The Business Behind March Madness + LeBron's New Podcast, Arizona Gets End Zone Villa's, And NBA League Pass Adds Live Betting
Hey, Friends! I write this email in preparation for an awesome week of college basketball. The tournament is already underway, with Virginia adding fuel to the “Big East got screwed” fire after a 42-point showing last night. And the women’s tournament should be awesome, too. So today we’ll break it all down, including some additional notes on LeBron’s new podcast, the Arizona Cardinals end zone villas, and the NBA’s recent decision to add in-game betting to broadcasts. Enjoy!
The Hurry Up: What I’m Thinking/Hearing/Watching…
LeBron James and JJ Redick are teaming up to launch a new podcast that exclusively discusses basketball strategy. I know, I know, the last thing we need is another podcast. Still, I’m interested in seeing how this performs for one main reason: it’s different. The trailer, for instance, includes LeBron and JJ breaking down a complex inbounds play (while drinking a bottle of red wine) in a way that probably sounds like a foreign language to most sports fans, including myself. It was pretty difficult to follow because there was no whiteboard or graphic overlay, and they certainly aren’t casting the widest net when it comes to the total addressable audience. But the visuals will get better over time, and this show will serve as a fascinating case study between two very different ends of the spectrum — athlete-driven content that focuses exclusively on the X’s and O’s versus network-driven content that continuously plays the same hits (NFL, NBA, Cowboys, Lakers, GOAT Debate, etc.). Many people have been asking for more of the former and less of the latter. Now, we’ll see if they actually wanted it.