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 Epiphany
On 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

His 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


His 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

Cites 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.”


St. 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.”


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


“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.”


Fans 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.



“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.”



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


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



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


Basketball 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



“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



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.


“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.


“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.”


“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.’”


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


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.”


“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.”



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.


“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).”


Goals 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.


SHAREABLE 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.



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.



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.


The 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


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.”


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



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.



His pick to win 2014 NCAA Basketball championship:
Syracuse


Social 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


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

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