"sinking" is one of the most significant facts happening right now.
sinking is all-round. As for the news media, the elite interests once dominated by editors have given way to personal interests dominated by algorithms. As for videos, long videos that once paid attention to rhythm, story, and content quality have given way to short videos that are magical, low-quality, and rough. The simplicity and crudeness of
has become the most effective methodology in the traffic era, and what defines good and bad has become an algorithm. The basketball circle is not immune. Traces of algorithms can be seen everywhere. People's attention is attracted by revelations, subjective debates and arguments, and even fake news. Most content exporters are not interested in educating or enlightening fans, they just want to export their emotions to make fans empathize.
Against this background, LeBron James did not follow the trend. He teamed up with "player podcast pioneer" Redick to launch the "Mind the Game" video podcast program. This program does not start from traffic and click rate, but attempts to explore the essence of basketball through tactics and details. To borrow comments from the American media, this is a program with "extremely high technical content", full of depth and content.
"We are losing the essence of basketball. We need to teach young people and practitioners what basketball really means? I think our audience needs a new perspective to understand the essence of the game." James explained why he made this program Shi said.
Lao Zhan is serious about rectifying the bad habits in the basketball circle.
With the decline of print media and online media, the amount of high-quality content has been greatly reduced. This can be seen from the number of content updates on the homepage of the former media giant ESPN. Excellent reporters have been laid off in large batches, and the output of the remaining reporters has also been greatly reduced. Argument programs led by Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and others have become ESPN’s traffic driver.
Fans’ demand for quality content was unsatisfied, and the Players Podcast came into being. Through player podcasts, viewers can receive first-hand information, and it is real information brought to them by people who have actually experienced the game. In many cases, players' perspectives are different from those of commentators and reporters, and they can bring fresh understanding to fans.
The market for podcasts is huge -
According to a data report from Edison Research, more than one-third of Americans aged 12 and above watch podcasts every month, with an audience of more than 100 million. The podcast market is worth more than US$1 billion, and giant companies such as Apple, Spotify, and Amazon are actively expanding their influence in the podcast field. The Ringer was eventually acquired by Spotify for US$200 million because of its excellent podcast business. In two years, Spotify spent US$500 million just on acquiring podcasts. A podcast content company called "Blue Line" has revenue of approximately US$23 million in 2023.
In this way, you can understand why retired players such as Iguodala, Matt Barnes, Richard Jefferson, and current players such as Draymond Green and McCollum have opened player podcasts. In addition to seizing the market,
also has the same purpose. They hope to provide fans with unedited and unfiltered content. They do not want to give media reporters the opportunity to re-process information or even quote it out of context. They are eager to use the podcast platform to express themselves The most real feelings, these are also the main reasons why visual podcasts are so popular.
Clippers star Paul George said when talking about the podcast he founded: "We are not looking for click-through materials, we just hope that people can be true to themselves and have a real space to express themselves and tell their own stories. , and will not be restrained by the interference of a certain person or a certain media."
"For a long time, the image of players, whether they are saviors or villains, has been shaped by the media. I hope there is a platform for me to Express true feelings, say what I want to say without worrying about being distorted or tampered with."
But there is a problem in the current player podcast market - too much homogeneity. Whether it is a stand-up output like Green, or a multi-person conversation like George or Kevin Garnett, the essence is the expression of personal subjective opinions and the sharing of personal experiences.
For example, Durant participated in Green's podcast, and the topic of the conversation was the conflict between the two when they cooperated with the Warriors, and he explained the reason. Josh Hart used his podcast to criticize his former team, "Ball" Lonzo Ball used the show to distance himself from his father and his company, and Irving used Durant's podcast to respond to why he didn't want to Accept media interviews. The explosive point of many contents is that they are explosive in nature and satisfy the curiosity of fans without touching the essence of the sport of basketball.
In addition, in this type of podcast, due to the different levels of guests, there will inevitably be biased views and distortions, whether intentional or negligent.
The most typical example is Haslem's participation in a podcast. He said that he believed that among the Heat's Big Three, Chris Bosh played a greater role than James because Bosh could open up space and others did not have such ability. .
Haslem, when praising Knicks guard Brunson's offensive ability, said that he felt like a nightmare when guarding Brunson in a game. You can check the data and find that Haslem has never been on the court with Brunson for even one second during the regular season + playoffs.
James and Redick’s new podcast is fundamentally different from other star podcasts.
"Our show doesn't need to be designed to cater to Internet culture and click-through rates," James said. So far, this show does not have any advertising sponsors. With James' reputation, if he wants to find a sponsor, he doesn't have to worry, the sponsor will come to him.
What they provide is the most hard-core and in-depth detailed research, rather than the expression of subjective opinions. In the words of James' partner Maverick Carter: "It's like two wine masters talking about wine together, not necessarily arguing whether I prefer Burgundy or Bordeaux." The first episode of
focused on "How to become a great players" were discussed, punctuated by detailed analysis of tactics in specific rounds. The second issue also uses the analysis of some tactics to interpret how to play reasonable basketball. James expressed his distaste for the current era's over-emphasis on singles that has affected the next generation. The program
is somewhat similar to the "Detail" program launched by Kobe Bryant and ESPN during his lifetime, except that "Detail" focuses on the individual technical characteristics of the players. Kobe explains things that ordinary people cannot notice through his own perspective. technical details. This program mainly starts from the perspective of the team, studying the execution of tactics and the mystery of the tactics themselves, and is closer to the nature of basketball in pursuit of teamwork.
All the views of James and Redick are supported by detailed cases. As "actual participants in the game", they allow fans to be immersed in the actual game and put them into the actual game. This sense of immersion gives fans a great sense of satisfaction, because rather than watching commentators' heated debates on an issue, they want to see the vertical thinking and internal information behind the issue.
James and Redick did it, and they also received excellent feedback. The first episode had 3.28 million YouTube views within 10 days of its launch, and the second episode had 1.38 million views within 2 days of its launch, with rave reviews. If you want to advance from an ordinary fan to a high-level fan, even if you just want to improve your "power" when debating with others, you can pay attention to this program.
At present, no player podcast on the market has the same communication significance, and mainstream media such as ESPN and the athletic have not launched such programs. James and Redick’s programs have had a huge impact on the entire industry. They may not replace the media, but they will definitely continue to supplement the industry with content.
Those who can benefit from it are always fans who are willing to pay for high-quality content.
