Helping brands to partner with athletes in their influencer marketing and sponsorship marketing campaigns

The growth of social media in the Sports world

The growth of social media in the sports world has expanded in numerous directions. With the growth of TikTok, Instagram, You Tube, and Snapchat, more creative ways are coming out to grow athletes' presence online. 

The statistics below indicate that video recorded or pictured content on social media apps gained more followers from younger audiences. Athletes are developing creative strategies to stay close with fans through video content. The spark in the number of brands partnering with athletes for social media campaigns has increased. Brands are finding more ways to get creative and form a closer reach with audiences. 

More marketing campaigns with athletes are being tailored for social media purposes. Focusing on Instagram Reels and TikToks has seen a huge share when it comes to content creation as it reaches a higher engagement rate. Social media platforms like TikTok have seen a successful spike in growth because of how users are better able to engage with content creators. Fast sharing content has become the new popular way of consuming modern media.

Check Out Brands Who Have Worked with Athletes On Various Social Media Campaigns:

 

TikTok 

• NBA player James Harden recently partnered with Adidas on a TikTok video promoting the new Harden Vol. 3 basketball shoes. In the video, which has amassed over 2.4 million views, Harden repeatedly asks people if they want his new shoes before giving them a pair.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, a basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks, recently partnered with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to create a series of TikTok videos. In one video, Antetokounmpo drives a Fiat 124 Spider around Milwaukee and talks about his love for the city.

YouTube

• In May 2019, American footballer Antonio Brown posted a video on his YouTube channel of him dancing in a Puma sweatsuit. The video was titled "Antonio Brown x Puma Dance Video" and included the caption, "Had fun dancing in my new @puma sweatsuit! Can't wait to wear it on the field this year!" The video received over 2 million views.
• Adidas also uses an athlete, Lionel Messi, to promote their products. In one YouTube advert, Messi discusses how he started playing football at a very young age, and how Adidas has been with him every step of the way.

Instagram

• With over 9 million followers on Instagram, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one of the most popular boxers on the site. His account is full of pictures and videos of his training and matches, as well as sponsored posts for various brands.
• TaylorMade, a golf equipment company, recently partnered with Rory McIlroy to promote their products on Instagram. They posted a series of photos and videos of Rory using their products. The posts received thousands of likes and comments from fans.

Final Thoughts

If you're interested in using athletes to grow your brand awareness, join OpenSponsorship today! We have a growing database of athletes who are eager to connect with new sponsors.

Let's celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in sport by highlighting OpenSponsorship's star athletes!

Representation and awareness in the sports industry has been on the rise, and athletes in every sport imaginable have proven that they have the passion, skill, and strength to be stars in their designated sport. Partnering with LGBTQ+ athletes will not only enable you to directly connect with the community but can also bring positive sentiment to your brand. 37% of consumers feel positive about companies and brands that promote diversity and actively support LGBT communities in their advertising and marketing, according to professional LGBT network OUTstanding. These athletes have not only stepped up to be role models but they have also proven to be trendsetters as well. So, there are many positives to consider when thinking about working with one of our LGBTQ+ inclusive athletes.Here are just a few of the 90 athletes who mention LGBTQ+ on their social media feeds, and could be great partners for your brand.

Gus Kenworthy

Gus Kenworthy is a British-American freestyle skier, actor, and influencer. Representing Great Britain in the 2014 Sochi Olympics he won the silver medal in men's Slopestyle, and a gold for halfpipe in the Calgary World Cup. He has also won a bronze medal in the X games Slopestyle event in France, and has a long track record of strong performances in various competitions. Kenworthy has also spoken about being an openly gay professional athlete where he has been quoted saying, "I want to be the guy who comes out, wins s--- and is like, I'm taking names."

Abby Dunkin

Abby (Abigail) Dunkin is a 3.5 wheelchair basketball player who has won the gold for Team USA in the 2015 Parapan American Games, the 2016 Paralympics, and the 2019 Women's U25 Wheelchair World Championship. Dunkin is another athlete who has spoken about how sport helped her to find her identity where sh said, "Being in that atmosphere with coaches who were so supportive and teammates who were so supportive made me feel like I could do it. So wheelchair basketball, for me at least, helped me to come out publicly and be okay with myself. And I was lucky to have loving family and friends who supported me."

Jorden Hall

Jorden Hall is a nationally ranked track and field Canadian athlete who competes regularly and has won the gold in the BCSS Women's Heptathalon. Hall is still an young athlete but has proven to have a lot of potential, including a possible future with Team Canada for an Olympics. She has been open about her relationship with an American hair stylist, and is very active on social media, highlighting her training and showing her playful side on TikTok.

Josh Dixon

Josh Dixon has had the opportunity to be involved in sport as both an athlete and an owner. As an athlete Dixon has trained at the Olympic Training Center, having won multiple medals at the Winter Cup for his floor exercise and vault. He is now a minority owner of a women's professional soccer team where he works to promote female athletes and sports. In addition to all this he has voiced his strong feelings about his role in the community and sport by saying, “I realized I have an obligation, a responsibility to say, “It’s okay to be gay in our sport.” Ultimately, it’s about your gymnastics, whether you’re worthy to be on the team or in the sport.”

Janelly Farias

Janelly Farias is an openly gay American-born Mexican soccer player, who has played for the Mexican National Team, LA Galaxy OC, and Guadalajara.  Additionally, Farias was a Commentator/Analyst for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup for Telemundo and has plans to be a part of the next World Cup as well. In addition to her career on the pitch Farias has been outspoken about the state of women's sport in Mexico and has become more involved behind the scenes as well. “Megan Rapinoe is an idol. I really admire her, I admire what she’s doing,” said Farias. “I think the whole world can learn from the social activism that the US women’s national team is doing, and in an ideal world, we would do the same here in Mexico.”

Sue Bird

Sue Bird is a Three-Time WNBA Champion who currently plays for the Seattle Storm, has won four Olympic gold medals, participated in four FIBA World Cups, has been selected to eleven WNBA All-Star teams and eight All-WNBA teams. Bird has also been voted the WNBA's top 15 Players of All Time and into the WNBA Top 20@20. In 2017 Bird publicly came out and announced her relationship with Megan Rapinoe from the USWNT. Since going public Bird has become more vocal and a former teammate, Swin Cash, says, "Sue and 'controversy' never mixed. She wasn't going to say certain things in the media. ... Now, when you talk about diversity or inclusion or racial inequality or sexism or other hot-button topics, she's going to give it to you how she sees it. I love and respect that about her."

Tasha Curro

Tasha Curro is an obstacle racer who has ranked 59th at the World Championship Spartan race. She not only competes regularly, winning a variety of medals, but she now also cheers on her stepson who has recently joined her by competing in a Spartan Kids race.

Liam Broady

Liam Broady is the No. 5 ranked tennis player in Britain, who has won the Boy's Doubles at Wimbledon and Australian Open and currently plays in the ATP Tour (professional circuit). Broady continues to improve and has recently made lifestyle changes that seem to be expediting his rise in the rankings. In addition to this he stands up in defense of the LGBTQ+ athlete's. 

Partnerships are a valuable asset in developing an athlete’s brand and making it known to different companies and industries. Continuing the conversation with elite athletes Abby Dunkin (Paralympic wheelchair basketball player) and Leah West Casciano (Powerlifter) OpenSponsorship’s Ishveen Anand asks them an important question: What makes a successful partnership for you?

“Something that I always look for of course is if it’s a product or brand that I actually want to work with or a product that I actually use,” Casciano begins. “If it’s something you have to force, maybe don’t take the product or use the product. Then the partnership ends up being forced and feels like an obligation. If it’s something that you use or take or wear anyway, that’s usually what makes the best kind of partnership.”

Dunkin's view on partnerships has to do with the authenticity of the brand.

“I want to love it so much that I genuinely want to share it with other people," she says. "Friends, family, teammates like, ‘Hey you gotta try this out.’ And a company that I believe in their message and what they stand for as well as they believe in me and what I stand for and my beliefs. It’s gotta be a two-way street,” Dunkin exclaims.

OpenSponsorship is often called the Match.com of sports sponsorship because it’s the largest two-sided marketplace for it. Both Casciano and Dunkin have used their services to connect with brands for sponsorship opportunities that can be seen on their social media platforms.

Casciano and Dunkin are then asked what they would try to inspire companies to do regarding building a more inclusive company or a certain product. 

Dunkin suggests just having companies look at their employees and challenges them to think about who their employees are. “How diverse are you?” she asks. “How many black employees do you have? How many disabled employees do you have? How many different religions? How many different people do you have in your company?” she questions. “I think for companies looking to brand or expand themselves, look at different people that you wouldn’t normally look at. Look at the ones who maybe don’t have a large following. Look at the ones that aren’t as a high profile as you would like. That would open your target audience to so many more people and I think that would also event more people wanting to use your company, wanting you to use your services or products too. I think that can be beneficial for both parts as well,” Dunkin concludes.

Casciano agrees with Dunkin, adding “If more brands and companies can think about the consumer and what it’s going to do for the consumer’s life, that will ultimately build a better future for everyone because you’re not just thinking about how that’s going to make you better.”

To hear more from Dunkin and Casciano, watch the entire interview here. 

The Coronavirus has thrown the world for a loop and forced many of us to make major changes to our daily routines. Schools are closed, restaurants are closed, we're stuck video chatting our friends instead of seeing them in person, and, scary enough, gyms are closed! However, our OpenSponsorship fitness influencers haven't let this keep them from staying in shape and they're now working out at home while they don't have access to their gyms.

Fitness Instagram influencers are social media influencers that regularly post content revolving around their daily workout routines. Exercise tips, workout routines, and overall health and wellness advice are what these fitness influencers have built their brand around and it is a big reason why their fans follow them. Therefore, fitness influencers have been forced to adapt to these circumstances and try to keep up their regular routine from home without access to their gym. Here's how some of our favorite OpenSponsorship athletes and Instagram fitness influencers are working out from home with the help of some awesome sponsors:

Tigertail and Marquis Dendy

Marquis is a USA Track and Field athlete with a few first place finishes to his name in the long jump, including the 2015 USA Outdoor Championship and the 2016 USA Indoor Championship.

He teamed up with Tigertail to help support his #StayAtHome workouts, and got a little visit from his dog as well! Tigertail provides several different products to help support the workouts and recovery of fitness influencers, like foam rollers, massage tools, and muscle recovery kits!

Steph Earl and IdealFit

Steph is a weightlifter and nutritionist fitness influencer that creates content for her fans about both workout tips and diet tips to live a healthy all-around lifestyle. She is one of our top female fitness trainers and posts a bunch of workout videos on her account, including the post below.

IdealFit sent her some equipment to help with her at-home workouts, and they have a bunch of essentials for any at-home workout. Check out Steph's post for an awesome workout routine you can use at home!

Bill O'Brien and Jabra

Major key to a great workout: blasting your favorite music. And with Jabra's help, fitness influencer Bill O'Brien was able to listen to his favorite music with headphones made for workouts. Bill is a professional lacrosse player in the MLL and also founded his own nutritional supplement company, so he's making sure to stay in shape even during quarantine.

Jabra's headphones are sweatproof and waterproof and can also track your heart rate, your mileage, and mapping out routes for your daily run. Hard to imagine working out without these headphones, and now Bill doesn't have to do so anymore! (P.S. Bill is also one of our many athletes on TikTok- check him out here!)

Especially during times like these, we're glad to be able to introduce and connect fitness influencers with brands they love to help support their daily routines. To learn more about these brands and other athletes you can sponsor on OpenSponsorship, reach out to a rep or send us an email at info@opensponsorship.com. These are just three of our top fitness influencers with some recent content we loved, but the opportunities are endless with the athletes we work with!

It’s official, the start of the 2020-21 MLB season has been pushed back to June 2020. We took this chance and looked at what some of our Opensponsorship MLB  athletes are up to during what was supposed to be the beginning of their seasons. Even with the season on hold, the digital presence of our athletes through their social media accounts have been stronger than ever. 

Social media platforms have given the fans an opportunity to stay connected with our favorite MLB athletes all the while following the current social-distancing guidelines. Social media has given us the chance to take a peek into the lives of these professional athletes. Being able to see their family life, the causes & charities that they care about, and of course the at-home workout routines have all been a source of both encouragement and entertainment. Opensponsorship has helped athletes and brands capitalize on this new found time and space by identifying and activating sponsorship opportunities. The Opensponsorship platform has given athletes an opportunity to build their brand while also helping brands partner with their picture perfect ambassadors. Here are some of our favorite MLB athletes on the Opensponsorship platform.

 

Matt Carpenter

Matt Carpenter is the third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals and an avid fan of the outdoors. Matt is a family man with two young children, who he posts pictures and videos of frequently on his social media accounts.

Matt understands the value of giving back to the community, this is why you can see him working alongside charities such as the Homers for Health, Cardinal Gennon Children’s Foundation. Click here to work with Matt Carpenter.

 

Alex Bregman

Alex Bregman is another third baseman for the Houston Astros. As a former World Series champion and an MVP,  Alex is no stranger to the spotlight. Alex knows the value of hard work and understands the importance of community. This is why you can see Alex giving back to organizations such as FeedHou (post shown below). Fun fact: Alex has his own podcast and also is the founder of the non-profit organizationBergmanCares. Click here to partner up with Alex Bregman.

 

Jon Duplantier

Jon Duplantier is a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Although he may only be in his fifth year in the MLB, Jon is already considered an All-Star on the Opensponsorship platform. Jon has worked with multiple brands, and has accumulated countless 5-star ratings on his sponsorship deals for professionalism, attention to detail, and timeliness. Click here to work with Jon Duplantier.

 

Kole Enright

Kole Enright is a second baseman for the Texas Rangers, and at only 22 years old he already understands the importance of branding. Kole has completed a number of sponsorship deals with multiple brands all the while receiving 5-star ratings. Kole is described as professional and has proven his ability to conduct seamless deals. Kole cares deeply about charities such as Love Made Visible and Habitat for Humanity, and this is evident throughout his social media presence. Here’s achance to work with Kole Enright.

 

Alex Katz

Alex Katz is pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, who has already created an illustrious career for himself at the MLB. Alex has brought his enthusiasm, energy, and professionalism to the Opensponsorship platform. As proof, Alex has been awarded with the 5-star rating on the platform. Alex is a caring soul who knows his impact on his community. Alex is regularly working on the charity Pitch in for Baseball, which can be seen on his Instagram and other social media accounts. Find an opportunity to partner with Alex Katz.

 

Justin Turner

Justin Turner is a third baseman for the LA Dodgers and a newcomer to the platform. Justin brings on his massive following of 750k+ through his Twitter and Instagram accounts. Justin provides quality content which is a huge plus to any brands that will be sponsoring him through the Opensponsorship platform. Work with Justin Turner here.

 

Kyle Schwarber

Kyle Schwarber is an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs and a former World Series Champion. Outside of his profession, Kyle is also the proud founder and operator of his own charity the Neighborhood Heroes. Kyle is the perfect candidate for brand sponsorships, as he is known for his family oriented character and his selflessness throughout his community. Send Kyle Schwarber a message here on our platform.

 

Eddie Rosario

Eddie Rosario is a left fielder for the Minnesota Twins and a two-time silver medalist of the World Baseball Classic. Known as a national baseball hero from Puerto Rico, Eddie looks to cement his legacy into his newfound role in the MLB. Eddie is a family man who posts frequently about his family and loved ones on his social media accounts. Partner with Eddie on the platform here.

 

CJ Edwards

CJ Edwards is a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and a former World Series champion. CJ loves to post about his family on his social media accounts. One can easily find adorable pictures of his children everywhere on his profiles. CJ is great at exhibiting his love for his family and the game. Work with CJ here.

 

Blake Swihart

Blake Swihart is a catcher for the Texas Rangers, and another former World Series champion. Blake is soon to be a dad, and he is more than excited to show it! Blake is a great candidate for sponsorship campaigns as he enters a new phase in his life, giving new visibility to the novel aspects of his life. Partner with Blake Swihart here.

These are just a few of our amazing athletes who are on our platform today. Check out the rest of our MLB athletes here or view all 6,000+ athletes here on the platform to find the perfect partner for your next sponsorship campaign.

A lot goes into what builds an athlete's brand. This starts, of course, with accomplishments in their sport. Strong performance and accolades can put an athlete in the spotlight and get people to talk about them and become fans of theirs. However, the athlete's presence outside of their performance on the field can go a long way to taking their personal brand to the next level and turn them into stars.

Social media is one of these tools that help athletes to grow their brands. Different social media platforms allow athletes to speak their thoughts on current events, share memories and important events in their personal lives, create entertaining or funny content, and, overall, connect with their fans personally.

One strength of active social media use is that it helps fans to get a closer look into the lives of athletes. Athletes can often be put on a podium that makes it seem as if their lives are different than that of the average person. However, social media helps us realize that many athletes love the same food, the same music, the same TV shows, the same video games, and have the same hobbies as everyone else. This can help give the athlete a more authentic and relatable image that makes fans feel more connected to them.

Social media usage is consistent and a huge percentage of fans spend time on social media. These platforms are growing, too, and more athletes are starting to expand their online presences to platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The number of athletes on TikTok and athletes on YouTube is rising because athletes see the potential in these platforms to increase fan engagement and brand awareness. These two platforms specifically are very engaging places for athletes to create content that appeals to their fans and addresses them directly by speaking into a camera. Two athletes with YouTube channels, among the many, are Trevor May and Alex Bregman. Trevor uses his channel to share one of his hobbies, video games, with friends, and often connects with some of the biggest names in the space.

Athlete Influencers as Endorsers

One product of strong social media usage is the endorsement opportunities that come along with it. Social media is an incredibly important tool for marketers because of the engaging and authentic content that can be made to endorse a product.

The concept of athlete endorsements is nothing new. One of the earlier and perhaps the most iconic is Michael Jordan's partnership with Nike, which of course turned into the extremely successful side brand Jordan. While few endorsement deals are of this nature and magnitude, the influencer marketing industry as a whole is projected to reach nearly $10 billion in 2020 and isn't slowing down anytime soon. 

And while deals like Jordan's may be the most well-known. athletes of Jordan's stature aren't the only ones that make great endorsers for a brand. Brands often tap into nano-influencers and micro-influencers because of the incredible engagement rates they have on their posts compared to larger influencers.

Influencer Marketing Hub

The chart above from Influencer Marketing Hub shows the engagement rates for influencers of different sizes across the three top platforms for influencer marketing: Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. As it shows, smaller influencers often have significantly higher average engagement rates than the larger influencers. So, while the star athletes with high followings may seem like the sexy picks as endorsers for a brand, sometimes a collection of smaller influencers can be a more cost-efficient investment and a better fit for your brand. All in all, athletes of any size can make for great influencer endorsers.

Why Athletes?

What separates athletes from other social media influencers is the edge that they have by playing their sport. For example, a player on the New York Giants has an existing fanbase solely because of the team they play on. They also appear on television often, and when the team performs well or has a major accomplishment, some of that gained exposure translates to the player as well. Peoples' fandom for their teams translates to an affinity for the players on it as well, and success from either the player or the team as a whole can only cause this to grow. This post below from Javon Kinlaw celebrating himself being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers received nearly 45,000 likes- almost as many as his previous 8 posts COMBINED- and the comments are full of 49ers fans showing love to their newest player.

This holds true for other athletes too that may not play for a major team, or even any team at all. Take a fitness influencer, for example. People who follow this influencer often feel a connection to them. Maybe they follow them because they also exercise often and enjoy the workout tips and insight that the influencer gives. Either way, this connection between the influencer and their followers helps establish trust, and trust goes a long way in the world of endorsements and sponsored posts. This trust makes the fans more likely to take the influencer's opinions of a product seriously and makes them more likely to become customers.

And while their actions related to their sport give them this foundation, athletes are often so much more than just that. To many, athletes are role models, trendsetters, and influencers on the lives of their fans. Athletes who play a team sport can be a part of some of their fans' greatest memories- like Chiefs fans being able to celebrate their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years. Athletes use social media to show their fans the other side of their lives and show the world their authentic selves, and this is what can make athlete influencers so valuable for brands.

To learn more about the power of athletes as social media influencers, reach out to an OpenSponsorship rep today or send us an email at info@opensponsorship.com. You'll be surprised by how many athletes we work with that can make an incredible spokesperson for your brand- if you haven't tried working with athletes, you need to!

              Often times, professional athletes are known more for what they do in their given sport than for what they do in their personal lives. They spend so much of their time in the spotlight and they make more headlines for the accomplishments on the field. However, off the field, these athletes are the same as their fans. They have their own interests and hobbies that they enjoy doing in their free time, they crack the same jokes with their teammates and friends, and they binge-watch the same Netflix shows as the rest of us.

              One easy way to share this side of them with their fans is through YouTube, an already popular platform for influencer marketing. Athletes on YouTube are able to share videos on any given topic and these videos can be much longer than those on other platforms like TikTok, where shorter clips are more common. Countless athletes already use the platform for a variety of different types of content, with one popular topic being video games. Several different star athletes are friends with professional video game streamers and collaborate with these streamers to create content. Trevor May, a Minnesota Twins pitcher, gained popularity as a content creator playing Fortnite and becoming friendly with some of the game’s biggest influencers, including Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. He has a YouTube channel with about 25 thousand subscribers and regularly posts content. Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster owns a YouTube channel as well and is known as an avid gamer, so much so that he is a member of the gaming organization FaZe Clan. While he does not strictly post gaming videos on his YouTube channel, he has posted videos of him playing with several different celebrities and athletes on YouTube.

              The beauty of athletes on YouTube, though, is that they are free to post anything they would like. Serge Ibaka of the Toronto Raptors has a show on his channel titled “How Hungry Are You?” where he brings on teammates and friends, interviews them, and serves them some of the most bizarre foods you can think of—lamb brains, cow hearts, pig heads, you name it! Pacers guard Victor Oladipo has a channel where he posts vlogs of his daily life, which included a behind-the-scenes look at his long comeback from injury that he titled “UNBREAKABLE”. Even Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has a channel where he has posted content ranging from interviews of other celebrities, fun challenges with other content creators, and his recent Q&A with Dr. Anthony Fauci about COVID-19.

              The style of content on YouTube and the diversity of the content that athletes on YouTube post creates a great opportunity for brands to get involved through influencer marketing. YouTube videos are very interactive and feature the athlete influencers talking directly to their fans, allowing products to be much more integrated into the content. Does your company sell food or cooking products? Sponsor a video where a portion shows the athlete cooking and using your product! Makeup or clothing? Sponsor a vlog where the athlete shows themselves getting ready to go out, featuring your product as part of their look! The opportunities with influencer marketing on YouTube are endless.

              On OpenSponsorship, we are proud to have plenty of our athletes on YouTube. Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has a channel where he posts baseball content, MMA fighter Karyn Bryant has a channel where she posts her podcast MMA Heat with UFC fighter Alan Jouban, and paintballer Marc Sutherland has the largest paintball channel on YouTube- and these are just three of many OpenSponsorship athletes on YouTube! Many of these videos garner tens to hundreds of thousands of views, and these impressions are more valuable than just a quick look on Instagram where followers may just skim the caption and keep scrolling. YouTube is already a popular platform for brands to sponsor other influencers and content creators, and the same opportunity is there with athletes! Athlete influencers are trusted by their fans and will listen to their opinions on a product. Talk to an OpenSponsorship rep today to take advantage of this opportunity with athletes on YouTube, or send us an email at info@opensponsorship.com. And for some tips about influencer marketing, check out our blog about how to launch a successful influencer marketing campaign!

 

The Coronavirus pandemic has taken the sports world by storm, and athletes now have an unprecedented amount of time on their hands leading to an increase in the number of athletes on TikTok. Some are taking on new hobbies -see Giannis Antetokounmpo learning the guitar and Cody Zeller learning to cook and play the guitar (well, trying to). Some are doing their best to stay in shape at home- nice setup, Serge Ibaka! But most of all, athletes are more active and engaging on social media than ever before. The most interesting takeaway from this uptick in social media activity has been the increase in athletes on TikTok.

If you’re not familiar by now, TikTok is a social media platform where users can post short videos of just about anything they want- dancing, comedy, music, tricks, or one of the countless “challenges” that go viral on the platform. TikTok began to take off in 2019 has over 500 million active users, making it a great place for influencers, like athletes, to build their brand and engage with their audience.

The sports world began to take notice long ago, with teams, leagues, broadcast networks, and even team mascots creating accounts and regularly posting content, ranging from highlights, messages from players, and just normal funny clips. The NBA even invited TikTok stars Addison Rae, Charli D’Amelio, Dixie D’Amelio, Chase Hudson, and Jalaiah to 2020 All-Star Weekend. The former three made videos with several NBA stars, including OpenSponsorship athletes Nikola Jokic and Pascal Siakam, and even helped out Aaron Gordon with this Dunk Contest dunk! And now, with athletes home and quarantining, they have had the time to join in on the fun themselves, and we love seeing athletes on TikTok.

Philadelphia 76ers rookie Matisse Thybulle was one of the first- “the only logical thing for me to do at this point is to start making TikToks!” He has been regularly posting content, even taking the time one day to interact with a fan who was hoping an NBA player would notice his post. Star Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant joined in too, making a fake player introduction to help cope with him missing basketball. Young Thunder stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Darius Bazley teamed up in a different way than usual to perform one of the hundreds of viral dances that become popular on TikTok.

But it’s not just the young guys having fun on TikTok, even the world champ athletes are on TikTok! LeBron James and his family enjoy the platform, where LeBron’s son Bronny posted a video of the family dancing that LeBron later re-posted on his Instagram story. Retired athletes on TikTok include NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal who is a regular on the platform and collaborated with Forto Coffee to create a fun and energized post promoting their coffee shots that received over 310 thousand impressions and nearly 19 thousand engagements.

TikTok is the hottest social media platform in the world right now and athletes on TikTok prove that the sports world is taking notice. These posts garner massive amounts of impressions and engagement from fans and partnering with athletes on TikTok is the perfect way for brands to connect with these audiences. Talk to an OpenSponsorship rep today to take advantage of this opportunity, or send us an email info@opensponsorship.com

New sports technology

Most aspects of our lives are now linked to the internet and electronics. Food delivery, social networks, shopping, entertainment, communication.. You name it. Sports are no exception to the rule. In fact, new sports technology might just be one of the most dynamic market as possibilities are pushed further everyday by both developers and athletes.

Our OpenSponsorship team is made of athletes as well as huge sports fans. Which is one of the reasons we love those new sports technology products so much. These products make athletes safer, help them reach their peak and improve competitiveness levels in every sports. We love being the connecting point between these great products/brands and our awesome OpenSponsorship athletes!

SportTechie has been an invaluable source of information for this article.

4 brands caught our eye through their amazing new sports technology:

I/ AfterDark Technologies: LED jerseys and ball for flag football

 

 

These awesome jerseys and balls are definitely going to revolutionize flag football. Indeed, these kits will allow us to enjoy our favorite sport at any time of the day. No more cancelling a game because of the hour! Not only do these amazing kits let you play in the dark, these also include some useful features such as alternating colors on the QB's jersey, representing the rush count down. Also, its optic fiber flags to never miss your "tackle"!

Our idea for a campaign is to have a major league player from the NFL, NBA or NHL, to take a video playing some flag football with their friends, family, teammates or have kids play at one of their football camps! The NFL player could be Michael Vick who is now playing in the AFFL: American Flag Football League or Eric Berry (ballhawk safety and 2016 all-pro). Another idea could be finding an athlete from a Niche sport like Rowing, Skiing or Triathlon, who loves football, to test the product out, thus showing the appeal of the fastest growing sport to athletes (in college) to all.

II/ Mobile Virtual Player (MVP)

 

 

The MVP is the future of american football and rugby training. Dummies have been used for decades in contact sports training as it reduces unnecessary injuries during practice. However, a moving target makes training more realistic, thus prepares athletes better to in-game action. This is one of the reasons MVP has been developed! The MVP also has been tested for tactical training: now preparing shooters better than ever! Our idea for MVP is to make a campaign is to have a player with a reputation for his tackling such as Clay Matthews (NFL linebacker) or Fulgence Ouedraogo (Flanker, France national team 7s and Union), record and post a 30 seconds video trying the dummy out in different game like settings.

III/ CTRL Eyewear: Tint changing glasses 

 

 

Vision is key to any sport, it is even more important for activities during which you are highly exposed to environment changes and sunlight such as cycling. CTRL Eyewear released a pair of glasses changing tint within 0.1sec depending on your environment's light. Finally, people are safer during situations such as: being exposed suddenly to very bright light. Or on the contrary, riding through a dark zone right after having the sun in your face.

Our idea for a campaign is for a skier/snowboarder or a cyclist such as Travis Rice or Cam Zink to record a close angle video while riding down a mountain to show how quickly and accurately the glasses change tint (from the sunny top to a dark valley for example).

IV/ FlyPro Drones

 

 

FlyPro revolutionizes the drone industry for athletes and sports enthusiasts with its smartwatch controlled drones. No more worrying about your filming: just focus on your activity! This is like having a photographer following you around. It makes it easier than ever to record your best feats no matter where you are and if you are alone! This helps you keeping your followers up to date and content going at all times.
Our idea for a campaign is to have one or more snow or water sports athletes such as Gus Kenworthy or Kelia Moniz taking the drone for a ride and post curated highlights of it on their social media!

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