ABOUT THIS ENTRY

Man in the Arena is a documentary series about Tom Brady, and more specifically, his 10 Super Bowl appearances. 10 episodes long, each episode revolves around a different Super Bowl appearance of his and features highlights, interviews, photos, and general information on each of these appearances, providing an unprecedented glimpse into one of, if not the greatest sports figures of all time, and the pivotal moments that molded him into the household name he is today.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

Man in the Arena proved two points. 1. People want to learn about their favorite (and least favorite) athletes. And 2. when a story is told well, people will flock to watch it, despite the platform it's on. ESPN+ is a paid subscription streaming service, one particularly subscribed to by sports fans (as opposed to Hulu or Netflix which has a broader subscription base). In spite of this, Man in the Arena reached a tremendous amount of people and still opened the eyes of many to the inner workings of Tom Brady's life and career.

This should inspire the industry to continue finding ways to grant sports fans that window into their favorite athlete's life that they so desire. Many may currently be worried that a figure may be too polarizing, too calm, or too popular to cover. Whatever the case may be, the success of Man in the Arena should act as a sort of comfort to others in the industry that as long as the production is done well, it will find its audience.

Objective: Tom Brady is arguably the most popular sports figure of all time. Whether you love him or hate him, the fact is you know him. However, due to his longevity in the league, and his methodical, almost angelic approaches to interviews and post-game press conferences, much of his life story is relayed to people through recounts by media figures, and is absorbed by the average sports fan almost as fables.

Man in the Arena came to be with the idea of providing viewers a glimpse at the real Tom, in a way no one has ever seen him before - allowing him to talk, in a no-holds-barred manner, about some of the most important moments and people in his life who molded him into who he is today. This also meant featuring some more ancillary figures in Tom's life who the average sports fan may not have realized impacted Tom in these ways.

Strategy & Execution: The modern sports fan is inundated with rumors, reports, and retellings of every single happening in the sports world. Whether it be a prospective trade of a player, the events that preceded a sideline spat, or just simply stories of an old sports legend, media pundits who are usually on the outside looking in always have their two cents to add. Many of these recounts end up being exaggerated, embellished, and sometimes just flat out wrong. Man in the Arena provides the modern sports fan with these anecdotes from Tom's life straight from the horse's mouth, and the people close to him. Man in the Arena is no game of telephone - it's as real as it gets.

Results: Man in the Arena achieved effective engagement by garnering a tremendous amount of attention, despite being behind a paywalled platform in ESPN+. Additionally, it achieved exactly what the goal of the show was - to inform sports and non-sports fans alike on the stories and circumstances that made Tom Brady who he is. This can be seen by reading reviews posted about the series. One reviewer writes "I've developed a new found appreciation for Tom Brady," while another says "Being in the public eye has its unique challenges and I have gained respect for Brady on how he balances his profession, his family and his health." We have found copious amounts of reviews echoing similar sentiments.

Some measurable business outcomes that we're achieved were securing mentions of not only the documentary, but of Religion of Sports as well, in top tier publications. These publications included Sports Illustrated, People, New York Post, The Boston Globe, and more. We also used the show as a vehicle to promote the Religion of Sports brand and mission further through executive interviews and features.

Production

Religion of Sports
ESPN
199 Productions

Credits

Gotham Chopra
Managing Director
Religion of Sports

Erik LeDrew
Managing Director 
Religion of Sports

Tom Brady
Executive Creative Director
Religion of Sports/199 Productions

Ameeth Sankaran
Executive Creative Director
Religion of Sports

Meghan Cirillo
Creative Director
Religion of Sports

Torey Champagne
Copywriter
ESPN

Alex Trudeau Viriato
Copywriter
Religion of Sports

Ben Rawitz
Art Director
Freelance

Stephanie Jones
Senior Copywriter
Freelance

Jaclyn Reilly
Senior Art Director
Freelance

Giselle Parets
Senior Creative Producer
Religion of Sports

Sean Horvath
Junior Motion Designer
Freelance

Brady Hammes
Head of Sponsoring
Freelance

James Long
Junior Project Manager
Freelance

Yuki Noguchi
Project Manager Sponsoring
Freelance

Edward Shearmur
Head of Digital & Innovation
Kraft Engel Management

Ian Honeyman
Consultant / PR
Freelance

Anton Sanko
Communications Manager
Freelance

Jeremy Dietrich
Communications Manager
Freelance