Sports ownership, marketing shifts, and authentic social media

Executive overview

Attention has moved from TV to social and streaming — brands that haven't accepted this are now behind. Every person and organisation is effectively in the marketing business. Sports franchises sit at the centre of this shift because they command live attention that can't be skipped.

The conversation covers three areas: how Ryan Smith came to own the Utah Jazz, what the changing marketing landscape means for CMOs and individuals, and why social media authenticity requires knowing your "why" before posting.

Owning your team: Ryan Smith's path to buying the Jazz

• Turned down a rare opportunity to buy another NBA franchise — decided because his family were Jazz fans
• Asked Gail Miller directly whether the Jazz would ever be available; was told no
• Pivoted to becoming the Jazz's most committed sponsor, expecting no ownership
• Got an unexpected call months later — the whole team was for sale
• Frames ownership as stewardship: a community asset, not a moneymaker

GaryVee's Jets sweater story

• Became a Jets fan in 1982 because a neighborhood kid told him to
• Family couldn't afford a jersey; his mother knitted him one with his favorite number (5)
• Plans to place the sweater at the stadium entrance if he buys the Jets, with a plaque marking the journey
• Posts the number 5 on social as a tribute to his mother, not a personal brand move

The marketing landscape is changing

• Attention has migrated from TV commercials to YouTube, social, streaming, and gaming
• CEOs and CMOs have fully accepted this shift — a notable change from even 2019
• The NBA was ahead of other leagues: first to put brand patches on jerseys, normalising in-game brand integration
• QR codes and TikTok are now used by audiences well beyond under-25s
• Understanding how to create content for digital platforms is now a core business skill, not a specialist one

What the CMO role will look like

• Future CMOs will come up through agencies that operate natively in digital
• Vayner Media uses Gary's own content as a live test bed for platform strategy
• Strategic organic content (SOC): post production, timing, copy, first three seconds, and overlay image all matter — most people skip this
• The data from Gary's own channels feeds directly into client work at Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, Ford

Why most social media isn't working

• Most posts are selfish: optimising for likes, money, or brand deals rather than providing value
• People fake personas because they lack confidence in who they actually are
• The disaster framework: wanting fame and income fast from social, before building anything real
• People who post daily to tiny audiences and genuinely enjoy it are the ones who eventually win

How to approach social media authentically

• Start with one question: why are you doing this?
• If the answer is enjoyment and genuine interest — treat it like a hobby, not a business pitch
• Negative comments signal the commenter's pain, not a flaw in your content — respond with compassion, not defensiveness
• Gary's motivation: feels a debt to his mother and tries to do for strangers what she did for him
• He checks data not for validation but to optimise reach — more people hearing a useful message is the goal