Why We Play: The New Power Of Storytelling In Sports Marketing

What do the most marketable athletes in the world have in common?

Their stories move us.

In Why We Play, author Yasmeen Sharara breaks down the power of storytelling for the athletes and brands that are defining the intersection of sports, products, and marketing. Today's consumers want more than on-field dramatics; they want to understand, to know, and to empathize with the athletes they admire. Sharara offers a framework for brands and athletes to leverage this trend to build loyal, passionate and purposeful followings.

Why We Play details a powerful new framework for sports and athlete storytelling that has supported some of the most well-known brands in the past decade, including:

* How Tom Brady embraced social storytelling to build his TB12 brand
* Why Serena Williams opened up about her life as a mother to expand her reach, and
* What led Nike to design, specifically, a running shoe to help one of the most elite marathon runners, Eliud Kipchoge, attempt to break the 2-hour marathon barrier.

So, why do we play?

We play to win. To be remembered. To be heard. To tell a story. To write our own story.