The rising influence of athletes, Cody Weightman’s creative pursuit
The rising influence of athletes, Cody Weightman’s creative pursuit
Today’s lineup:
The rising influence of athletes
Cody Weightman’s creative pursuit is worth noticing
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Crown was announced as the naming rights partner of Victoria Racing Clubs’ Oaks Day and Makybe Diva Stakes Day
NSW Mining and the Newcastle Knights extended their long-standing partnership for 3 more years which will see the Knights continue wearing the hi-vis mining jersey
HIF extended their partnership with the Perth Wildcats for another 3 years which will make it the longest standing recognised (15 years) partnership in NBL history
Greater Bank announced a new 3-year partnership with the Illawarra Hawks that will see their logo featured across the back of the playing singlet
Surfing Australia welcomed Kennards Hire as the Official Major Equipment Hire Partner for the Australian Boardriders Battle Series
Fintech company Zeller became a major partner of South East Melbourne Phoenix and will appear on the back of the singlet for the next 2 years
Bondi Junction hero, Inspector Amy Scott from the NSW Police Force delivered the match ball in spectacular fashion to Allianz Stadium as part of the Sydney Roosters’ new Emergency Round honouring first responders
The Central Coast Mariners launched a new program aimed at addressing gendered violence which will be supported by a $1m grant from the NSW Office of Sport
To activate their NBA and NFL partnerships, TAB and ESPN joined forces to launch a new podcast called 'ESPN Hoops & Hits' to leverage Australia’s growing interesting in US sports
In partnership with the Victorian Government, the AFL announced the return of the 2024 Footy Festival - among the host of sponsor activation’s will be the new ‘Schweppes Ice Rink’
The Victorian Institute of Sport appointed Nicole Livingstone as Chief Executive Officer
The Australian Sports Foundation and Aussie Athlete Fund joined forces as part of a shared mission to strengthen financial support for Australian athletes
The Gold Coast Titans co-designed a world first eLearning course with Playbk Sports called ‘Pathway to Play’ which empowers local sports coaches & volunteers to make rugby league more accessible to people with disabilities
A new service designed to help sport academics get better at teaching and learning was launched called The GOAT Department
La Trobe University announced a new PhD Scholarship in partnership with Carlton Football Club - Understanding Consumer Behaviour and Strategic Marketing in Professional Sport
Fitness First launched a new $8M recovery-focused flagship venue in Melbourne that features infrared saunas, cold therapy, massage guns, and compression boots
Apple Sports — the free app for iPhone is adding support for the NFL, college football, UEFA Champions League and other new tech features
The Dallas Cowboys became the first NFL franchise to be valued at over $10b and all 32 teams are now worth at least $4b+ according to Forbes
The influence of athletes in Australia and across the globe is rising
This is signalled by many having significant social media followings that are often larger than the teams they play for, or the leagues and bodies that govern them.
Some examples of current and ex-athletes on Instagram worth noticing:
Bailey Smith (328k) >Western Bulldogs (199k)
Christian Petracca (474k) > Melbourne FC (161k)
Dustin Martin (325k) > Richmond FC (316k)
Reece Walsh (536k) > Brisbane Broncos (541k)
Josh Addo-Carr (328k) > Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (261k)
Nathan Cleary (416k) > Penrith Panthers (317k)
Helen Housby (191k) > NSW Swifts 77k
Emma McKeon (250k) > Swimming Australia 56k
Ellyse Perry (2.7m) > Aussie Women's Cricket Team 251k
Chloe Molloy (24k) > Sydney Swans AFLW 18k
Erin Phillips (71k) > Port Adelaide Women's 20k
Matthew Dellavedova (358k) > Melbourne United 64k
The changing sports media landscape
Digital platforms allow athletes to build & maintain their personal brands online and connect directly with fans, bypassing traditional media and team communications.
Social media and podcasts are popular platforms for athletes to promote their personalities and lifestyles.
Newsletters are also emerging as a new platform of choice - NBA star Kyle Kuzma launched his "Kuz Kontrol" newsletter to share his life with fans
*More on the rise of the sports creator economy here.
Athletes are commercialising their followings in multiple ways
Landing significant brand partnerships
"Brand Petracca" has received a lot of (unfortunately negative) coverage from media lately but his business-savviness should be applauded. His recipe-focused Instagram has allowed him to follow a passion and generate revenue via brand partnerships that include My Protein, Cobram Estate, YoPro, Primo, Continental, Woolworths.
Launching startups
Nathan Clearly is a part-owner of Drink West, a beer brand founded by UFC Fighter's Tai Tuivasa and Tyson Pedro.
Bailey Smith founded Alter Ego Drinks and recruited Reece Walsh, Nick & Josh Diacos, and Charlie Curnow to be involved.
The benefits of the rising influence of athletes also flows through to teams, leagues and sports as star athletes help attract attention and draw new fans
This is most evident in global sports and at the extreme end where superstars such Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi attract mass-attention and commercial returns wherever they go (team or platform).
Cristiano Ronaldo just launched a YouTube channel and attracted 20m subscribers in 1 day.
In the first year of Lionel Messi arriving, Inter Miami CF saw its revenue more than double to $118m and its valuation surge 72% to $1.03b.
Business are emerging to facilitate the rise in athlete influence
Start-ups like Playa Power educate and empower athletes to reach their full potential in the world of digital marketing & media.
Turnstile helps brands determine the value of athlete IP.
Cody Weightman’s creative pursuit is worth noticing
The Western Bulldogs forward has just hosted an exclusive art exhibition over the weekend titled “Beyond the Game: The creative pursuits of AFL players”.
His exhibition displayed his bespoke creative designs and attracted fans and art enthusiasts who were given the opportunity to view, purchase and bid for his painted artwork via a silent action.
The online auction shows that a Mario & Monopoly-themed skateboard received the highest bid of $15,000 and that so far, almost $40,000 has been raised.
Profits from the winning bids were donated to Make-A-Wish Australia.
Weightman is one of many professional athletes who are venturing into entrepreneurship
*View other examples here.
He sits among the multiple AFL players who have discovered off-field creative pursuits that help them find balance – other notable examples are Izak Rankine (Music) and Christian Petracca (cooking).
To bring awareness to his new venture, create an engaging event experience and maximise the likelihood of success, he’s applied resourcefulness and effectively leveraged his networks and his unique position as an AFL footballer.
At his exhibition:
Christian Petracca served food
Bailey Smith’s ‘Barry’ drinks were distributed
Liam Jones performed on his guitar (subbed-in for Izak Rankin)
Abbey Holmes was the MC
Tyson Stenglien owned the venue
Family, friends and key sports industry personnel including Luke Beveridge, Andrew Dillon and Peter Siddle attended
The Western Bulldogs’ cryptocurrency exchange partner CoinSpot were a sponsor
The exhibition was successful in securing a large amount of coverage pre, during and post event via channels such as:
Herald Sun
Channel 7
Nine
Triple M
AFL.com.au and Western Bulldogs digital channels
Howie Games podcast
Organic social from team mates and other sports stars who attended
*PR support was provided by Hot Shot PR.
Cody Weightman is social media & content savvy and this skill-set has complemented the growth of his passion and new venture
He previously built an Instagram profile with the handle @flea_market_______ to specifically showcase his art which was hacked at 10m followers.
His sophisticated and creative approach to social media is refuelling his online footprint and blue-chip brands are taking note – his most recent brand collaborations include Bunnings and Reebok.
Weightman is hoping that his latest exhibition is just the start, and he's keen to build 'Beyond The Game' into a bigger annual event.
He’s well placed to achieve success, and open the door to a sustainable career for life after sport.
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