The Superbowl's Biggest Loser

Hey honeys and hustlers,

We survived Super Bowl weekend! That means we withnessed some of our favorite things to take center stage.

• Buffet-style bar food

• Passionate fandoms

• Championship sports

• Usher!

• and… ✨MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES✨

Between Super Bowl commercials, endorsement deals, field sponsors, sports media, and social media - the entire world of sports turns into one big marketing push this time of year. The sheer amount of people that watch the Super Bowl each year are often rooting not just for their favorite team, but for their favorite players.

Sports teams have always relied on larger-than-life personalities from their rosters to build hype around big games. They generate attention and get more eyeballs on the screen and fans in the seats.

Traditionally, getting on TV as a commentator, syndicated show host, or featured in a sports documentary required collaboration between the athletes and broadcast media TV and film networks (i.e. ESPN, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, Netflix, etc). If a pro athlete wanted to build and benefit from a “personal brand” apart from their stats as a player, they would grow their individual following and fanbase while attached to a major network and rely on them to provide the platform. We’ve watched some become influencers, like David Beckham. Others, like Pat McAfee, built a media company so popular that he eventually signed a *potentially controversial* contract with ESPN and Disney. The big corporations are now relying on his platform and his audience.

But in 2024, the dynamic in these relationships is changing drastically.

Social media and the creator economy have seen an influx of pro athletes building their very own media businesses through video podcasting – with bigger platforms than broadcast media companies at times.

Both current and former pro athletes are opting to create independent media companies for their podcasts, away from the large media outlets and corporate drama.

Here are a few interesting things that have popped up on my YouTube feed:

• Vince Staples will be the first rapper-entertainer to grace Podcast P with Paul George (episode drops today). Vince Staples is appearing on the show just ahead of the premiere of his new Netflix series, The Vince Staples Show.

• New Heights hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce reached new heights with the help of the Swifties. Now that Jason Kelce has retired, I’m excited to see how he’ll use his newly minted free time.

• Club Shay Shay, hosted by Shannon Sharpe, recently released new episodes with Usher (just ahead of his Super Bowl appearance) and Mo’nique (seemingly following in the footsteps of Katt Williams and spilling all the tea ☕️).

In competitive sports, your active career only lasts as long as your body and performance can keep up. By building a personal brand, they can create long-lasting financial security outside of sports. This very same thing is true for us, and current pro athletes are showing us that you can start building your personal brand right now as a part-time creator – you just have to find your voice.

If you watched the Super Bowl yesterday, what was your favorite part? A commercial, Usher, Usher’s music guest surprises, the team you were rooting for winning the game? Leave a comment or respond to this email!

In Readworthy News

TikTok and Universal Music Group Relationship Implodes

You might be seeing a lot of silent TikToks. Universal Music, the label behind a large portion of popular American music such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eillish, Bad Bunny, SZA, Post Malone and more have removed their music from the platform - including already live videos.

Cardi B has been in 6 Super Bowl ads

And she was tapped for another one this year with NYX Cosmetics. The average cost of a Super Bowl ad is $233K per second, making the average 30-second ad spot cost $7M. As the cost of Super Bowl ads has continued to increase, I’d be curious to know how much Cardi B has made from her numerous ad appearances. Which is your favorite?

Afros & Audio Black History Month Series

I (Angela) was fortunate to be featured in the Afros & Audio Black History Month interview series with their founder, Talib Jasir. We talked about the role of location & resources in entrepreneurship, the evolution of Honey & Hustle, I gave a few tips on using AI in creative processes, and the importance of authenticity and style in podcasting. I hope you enjoy it!

Community Spotlight

In this section, I highlight people in the community who have been kind enough to leave a review for the newsletter or podcast.

🚀 Andreea Coscai and the Tink Media team are working with Bridget Todd to produce her show, BEEF. BEEF is a scripted non-fiction storytelling podcast where business wars meet pop culture. The new season launches Wednesday, February 14th. Be sure to check it out!

P.S. If you’d like to be featured in this newsletter for free:

1. Leave a video or written testimonial here about this newsletter.

2. Email me a screenshot.

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