Format Thinking for Athletes and Sports Creators

Most athlete content strategies follow the same pattern: post highlights after a match, share training footage, do an occasional sit-down interview. It is reactive, unstructured, and -- despite the athlete's audience size -- generates relatively little long-term value. The alternative is format thinking: designing repeatable content structures that can run for seasons, build audience habit, and be structured as intellectual property.

What a format actually is

A format is not a topic. It is a repeatable structure. It has a consistent premise, recurring segments, a recognisable rhythm, and a production framework that allows new episodes to be produced efficiently.

Consider the difference: an athlete posting training clips is creating content. An athlete hosting a weekly show where they break down the tactical decisions behind their biggest matches, with a consistent opening, recurring guest format, and closing segment, is building a format. The first is ephemeral. The second is an asset.

In the US, the Kelce brothers' 'New Heights' podcast became one of the most popular shows in the country not because Jason and Travis Kelce are inherently better storytellers than other athletes, but because the format was well-designed: a consistent premise (two brothers in the NFL reacting to the week's games), recurring segments, and a production cadence that audiences could build habits around.

Why this matters for African athletes specifically

The economics of athlete content in Africa are different from the US or Europe. Platform ad revenue rates in most African markets are significantly lower than Western equivalents. A YouTube video that would earn $10 per thousand views in the US might earn $1-2 in Nigeria or Kenya.

This means the volume-based content strategy that works for Western creators is structurally disadvantaged in African markets. Posting more highlights and training clips will not close the gap.

What does work is building media properties that can be monetised through sponsorship, licensing, and syndication rather than platform ad revenue alone. A recurring format with a defined audience and consistent production quality can attract brand sponsors at rates that far exceed what platform monetisation alone would generate.

African athletes have a unique advantage here. The stories emerging from African sport -- the journeys from grassroots academies to global leagues, the cultural significance of sport across the continent, the intersection of diaspora identity and athletic achievement -- are inherently compelling and globally resonant. What is needed is the structure to tell them repeatedly and well.

The IP advantage of format thinking

When you create a format, you create intellectual property. The format itself -- its name, structure, creative framework, and brand identity -- can be trademarked, licensed, and valued as an asset.

In practical terms, this means an athlete who co-creates a recurring format is building something that can generate revenue long after any individual episode is forgotten. The format can be licensed to broadcasters in other markets, adapted for different sports verticals, or run for multiple seasons with different featured athletes while the original creator retains ownership.

This is the model that drives the entertainment industry globally. Shows like 'Top Gear,' 'MasterChef,' and 'The Voice' are format IP -- licensed and adapted across dozens of countries. The same logic applies to athlete-led sports content. A well-structured format is not a video. It is a media property.

In Nigeria, the legal framework for protecting these assets is evolving. The Copyright Act 2022 protects artistic works including audio-visual productions. The Trade Marks Act allows athletes to register distinctive elements of their brand. And as image rights jurisprudence develops across the continent, athletes who structure their content as documented IP will be significantly better positioned than those who do not.

How to start thinking in formats

For athletes and sports creators looking to make this shift, the process begins with three questions:

First, what is your unique angle? Not just your sport, but the specific intersection of your experience, personality, and perspective that no one else can replicate. An athlete who played in both African and European leagues has a perspective on the cultural transition that is uniquely theirs.

Second, what structure can be repeated? The premise needs to work for 10, 20, 50 episodes without running out of material. The best formats are built around recurring situations (weekly match reactions, pre-game rituals, career milestone reflections) rather than finite stories.

Third, who owns what? Before a single episode is produced, the IP ownership, revenue allocation, and creative governance should be documented. This is not about distrust -- it is about building a business that can grow, attract investment, and generate returns for everyone involved.

The athletes who build formats will own the next generation of African sports media. The ones who keep posting clips will remain talent-for-hire.