SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Athlete marketing platform opendorse announced plans to allow college athletics programs to help student-athletes build their brands by sharing content on social. The tap-to-share solution makes opendorse the first athlete-driven content distribution platform in the college athletics space, according to the company. Several college athletics programs first partnered with opendorse to trial the student-athlete solution in fall 2017, including UCF, Auburn, and TCU, using the software to share highlights and images from games and events, team graphics, and additional program-focused content with their student-athletes. More than 400 student-athletes participated in the beta program, generating 16.6 million impressions, 3.2 million video views, 1.6 million engagements on posts shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. More than twenty college properties represented in each of the “Power Five” conferences, Conference USA, and the Horizon League are committed to, or are currently using opendorse to help their athletes and athletics staffs share content on social.
NBA partner Gatorade inked a deal to become the first primary partner for the Jr. NBA World Championship, a global youth basketball tournament for the top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world. The inaugural event will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort from Aug. 7-12. In Orlando, Gatorade will support the event’s off-court programming, including Gatorade Sports Science Institute athlete testing as well as heat safety and hydration sessions with professional athlete speakers, in addition to having a variety of products for the participants to use and signage at each regional competition as well as the global event.
DIGITAL & STREAMING
Courtyard by Marriott debuted its new 12-part docuseries, “Courtyard: Unstoppable,” produced in part as a creative collaboration with the Marriott Content Studio and Whistle Sports. Content takes viewers “behind-the-scenes of the football world like never before, showcasing 12 unique individuals that are pursuing their personal and professional passions, exceeding expectations and breaking barriers within their fields.” The premiere episode, titled “Player Turned Agent,” was directed by Emmy nominated, Jessica M. Thompson and features Damarius Bilbo, whom after his NFL career, channeled his love of the sport into opening Revolution Sports Management and representing some of the best talent in the NFL.
ESPORTS
The IOC and the Global Association of International Sports Federations will host an Esports Forum on July 21 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne in order to “explore synergies, build joint understanding and set a platform for future engagement between the esports and gaming industries and the Olympic Movement.” Invited participants will include representatives from across the esports and gaming ecosystem: players, publishers, teams, media, sponsors and event organizers. GAISF President Patrick Baumann said: "Along with the IOC, the GAISF looks forward to welcoming the esports and gaming community to Lausanne. We understand that sport never stands still and the phenomenal growth of esports and gaming is part of its continuing evolution. The Esports Forum provides an important and extremely valuable opportunity for us to gain a deeper understanding of esports, their impact and likely future development, so that we can jointly consider the ways in which we may collaborate to the mutual benefit of all of sport in the years ahead."
Documentary Girl Got Game premieres Wednesday, July 18 at 8p on The CW. Follows CLG Red, an all-women teams in the world of esports and the first to land a major sponsor.
ICS, the organizer of the Wacken Open Air festival, and ESL are teaming up for the festival this year, announcing plans to add esports to the festivities. Starting Aug. 1, the 1,800 square meter esports Village will open its doors, with the first tournaments kicking off alongside the festival itself, featuring the likes of PUBG, League of Legends and more.
Gaming headset and audio accessory brand Turtle Beach announced another partnership, locking in Australian esports organization Tainted Minds as their official audio partner. The new partnership will see all Tainted Minds pro gaming teams and players use Turtle Beach's Elite Pro line of professional gaming audio equipment, as well as other Turtle Beach gear and accessories.
ROSTER MOVES
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. named Peter Einstein as Chief Operating Officer of the company. Einstein started his career at MTV, where he spent 16 years in the U.S. and Europe, including launching and running MTV Networks Europe. He then spent a decade as President of Showtime Arabia (now OSN), the Middle East’s premier satellite television platform, before setting up Einstein Media Consulting Partners (EMCP) in 2007.
THE MAIN EVENT
Serbia/Brazil on FOX and Telemundo at 1:30p.
