He’s released 13 albums since 2006 - four of which debuted at No. Not that Khaled has been accused of failing to keep up with the times. And if you do it in real time, you can almost prepare to pivot.” One of my major keys of success is to take care of every single thing because it will inspire you to go get more. I got here by not letting somebody have access to my money, because there’s too many stories out there. “I pay the grass guy, the electric bill for the studio, everything. It’s only in the last 20 years or so, Bradish said, that players have started to push back against that.“I don’t let nobody pay nothing for me,” Khaled says. Owners and managers have been “controlling the messages for these athletes for a very long time,” she said. It will also give athletes the freedom to tell their own stories instead of the stories their team managers or owners might want them to tell, said Cheri Bradish, who teaches sport marketing at Ryerson University in Toronto. (Submitted by Cheri Bradish)Ībigail said a platform like Uninterrupted will give fans a chance to learn more about their favourite athletes, especially those who aren’t very active on social media. Sports marketing expert Cheri Bradish gives the example of an NBA player sharing his experience of fasting for Ramadan as the kind of personal story an athlete could share on Uninterrupted that might not make it through regular media channels. “I think a balance is very important,” she said, adding it’s essential to get “both sides” of every story. “I love seeing what athletes are doing away from their sports,” said the 14-year-old from Whitby, Ont.īut Abigail, who golfs and plays ice hockey, said she sees the value in traditional interviews with athletes, too. (Submitted by Abigail Dove)Ībigail Dove, who is a kid reporter for Sports Illustrated Kids and Sportsnet, said there’s still something fun about hearing stories that are coming “straight from the athletes.” You’re only getting “what the players want you to know,” Kelly said.Ībigail Dove, who has worked as a kid reporter for Sports Illustrated Kids and Sportsnet, says she likes the idea of hearing from the athletes without having to go through a reporter first. “But if there’s anything controversial,” he said, “there’s no way the player is going to tell you anything that makes them look bad.” Ninety-five per cent of the time, that’s not a problem, said Kelly, who’s been a journalist for 38 years. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the content produced under the Uninterrupted brand, said Malcolm Kelly, founder and coordinator of the graduate sports journalism program at Centennial College in Toronto.īut platforms like this (there are others, including The Players’ Tribune, which launched in 2014,) only exist so that players can talk to fans “without having anybody ask them critical questions,” he said.

2, the service officially launched in Canada. Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James first launched the Uninterrupted brand in the U.S.

Sounds like fun for fans, but some are wondering if this is a way for athletes to avoid answering tough questions. version, Uninterrupted Canada will produce podcasts, documentaries, shows, events and merchandise. 2, the brand officially launched in Canada in partnership with Drake, who will act as a producer or consultant for some projects and write original music for others. in 2015 as a way to give athletes a chance to share what they’re passionate about without having to go through any filters - like team managers or reporters. The NBA giant and businessman Maverick Carter originally launched the brand in the U.S. The pros and cons of Canada’s new digital platform for athletesĬanadian athletes looking to build their brand might be getting a boost after LeBron James launched his digital platform, Uninterrupted, in Canada on Friday - with a little help from Drake.

Drake hype original