college roomie Joe Giblin, who was in ROTC, brought back his ration box from a weekend away. It had the usual cans of this and that but also has an “interdental stimulator” amongst the contents. What could it be, some special military device designed to eke   out nutrition in a crisis time? Nope, It was a tooth pick. Great name though. I also remembered…an ..read more

We are still in the infancy…no pun intended…of the growth of athletes who happen to be women being fully accepted, championed, and mainstreamed into the media and the brand activation side of sports. Data is growing, coverage is increasing, numbers are rising, crossover is expanding, but we still take steps forward in slow but important doses. Away from sports, the “she-conomy” continues to boom. Women predominately control the purchasing decisions in their household, with 78% identifying as their family’s primary shopper, according to a recent consumer report. Its growing, the opportuni ..read more

In just a weeks time the National Sports Collectors Convention, a massive treasure trove of memorabilia new, unique and traditional, will make its stop in Cleveland this year, followed by FantaicsFest in New York in August. Both will be a treasure trove of stuff feeding into the growing market of collectables, and both are worth a trip. Aisle upon aisle of collectables big and small, with literally millions exchanging hands…or just a few dollars. What has been missing? Women’s sports items.  This year The National will have a several of the 1999 Women’s World Cup Champions signing ..read more

The media world is all abuzz with the NBA deals that now appear imminent…but let’s look elsewhere again for those looking to find an audience on platforms where they were not before. Case in point, Dr. Phil’s 300+ Hour Commitment to PBR Starts that starts this Weekend When PBR announced a landmark media rights agreement in May to bring the lion’s share of its events to Merit Street Media, CEO Sean Gleason called it a game changer that would supercharge exposure for the sport. Merit’s COO and programming chief Joel Cheatwood predicted PBR’s fan base would flock to the new network already in 80 ..read more

Maybe we think its July 4th, when Joey Chestnut and all the newer faces again dominated the airwaves at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating  Contest and beyond, but in reality, National Hot Dog Day is actually the third Wednesday in July. For all its innovation and brand creativity baseball has yet to have an official hot dog (or an official mustard for that matter). We have our flashy national Chevrolet promotions, but the food most closely associated with the National Pastime, the hot dog, missed a beat last week as the industry celebrated Now there is no shortage of regional ho ..read more

As we start the third quarter of 2024, some good listens for the beach, the lake or the drive. We hope you find them informative, fun and worthwhile and you can hear all our podcasts updated each week here. The biggest ‘Ally’ in Women’s Sports. We welcomed program alum Stephanie Marciano, Head of Sports and Entertainment at Ally. Stephanie speaks to the success and frenzy of women’s sports and goes into her successful career to get to Ally. She lays out the investment the brand has made and the gauntlet laid down for others, as well as her views on everything from NIL to NASCAR. Stephanie also ..read more

We love seeing and listening to young people looking to expand their reach and fill blue ocean through disruption and innovation…and new ways of looking at things. Case in point discovered this week from our colleague Adam Honig, a young company in the data analytics space…Project 94…who  cut a partnership with  Johns Hopkins Women’s Lacrosse to build out and fine their performance analytics evaluation. The use of AI and other tools to streamline the space is growing pretty quickly, and we wanted to learn more about the company and a young funder’s POV for what lies ahead. If you are ..read more

Let’s get something straight. The business of gaming is booming. That does not mean the golden ring that has been chased around ‘esports’ per say. It means everything from Madden to FIFA to Wordle to console games on a global scale. Those who understand the business, scale appropriately, take the time to engage in the culture, learn from the mistakes made by others, and own the Intellectual Property are doing really well. A case in point is the New York Times, which has grown its subscriber base exponentially by adding more casual games to its offerings. Platforms that tie casual gaming to tra ..read more

There was a time not too long ago when an “invasion” of non-American talent, especially young talent, meant a cause of great concern for sports which sought relevant in North America.  Tennis and women’s gold were two that were always worried that stars with accents would not appeal to mainstream eyeballs and brands, and even the NHL had a bit of an identity crisis when the league had a death of Americans as Canadians and even Russians were filling rosters in places like San Jose and New Jersey. What will we do with great athlete from Switzerland and Spain and how can our fans relate to t ..read more