Athletes Unlimited
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best Women’s Sports Content
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
Named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2023, Athletes Unlimited is a new model of pro sports, where athletes are decision-makers and individual players are champions of team sports. Athletes Unlimited owns and operates professional women’s softball, lacrosse, volleyball and basketball leagues featuring world-class competition and fan experience, and stands out as an organization driven by the athletes that play in the leagues, with athlete representation on the company’s board of directors, each league led by a Player Executive Committee, and players sharing in long-term profits of the company, all while being proactive in shaping policies supporting the mothers that play in the league. Athletes Unlimited is the first professional sports league to be organized as a Public Benefit Corporation. Original content is a major priority of Athletes Unlimited, bringing fans closer to the athletes. In 2023, AU created a groundbreaking new storytelling platform called the Impact Series.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
As we’ve seen, professional athletes have the power to shift culture and move the needle and by having the opportunity for girls and young women to hear authentic stories on challenging topics from women that they idolize and see themselves in, we hope to continue to support them in ways far beyond what we are able to do from the sports field/courts.
Objective
The Impact Series is an Athletes Unlimited original series that takes a behind-the-scenes look into the conversations Athletes Unlimited pros have off the court each season. The series aimed to educate as well as accurately depict the Impact and Civic Leadership activations fundamentally embedded into the fabric of Athletes Unlimited. It uses first-hand experiences by athletes to facilitate conversations around Black Women in History, Moms in Sport, LGBTQ+ and Inclusion and Mental Health.
Strategy & Execution
The Athletes Unlimited Video Team worked closely with the Impact team to zero in one topic of conversation each season during the four AU sports: Basketball, Lacrosse, Softball and Volleyball. The series was produced, shot and edited in house by the AU Video Team and then strategically launched across Athletes Unlimited Channels by the Social Team. Episodes were promoted in various ways across Athletes Unlimited channels including with social-first teasers, social cuts and story callouts, in addition to the release of full-length 3-4 minute episodes on X, Facebook and YouTube. Two of the episodes also had accompanying articles that were featured on the Athletes Unlimited website, as well as additional support with social quote cards graphics. Athletes Unlimited plans to expand the series in 2024 and showcase the series in-venue each season to continue to drive these important conversations.
Organizations
- Athletes Unlimited
Links
Credits
Hilary Meyer
SVP, Impact
Athletes Unlimited
Jenny Jeffries
VP, Social and Content
Athletes Unlimited
Kennedy Ellis
Manager, Impact
Athletes Unlimited
JoJo Hesketh
Senior Producer, Video
Athletes Unlimited
Hope Ballard
Producer, Video
Athletes Unlimited
Erin Williams
Producer, Video
Athletes Unlimited
Adeline Nicholson
Manager, Social and Content
Athletes Unlimited
Josie Rohach
Manager, Social Design
Athletes Unlimited
Jade Hewitt
Director, Photography
Athletes Unlimited
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
