TV Sports Programs Look for New Generation of Sports Nuts

CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2016

Volume 162, No. 243 Serving Chicago’s legal community for 161 years TV sports programs look for new generation of sports nuts

elevision is in the way fans access live events. middle of a sports- Sports personalities and nar - related programming ratives have always been a rich SPORTS MARKETING PLAYBOOK renaissance, with sev - source of entertainment. In the eral athlete-centric right hands, sports stories go be - Tseries on the air and another yond the actual athletic competi - crop on deck. tions — and the fans that love The most notable of the lineup them — appealing to a wider au - may be “Pitch” on Fox, not be - dience with universal themes like DOUGLAS N. M ASTERS cause it’s a breakout success — personal sacrifice, overcoming AND SETH A. R OSE the freshman series is actually obstacles and winning against all struggling — or that it’s the story odds. of the first woman to play in the Add complications from rela - Douglas N. Masters is a partner at Loeb & Loeb LLP, where he litigates and major leagues, but because of the tionship demands, unforeseen counsels clients primarily in intellectual property, advertising and unfair strong support for the show from events and the impact of money competition. He is deputy chairman of the firm’s advanced media and technology Major League Baseball, the San and fame, and you might have a department and co-chair of the firm’s intellectual property protection group. He can Diego Padres and Fox Sports. hit — at least on the big screen. be reached at [email protected]. Seth A. Rose is a partner at the firm, where he “Pitch” is produced in partner - Movies about sports form an en - counsels clients on programs and initiatives in advertising, marketing, promotions, ship with MLB, and uses the tire genre, from “Pride of the media, sponsorships, entertainment, branded and integrated marketing, and social media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Padres’ uniforms and stadium as Yankees” and “The Natural” to well as Fox Sports’ news graph - “Bull Durham” and “Moneyball.” ics. Classics like “Rudy” and “Rocky” from 1984 to 1991, followed by mer New York Giants defensive This kind of “product place - have gained an almost cult-like “Arliss” from 1996 to 2002, and end Michael Strahan. ment” is an interesting move for following. “Eastbound & Down” from 2009 NBA star James, whom Sports MLB, since sports-related series But that kind of success hasn’t to 2013. Illustrated just named have not historically done well on translated to the small screen; Recent cable efforts are also Sportsperson of the Year for the network television. historically, sports-related televi - doing well. In 2015, HBO pre - second time, has been racking up So why the interest in sports- sion series haven’t lasted long on miered “Ballers,” a show about credits in the entertainment in - themed TV shows now? the traditional networks. Excep - the lives of current and former dustry and showing the way for The answer may lie at the in - tions include the award-winning football players starring actor other athletes. In addition to tersection of a number of devel - “Friday Night Lights,” based on and professional wrestler “Survivor’s Remorse,” his opments in the entertainment the 2004 movie and 1990 book of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, SpringHill Entertainment com - industry. the same name. who is also a producer on the se - pany is developing a new sports- First of all, entertainment pro - The show ran from 2006 to ries. medicine drama for NBC and duction companies are battling 2011, first on NBC and then on In addition, “Survivor’s Re - previously produced an animat - for audience attention — not DirecTV. Or the critically ac - morse,” a Starz series about a ed web series called “The Le - only on network and cable televi - claimed “The White Shadow,” pro basketball player and his Brons.” Among other projects, sion, but on emerging streaming which aired on CBS from 1978 to family produced by LeBron James also appeared in the 2015 platforms like Netflix and Ama - 1981. However, with the notable James, was recently renewed for movie “Trainwreck.” zon that are offering an increas - exception of the two-season a fourth season. Audience, a Additional network shows in - ing amount of original content. “Sports Night,” a slew of other channel available on DirecTV volving current and former pro - At the same time, a handful of series never made it past one and AT&T U-verse, renewed fessional athletes include a star athletes, like basketball su - season, such as: “The Bad News “Kingdom,” its show about a re - comedy for CBS based on the life perstar LeBron James, are look - Bears,” “Bay City Blues,” “Phe - tired mixed martial arts fighter of Arizona Cardinals’ starting ing for new ways to extend their nom,” “A League of Their Own,” who trains MMA fighters at his defensive end Calais Campbell careers by leveraging their expe - “Clubhouse,” “Lights Out” and gym, for a third season. and an ABC drama about a Heis - riences and personal fame in the “Back in the Game.” Audience is also the home of a man Trophy winner-turned-cop entertainment world. Further, On cable, sports-centric series new documentary series called from Strahan, the football defen - the sports industry is looking for have fared better, probably due “Religion of Sports,” which ex - sive end-turned-talk show host. new ways to reach out to fans to bigger budgets and looser amines the cultural impact of Sports fans can also look for - and to attract new audiences as standards when it comes to lan - sports around the world. The co- ward to projects in develop - the competition among sports guage, violence and sex. HBO got creators of the new series in - ment including “Apollo Park,” a media outlets intensifies and in the game early and dominated clude New England Patriots drama about the rise of a bas - evolving technology changes the with “1st & Ten,” which aired quarterback Tom Brady and for - ketball player from Detroit

Copyright © 2016 Law Bulletin Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Publishing Company. being developed by Skydance compelling content sports lovers for ratings, sports leagues are According to a report by the Media, and a Fox comedy about have to choose from, like The facing declining live attendance website DigitalTrends, ESPN is synchronized swimming being Olympic Channel, a Madrid- at events, in part due to new and in a precarious position, having brought to TV by entertainment based site and mobile app that more affordable ways to watch a lost more than 7 million sub - heavy-hitters including “Juno” offer a slate of original program - game in the comfort of one’s own scribers between 2013 and 2015. screenwriter Diablo Cody, ming about sports around the home. For example, the MLB is The competition for viewers is “American Idol” creator Simon world. reportedly seeking fresh ideas to only going to increase as the enter - Cowell and “Glee” co-creator Ian Original shows include “Gen - get the public more excited tainment and sports industries Brennan. eration Rise: Middle East and about going to live games. look for new ways to work togeth - Netflix is banking on sports North Africa,” a 12-part series on Throwing its resources behind er. Innovations in media platforms’ fans’ love of a good underdog athletes in those regions, and TV shows like “Pitch” is an inno - technology will likely fragment the story with “Last Chance U,” the “The Z Team,” a show about vative bid to engage fans. market for sports-related pro - streaming service’s first sports struggling sports teams that get Even sports media outlets are gramming even further. documentary series. The original potentially game-changing guid - looking to create original content And yet, programming with series follows new football re - ance from an Olympic coach. to appeal to new audiences. even the strongest sports cre - cruits at East Mississippi Com - While the entertainment in - ESPN earlier this year reached a dentials doesn’t necessarily munity College, a successful but dustry is creating new sports deal with Vice Media in which translate into ratings. The cur - little-known athletic program in content to lure viewers, the the latter will produce original, rent crop of sports-themed TV junior college sports. Competi - sports industry is looking for millennial-friendly programming series and programming has a tion from outside the United ways to make sports more enter - for the sports network’s multiple lot to prove and success is States demonstrates how much taining. But instead of fighting platforms. nowhere near a sure bet.