alex deherrera

I should not know Paul Shirley’s name. He played for teams I don’t follow, isn’t very good (compared to most NBA players), and might best be known for his uncredited appearance as #50 for Iowa in Glory Road. However, I do know who he is because he used to write for ESPN while playing for the Phoenix Suns and parlayed that gig into publishing a book and working on a television pilot. He is for an intents and purposes a new media athlete. By leveraging the power of the internet, he was able to propel his career from that of a human victory cigar into becoming an author. Instead of toiling in obscurity, he now is only in relative obscurity (as in those who follow the NBA semi-irregularly might actually know who he is, unlike lets say Matt Bonner). Yes, the fact that he is a good writer certainly helped as no one wants to read the ramblings of a bad writer but it is important to not look past the fact that he was able to provide a service that few others could: an inside look at the life of an NBA player.

Gilbert Arenas is a tremendous athlete but were it not for his long-running blog on NBA.com would he be a near max-contract player with loads of endorsements? He already has the talent, but I sincerely believe that his blog took him to the next level where he was able to transcend the boundary between NBA star and pop-culture star. It is a well-known fact that he doesn’t even write the actual blog, instead he dictates his thoughts to someone else to writes it for him, yet people still flock to read it knowing that it may not be his 100%, authentic voice. His blog alone did not garner him his shoe deal, but it certainly did not hurt.

My third example of a new media athlete is Chris Bosh, star of the Toronto Raptors. He has been to known to produce videos for YouTube, usually skits of some sorts that make you think “hey if I were rich, I would do the same thing*” including a plea to make the All-Star team, and an interview with himself as Blane Herrington in a Eddie-Murphey-except-funny type role.

While you may not find this video funny, you certainly have to admit that he is taking advantage of his considerable means as a world-class athlete and making videos not only to entertain himself but to garner a new legion of fans. Currently he is playing for the USA Basketball team at the Beijing Olympics, but he is still posting videos about his journey. For the most part they offer an insight into a life that the vast majority of us will never be able to comprehend. He doesn’t have to do this but he does for his fans and because he wants to.

In this age of constant information it is important for athletes to reach out to their fans with a personal message rather than letting The Superficial do it for you. At this point in time Gilbert Arenas could murder a man in cold blood and all I would think is 1) I can’t wait for his blog post about it and 2) I wonder if he did it in a quirky fashion? Your image is everything and by merely spending a few hours a week writing a post, making videos or any other venue in which you can touch base with your fan base, you gain so much more than you could ever possibly lose. The differences between Chris Bosh’s videos and LeBron James’ Facebook are quite evident. I can hardly believe that James had any role in putting up the page other then signing his name to give permission. The video of James hanging out with his child and eating breakfast is done in a professional manner unlike Bosh who probably has his friends holding the camera and writing the script with him. If you could cause your name recognition to sky rocket merely by writing down your thoughts or producing videos with friends, don’t you think you would do it? There are really no downsides to this approach, and in the coming years I expect to see many more athletes who leverage the internet as a tool.

A quick warning, however, is that I would suggest that if you are an athlete with a MySpace or Facebook page, do the exact opposite of this man. The difference between using the internet to further your global appeal and using it to make a fool of yourself should be quite obvious.

*People who think this are dumb.