TSL #012: Art, Culture, and Sports: The Three Pillars of Business Success
On the Ultimate Hoops Red Carpet in Las Vegas with UH Hall-Of-Famer Johnnie Brown in 2014.
Through the years, people have asked me the secret to Ultimate Hoops' success. We started with just one recreational basketball league in Minneapolis but grew into a national brand across North America. My answer to this question is always the same:
"We didn't make Ultimate Hoops about basketball."
When I started the company, I didn't want to create a recreational sports league; I wanted to build a community where our customers were the 24/7 muses for our creative content.
As someone who worked in the television marketing industry in New York City for a decade, I knew the power of creating emotional connections through content. And that's what we did with Ultimate Hoops.
We made people feel like they were famous professional athletes, not just amateur players in a league.
We captured the little moments off the court that made our community unique. We trained our photographers to "shoot stories," not just photos. We made sure to capture the culture of Ultimate Hoops, not just the sport of basketball.
Putting art and culture before sports sets us apart from the competition. And that led to our rapid growth and acquisition offers from national sports, health, and fitness companies looking to expand their membership base.
But it's not just about sports, art, or culture individually. It's the combination of all three that drives success in the recreational sports industry. Sports have always been a fundamental part of human culture, and they have the power to bring people together in ways that few other things can.
By embracing art and culture, recreational sports businesses can create a unique and authentic experience that sets them apart. As a sports consultant, I've seen firsthand how integrating these elements can drive success in the industry.
So, let's channel our inner artists to create a customer experience that makes a sports legacy for our customers. Let's create an environment that celebrates creativity, diversity, and innovation.
By doing so, we can attract and retain customers looking for something more than just a place to play sports. And grow revenue and profit along the way.
