Sean catches up with NBA 2K League‘s Brendan Donohue at the NBA headquarters in New York to discuss season one and the impact of esports on NBA teams, fans and sponsors.
On this podcast you'll learn about:
- Brendan Donohue on his sportsbiz background that led him to NBA
- What traditional sports can learn from esports
- How the NBA 2K League players prepare for the games
- NBA 2K League and Twitch partnership
- First Sports Geek Nation meetup in NYC
Listen to Brendan Donohue on Sports Geek
Brendan Donohue quote
Of all the things traditional sports can learn from esports, the biggest one is the notion of modern broadcast. This idea of listening to fans in real time and making adjustments into the digital product potentially further customise fan experience.
Brendan Donohue
About Brendan Donohue
Brendan Donohue has 22 years experience in the sports industry. He started his career in sports working on the team business mostly revenue side which lasted for thirteen years. He eventually found himself working in the NBA Offices working with the team marketing operations group helping team drive their local businesses. This led him to his current role at the NBA 2K League as a Managing Director.
Thanks again to Brendan Donohue from NBA 2K League for being this week's guest
Resources from the podcast
- Connect with Brendan Donohue on Twitter @2kleaguemd and LinkedIn
- Follow NBA 2K League on Twitter @nba2kleague, Facebook and Instagram
- Some related articles you might want to read more about NBA 2K League:
- Some Sports Geek episodes you might be interested in:
- Cayle Drabinsky on NBA 2K world with Buck Gaming
- Dave Harris from LG Dire Wolves on bringing high performance to esports
- Daniel Ringland from Riot Games on esports growth
- Loved this podcast episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts
- Check out the Digital to Dollars website as discussed on the podcast
- Join Sports Geek Nation to connect with sports business executives across the world.
- Follow the conversations in Facebook to share best practices. Join the Sports Geek Nation FB Group now
Highlights from podcast with Brendan Donohue
3:08 What Brendan Donohue has learned in the first season of NBA 2K League
4:04 The NBA 2K League’s KPIs
7:35 What traditional sports can learn from esports
8:20 Brendan’s sports background
9:23 How they are engaging sponsors and partners
10:35 The significance of endemic and non-endemic brands and products in esports
12:03 How the NBA 2K League players prepare for the games
14:19 Brendan on developing esports content to engage fans
15:25 How the NBA 2K League players engage in social media
16:12 The plans for building infrastructures – stadiums and arenas for esports
18:30 NBA 2K League and Twitch partnership
18:58 Sports Geek Closing Five
26:05 Sean chat more about the latest #SportsGeekTrip in the US
30:12 Sports Geek Nation members first meetup in NYC
33:18 Digital to Dollars – digitaltodollars.com is now live
Some tweets/posts you may have missed
A peek into an esports arena. Cool!
Had chance to visit @EsportsArena in Luxor in Vegas this week. Super impressive location and concept. pic.twitter.com/RTfBubhvsP
— Brendan Donohue (@2KLeagueMD) July 15, 2018
Nice gaming gadgets on display
@NBA2KLeague branded controller from @ScuffGamingHDD. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/9xMhClBtbI
— Brendan Donohue (@2KLeagueMD) June 12, 2018
Good to know about the NBA 2K League awards
.@mrlarryridley and @JeffEisenband of the #NBA2KLeague break down all of the league's award races and inform you on how you can vote for all the awards yourself! pic.twitter.com/3ACYi5VyqH
— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) August 6, 2018
What it's like to watch an esports game?
Ready for @PistonsGT & @76ersGC to face off!
⏰: 11am ET
💻:https://t.co/GGGTun0cUh pic.twitter.com/4ZXjWchgQE— NBA2KLeague (@NBA2KLeague) August 4, 2018
Sean toured the NBA headquarters on the recent #SportsGeekTrip
Checking out @NBA2KLeague studios.
Good to meet up with @FrancisOKC and @JeffEisenband.@2KLeagueMD even dishing dimes during break in play. #NBA2KLeague pic.twitter.com/0ijtRLoNI4
— Sean Callanan (@seancallanan) July 28, 2018
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Thanks for the review on iTunes
Always something to learn
★★★★★ in Apple Podcasts by Fitzymate from USA on March 31, 2017
A must listen for anyone working on the sports industry. Sean covers a raft of topics with a strong focus on digital, marketing, sponsorship in the sports industry. He discusses these topics with a wide array of guests from multiple markets. As a result you always have something new to learn and to look to put to work whether you work agency, league or team side. Keep it up Sean!