How to Build a Player Marketing Strategy with JB Greer, Octagon Director of Player Marketing, Baseball

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast.

I have a new theory I’m testing out – let’s call it a lukewarm take in progress.

Over the last 10 years as I’ve spoken at colleges and universities across the country, a vast majority of the young people I talk to equate working in the sports industry with becoming an agent.

This makes total sense.

Superficial generally unrealistic benefits of being an agent:

• Rub elbows with famous athletes.
• Be part of their entourage
• Go to cool events.
• Get good tickets to games.
• Possibly have a movie made about you.
• Drive a fancy car.

Sounds pretty cool right? That is the romanticized version of being a sports agent. Most don’t find this glory, but that is hard to process when you are young and feeling invincible.

I don’t say that dismissively, I totally thought I was invincible in my 20s, and that positivity possibly leaked into my 30s. When I was young, I didn’t see downsides or pitfalls as something that could happen to me, that was the other people, I’d be the successful one.

The reality of being a sport agent:

• Very few make it
• TONS of competition
• If you don’t know athletes, it is near impossible to get rolling
• Lots of money spent, before money comes in – you could spend tons of your own money on some undrafted free agent that gets invited to training camp, never makes a roster and doesn’t sign a big contract. No payday for you.

To drill down to the point, Sports Agent has been the big dream career of many – but it ain’t easy. Not trying to dissade anyone, just pointing out the reality.

Get ready here comes the warmish take.

I think there is a shift. I think we’re seeing more and more interest in player marketing, and today’s guest JB Greer Director of Player Marketing for baseball at Octagon, is one prime example of this dream career.

I’ll let JB tell you about the benefits and why he loves is job, but surface level:

• Still rubbing elbows with incredible players
• Super creative – getting to come up with partnerships, marketing activations and player branding.
• You are part of a bigger team – at Octagon there are multiple agents, marketers, financial advisors and coordinators on the baseball team working in conjunction with one another. No trying to go it alone.
• And I’m guessing you still get good tickets to the game.

Bottom line – if I were starting out again, I think this may be the way I’d go, and it’s definitely something you in the audience should consider.

Let’s hear all about it from today’s guest – JB Greer.