Unrivaled Is The Innovation Blueprint; Others Take Note

…That’s right, OffBall and Togethxr are Instagram official. We’ve teamed up to ensure we keep bringing you the best of the best sports culture content the game has to offer. Read all about our new partnership here. [Insert that Paul Rudd “Hey, look at us” GIF.] 

As someone who has always firmly planted my flag in the “dance (and the like) is a sport” camp, I’m ecstatic for the International Dance League, which is, well, exactly what it says. Here are the details. Here is a trailer. Get hyped and get ready to dance like everyone’s watching. 

These days, it’s not enough just to be a sports team. Arsenal is proof of this. It’s part football club, part fashion brand, and now part content house. The Premier League leaders launched a new show starring Bukayo Saka and Tems, with a bunch of others in the works, too. 

Speaking of R&B stars, Kehlani will headline the “Super Saturday Concert” at the women’s Final Four in Phoenix. What can you say, AT&T understands what a women’s sports fanbase wants. 

Meanwhile, Asics is full speed ahead in its mission to sign the world’s best-looking tennis players, adding Britain’s Jack Draper to its roster yesterday. Not a bad strategy if you ask me! 

You thought I was going to say Unrivaled there, didn’t you? 

Anyway, in some (all?) leagues, amenities are bargaining chips. Owners and teams will offer future upgrades and investments in this, that, and the other to entice players to their organization. At Unrivaled, they’re doing things a liiiiiiitttttle differently. And by that, I mean, they’re “negotiating against themselves,” Alex Bazzell says. Players give feedback and put in requests for the things they want (spas equipped with masseuses and facials, a Samsung-sponsored lounge with hyperbaric chambers perfectly suited for naps, saunas — you name it), and the league, just…gives it to them. 

Samsung hosted me, and a few other media members, for an Unrivaled championship game getaway in Miami, featuring a facilities tour and a hot pilates class, and it was one of the best things I’ve done in a while. On the aforementioned tour, Bazzell, who is fellow Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier’s (heard of her?) husband and one of the genius minds behind the new league, along with Unrivaled CRO, Matt Drew, talked us through the logistical and sponsorial (a word I maybe just made up but feels right) inner workings of the league, and I have to say, I felt electric after it. 

I’m not usually the type of girlie to get excited about hashtag innovation, but there’s something about building an entire new league from the ground up and hitting it out of the park. And to do so while tuning out the advice of others (opting out of city-specific teams, sticking to a 3-on-3 format). Unrivaled just closed the book on its second season, and based on conversations we had with the team, I only see it getting bigger and better. 

This year, the social media specialists (each team within Unrivaled is assigned its own) donned new Laquan Smith-designed “Courtside Crew” bomber jackets so as to be easily identified (on TV and IRL). The SMSes, as they are called on the scene, do an incredible job with their storytelling. In part because the league’s players lend themselves to content (they were practically made in a content lab), but also because Samsung cameras are really what they are cracked up to be. Regarding the former point, Ali Palma, the league’s social media director, told us she considers the personality traits of her SMSes and the players to match them up. And regarding the latter point, the Sammies (what players and staff call their Samsung Galaxys) are much less intimidating than a huge camera, without sacrificing that quality. I took a photo of the moon on my iPhone (because the moon famously is not that girl in photos) and on the Sammie we got to use for the trip, and the difference is truly unbelievable. Respond to this email if you want access to those exclusive lunar photos.

From content to partnerships to player involvement to product on the court, Unrivaled is doing it like no one else. Their famed Sephora tunnel, where they showcase their pre-game fits features a huge monitor so they can immediately see how the photos and videos turned out. Then, it seamlessly sends it to their Sammies so they can post it. Genius. 

I was also particularly interested in their non-tech innovations, because no one is doing (what I’m calling) analog innovations anymore. They hire the same physical therapy staff as the WNBA, so there’s no learning curve. Immediately when you walk into the space, you’re enveloped in merch. It was genius. Because I knew I wanted to head in and watch warmups, I grabbed multiple items and paid for them before I even realized what I’d done. From a gender equality perspective, a fan experience perspective, and a partnerships perspective, every move they make is intentional. 

Bazzell showed us the nursery for their newborns (worth mentioning, it isn’t sponsored yet, but I pitched the “Draft Kings Baby Room” — we’ll see if they use it). On Mondays, a nanny comes in and watches all the kids so the mothers on the teams can play in games and do post-game pressers, and lifts. The content studio gives players a space to record their podcasts. It’s far and away the most thoughtfully curated setup I’ve ever seen. And none of the brands seem to be too precious about how they’ll show up. They all just want to be a part of something they thoroughly enjoy and believe in. Of course, it makes good business sense to be a part of something so on the rise, too, but when a partner like Samsung has a fun idea and a new way to amplify the social team (like in the case of the “Courtside Crew” jackets), they put in the ask with Unrivaled — not the other way around. 

By the way, I’m not new to Unrivaled. I knew more about it than most people on the planet, and I still came out of the trip feeling refreshed and limitless. The fact of the matter is, I could write about 5,000 words on how special this league is and how what they are doing is utterly unprecedented. But I will just say this: if every company functioned the way they do, with thoughtful brand activations and partnerships, that improved working conditions and stimulated creativity, I genuinely believe the world would be a better place. 

Lily Herman is an F1 writer (read “Engine Failure” here) and podcaster (listen to “No Grip” here) focused on the culture of the sport (sound familiar, OffBall readers?!), so chatting with her will always be a no-brainer. I’m constantly learning new things about F1 myself, and so it’s always interesting to me to hear, from diehards, which storylines I might be missing in my casual watchings. If you’re in that same boat, or even just a similar one, read on! Then, check out our homepage takeover, which is stacked from wall to wall with F1 content. 

Ashtyn Butuso: For F1 Casuals (like myself), what are the storylines this year relating more to the culture of the sport?

Lily Herman: The F1 WAGs have really broken through over the past two or three seasons in particular to become staples of the paddock in their own right. All eyes are on Lewis Hamilton casually dating Kim Kardashian right now for obvious reasons, as well as the Leclerc wedding that took place in late February, but several other WAGs are trying to make an impression on the grid.

F1 as an org is really making a play at the entertainment space this year. They're touting their new streaming partnership with Apple here in the States, and they're also trying to get momentum going on a sequel to the F1 movie. I wouldn't be surprised if they also try to push a few other projects through Hollywood.

And a small one: Liam Lawson is the latest driver to try his hand at making music. I'm waiting for him to collaborate with Lewis Hamilton (better known by his stage name “XNDA”) and Charles Leclerc (who loves classic music composition).

AB: Give me a prediction for this year.

LH: I'm going to be a little bold in my wishful thinking and say that Isack Hadjar is going to break the Red Bull no. 2 driver curse. This is partially because Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are no longer on the team, but also because I like Isack and want him to succeed despite the odds that are stacked against him.

AB: Which of lesser known drivers do you think will make a big cultural splash this year — be it in fashion, music, entertainment, or the general zeitgeist?

LH: I'm actually really curious about the lone rookie on the grid this season, 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad. He really came out of nowhere (I don't know anyone who predicted he'd be here this season), but he seems really interested in building a brand for himself: He's wearing stylish outfits to the paddock, and he already has a YouTube channel set up. I'm intrigued by his savviness.

AB: What are people missing if they aren't F1 fans yet? 

LH: Formula 1 really is incredibly petty and dramatic, even by general pro sports standards. It's just fun! But in addition to that, it's one of the easiest sports to get into, especially if you're an American, comparing it to the Big Four here. There are only 11 teams and 22 drivers total (a lot less than something like the NFL, where 32 teams each have a 53-man roster), and “Drive to Survive” makes it easy to understand the vibe of the sport.

Everyone repeat after me, “thank you, Lily, for this educaF1on!”  

Fall in love. Jack Hughes and Tate McRae officially have, and if they can do it with their busy schedules and amidst international controversies, so can you. 

Go to sleep questionable, and wake up probable. I don’t know what it means either. Ask Joe Mazzulla. 

Watch the first F1 race of the season! Obviously! How many times do I need to say that! Here’s a guide from our friends at Kick the Concrete, by the way.