Four athletes, executives, and entrepreneurs convened at a TIME100 Talk in Cannes, France, on Monday to discuss how sports has become one of the world's most powerful engines of culture and connection—and why athletes are increasingly extending their influence as entrepreneurs, storytellers, and leaders.
The panel on June 22 featured Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Qualcomm Inc. Don McGuire, Manchester United defender Gabby George, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Development Driver Doriane Pin, and Olympic gold medalist Carmelo Anthony. It was moderated by Emma Barker Bonomo, Senior Editorial Director at TIME.
Read more: Watch the Full TIME100 Talks Series
After retiring from the NBA, Anthony now oversees a portfolio of business ventures, including a venture capital firm, media production company, and fashion brand. He found that the skills he honed as an athlete were transferable to his entrepreneurship endeavors. As a professional athlete, “there’s no way you cannot deal with the business side” of the sport, he explained.
“I just took my experience of how to put teams together—and how the organizations put these teams together, and what they look for in point guards and centers—and I can apply that to my businesses,” Anthony said.
But when he was representing brands as an athlete, he realized there was a difference between “visibility” and “access.” The visibility of being a star athlete allowed him to be “in front of the brands,” he said. “But the access allows you to sit at the table and have real conversations and allows you to have the impact that you really need.”
He said he now seeks partnerships with brands that let him sit at those decision-making tables—and those that respect the messages that he wants to champion.
“If that brand understands that, and sees that vision as well, then we can go out and we can tell a powerful story, as opposed to the brand just telling me to go out there and be a face,” he said.
Read more: The 3 Best Words to Say to Someone Whose Sports Team Just Lost
For George, the intersection of business and sports is especially important when it comes to sustaining the rapid growth of women's sports. The WNBA has been described by industry analysts as the fastest-growing brand in professional sports, and the World Economic Forum last year found that sponsorships are growing 50% faster for women’s leagues than men’s leagues.
George said that in order to make these women’s leagues “sustainable,” brands need to focus on athletes on a personal level—especially since many women’s soccer fans follow both the clubs and the individual players.
“You see on TikTok and Instagram, [athletes] are giving you a little delve into their lives, which is away from football, and I think that's how you kind of grow your audience, because we get to know you on a personal level,” she said. She pointed to how she loves makeup and likes to post videos that show her getting ready for games.
“It's about giving them the right little pockets of our lives, so they still feel connected,” she added.
McGuire, of Qualcomm, which sponsored the event, discussed how his company utilizes high-profile sports sponsorships to build global awareness. Its processor brand, Snapdragon, has invested in sponsorships across both established and emerging sports, he said, from Major League Baseball to professional golf. McGuire said diving into women’s sports reflects that strategy.
“Collaboration has driven amazing storytelling that has helped these people—as brands and as people—kind of tell their stories,” he said, pointing to the athletes beside him on the panel. “It doesn't matter if you're male, doesn't matter if you’re female: They're athletes, they perform at a very high level, they put their lives and their health in danger every day to do what they love, and so we're just profoundly proud of that.”
Pin, who made motorsport history by becoming the first female driver to pilot a Mercedes-AMG F1 car, said brands and sponsors play a fundamental role in helping athletes tell their stories.
“Sport is very expensive and not reachable for everyone, and it's also a very difficult sport to get in—and even more for women,” Pin said. “So we need those people to come together, so you're not alone, and also to show that we can be part of this world—and have an impact beyond.”
TIME100 Talks: Built for Impact: Partnerships, Creativity, and the Future of Sports was presented by Snapdragon.
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