The Importance of Fan Engagement in Sports

If I'm a basketball player, I play 82 games a year,

and I might play, if I'm a starter,

whatever, 32 minutes, 82 times 32 minutes,

I don't know what that is, it's a very large number. That is a body of work

that basketball fans have unlimited access to.

They can watch me play, they can analyze to their heart's content

every aspect of my performance,

and every year more and more and more analysis based on that body of work

is available to the fan, right?

So, it doesn't matter, there are very shy NBA players,

but they don't shield the world from seeing what their particular statistical

profile was in a given game.

So in running, we just have to get past this fact. If you're shy, whatever.

Your livelihood in the sport depends on fan engagement,

and if you are an elite athlete, you are de facto public figure in the

world of athletics.