08/12/2026
New research from USC Annenberg and Acceleration Community of Companies found that Gen Z is increasingly discovering athletes through “side doors” such as viral content, pop culture, their personal life/relationships, and moments that happen completely outside of competition.
For athletes and the teams behind them, that creates a much bigger opportunity than simply posting more.
It means intentionally building a brand online and IRL that gives people multiple ways to discover you, connect with you and ultimately care about what you do.
Are you intentionally creating those side doors or waiting for them to happen? 👀
