Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
Gimme a baby reveal! Gimme a new NIL platform! Gimme an EPL All Star Game!
On Today’s Agenda:
Bills WR takes gender reveal to the next level
Is TwoYay the next big marketplace for college athletes?
New EPL Owner making some noise
What’s in a Moment?
Bills WR takes gender reveal to the next level
By Hiral Patel
When the Buffalo Bills and LA Rams kicked off the 2022-23 NFL season last Thursday, over 21.3 million viewers tuned in for the marquee matchup. The 31-10 victory was a delight for Bills fans everywhere – but a few Bills fans, in particular, enjoyed the night a little more than everyone else.
Isaiah McKenzie caught the Bills’ 3rd touchdown of the game, and the 27-year-old Bills WR (Wide Receiver) had all eyes on him for the celebration. McKenzie’s younger sister, Yliani Rivero, and her family were watching from a bar when McKenzie approached the camera:
With over 3.1 million views on the Bills post and millions of views on all other platforms, the gender reveal went viral. One question that’s on everyone’s mind is: what would have happened if McKenzie did not catch a touchdown on opening night? His response:
Out-of-the-box ideas like these are what brands should seek. There is a risk (if the moment never transpires), but the reward is arguably worth more. Imagine the value for a brand like Pampers or Huggies if they partnered to create a content piece for this.
What makes this moment extremely powerful is that it was unpredictable (even his teammates did not know he had this planned). It serves as a reminder that athletes have the unique power to create invaluable moments with the platforms they have - and when the pieces fall into place, the result is a memory to last a lifetime.
Barstool Sports Launches New NIL Platform
Is TwoYay the next big marketplace for college athletes?
By Christopher Nascimento
Barstool Sports has launched the newest NIL platform for college athletes to profit off of their name, image, and likeness - TwoYay. This latest tool in the marketplace will allow Barstool to use their audiences to grow the platform, but also connect their advertisers to the pool of Barstool Athletes.
When NIL first launched, Barstool announced they were throwing their hat in the ring to get in on the action. This means college athletes could submit an application, sharing basic information, to prove their status and become an official ‘Barstool Athlete’. From there, the opportunity varied from being able to market yourself as a part of the Barstool family to having exclusive merchandise.
Their latest innovation in the NIL space is a market disruptor, as TwoYay has stated they will not take any cuts from the athletes! A huge opportunity to gain market share and later profit off of this decision by charging advertisers a fee of entry, at a later date, to access their athlete network - as stated by Barstool CEO, Erika Nardini, to Sportico.
Lastly, this is a huge opportunity for Barstool. Not only are they becoming a bigger player in a different realm but also furthering their current business. First - advertising is the name of the game so the opportunity to utilize athletes from more than 400 colleges and universities can act as a lead generator to connect with new advertisers. Second - content is still King and not every athlete gets to go pro. Thus, it provides an initiative and ‘training camp’ of sorts for athletes who don’t go pro to catch the eyes of Barstool and become their next talent hire.
Chelsea FC Ready for Football Evolution
New EPL Owner making some noise
By AJ Hewish
For Chelsea Football Club, the past several years have been interesting. Most notably, winning the Champions League and even new club ownership. With this ownership, there is another page in the story for Chelsea in the public media as their new owner, Todd Boehly, has shown his hand for what he plans to be the future of the English Premier League.
Boehly states “Ultimately I hope the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports,”, adding, “Why don’t we do a tournament with the bottom four sports teams, why isn’t there an All-Star game? People are talking about more money for the pyramid, in the MLB All-Star game this year we made 200m dollars from a Monday and a Tuesday. So we’re thinking we could do a North versus South All-Star game for the Premier League.”
Now there is quite a lot of controversy about Boehly's suggestions. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, commented on his remarks, stating that American professionals get four month’s break in their sports whereas Premier League players don’t, Klopp was quick to joke about Boehly’s comments. Klopp even asked, “Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well?” However, Boehly states that everyone likes the idea of more revenue for the league [...] I think there’s a real cultural aspect, I think evolution will come.”
With the recent success of North American sports with the likes of the NHL, the NFL, and the NBA, is it time for the Premier League to re-evaluate how it operates? Or is this just a means to put more money in the pockets of the clubs? We can all agree on sports in the United States are extremely entertaining but is this a good decision for one of the oldest sports in the world?
I am a life-long football fan, as my entire has been for countless generations, and the Premier League thrives on its history and tradition. Tireless fights to make the top 4 or stay in the league each year. However, I do see Boehly’s point of view. Potentially it's time to create more partnerships for the Premier League and follow the steps of North American sports by expanding across the globe not just for preseason tours but for partnerships worldwide. It’s a situation that many fans are stuck between; should the league attempt to generate more profit for some of the teams in financial struggles?; should we stick to our traditions? (I mean it’s been working so far). It’s a tough call, but from partnerships to entertainment, to globalization, there are so many opportunities, that it’s just hard to say if it is the right move for the Premier League. Let us know what you think. Is this the right move? Or just a ploy to make more money rather than express love for the game?
