A new app co-founded by former Dodgers star Adrián González seeks to enhance fans’ connections to their favorite players. PopFlyXP will aggregate social media, sell athlete-branded merchandise, and offer a platform for sharing messages and behind-the-scenes access.
Former Dodgers executive Jesse Nuñez developed the idea and is leading PopFlyXP as its CEO. He brought up the idea to González over lunch late in 2017 and, as Nuñez recalled, 10 minutes after the meeting, González was already sending memos about costs and other plans.
“There’s got to be an opportunity or a way in which we can connect them in a more inclusive way,” said Nuñez, who was the Dodgers’ director of Spanish-language media and Latino initiatives.
Players might sporadically use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but fans usually have to log onto each channel to find updates. If they don’t comment enough on an athlete’s posts, the social media algorithms might also push down their relevance and make the updates harder to find.
And, of course, there can be a physical distance between player and fan, owing to the geography of a big league ballpark.
“At Dodger Stadium, you put in about 4.5 million people at its maximum capacity, but how many people actually get to sit in a seat where you can actually see the player and what he looks like without having to see him on Dodger Vision, on the big screen?” Nuñez said. “It’s a small universe. There’s only so many people who get to do that.”
PopFlyXP will offer four main categories of content: game, lifestyle, preparation, and charity. The app will draw in posts not only directly from the player and his social channels, but also from popular fan sites and team blogs. Players also will create exclusive content just for the app and can be as active or inactive as they’d like.
González, a five-time All-Star from Mexico, has developed a merchandise line incorporating his number (23) and nickname (Titán) into a sombrero. PopFlyXP will also illuminate players’ outside interests.
“Adrian’s a great fisherman, and he loves to cook,” Nuñez said. “The merch side of things will have fishing-related stuff, and we’re going to have aprons, so people can be there cooking with Adrian in essence.”
Nuñez described González as the chief player development officer who is actively showcasing the idea and recruiting other players. González is not a tech guy, but is an avid social media user. His 2.04 million Twitter users are second only to Mike Trout among MLB players. Nuñez has a marketing background and, for 12 years, ran HyperActive Media., Inc., a multimedia marketing company. He emphasized that the app will evolve and transform with the players as they age and reach new milestones in their careers.
“We’re not beholden to a specific floor plan,” he said. “We can adapt and ensure that connectivity remans appropriate to that player.”