Presented by the Social Innovation Research Institute and Sport Innovation Research Group at Swinburne University of Technology.

In the second of our Sport Fan Series, join us for a discussion on how sports content develops fan connection and the emerging role of sport documentaries and narrative content.

We'll discuss how great storytelling fosters fan connection, learning from content creators and their experiences in producing sports stories in innovative ways, as well as from academic experts who understand the power of narrative when it comes to sport. 

We’ll cover the growing role of content and the sport documentary revolution including 2020 releases such as The Last Dance, Athlete A and Beyond The Boundary to name a few. We'll talk about benefits and risks for sporting organisations in creating this kind of content, how fans access content, and ask our content creators how they work with and the need diversity in sport storytelling.

Sporting organisations, marketers, managers and media will appreciate the focus on research needed to understand how fans are engaging with content and how to create meaningful, narrative driven content that sets itself apart, particularly as sports adapt their fan engagement strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This event will feature special guests Joanna Lester, Shannon Gill and Dr Noah Cohan, and will be co-hosted by Dr Kasey Symons and Associate Professor Adam Karg. A short Q&A with attendees will follow the discussion.
 

Speakers

Joanna Lester is a journalist, filmmaker and communications specialist whose work focuses on the Pacific and the social impact of sport. She has reported for the BBC, ABC, SBS and Fairfax, covered several Olympic Games, and worked as a media manager in international rugby league. She directed the award-winning documentary Power Meri, which follows the journey of Papua New Guinea's national women's rugby league team to their first World Cup, and explores how women's sport can change lives and attitudes. The film has been released internationally and is being used in schools and communities to drive discussion about the treatment and status of women.

Shannon Gill has spent 15 years on and off in the sporting industry in marketing, communications and sponsorship including stints at the AFL and Cricket Australia. He is the co-creator and host for The Greatest Season That Was sports documentary podcast. In addition, Shannon is a sports writer and has written on a variety of sports for ESPN, Cricinfo, Wisden, the Roar and the Footy Almanac.

Dr Noah Cohan is Assistant Director of American Culture Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. His research and teaching are oriented to the intersection of American fan cultures, sports, and narratives, particularly as they pertain to race and gender. Cohan’s book, We Average Unbeautiful Watchers: Fan Narratives and the Reading of American Sports, was published in July 2019 by the University of Nebraska Press. He is the co-editor of Sport in the University, a special issue of the journal American Studies (Fall 2016), the founding coordinator of the Sports Studies Caucus of the American Studies Association, and co-convener of the AMCS program initiative in Sports and Society: Culture, Power, and Identity.

Dr Kasey Symons is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Swinburne's Sport Innovation Research Group and works across research projects focussed on sport and social impact, sports fan culture and sport and gender. Symons is the Social Media Editor for the North American based Sports Literature Association and is a sports writer and co-founder of the women in sport collective Siren.

Adam Karg is an Associate Professor at Swinburne University of Technology and Director of the Swinburne Sport Innovation Research Group. Adam is a leading researcher on sport fans and consumer behaviour and has been engaged in a wide range of research, consulting and advisory roles with over 75 sport organisations including national and regional sport organisations, government, agencies, sport technology start-ups and professional leagues and teams.