Chat Sports, a leading mobile sports media brand from San Francisco, is bringing its thriving sports and technology series to the East. We have covered their mobile app offering personalized news and scores in the past, and monitored their evolution in the mobile sports space.
Through the Minds Behind the Game panels, Chat Sports has created a unique offline embodiment of their mobile experience—drawing some of the industry’s brightest thought leaders together to explore pressing topics in sports and technology today.
Minds Behind The Game grew organically out of the explosion of innovation in sports tech. Their last event in San Francisco, featuring 49ers CEO Jed York and NFL All-Pro Charles Woodson among others, yielded rapt audience attention and an outsized waitlist. “This is probably the best sports panel of all sports panels in history,” noted York after taking his seat on stage.
The caliber of the speakers and hot topics being discussed aren’t the only factors setting Minds Behind the Game apart from other sports meetups. “MBG is more than an event, it’s a community,” notes Chat Sports Founder and CEO James Yoder. “It has created a network of connections across sports and tech professionals in the Bay Area and beyond. It hasn’t just provided food for thought—it’s changing the landscape.”
Never before had the director of investment in Levi’s Stadium swapped stories with the digital architect of the nacent Pac-12 Network. Never before had Jed York brainstormed with Charles Woodson about what it really looks like to build a championship team. And beyond the panelists, never before had sports start-up founders chatted casually with the digital marketing leads for the Warriors and Giants. The Twitter sports content team mingled with the Visa Olympics sponsorships team. Tech press from Re/code and sports writers at the San Francisco Chronicle bonded with everyone from sports management grad students to athlete talent agents over Lagunitas.
And the topics kept bubbling up. Questions from the both the audience and twittersphere regarding virtual reality’s effect on stadium culture and athlete training led to a whole new panel in May. Founders from AltspaceVR, NextVR, STRIVR Labs, and EONSports gathered for the first time to discuss topics that had never before been broached. As Brad Allen from NextVR put it, “Don’t forget. We’re at the beginning of the beginning.”
As the topics of the panels at Minds Behind The Game have grown organically, so has the interest. The shuffle in the standing room at the last San Francisco event nearly drowned out the banter between Earthquakes President Dave Kaval and Warriors CMO Chip Bowers. So now, Chat Sports is expanding these events to New York to ignite conversation among another unparalleled group of panelists and attendees.
On May 21st, Minds Behind The Game will tackle the future of sports marketing in a technological world, from athlete talent to league operations and building brand in sports venture funding and start-ups. The panelists are well qualified to lead such a discussion:
Tiki Barber: All-Pro NFL Running Back // Co-founder, Thuzio
Amy Brooks: Executive Vice President, Team Marketing & Business Operations, NBA
Joseph Stetson: Vice President, Communications & Marketing, NY Red Bulls
Vasu Kulkarni: Managing Partner, Courtside Ventures // Founder, Krossover
Tickets are extremely limited so if you’re in New York on May 21st then RSVP here.