So I Spoke To A Group Of NFL Players This Week

 

 

On the list of things I'd never thought I would do is the following:

1.   Eat fried bugs.

2.   Babysit a group of toddlers.

3.   Watch Glitter again.

4.    And speak to an entire room of NFL players.

When offered the last option I immediately thought of A League of Their Own and quickly realized that was the wrong sport reference, then when I stopped thinking about Madonna in that movie, I thought this could be a great experience. So I couldn't resist agreeing. I was asked to speak to a group of 26 awesome NFL athletes about storytelling on social media and positioning yourself as a brand.

This event was so important and really fascinating. Did you know by the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness.

This seminar aimed at combating those stats by equipping these athletes with knowledges of  the “Athlete as Brand”.

At the event I was joined with the very cool blogger and former NFL player, Dale Moss and moderator and Managing Director of R/GA's Social, Kyle Bunch. During the talk I spoke about capitalizing on an athlete's existing social voice and staying authentic on social. I encouraged them to dive into areas they are interested in and start experimenting now. There is no right time to try something. If you feel like you have an idea and want to go for it, just do it! There is no better time than the present.

The group of NFL players were amazing. They were so interested in learning how to build a brand and had such amazing and intuitive questions. I got to speak to some of them one on one after and hear some of the super cool ideas they have. They are all quite creative and are about to conquer the fashion, cosmetics and fitness worlds. I'm super excited to see where their careers take them.