Grant Jones, general manager of newly created sports humor site The Kicker, says the venture relies on a simple formula: Comedy and fandom go together.
From Funny or Die’s ties to MLB to “This Is SportsCenter,” sports and laughs aren’t strangers, but The Kicker features a full-time, dedicated focus to sports comedy. The New York-based site is the work of Above Average Productions, the digital arm of “Saturday Night Live” founder and producer Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video. Unlike some other ventures, The Kicker is trying to heavily leverage social platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, and be fully athlete-friendly, similar to The Players’ Tribune.
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“Weird Al” Yankovic’s video helped launch the site.
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“There is a real appetite for this content,” Jones said. “The slogan here is ‘For Fans, For Fun,’ and we mean that. We’re fans, too. We’re trying to be celebratory and get at what is funny in sports. We also want to be the place where athletes can come to be funny.”
The Kicker’s launch last month featured a hyperbolic take on typical postgame news conferences featuring pop satirist “Weird Al” Yankovic. The clip, in which Yankovic bore more than a passing resemblance to Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, quickly generated nearly a million views.
“The casting and execution on that one was exactly what we were shooting for,” said Jones, whose key partner in the venture is editor-in-chief Bryan Tucker, co-head writer at “SNL.” “That is a strong template for the kind of viral content we want to create.”
The Kicker intends to generate revenue in several ways. Beyond typical pre-roll advertising, the company through Above Average Productions has entered into promotional partnerships with several brands, including computer manufacturer Lenovo, and is pushing branded content opportunities. The site did not disclose typical ad inventory pricing, but executives said The Kicker intends to be much cheaper than many other sports destinations.
“A lot of brands want to be involved in sports, but there is often a very high barrier to entry. Costs in many places are very high,” Jones said. “So we think we can position ourselves as a compelling alternative.”
