Goatnet got its name after great realization
The idea was to launch a sports movie network. It would be the first of its kind. All sorts of sports channels exist, but all of them revolve around the airing of live games and associated highlights. Everything else falls under the umbrella of what is called shoulder programming.
Human interest content and entertainment essentially are afterthoughts or filler. That’s not an insult to the non-live intellectual property that serves to occupy time between the action fans care about most.
What became more clear every season in the last 20 or so years is that “feature” stories were in shorter supply and scattered around without having a formidable home. Newspapers and magazines were losing their relevance. Creativity in sports-themed coverage seemed like a low priority.
Yet, brands definitely still were aligning themselves with sports coverage and events. And always would. What we kept hearing in professional league circles was that marketers wanted something new, something they could call their own.
Those of us contemplating a sports movie network were left to dream up a business plan that would stick that landing, showing the way to engaging new content that would complement tried and true titles adored by millions.
Go get the rights to the Rocky franchise. The Bad News Bears. Miracle. The Blind Side. Bang The Drum Slowly. The White Shadow. All The Right Moves. Back To School. The Other Side of the Mountain. Heaven Can Wait. Blue Chips. Soul Surfer. The Longest Yard. The Sting. Cool Runnings. Glory Road. Ali. The World’s Greatest Athlete. Cheers. The Fan. Easy Money.
Start there, with films and shows that lean into the fact that sports movies aren’t just sports movies, that they’re appealing to sports fans in general. But not necessarily because of competition in a formal setting. For example, one could argue that Old School qualifies for inclusion because of the Olympic style test confronting the fraternity and its charter.
So we looked at the catalogs of options. Ran the numbers. What we discovered was that availability even if non exclusive wasn’t the problem. It isn’t even cost prohibitive. The problem is, content that isn’t fresh isn’t enough. It’s nice to have and, ultimately, will be an important way to show value. But it isn’t the smartest way to start this business.
So if it isn’t a sports movie network from Day 1, really, what is it?
This is where the epiphany happened. We don’t need to be known for something so narrow as sports movies or for long form in a day and age of social media and shortening attention spans. We need to be embraced as a solution for the makers of great content.
But how? And what would we call it?
Movies take a long time to make. Same goes for documentaries and scripted series. What we needed to do was define our niche and innovate to address a valuable desire.
Our niche isn’t sports. It’s greatness. More specifically, it’s people who are drawn to and involved in the pursuit of greatness. What does that audience want that it doesn’t already have?
What it already has is access to live games across countless channels: Streaming, cable, satellite, data, instruction, free, subscription, pay per view, blacked out, not blacked out, websites, social, legacy brands trying to reinvent themselves on the fly and others aspiring to break through.
The latter, eyes wide open, is where startups can become endups if they don’t get it right.
Greatness is underrated and, frankly, misunderstood. Millions of people have achieved great things. They aren’t the greatest versions of themselves every day, every month or every year. They have great games, great ideas, great motivation, great memories, great lessons they’ve learned and great reasons to go on.
So, what we’ve set the foundation for is a network that intends to be the greatest of all time. Not because it is the greatest of all time, but because it will strive to provide its members the greatest of all time network of opportunities.
Goatnet is our name. You are the goat you. We are your network. It’s a place where great work is done and celebrated, how great storylines get chronicled, a way for great companies and supporters to align themselves with great ambassadors.
What’s great about sports movies - the seed concept that sparked this whole enterprise - is that they aren’t just about the triumph or the grand finale. They’re about the scenes, about the pitch that got them made in the first place.
Our timing could not be better. Our homework and early pivot got us here. That, and great investors who believe in a great team. We are making Goatnet together. We’re bringing great ideas to life and doing so in public, with momentum made possible because of people who’ve played games as amateurs, in college and/or professionally. Because of people who’ve risen to elite levels in their fields.
Because they choose to try to keep ascending and to occupy their time and that of those who catch their waves with greater endeavors.
That’s our origin story. It isn’t the sports movie network. It’s Goatnet. What we are making is a platform for great attractions to soar.
