Why Every Fortune 500 Seems to Be Investing in Sports Culture
Release Date: 07/29/2025
The Marketing Powerhouse Behind Caitlin Clark, Fever & the Pacers’ Rise
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🔥 The Indiana Fever and Pacers are out-engaging major brands—and they’re doing it without relying on follower count. David Brickley sits down with Tyler Beadlecomb, SVP of Marketing Content at Pacers Sports & Entertainment, to break down how his team builds shareable content, taps into cultural moments like Stranger Things, and turns viral spikes into long-term fan growth. 📱 This episode covers: - Why the Fever's draft-day animation became a full content franchise - How to create branded content fans actually want to engage with - The shift from follower-based goals...
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How Social Has Changed in the Last Decade
Business Of Social
🎙️🌴 Recorded at Sport Beach during the Cannes Lions Festival In this special edition of the Business of Social, David Brickley sits down with Theresa LeBlanc, VP of Client Services at STN Digital, for her first on-the-record interview. They dive into: How agency life has evolved—from hero graphics to real-time shareable content Why embracing change is non-negotiable for anyone in social The mindset that separates thriving marketers from the ones who burn out Radical candor as a superpower in leadership and client relationships Why community and shareability are at the...
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Why Every Fortune 500 Seems to Be Investing in Sports Culture
Business Of Social
🎙️🌴 Recorded at Sport Beach during the Cannes Lions Festival David Brickley sits down with TJ Adeshola (Operating Partner at Arctos and former Global Head of Sports at Twitter) to talk about everything—from the evolution of social, to athlete-led storytelling, to why sports remains the most undervalued asset in media. 👀 Highlights: How lived experience—not just information—is the new marketing advantage Why creator economy infrastructure matters more than ever The power of distribution and what most athletes still get wrong What TJ learned from advising some of the...
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The #1 Mistake Brands Make on Social Media
Business Of Social
🎙️🌴 Recorded at Sport Beach during the Cannes Lions Festival David Brickley reunites with long-time industry friend and Fresh Tape Media GM Danny Halpren for a real-time pulse check on social, agencies, platforms, and where things are headed next. 🧠In this episode: Why small agencies are thriving (and what big agencies still don’t get) The rise—and over-saturation—of lo-fi content How creators are becoming distribution rocket fuel What metrics actually matter in 2025 (spoiler: not followers) A candid look at what the OGs of social are still learning If you’ve...
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Why Most Brands Fail With Athletes
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🎙️🌴 Recorded at Sport Beach during the Cannes Lions Festival David Brickley sits down with Cassie Kennedy, Director of Player Marketing at the NFLPA, for a wide-ranging conversation on athlete partnerships, storytelling, and how brands can stop missing the mark. 🔥 Topics include: The real reason some athlete-brand deals fall flat Why followers are a distraction—and what actually drives engagement How fandom powers everything from Chipotle orders to Madden covers The future of creator x athlete content dWhy brands need to think beyond social and into experiences If...
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She Makes Athletes Go Viral on Social
Business Of Social
🎙️🌴 Voices of Sport Beach | Recorded at Sport Beach during the Cannes Lions Festival David Brickley sits down with Karin Kildow, Owner & CEO of Content Capital Group (CCG Social), for an inside look at how her team builds and manages the personal brands of athletes—from NFL stars to retired legends—through authentic, creator-first social strategies. 📱 In this episode: What it actually takes to run a pro athlete’s social media Why people have more trust in athlete content The hidden value of reach and credibility in athlete-brand deals How Richard Jefferson went...
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They Bet Big on Women’s Sports and WON!
Business Of Social
🎙️🌴 Voices of Sport Beach | Recorded at Sport Beach during the Cannes Lions Festival David Brickley sits down with Keisha Taylor Starr, CMO & GM at Scripps Networks, for a wide-ranging convo in Cannes—covering everything from launching WNBA Friday Nights on ION to building authentic brand energy and championing women in sports. 📺 In this episode: The real reason Scripps bet on women’s sports (before the Caitlin Clark effect) How her team launched a WNBA national broadcast deal in just 6 weeks Why social media attribution is hard—but essential What it takes to move...
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The #1 Sports Team on Social is...
Business Of Social
Who’s really winning on social media in sports? David Brickley and Jason Samuelsen break down the most comprehensive sports social media report to date—ranking all 124 teams across the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB by engagement per post, total engagements, and year-over-year growth. 📊 In this episode: The top team across the Big 4 leagues (based on real data) The content buckets driving the most engagement right now The teams jumping 20+ spots with smart content strategy What follower counts don’t tell you How teams like the Hornets and Bears are winning without winning Whether...
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How Winning Sports Brands Stay Ahead (Panel)
Business Of Social
📍Recorded live at the Gondola Sports Summit 2025 in Denver, Colorado David joined Gondola’s Sports Summit 2025 panel: “The Agency Assist: How Various Production Companies and Creative Agencies Are Powering Team Growth.” Alongside David Herman (Fresh Tape Media) and Andrew Carter (Two Circles), this panel digs into what it really looks like to bolt on external support that actually moves the needle. From playoff runs to brand campaigns to day-to-day execution, they break down how the best teams are leveraging agencies as true extensions—not just vendors. 🧠Inside the panel: - Why...
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Will You Get Sued for Using AI Content?
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Everyone’s talking about AI tools. But no one’s talking about the lawsuits. In this episode, David Brickley breaks down why using AI-generated content—especially images, video, and audio—might be putting your brand at serious legal risk. ⚖️ This episode covers: Why the first AI copyright court case just set a major precedent How Getty, The New York Times, and Sarah Silverman are fighting back What the Sam Altman TED interview reveals about OpenAI’s stance on fair use The risky parallels between AI content and the music copyright lawsuits of the past What marketers and...
info_outline🎙️🌴 Recorded at Sport Beach during the Cannes Lions Festival
David Brickley sits down with TJ Adeshola (Operating Partner at Arctos and former Global Head of Sports at Twitter) to talk about everything—from the evolution of social, to athlete-led storytelling, to why sports remains the most undervalued asset in media.
đź‘€ Highlights:
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How lived experience—not just information—is the new marketing advantage
-
Why creator economy infrastructure matters more than ever
-
The power of distribution and what most athletes still get wrong
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What TJ learned from advising some of the biggest brands in sports
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Why sports is still the best investment in media
This is a front-row masterclass on career longevity, relationship building, and staying ahead of the curve in sports and media.
#VoicesOfSportBeach #CannesLions #SportBeach #SportsMarketing #CreatorEconomy #DigitalStrategy #BusinessOfSocial #AthleteMarketing
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