Eric Williams
NFL Reporter
LOS ANGELES — Former NFL MVP Cam Newton has definitely not pale into the sundown after his taking part in days.
Via content material creation and provocative dialogue on his social media channels, Newton has developed a second profession after soccer. And on the NFL’s annual Participant Private Branding and Social Workshop this week in Los Angeles, the previous Heisman Trophy winner and Tremendous Bowl quarterback inspired present gamers to take an analogous path.
“Use [football] as a software, not as oxygen,” Newton instructed younger NFL gamers throughout a breakout session. “It’s cool, however when you’ve leveraged your entry and leveraged who you’re, that may pay you dividends for years to return.”
Now in its sixth 12 months, the two-day occasion affords gamers perception on entrepreneurship, securing partnerships, getting essentially the most out of social media and different methods to construct their model whereas nonetheless taking part in within the league.
YouTube, which has a partnership with the NFL and can broadcast its first reside recreation this season, hosted the second day of the seminar on the firm’s facility in Playa Vista. Kim Larson, world head of creators and gaming for YouTube, hammered house the significance of gamers discovering their voice, constructing relationships and utilizing the sources obtainable to them.
Tracy Perlman, senior vice chairman of participant operations, mentioned the NFL partnered with former NFL receiver Larry Fitzgerald to create an occasion that teaches abilities to assist gamers model themselves throughout and after their careers. Along with Fitzgerald, different former gamers who spoke embrace burgeoning media creators and TV personalities Ryan Clark, Jason McCourty and Marshawn Lynch, who was not essentially a keen interview topic throughout his taking part in profession.
“In case you’re a present participant in your first, second or third 12 months, you begin enthusiastic about what I aspire to do after soccer after which check out these issues by way of the packages that we’ve got,” Perlman mentioned. “And should you’re a veteran on the again finish, now it’s a must to begin pinpointing, and what does that imply? And the way does that impression who you’re on the sphere?
“The extra you begin to let folks know who you’re while you’re taking part in or as you begin transitioning out, the extra persons are going to begin to search for your content material, search for your story and observe you as you’re doing that.”
One participant on that street is veteran New Orleans Saints tight finish Juwan Johnson, who has 161,000 followers on Instagram and posts commonly about his household life.
“Once I first obtained into social media, you’re actually type of misplaced,” Johnson instructed me. “You’re making an attempt to see the place you may slot in, the place you may assist. Actually, I feel it’s about actually discovering my method, how I can symbolize myself and my household — me being a father and being a soccer participant, since you’re additionally representing a workforce. So, dealing with myself on the soccer subject and off the soccer subject is the largest factor. Being right here offers you the instruments, but in addition the entry they’ve to assist us out.”
Getting into his second NFL season, Chicago Bears receiver Rome Odunze was an energetic participant throughout breakout discussions as he learns to navigate new areas on social media.
“There’s a terrific alternative right here with what the NFL is doing for us with this workshop,” Odunze instructed me. “So I’m simply making an attempt to benefit from it. There’s so many avenues and areas you can step into inside this realm. I’m simply making an attempt to learn the way I wish to strategy it.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for greater than a decade, masking the Los Angeles Rams for Sports activities Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma Information Tribune. Comply with him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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