Elevating Athlete Voices: Team Success Stories & Opportunities

This article originally appeared on the ProStories blog

We are firmly in the era of the individual, but teams still have a massive role to play—especially when it comes to player storytelling. And these stories don't only make for good optics and help drive athlete partnerships, they can have real implications for the teams that put in the effort, both on and off the field.

Here are three examples of teams that have taken a step to empower their players, and what we see as their biggest opportunities to take these stories to another level.

SMU - Long-form stories

While SMU may not be known as a top-tier sports school like Ohio State or Alabama, their internal storytelling platform sets them apart and provides a potential advantage for athletes deciding on where to go.

Rather than focusing solely on high-revenue sports like football and basketball, SMU focuses on student athletes of all types including swimmers, track athletes and even equestrian. And while they might not be raking in sponsorship money from these stories like The Players’ Tribune , they are bringing both indirect value (appeal, awareness) and direct value (NIL opportunities) that could tip the scale in their favor.

Biggest opportunity: Call to actions

While these stories shed a nice light into the lives of the players, they end rather abruptly. SMU could take advantage by adding links to merchandise, charities, or sponsored links to create a funnel that benefits both the players and the university.

Juventus - In-house podcast

European football (soccer) has some of the most dedicated fan bases in all of sports. And while many teams create behind-the-scenes training content and sponsor-related promotions, Juventus took a more intimate approach with their Stories of Strength podcast.

With personal conversations with players that dive into topics like family, mental health, and personal interests, Juventus offers fans a look at their players that most don’t get to see. The stories and experiences that make these players who they are.

Biggest opportunity: Sponsor integrations

Juventus has a notable list of club partners that could be integrated into the podcast, either with sponsored segments, product placements, or interactive product links and features. Even simply including the logo in the studio background could be a nice incentive for partners to get more involved.

LovB - Player Profiles

LovB is a new women’s volleyball league focusing on their players first and foremost. Where most leagues and teams have rosters with uninspiring player bios that play second fiddle to on-court stats and Wikipedia-like lists of career accomplishments, LovB’s player offer a more personal look with things like quotes, news and memories.

With accomplished players like Logan Eggleston, this approach is a surefire way to leverage the era of the individual for greater good for the team and the league.

Biggest opportunity: Player/fan interactions

Integrating Cameo-style features to have calls, shoutouts or trainings from the athletes would really cement the focus of the player-driven league and let LovB’s audience (especially the younger fans) feel closer to the action. Plus, it would add a new stream of revenue with the LovB profiles being a perfect top of the funnel experience for fans.

Either way you spin it, there are many low-lift ways to empower your players (and your team) with story. Here’s to more of these efforts from teams around the world.