One of the newer social media sites is giving aspiring sports creators the opportunity to live out their dreams.
Threads announced last month “Team Threads,” a group of commentators, creators and community champions sharing their takes all season long.
Six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall is perhaps the biggest name on the team, and he helped radio personalities The Kid Mero and Kazeem Famuyide host a “Monday Night Football” watch party earlier this week.
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But before Marshall could join the team, Connor Hayes, the head of Threads, set out a goal to build a new community in an ever-changing sports media landscape.
“Our goal with Threads is to be the biggest app for public conversation. We think that matters a lot. The world is moving toward video, but what people have to say in written form is really important. It’s also easier to produce. You can sit and watch a game and fire off 20 takes in a way that you can’t really with video,” Hayes told FOX Business. “What we’re most excited about is our strategy of going vertical by vertical and bringing communities onto the app that care about specific interests. The NFL is a big focus for us right now.”
Hayes helped launch Threads and connected with Marshall roughly a year ago, and it was the 2012 All-Pro who came up with the idea of Team Threads.
The opportunity to connect with fans is “more important than ever,” Marshall said.
“We live in a world now where people want to stay connected to their players and retired players, and you have to do a good job of making that effort. Not a lot of guys do. If you want to stay relevant and impactful in the space, you have to connect with your fans,” Marshall said. “Why would we spend our entire lives doing this one thing and getting these great opportunities – playing for the Chicago Bears and the New York Jets – and not stay connected with the people who cheered us on?”
Playing for six teams, Marshall said, was a “huge advantage” in getting to connect with football lovers.
“I was able to connect with so many fan bases and do a great job when I was there. But also, it was about the experiences,” he said. “Some people get drafted and spend their entire careers with one organization. I was able to travel the country, build phenomenal relationships and meet so many people. I got everything out of the NFL.”
Hayes said he realized “very quickly” that the sports community could be one of the biggest on Threads.
“Our goal with Threads is to be the biggest app for public conversation. We think that matters a lot. The world is moving toward video, but what people have to say in written form is really important. It’s also easier to produce. You can sit and watch a game and fire off 20 takes in a way that you can’t really with video. I was on the team that helped start and launch Threads, and I came back to run the app about a year ago.
“Our app is built for real-time conversation, so you have to focus on categories where the moment matters. Live sports is the thing that has survived streaming because you have to watch it live. The NFL is the biggest sport in the U.S. by far, which is why we’ve tried to stake a claim here,” said Hayes.
“I’ve always been ahead. I’ve always seen around the corner. Sometimes I’ve been first, which is not always good. When you’re on the front line, you get smashed,” Marshall joked. “But I know Threads is new territory for creators.”
