Episode 14 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Peter Robert Casey of BB Passport & Team Epiphany

Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast Recap

Episode 14: Peter Robert Casey, Founder of Basketball Passport and Chief Community Officer

for Team EpiphanyOn episode 14, Peter Robert Casey of BB Passport and Team Epiphany discussed the evolution of social media in sports, how venues provide tangible and intangible incremental value to encourage live game attendance, and offered general insights on fan engagement.

Listen to the full episode at DSMSports.net or on iTunes. What follows are snippets and quotes from the podcast. Enjoy and thanks again to Peter!

@njh287; DSMSports.net



for Team EpiphanyHis career path:

After college, he spent five years at Columbia University building community within graduate school after undergrad, wanted to transition to sports using notions of growing community on the web

Blogged about how basketball teams can use emerging web tools to connect with fans and build community and relationships with fans




for Team EpiphanyHis career path [continued]:

St. John's SID discovered his blog and pitched concept of covering the basketball team in a social media format

This took off as a national story; a 'reporter' covering a D-I basketball team on his personal Twitter account

Led to New York Knicks asking him to speak at a panel with a Tweetup → eventually led to job as Social Media Specialist with the Knicks; has since gone on to work on sports accounts with Five-Star Basketball and now Team Epiphany




for Team EpiphanyCites a keynote speech from Gary Vaynerchuk as an inspiration: “A lot of people go home and complain about their day job, but at night they end up going home and watching television and not doing anything about fixing their situation...

“So many people can crush it between 7pm-2am. If you want it bad enough, you can do it.”

“It starts with taking action and focusing on what it is you want to do.”




for Team EpiphanySt. John's had a decent number of beat writers, but none were using Twitter. All of the updates fans were getting was just a postgame write-up. “There was an advantage of being real-time and showing fans stuff they couldn't see (elsewhere)...The velocity of news and information I was able to deliver in real time.”

Explained that “the fans demanded (the real-time info)” and other journalists adopted

It became being about “how to story-tell in micro form, in a limited amount of characters.”




for Team Epiphany

Other journalists were very receptive to learning from Peter – getting the real-time feedback and info to and from fans




for Team Epiphany

“For St. John's, their agenda was they needed a story to sell and build excitement around the program and show that they embraced technology and ride the wave. That was their motive.”

“For the Knicks, they had just brought in digital folks from the outside, so it was a no-brainer. This was the way the media was going, so they wanted somebody who knew the nuances of the sport, knew the platforms, and could write...I was in the right place at the right time for the Knicks.”




for Team EpiphanyFans at St. John's just wanted basic information about the game (since they weren't often on national TV)

For the Knicks, it was about recognizing and engaging one-on-one with fans...They were coming off a (rough) ten-year period...how do we re-engage those fans? Let's do it by connecting with them, showing them we care.

One was let's embed a journalist with the team to give (inside access), but also we're going to answer your questions and listen to your feedback and show that we do care.




for Team Epiphany“The Knicks said – ‘this is where fans are talking about us and about (the fan experience), we need to listen to what is being said about us as a franchise and feed that back in to the organization’...

“(Also) from the outbound standpoint, it was ‘what kind of (content) can we share the media doesn't have? Why not share that and give that (access) to fans?’ They were quick and they went all-in on it.”




for Team Epiphany

Other organizations (names a few NBA teams) started adapting, whether it was moving resources internally or hiring social/digital people from outside.

cites Suns' Planet Orange and KnicksNow micro sites as early samples of fan engagement efforts and hubs




for Team EpiphanyOther organizations (names a few NBA teams) started adapting, whether it was moving resources internally or hiring social/digital people from outside.

cites Suns' Planet Orange and KnicksNow micro sites as early samples of fan engagement efforts and hubs

A lot of times sports follows from outside the vertical, so look to external brands for ideas and best practices and new innovations




for Team Epiphany

Went from the Knicks to Five-Star Basketball to help them jumpstart their digital outreach efforts, before moving on to Team Epiphany




for Team EpiphanyBasketball Passport: “It started with a problem I was trying to solve myself...For years, I had this arena bucket list sitting in my head and one day I decided, if I don't write this thing down, I'm never going to act upon it...”

Started a Google Doc and began checking off venues as he visited them

There has to be an easier way to digitize this and track it over time, so reach out to a programmer and turned the idea into a reality




for Team Epiphany

“Fans told me – ‘yes, I have a bucket list, but I'm also interested in tracking where I've been in the past’...It'd be great to merge those two things together – where I've been and where I want to go. There were two emotions we were trying to strike: nostalgia and anticipation (for the future).”

Launched October 30 (2013) and next plans to expand to MLB and then other major sports




for Team Epiphany

BB Passport described: Create account, log old ticket stubs/destinations, the site gives you personal stats about games/venues/etc. you went to (by date and game, personalized).

The other thing is you can create your bucket list, find games near you, and take arena challenges.




for Team Epiphany“We really wanted to make it competitive. Sports fans, by nature, are really competitive. –) created digital stamps for visiting venues, a way to 'compete' with other fans.” Same concept as 4sq badges, but uniquely tied to basketball, NBA and NCAA.

Important next step is to build out a native Mobile App because that's where fans are consuming (content) and makes the sense...in the moment.




for Team Epiphany

“The first interaction is logging of games and then it is adding photos of each specific games. Then some people comment on each experience, something that stood out around the experience of (attending) the game...”

“The beautiful thing is the one behavior we didn't anticipate is, since we've built it, these junkie fans like myself, make them feel compelled to go more to games because it starts to feel competitive. It is something we hoped for, but didn't really anticipate. To see it happening is great.”




for Team Epiphany

“In the long run, the stamps aren't going to drive someone to go crazy, but when you see others (attending more games and earning more stamps), you get a little envious of other fans and think 'I want to go, too.’”




for Team Epiphany

HELPFUL TOOL:

This episode’s helpful tool is Sports Fangraph, a website to track pro and amateur sports teams’ Facebook Fans size, Facebook People Talking About This stats, Twitter followers, and relative changes over time

www.sportsfangraph.com




for Team Epiphany

Visiting venues and games – “One is the concept of the open road, getting out and traveling and tying it together with a team and sport. “

“A lot of the arenas have a personality or an identity, a history. When you go there and (see the history and tradition), as a fan you want to see that. If you're a sports fans appreciate the history (and tradition) of the game, you start making plans to get out there.”




for Team Epiphany

“The simple fact that being able to take a photo and share is rare these days. A lot of venues haven't yet figured it out.” (comes up as a note on BB Passport visits)

Other themes: arenas themselves making a more engaging experience (bathroom locator, concession lines, etc.). “Most Passporters do enjoy the traditional, old-school venues and aren't big on amenities. They just want the true, pure experience.”




for Team Epiphany

The most bucket-listed venues are the “college classics.” That tells me the user base still appreciates those places that have an identity, a persona, where the fan base is just rabid.

Also discusses venues that are under-appreciated, unknown for their atmosphere, crazy chants, unique setups, etc. You discover these by 'crowdsourcing' info from other Passport users.




for Team Epiphany“At the end of the day, money talks. Whatever is going to get people in seats and bridge relationships with corporate partners will (drive) decisions. But I don't think it's mutually exclusive, a lot of people can appreciate (the history and tradition).”

Cites examples of new Madison Square Garden capturing a good hybrid feel - “You keep the things people really care about – the look, the feel.”

“You have to figure out what's best for the brand and organization (in terms of venue updates).”




for Team EpiphanyGoals for BB Passport for 2014:

1) Expand to baseball with MLB, MiLB, and NCAA – plans to launch in April

2) Launch football website in August

3) Launch hockey version before the end of the year

Soccer will probably be the fifth sport because of the global appeal and traveling fan base culture.




for Team EpiphanySHAREABLE STAT

This episode’s shareable stat is (after a Scribble Live partnership w/ Football League in UK) - Thus far the dwell time has seen an increase from the mentioned 1min 20secs to a much more impressive 3mins 42secs. - 178% increase

Peter cites USA Today's For The Win site as a strong site aggregating sports content based on social media resonance.




for Team Epiphany

The live sport that is most amenable to social media is:

Basketball, due to the fast-paced nature of the game and how it flows in spurts.




for Team Epiphany

The most underrated venue in sports:

Yale's John J. Lee Amphitheater: If you want to see a real old-school venue, go to Yale...If not Yale, go to Fordham, which is the oldest in the country. If you like old school venues...and it's a cheap ticket.




for Team EpiphanyThe best piece of you've given and received -

Been given: Via Seth Godin: You don't need permission, pick yourself...Do something. If you love something and want to create something, do it. There are no excuses anymore with the technology available. You have time. If you really want something, you can find the time.

Has given: There is no substitute for experience. At the end of the day, what you bring to the table and what you can do is what counts. If you want experience, go earn it and go do it.

- cites his own experience as an example going from blogging to finding himself embedded in basketball




for Team Epiphany

Favorite place you've seen a game and why:

Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke's home venue) – “I got to sit first row, Cameron Indoor with fans over my shoulder doing their crazy chants. It was one of the best environments of college basketball...Most memorable game I've covered and attended.”




for Team Epiphany

The team with the best social media:

Golden State Warriors: “The things they're doing on Instagram is really creative...the way they layer over different information. They give you this vantage point that you can't get from the media. They give you the best access and in real-time.”

Cites the Warriors' ownership as lending strong support to enhancing the fan experience at the venue




for Team Epiphany

The best food item at a venue:

Barclay's Center pizza from Spumoni Gardens – If you love New York pizza, you can get it at Barclay's Center. It's expensive, but well worth the price tag.




for Team Epiphany

His pick to win 2014 NCAA Basketball championship:

Syracuse




for Team EpiphanySocial Media All-Star:

Seth Godin's blog – The guy knows marketing inside and out. A lot of it sounds like common sense...

Favorite Godin book: Purple Cow, Tribes, and Godin's daily blog online

Where to find Peter Robert Casey, BB Passport, and Team Epiphany:

@TeamEpiphany, @Peter_R_Casey, @BBPassport and visit BBPassport.com




for Team Epiphany

Thanks again to Peter Robert Casey for sharing his time and knowledge on the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast!

For more, visit DSMSports.net and follow me on Twitter @njh287.


Episode 14 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Peter Robert Casey of BB Passport & Team Epiphany

Documents

Transcript of Episode 14 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Peter Robert Casey of BB Passport & Team Epiphany