Athlete fandom shift toward personalities

On today’s episode of The Pitch, Andy is joined by Jo Redfern (stepping in for Drew) to trade sports media ideas sparked by Roblox, Netflix-style “shared universes,” and the BBC’s Celebrity Traitors.

Jo opens with a pitch for DropHoop, a new hybrid sport incubated on Roblox first (parkour x tag x basketball), designed to scale through gameplay, UGC distribution, and monetisation before ever being commissioned IRL.

The pair unpack why Roblox is effectively a Petri dish for sports formats, how brands could “own” emerging sports rather than sponsor existing ones, and what milestones would need to be hit before moving from a digital game to a live, ticketed experience.

Andy flips the lens to traditional broadcast and proposes a new kind of rights add-on: sports should negotiate entertainment crossover as part of the deal, giving athletes access to audition for (or appear in) major reality formats to reach audiences who’d never click a sports doc.

From The Traitors to Netflix’s Perfect Match flywheel, they explore how “character as referral” could become a repeatable growth lever for tier-two sports, without needing fans to already care about the sport in the first place.

Timestamps

02:00 - Jo's Pitch: Roblox as a signal engine for the next generation of sports formats
06:30 - DropHoop explained
26:00 - The economics + milestones
30:00 - Andy’s Pitch: Reality TV as a rights negotiation lever for athlete-driven discovery
40:00 – Proof points: influencer-led fandom and why “character is the referral engine”
45:00 – Why this is under-leveraged?

About The Hosts

The Pitch is the conversational show from the Sports Pundit Podcast Network, hosted by Andy Marston and Drew Rauso (with occasional guests stepping in!)

It’s a play on words, with each host bringing an idea, theme, or provocation that they pitch to the other. Together they react, debate, and explore what’s really happening across the sports industry, from shifting media models to the next wave of innovation.

Each episode mixes perspective with practicality, with occasional appearances from other Sports Pundit hosts from across the Network.

Jo Redfern is a digital and youth media specialist who has spent the last five years at the forefront of platforms such as YouTube, Roblox, and TikTok. With a background in traditional broadcast and kids media, Jo is known for turning generational media behaviours into commercial opportunities.

Through her consultancy firm, Futrhood, she helps IP owners and rights holders scale engagement and monetisation by leveraging content, platforms, community, and emerging tech.

Andy Marston⁠ is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector.

Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.

About Sports Pundit

Sports Pundit is a community-driven platform for executives working in sport, built around content, events, and conversation. Through its ⁠weekly newsletter⁠, social channels, WhatsApp groups, and podcast network, it connects industry leaders across the globe.

Produced by OH SIX

The Sports Pundit Podcast is proudly produced by OH SIX, a content marketing agency specialising in producing digital and social-first content that connects. Trusted by Premier League clubs, F1 teams, and top brands, OH SIX deliver premium content end-to-end, from ideation, working with talent during production and platform specific content to reach audiences on screen.