Monthly Archives: December 2022

RealResponse Continues Its NCAA Partnership Growth

RealResponse (@RealResponseHQ), the leading safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, announced today that over 10 additional colleges and universities have been added as partners since August, bringing the rising total of institutions well over 100 across all divisions as well as in the NAIA. More than 200,000 athletes, coaches and administrators, from colleges to the most elite levels of professional sports now have the ability to use RealResponse to share feedback and report needs or concerns to administrators in real-time on everything from team culture, NCAA violations, mental health, social injustice, COVID-19 policy infractions, misconduct, hazing, sexual harassment, and gambling as well as using the system to highlight successes and best practices which might go otherwise unnoticed.

“Our platform was created to give a voice to the student-athlete and that remains our core mission, even as we expand with new relationships across campuses such as Clemson University. Adding these new partners is very gratifying and extremely important,” said David Chadwick, the founder of RealResponse and a former Division I basketball player at Rice University and Valparaiso University. “We will not rest until we are able to help every athlete, coach, administrator, parent feel like they are safe anywhere on the globe by understanding and using RealResponse as they need it.”

“Equipping institutions with essential solutions for those in their care to provide feedback and report concerns, has allowed us to continue to be at the forefront of addressing the need of prioritizing mental health and well-being,” said Samantha K. Huge, Executive Vice President for Collegiate Athletics. “I have personally seen the positive impact that RealResponse can have on a department, and I am humbled to lead our collegiate team as we walk alongside administrators in all that they do for their athletes.”

Following a recently announced partnership with NASCAR; New collegiate partners with RealResponse include: Ohio University, University of Miami, University of Toledo, George Mason University, University of Illinois, Loyola University Chicago, University of Washington, Eastern Washington University, Sacred Heart University, Rutgers University, University of South Florida, and Jacksonville University.

What They Are Saying

Dan Radakovich, Vice President / Director of Athletics at University of Miami

“We are excited to partner with RealResponse in our continued efforts to enhance the student-athlete experience at Miami. RealResponse is an innovative and intuitive platform that gives our student-athletes the opportunity to communicate in real time and share important feedback.”

Pat Hobbs, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Rutgers University

“The health, wellbeing and safety of our student-athletes is always the first priority of our department. We are committed to providing them with all the resources necessary for a great experience during their time as a Scarlet Knight. The RealResponse platform is another tool that speaks to having a direct impact on our student-athletes.”

Judy Ann Riccio, Director of Athletics at Sacred Heart University

“Our student-athletes needed a proven, professional way to connect with us on a regular basis, and this was the perfect choice for Sacred Heart. We look forward to the feedback and creating a better student-athlete experience for all of our Pioneers.”

Bryan B. Blair, Vice President and Director of Athletics at University of Toledo

“Our number-one goal is providing our student-athletes with the best possible experience, while prioritizing their health, safety and well-being. Our partnership with RealResponse gives them another tool to communicate and share important feedback with our administrative team in real-time. We look forward to working with RealResponse as we continue to look for ways to enhance the student-athlete experience at the University of Toledo.”

For Soccer Ventures Completes Another Year of Growth With FIFA Women’s World Cup Coming in 2023

For Soccer Ventures (FSV), a media and experiences company spearheading a collaborative movement to connect brands, players, fans, families and platforms to the diverse American soccer community, completed a third consecutive year of record growth, expansion and engagement in 2022 as it looks forward to 2023, expansion of its properties and partnerships, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“While the just completed FIFA Men’s World Cup certainly helped raise awareness and engagement for soccer, it was just the culmination of a year where we saw partnerships soar everywhere from grassroots, to community impact and media, to brand engagement,” said Heath Pearce, President, FSV. “2023 is shaping up to be an epic year for soccer across North America with the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the debut of the Leagues Cup – which will feature all of the clubs from MLS and Liga MX in a completely reimagined, month-long, World Cup style tournament.” “As brands and platforms look to engage soccer fans, players, families and communities across North America, FSV is poised to deliver the most authentic media and marketing solutions in the market today.”

Since the pandemic, FSV has seen a 600% increase in revenue, and are now at 40 full-time employees, up from just eight in 2020. In the past year, FSV has continued to expand partnerships with some of the biggest brands in the world: adidas, Pepsi, Lays, Verizon, CBS Sports/Paramount+, Telemundo, Allstate, Soccer.com, BodyArmor, Ford, Topps, Umbro, Chevron and CVS among them.

Some highlights:

The Black Star Initiative, a platform accelerating the growth and popularity of soccer in Black American communities, continued its expansion, celebrating Black soccer culture, building community, and providing players and coaches access to soccer development pathways through its free Community Pick Up, First-Touch Youth Clinic, Girls and Boys ID Showcase, and U.S. Soccer Coach for Community – Coaching Clinic events. Paramount+ was presenting sponsor for all Black Star events in cities ranging from Detroit and Washington, DC to Los Angeles and Houston.

FSV teamed up with BodyArmor for their MLS All-Star Activation, providing a free soccer clinic for underserved communities in Minneapolis and also an influencer led soccer tournament (“Community Cup”), including Minnesota Aurora FC goalkeeper Sarah Fuller.

FSV Extended partnerships to support Paramount+’s growing soccer portfolio in the US, Mexico and across Latin America.

Alianza de Futbol, which FSV acquired in 2020, continued its own meteoric growth, overcoming the pause caused by the Covid 19 pandemic which kept thousands of soccer fans in the Hispanic community away from the fields for over a year. This year, the tour visited ten different cities prior to the National Finals: Phoenix, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San José, El Paso and Austin. One of the 2022 tour record figures was accomplished in Houston, where all tournaments were sold out and at capacity, with more than 34,000 fans and upwards of 2,000 participating players in attendance.

FSV extended its partnership with Allstate and “Allstate Sueno Alianza” which gives thousands of players the opportunity to be scouted by professional and national teams as well as colleges and universities.

The company built out an extensive multilingual influencer activation with FIFA World Cup broadcaster Telemundo to increase awareness for their talent and platform during the games in Qatar.

On the media side, FSV signed a strategic partnership with Men in Blazers to represent their iconic brand and continued to build on partnerships with Umbro, Topps, and adidas.

On the community and grassroots side, FSV continued to build on its partnership with Chevron and launched a new program with CVS Health.

FSV launched the Association – an experiential soccer league celebrating the sport, culture, and people that make the game vibrant. The 2022 installment (presented by BodyArmor) featured teams from CAA, Sony, Religion Of Sports, 424, The Shoe Surgeon, Winston House, AEG, Immortals FC, the American Outlaws, and Google.

In collaboration with Pepsico, The Team of Champions Platform (entering its third year) is now supporting over 15,000 players – giving black, Hispanic and female clubs around the country financial resources to make soccer fields and equipment more accessible and tournaments/league fees more affordable.

The ACCESS U Foundation – a non-profit organization that mentors underserved Hispanic and Black players and their families about the college pathway, including collegiate athletic scholarship opportunities and the college recruiting process to help them achieve their educational goals is supporting more than 70 players in their college recruitment and mentorship process.

The Soccer Collective, FSV’s owned and operated network of social media accounts, surpassed 2.6 million followers across 10 social brands. The Collective’s broader creator community, featuring partners like Men In Blazers, ThisWeekInMLS, and USMNTOnly, contributed to best-in-class influencer campaigns for a range of partners, including Paramount+, Topps, Telemundo, Umbro, and more.

On the Original Content side, FSV’s “Orange Slices,” a podcast hosted by former U.S. Men’s National Team player and Major League Soccer All-Star Heath Pearce and 22-year-old emerging U.S. international Mark McKenzie celebrate the past, present, and future of American soccer through generational storytelling and unprecedented access to rising U.S. stars around the world. Recent guests have included the likes of current US Men’s National Team players – Timothy Weah, Brendan Aaronson, Tyler Adams and Yunus Musah. As well as USMNT legend Tim Howard.

NASCAR Announces Partnership With RealResponse

NASCAR and RealResponse, the award-winning reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced a partnership that provides NASCAR and national series industry members with a safe and anonymous tool to secure feedback, report concerns and seek assistance from professionals in countless areas of expertise.

RealResponse is the industry leader in providing a platform for safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting. The partnership will provide any NASCAR national series team member with the ability to confidentially reach out to express concerns or report issues via a customized communication tool. NASCAR personnel receive the encrypted and anonymous messages directly and designate a subject matter expert to respond immediately to the concern.

Concerns can range from competition-based items such as gambling or integrity, safety and security, abuse or harassment, or for seeking mental health support. The identity of the industry member reaching out is protected through the RealResponse reporting program, ensuring anonymity. 

“NASCAR wanted to be proactive in providing a tool for industry members such as drivers, crew and other team personnel to safely reach out for help,” said Meghan Miley, Managing Director of Racing Operations for NASCAR. “In partnering with RealResponse, we now have a confidential method for reporting. We don’t have a limit to the types of reports industry members can submit, and we can ensure their privacy as they reach out for anonymous support at any time.”

RealResponse was launched in 2016 by former NCAA Division I student-athlete David Chadwick, who saw a need for athletes to have a safe and confidential way to bring feedback to their athletic administration. Today, numerous sport governing bodies, organizations and teams such MLB, the NFLPA and NFL teams, USA Swimming and other Olympic organizations, the National Women’s Soccer League, and a multitude of colleges and universities work with RealResponse to provide the same service.

“We are honored to engage in this historic partnership with NASCAR,” said David Chadwick, Founder and CEO of RealResponse. “NASCAR executives recognize the responsibility to make the sport of racing safer, more inclusive and more valuable in the eyes every stakeholder involved in the sport. Their embrace of RealResponse sends a clear message that the health and safety of its community members away from the track is as important as safety of drivers on race day.”

The program was introduced to the NASCAR national series teams in October.

Famer, 3STEP Sports Partner To Deliver Lacrosse Training Curriculum to 3d Players, Coaches

Famer, the virtual sports coaching and mentorship platform, today announced a partnership with 3d Lacrosse, one of the largest and most successful youth lacrosse organizations in the United States and part of 3STEP Sports. Founded in 2009, 3d Lacrosse has grown to over 2,500 players and 125 teams in 9 states.

Under terms of the deal, Famer’s video production arm, Famer Productions, will work with 3d Lacrosse to produce a custom library of hundreds of holistic player and coach training videos covering everything from lacrosse skills, drills and game situations, to leadership and mental toughness. This on demand content will be provided to every member of 3d Lacrosse as part of their commitment to innovation and providing the best training tools to their members. 3d Lacrosse members will download the Famer app and get access to the on demand video library as well as exclusive weekly content from 3d Lacrosse year-round.

“Famer shares 3d Lacrosse’s mission to deliver content and experiences that allow players and coaches to reach their full potential,” said Famer Chief Executive Officer Bill Richardson. “We are proud to have been chosen to power 3d Lacrosse’s digital player and coach development programming. Virtual coaching and training has become a critical component of the way forward thinking organizations coach and train their players and coaches. As we move beyond the pandemic, physical and digital training have merged forever. This partnership demonstrates the value of virtual coaching and mentorship extending and enhancing the core work coaches and athletes do on the field.”

“3d Lacrosse has developed an innovative Methodology for coach and player development,” says Greg Waldbaum, VP Lacrosse, 3Step Sports. “Famer enables us to bring together our best resources and share those amongst our coaches, players, and parents in an effective manner. By providing access to our coaches ‘in their pocket’ through Famer, we will be at the forefront of education and innovation for our sport and will continue to help our athletes develop their skills and be the best they can be”.

Famer and 3d Lacrosse will work closely to bring the best coaching and mentorship programming exclusively to 3d Lacrosse members. Local coaches will be able to use the Famer Team platform to provide interactive team training with group chat and workouts with their own custom content on top of the core 3d Lacrosse video library. Kids and parents will have access to the 3d Lacrosse Methodology library to train and improve anywhere and anytime.

For more information, visit 3d Lacrosse at https://www.3dLacrosse.com or Famer at https://www.famer.us.

CELSIUS Partners With Caleb Williams as NIL Athlete

CELSIUS fitness drink today announced its new partnership with the University of Southern California’s quarterback, Caleb Williams. CELSIUS continues its support of collegiate athletics by partnering with athletes nationwide as part of the company’s growing Collegiate Program.

CELSIUS University, which officially launched in August 2022, has begun partnering with college athletes nationwide as part of the NCAA’s new Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy that allows college athletes opportunities to monetize their name. The CELSIUS Program aims to provide best-in-class consumer experiences with elite brand partners within NIL and collegiate sports. 

 “Proud to be a brand partner of CELSIUS who has been pioneering their way into college football,” said the University of California’s star quarterback. “I’m looking forward to the projects we’ll do together to support college athletes in the future and bring more visibility to NIL as a whole.”

Athletes partnering with CELSIUS are further educating their peers and audience through their social media channels, while promoting the energy drink and LIVE FIT lifestyle, the brands mantra which aims to inspire people to LIVE FIT in the world around them and in everything they do.  LIVING FIT isn’t just for the gym, it’s a mindset and a lifestyle. CELSIUS provides people with the Essential Energy they need to elevate their everyday lives and achieve their personal bests. 

Caleb’s work on and off the field truly embodies the CELSIUS “Live Fit” mentality and lifestyle.  His shared passion for supporting his community, and love for the brand is the type of partnership CELSIUS® is proud to be part of and looks forward to continuing to help empower collegiate athletics. The partnership with Caleb and CELSIUS will run for 6 months. 

National Lacrosse League, San Diego Seals Announce First-Ever Outdoor NLL Game March 4

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the world’s largest and most successful professional lacrosse league, and the San Diego Seals today announced that the Seals’ March 4th game against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs will be staged outside at San Diego’s new Snapdragon Stadium, the first regular season outdoor game in the history of the NLL. The game will be played at 4:30 pm ET/1:30 pm PT and will be distributed live on ESPN+, TSN.ca and the TSN app. Additionally, the game will re-air the same day on ESPNU at 11:00 pm ET/8:00 pm PT.

“Our goal for the NLL and for the sport of lacrosse is to continue to increase awareness, enthusiasm and enterprise value well beyond where it exists today. This epic setting gives us another unique opportunity to showcase our world class athletes and on-field product, and not only engage with our core audience but attract diverse sports’ fans in search of new entertainment passions,” said Brett Frood, NLL Commissioner. “We are looking forward to working with the Seals and all our supporters in Southern California to making this an event to remember.”

“The Seals have been working on this event for a long time now, and we’re very excited to see this idea come to life. It’s crazy that in the 36-year history of the league this has never been done before,” said Seals President Steve Govett. “We can’t wait to build our box on the field of Snapdragon and play in the San Diego sunshine. Let’s take this outside!”

“We’re honored to host the Seals first ever outdoor NLL game,” added Adam Millar, General Manager of Snapdragon Stadium. “Looking forward to seeing another amazing San Diego team out on our field, and excited to welcome a whole new set of fans to the stadium!”

In addition to the Seals-Desert Dogs game on Saturday, Snapdragon Stadium will also be hosting an NCAA Women’s lacrosse tournament with two games on Friday and two on Sunday. Teams include: San Diego State University, Stanford University, Kent State University, and UC Davis.

This will be a weekend celebration of lacrosse in San Diego that lacrosse fans around southern California will not want to miss. Broadcast talent and other events connected to the game will be announced in the coming weeks.

Snapdragon Stadium will be scaled for 10,100 seats for the special event. A limited number of tickets for the Snapdragon Showdown are now available at SealsLax.com. If you are interested in a group outing for game, please contact the Seals at 619-375-3755 or email [email protected].

The Seals will open their home season this Friday against the Saskatchewan Rush at 7:00 pm at Pechanga Arena, available to watch on ESPN+, TSN.ca and the TSN app.

MSG Networks to Air First-Ever NHL ‘BetCast’ on Monday

On Monday night, MSG Networks will be airing a sports-betting focused simulcast of the Rangers game against St. Louis, which will mark the first time the network produces a sports betting-focused simulcast of an NHL game (the network has recently aired sports betting simulcasts of Knicks games). The upcoming hockey ‘BetCast’ will air on Monday at 7pm on MSGSN, alongside the traditional Rangers telecast on MSG.

The alternate Rangers telecast will feature Rangers reporter Michelle Gingras, former Rangers and Devils center and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Scott Gomez and sports betting hosts Alex Monaco and Sean Little breaking down the play on the ice from a sports betting perspective. They will deliver live reaction to all the betting action on the game from the spread, player props and more, as well as provide in-game updates to the odds and lines as they move throughout the night.