Thursday Buzz: NFL Players Eye a Media Empire

The NFL has long had a strong foothold in the media world. Now the group that represents players on the field wants a piece of the action.

The NFL Players Association this week announced the launch of Athlete Content & Entertainment (ACE Media), a television and media production platform that aims to take advantage of NFLPA’s significant licensing assets—that is, roughly 1,800 active football players—in creating new content.

The media startup will create both scripted and unscripted television shows, along with content specifically targeted at online outlets, Bloomberg News reports  (opens in a new tab).

“ACE Media will aim to unlock those stories for diehard and casual fans alike and will reach new audiences as well by casting athletes in a light that allows their off-the-field attributes to amplify and complement their on-field accomplishments,” Ahmad Nassar, an ACE Media board member, told Forbes  (opens in a new tab). (Nassar is also president of NFL Players, Inc., the association’s licensing arm.)

The association’s role is important. NFLPA represents NFL players, so the content and media it produces in this endeavor will likely have strong player support.

But, in the end, “it will still come down to the quality of the content,” said Paul Swangard, former managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, in comments to Bloomberg. “But the players will have more control, and that seems to be what they want.”

Data, Data, Data, We Know…

{New post today!} Why it’s okay if your nonprofit hates data (and why you need it anyway): http://t.co/jLMCgwMxAE  (opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/YiMJ2UAosH  (opens in a new tab)

— Colleen Dilenschneider (@cdilly) September 23, 2015  (opens in a new tab)

Data can be annoying, cumbersome, and just too mathematical. Over at her blog Know Your Own Bone, nonprofit marketing expert Colleen Dilenschneider notes  (opens in a new tab) that many nonprofits find data threatening, but they need to embrace it anyway.

She even has a motivational phrase to underline that point: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”

Dilenschneider argues that ignoring data could cost your organization important growth opportunities.

Other Links for Your Day

How real is your online audience? Bloomberg Business takes a deep dive  (opens in a new tab) on online targeted advertising and audience authenticity.

The battle is on for your group-messaging dollars. While many offices use the hot new messaging platform Slack, the formerly hot HipChat seeks to topple the upstart by introducing a new feature that will integrate apps into its interface. Sean Captain of Fast Company  (opens in a new tab) discusses the nature of the competition.

Let’s talk about boards. Organizational culture consultant Jamie Notter suggests in a SocialFish  (opens in a new tab) blog post that changing the culture and responsibilities of boards of directors is critical to future organizational competitiveness.

San Diego Chargers star Corey Liuget, left, shown shopping for a new mansion in the Bleacher Report web series “Take it to the House.” (Bleacher Report)