Sports Media Report
Inspired by coaches from college basketball and beyond, an influential team of participants has announced the launch of and investment in Coaches+, a new media company that will develop and produce premium content and intellectual property while partnering with the widest range of distribution platforms to engage audiences globally.
Coaches+ is backed by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), organizations that combined represent more than 8,000 coaches across all levels of college, scholastic and youth basketball. The NABC and WBCA share an associated audience footprint of more than 190 million college alumni and more than a billion fans and followers on social media.
Coaches+ content initiatives currently in development include premium TV programming and podcasts, live games and events, philanthropic projects, education and instructional curricula, media collectibles and a “Coaches Creator” program to provide new opportunities and resources to coaches at every level.
NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson laid out the vision for Coaches+ to the organization’s membership at the NABC Convention, being held in New Orleans alongside the Men’s Final Four.
“The NABC is thrilled to take part in the launch of Coaches+, and we’re confident that this new initiative will create tangible benefits for our members from all levels of the sport,” Robinson said. “The ability of Coaches+ to develop and produce high-quality content will amplify our coaches’ unique stories and the NABC’s core values of leadership, education, inclusion, service and advocacy.”
As part of announcements at their respective organizations’ annual conventions, Robinson and WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew introduced a new Coaches+ funding round, backed by investments from the NABC, the WBCA and a group of individual investors.
“The impact and influence of coaches has never been more evident or important,” Donehew said. “Our investment and enthusiastic participation in Coaches+ is about our commitment to create new opportunities for our coaches and WBCA members in the always-evolving media ecosystem.”
Coaches+ was incubated in partnership with and additional investment from TeamWorks Media, a content studio based in Chicago that has developed and produced a wide range of award-winning sports programming, media properties and “in real life” content experiences.
“The best content has always been a mix of accessibility, authenticity and authority, which also happens to be qualities shared by the best coaches,” TeamWorks Media co-founder and CEO Jay Sharman said. “Coaches+ is a unique opportunity to create the highest level of programming that engages the widest range of passionate audiences through powerful, meaningful stories.”
For the remainder of 2022 and into 2023, Coaches+ will be accelerated out of TeamWorks Media’s studio in downtown Chicago, ahead of the selection of a location for a permanent Coaches+ studio and event space.
For more information, visit coachesplus.com or follow the company on social media (@coachesplus).
