Professional athletes own some of the most incredible lifestyles imaginable, and twenty-first century technology has created windows into these lifestyles in many different ways. The likes of Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have been in use by pros for years now, and give average fans the opportunity to observe a lot of things that players would like for them to see. But there is never much depth to an Instagram post, and nobody can write anything particularly worthwhile in a 140-character tweet.
Fortunately for fans around the world, certain athletes have taken it upon themselves to create media in which they — not a social media tech giant — determine what and how much they can tell to everyone. For example, Derek Jeter’s Players’ Tribune, founded in October 2014, is an outlet for athletes to write about almost whatever they want. Meanwhile, Lebron James launched Uninterrupted in collaboration with Bleacher Report. This platform regularly showcases the life and times of LeBron James, Ronda Rousey, and Rob Gronkowski, among others. But neither The Players’ Tribune nor Uninterrupted are like Unscriptd.
Get The Latest Sports Digital News In Your Inbox!
Unscriptd, which is set to debut for the public in the coming weeks, is something of a combination of The Player’s Tribune and Uninterrupted, but is simultaneously so much more. Athletes that work with Unscriptd will be able to say absolutely anything they desire via video content that they can share to the Unscriptd website and app, and which can then be viewed by the athletes’ followers.
What makes Unscriptd so special is that there is no middle man — whereas The Players’ Tribune has editors and Uninterrupted is naturally filtered by Bleacher Report, Unscriptd is set to show truly unadulterated content. Everything on Unscriptd is going straight from the athletes to the fans: any athlete making use of Unscriptd has the app on their phone and can upload their videos without the videos being viewed by anyone else.
Andre Agassi shares a very odd superstition he held throughout his career – playing without underwear. https://t.co/vmfR1GkoJi
— Unscriptd (@UnscriptdSport) January 20, 2016
To launch Unscriptd has secured a list of athletes as investors led by former American tennis star Andre Agassi. “As professional athletes, we recognize that certain moments in sports, and in life, are not only entertaining, but have the potential to motivate and inspire,” said tennis legend and Unscriptd investor Andre Agassi. “Unscriptd was developed for athletes in order to provide fans with an unfiltered window into the pivotal moments that shape elite athletes into who they are. This is an exciting and totally new concept, and I believe that it has the potential to change the way that both athletes and fans connect through digital publishing.”
Unscriptd is going to become the newest chapter in a trend that is integrating athletes into the public like never before. But more so than The Players’ Tribune and Uninterrupted, Unscriptd is launching with a global mindset. It already has 30 popular athletes, with a combined 500 million social media followers, on its content roster and has successfully produced a video with Christiano Ronaldo giving a tour of his private home:
“When I met Unscriptd, I was attracted to their unique publishing model and simple technology immediately,” said Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. “The idea that I can be a publisher of my own personal story and have my personal video broadcast to not only my fans but to new markets and make new fans is a great opportunity for me and other athletes.”
Unscriptd has claimed that its goal is to let athletes “[take] control of their own narrative, the issues or stories that matter to them, and deliver insight into their sport.” Since professional athletes are regularly under so much scrutiny as not just celebrities, but also as role models, Unscriptd is going to serve as an unfiltered breath of fresh air — the same air that, as we are learning, multi-million dollar sports stars breathe as well.