• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 5, 2025

Bleacher Report Takes Next Step in Evolution With B/REAL

B/R Bleacher Report

LeBron is #MoreThanAnAthlete. Bleacher Report wants to be #MoreThanAPublication.

Thanks to its new franchise B/REAL, the publisher is taking the steps to do just that.

B/REAL is the culmination of eight months of work from Bleacher Report, Carmelo Anthony, and his Crea7ive team, that saw Anthony and a board of trustees that include Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara, Candace Parker, and Chris Paul select the stories of five different individuals from more than 1,000 videos.

The idea originally came from the fact that every day, across all of its platforms, Bleacher Report was being sent hundreds — if not thousands — of messages and videos from their fans and users. Instead of seeing their DMs packed with stories as a negative, Ed Romaine, chief brand officer at Bleacher Report  and the editorial team saw an opportunity in which the publisher could not only bring to life some of the stories they were getting, but also create positive change in the life of the people they were profiling.

“Our entire value proposition is that we reach the hyperconnected sports fan,” said Romaine. “We hear from those fans every day. We hear about things that they’re struggling with, what they’re succeeding at, and where they have failed. The editorial team really thought that they would be remiss if they didn’t also surface the stories of our users and give them the credibility and the empowerment factor through the platform that professional athletes have.”

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

Having been in active talks with Melo and his team for quite some time leading up to the creation of B/REAL, both parties were looking for something that they could do together and that would make sense for everyone involved.

Taking the idea for B/REAL to Melo, his only stipulation before getting involved with the project was that if they did it, it had to make an impact on the lives of young athletes.

“Empowerment and community development are causes that are near and dear to him and we knew that we needed a mechanism that surfaced the stories we were receiving,” said Romaine. “We brought it to him and said, ‘We want to socialize these stories. What do you think of this?’ And he said, ‘If we can make an actual difference in the lives of a young athlete, then I’m in.’”

He wasn’t just in; he was all in. After seeing some of the first stories, Melo came up with the idea of bringing the board together to not only amplify the project, but also give the winners the opportunity to connect with some of their heros.

SEE MORE: Bleacher Report Flexes Original Content Muscles With ‘The Champions’

With fierce competition in the sports media landscape, B/R not only wanted to develop something that would do good in the community, but that would adhere to its values as an organization and where it is going in 2019 and beyond.

Much of that growth includes more original content, deeper looks into the lives of sports figures off the court, and an emphasis on bringing to life the stories of the people who are visiting B/R on a daily basis.

All aspects that they believe B/REAL hits on.

“More and more of our users gravitate toward not only what’s happening on the court, but what’s happening off of it,” added (Romaine. “Our athletes, who have a sort of natural inclination to following us and engaging in our content, also want to know who our users are. This was a way for us to accomplish both.”

B/R was able to partner with  Cricket Wireless who comes aboard as the presenting sponsor of B/REAL in a deal that came together because of the company’s desire to help foster connectivity and the belief that B/R and the B/REAL franchise was going to play a role in doing that.

Not only will Cricket have branding on all of the video content that will be produced, it will also play a role in helping fund the initiatives that the athletes are either championing or that will make a positive impact on what it is they are doing.

For example, for Alexandria Buchanan, one of the members from the B/REAL Class of 2018 and the first female starting varsity QB in America, B/R and Cricket are donating towards the refurbishment of her campus that is currently without bleachers and lights for the football field.

Only in its first year, Romaine sees potential with B/REAL that includes it growing into a non-profit fund that the company grows and uses in a variety of different ways.

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

“Ultimately you can imagine B/REAL existing as its own non-profit fund. Now, it’s an editorial platform that allowed us to make contributions to a bunch of things that matter, but you could also see how this could transition into being a fund that we nurture and deploy of across a bunch of different areas.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
Jun 10, 2025; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) drops back to pass during minicamp at their South Side facility.
opinion

Steelers Win-Now Mode Is Good News for NFL Media Partners

The conservative “Steeler Way” has finally adapted—and media partners are happy.

Featured Today

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena
June 26, 2025

Stanley Cup’s International Summer Tour: Rules, Repairs, and Raucousness

No pro trophy tour compares to the NHL’s three-month global victory lap.

Paramount Settles Trump Suit Ahead of NFL Season, Skydance Merger

The deal likely allows the much larger Skydance merger deal to proceed.
June 24, 2025

Fever vs. Aces Draws 5th-Largest TV Audience of 2025 WNBA Season

ESPN will carry seven more Indiana Fever games this year.
Leo Messi
June 27, 2025

TNT, Club World Cup Ride Messi to Surprisingly Solid Debut Ratings

TNT Sports carries about a third of matches in the U.S.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
June 23, 2025

NBA Finals Game 7 Is Most-Watched Since 2019, but Series Drops 9%

Game 7 drew 16.35 million viewers, the most-watched NBA game since 2019.
June 19, 2025

Pacers Force Game 7, Could Spark Big Ratings Boost for NBA Finals

Game 7 could boost NBA Finals ratings after a slow start this year.
June 17, 2025

Stanley Cup Final Delivers Drama but Struggles for Eyeballs in U.S.

U.S. viewership fell while Canadian audiences for the event rose slightly.
June 17, 2025

Streaming Tops Linear for First Time, Sports Still Key to TV’s Resilience

Streaming hits another critical milestone in an accelerating media transition.