Alexis Ohanian Sr., cheers for the insightful interview, highlighting how "the sports industry is an aquarium that's starting to fill up with water from the ocean" 🌊 🌊 🌊
Here are some of my top takeaways from how Reddit, Inc.'s Co-Founder and CEO brought a startup mentality to Angel City Football Club:
1️⃣ Fan engagement requires countless *little and unsexy actions.* When Ohanian first acquired the expansion rights for Angel City, he sold merchandise without an official logo. Instead, he would send every customer a personalized 30-second video thanking them for supporting the club.
2️⃣ For women's sports, *beauty and fashion* are key categories to unlock. As Ohanian said, it would be crazy not to turn the players' entrance to WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) games into a fashion runway. Glossier, Inc. and SKIMS are starting to move into this space, though there is more opportunity ahead.
3️⃣ Show me a sport that *produces viral moments*, and I'll show you a sport that has potential for growth. Sports franchises are unique in their ability to inspire fans to produce "free" content. Ohanian notes that the LA Clippers's new arena is equipping every seat with a USB charger - an added expense, but a fantastic way to ensure that fans have every opportunity to create valuable media for the team.
4️⃣ National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has the opportunity to grow into a $1B+ league because it has the ability to represent *American excellence* in professional women's soccer. American can create the leading league in the world.
5️⃣ One *blue chip sponsor* can create positive ripple effects, especially for a club that drives the majority of revenue from sponsorships. Angel City secured DoorDash as a 7-figure jersey sponsor, the largest deal in the NWSL at the time, which helped unlock other brands to join, and helped pave the way for more creative partnerships ahead.
6️⃣ Equipping sports franchises with technology will drive improved performance and transformation. ScorePlay is using AI to help teams find perfect clips which highlight brand activations, without needing to spend countless hours watching film.
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💡 If you're looking to break into the sports industry from the outside, highlighting your knowledge of an outside idea that could have traction for a team can be a significant benefit.
If your industry (whether it's tech, finance, hospitality, media, healthcare, or any other category) comes with models and concepts that could be applied to a sports organizations, leaning into those insights can help you stand out for hiring managers.
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🔗 Full episode of The Twenty Minute VC, hosted by Harry Stebbings: https://lnkd.in/e37bBGQD
⭐️ Explore 75+ open opportunities at Women's Sports organizations on TeamWork Online: https://lnkd.in/gBgPyRFb
What "outside idea" flowing into the sports industry stands out most to you?
Excited to have Carlos Silva join the team! 👊