There's No Place Like Sports.

“There’s no place like sports.” A universal sentiment deeply resonating with athletes, coaches, and fans alike.

Some argue it’s the insane physicality of athletes, the unpredictable outcomes of games and races, or the devotion of one’s energy to something bigger than themselves that makes sports unrivaled by anything else in people’s lives.

While these factors surely distinguish sports as an industry, they aren’t what set them apart for me.?

There’s no place like sports because they give rise to powerful stories worth telling.

I’ve always paid attention to the choices people make when telling stories. The way singers attack certain notes contributes to the intensity of a story. The way dancers transition from move to move drives the plot of a story. The way authors develop characters shows the depth of a story. The way artists use color speaks to the spirit of a story. The way speakers engage with audiences unlocks the moral of a story. The way people organize humor and meaningful content makes stories memorable. We live in a world of storytellers innately obsessed with the art of storytelling, and I’m always interested in the choices people make as they go about telling them.

Likewise, behind every athlete, team, coach, and program lies a story -- one filled with triumphs, failures, challenges, setbacks, resilience, and grit, outlining the countless journeys of athletic achievement at all levels. Sports captivate people with compelling stakes and storylines: higher stakes create more storylines, and more storylines create higher stakes. Together, they render sports an irreplaceable experience for all involved, from athletes to fans to everyone in between.?

And what is sports without these remarkable stories? Without Kobe Bryant sinking free throws on a ruptured Achilles, or a poor girl from Compton clinching 23 Grand Slam titles. Without Michael Jordan getting cut from his high school team only to become the greatest basketball player of all time (yes, I said it). Or coaches like Anson Dorrance witnessing players like Mia Hamm pushing through voluntary sprints when supposedly no one was watching. Without the thrill of 16-seeds stunningly upsetting 1-seeds in March, or moments like the Miracle on Ice signifying far more than just a hockey game.

Such narratives have inspired my career trajectory in sports marketing. Recently, I read Emotion by Design written by former Nike CMO, Greg Hoffman . Hoffman prompts Phil Knight, Nike’s founder, to speak on storytelling in a way I’ve never forgotten -- with a sports analogy, no less. I’ve paraphrased Knight’s insights below:

The future of storytelling is like golf. With a set of clubs before you, you must select the right one based on the kind of shot you need to take in a given moment. Different moments will warrant different shots, and the sum of those shots will form your story over time. The game never changes, and the goal remains the same, but the path to achieving that goal depends on the many choices you make along the way. (Hoffman, “Emotion by Design,” pp. 124-125)

Upon graduating in May, I will have the privilege of following in Hoffman’s footsteps and working for the premier sports storytelling brand in the world. My hope is that my role can play a small part in sharing these incredible stories that unite people like nothing else can.