The sports media world today is all about adaptation. There’s no place for you if you can’t adapt or create ways to increase engagement.
One thing that has been prevalent not just among sports leagues but also within organizations across the major North American sports is the production of docuseries that air either on major streaming platforms or through the team’s YouTube channel.
These kinds of film pieces have been around for a long time now. Some of the most interesting are the “All or Nothing” series on Amazon or the “Hard Knocks” series on Max. In regards to hockey, the “Behind The Glass” series the NHL produces, or even “Behind the B,” is a Bruins-focused behind-the-scenes docuseries that has been around for a while. But in recent years, many teams have taken it to the next level and created their own form of this media content. And the Flames announced that they’re joining the fray with “The Chase: Inside Flames Training Camp.”
Coming soon pic.twitter.com/G6gew9VOPy
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) September 29, 2024
There aren’t many sports fans who would complain about series like these being made more often by more teams. Every fan wants this kind of access to locker rooms or even players’ personal lives, which means it generates clicks, and that’s great for the teams producing them as well. There aren’t many downsides to creating something like it, if there are any at all.
The comments on the post from the Flames showcase the kind of desire many Flames fans had for the team to take a more “modern” approach to social media and marketing by creating a series like this.
love everything about this, please do more
— i dont rlly care if you cry (@200iqflamesfan) September 29, 2024
Been tweeting and commenting on the YouTube page for what feels like forever asking for a behind the scenes series. PUMPED!
— matt (@204flamesguy) September 29, 2024
With this new series coming out, we get an inside look at how certain players prepare themselves for preseason games or how new players adjust to their first NHL training camp. Still, we also get to go within the halls and rooms of the Flames coaching staff and upper management to see how decisions are made. As Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote in the play Hamilton, we all want to be in the room where it happens. We want to be a fly on the wall while making important decisions. A series like this puts that information at the fingertips of anyone who wants to venture down that path.
There will be triumphant and sad moments, just as there are in the business of professional sports, but seeing these players not just as little men on a sheet of ice but as people, too, is a great way to attract more people to a fanbase and encourage them to support a team.
Episode one of the documentary will air on Oct. 1, so mark your calendar, Flames fans. There are still three pre-season games to go, but with entry-level deals being signed and players being cut, there’s plenty of content for the first episodes of what looks to be an exciting series.
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