Sport at the Center of Fast Company’s 2019 Most Creative People
For years, what now seems to be deemed a historic trend, athletes have served as “role models” to future generations of athletes; but the traditional responsibilities & actions are being re-defined.
Sport is no doubt a microcosm of society, and has been made popularized with famous sport brands (e.g. Nike, Adidas, Under Armour), franchises, and leagues taking a stand on various forms of discrimination and social issues. Two big demonstrations in the last half-decade, can be attributed to the various athletes taking a knee during the U.S. National Anthem protesting against police brutality + racism and the various women-centered equality campaigns, strengthened by several strikes and lawsuits over issues pertaining to pay parity and discrimination against women as a whole.
These fierce levels of athlete activism have brought about even more overlap in the intersection of professional athletes involvement in business, creative arts, and entertainment. This can be seen in various forms, but most actively in the increase of athlete entrepreneurship + business ownership, diversified advertising partnerships, and their heavy role in the call to action in times of national crisis. (e.g. to name a few: Colin Kaepernick’s move to trademark his hair and face, Kobe Bryant’s unexpected endorsement deal with Turkish Airlines, and the extremely generous $46.1 million contribution from the Justin J. Watt Foundation to the Harvey Relief.)
This year, Fast Company named seven individuals “most creative,” for their social and technical advancements in the world of sport and health; with three of them in the top 20. This number has increased by two, with five categorized under sport & health landing on last year’s 2018 list.
Fast Company is a monthly print & digital American business magazine that focuses on the intersection of technology, business, and design. The publication honors an annual list of 100 visionary leaders that have made a mark on their respective industries in an unprecedented manner.
Ringing in the top five at #2 , #3, and #4 for:
“Serving up an assist women athletes everywhere,” were Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, & Megan Rapinoe; Co-Captains of U.S. Soccer Women’s National Team. Ahead of their highly anticipated performance in the France 2019 Women’s World Cup this June, the three co-captains, honored for their advocacy work towards pay parity, led the lawsuit against U.S. Soccer Federation for discrimination and unequal pay of women athletes. In addition to the lawsuit, four women (three on the current roster & one a former USWNT player) are now business owners with the recent launch of their new venture “Re-Inc.,” a gender inclusive apparel company that aims to expand in beauty and technology while focusing on sustainable materials in all future product lines.
READ MORE to get inspired by their efforts. 🙌
Skipping a few to #19 for:
“Amplifying Nike IRL,” was President of Nike Direct, Heidi O’Neill. As head of Nike Direct and Retail Initiatives, Heidi’s main focus was reaching the sneaker-head community in a direct-to-consumer & creative way. With the rise of e-commerce, Brick & Mortar stores are finding themselves holding on and struggling to maintain foot traffic. But Heidi prevailed and challenged her team to find an interactive, customer-centered, and unique shopping experience with the aim to increase in-store sales. The result of her leadership were Nike’s House of Innovation Stores that opened last year in New York City & Shanghai.
READ MORE to see Nike’s bright new stores. ✅
Just past half at #63 for:
“Giving athletes a new edge,” was Humon’s Co-founder & CEO, Alessandro Babini. Humon differentiates itself from the many athletic wearables on the market by looking at how athlete’s adapt during their workouts and how specific muscles perform in the process; as opposed to just focusing on heart rate. The device’s retail price is set at $295 and has been sold out since it’s launch in February, 2018. The gadget has also seen a 30% increase in sales every month in it’s first year on the market. It is not only popular among the “everyday” athlete, but also a hit with professional leagues (e.g. NFL, NBA, & Crossfit). The leagues have utilized the innovative technology to review their athlete’s pre-practice & pre-game warm-up performances. The Humon CEO points to the device’s surplus of information about the body, for it’s continued success.
READ MORE to learn how the device works 📲
And last but not least, at #78 for:
“Scaling cinematic mountains,” was filmmaker, photographer, and adventurer, Jimmy Chin, in honor of his award-winning documentary, Free Solo. Jimmy Chinn was blown away with the success of his film. Along with winning the 2019 Oscar for Best Feature Documentary his film “Free Solo,” that captured Alex Honnold’s thrilling first ropeless climb of Yosemite’s 3,200-feet open El Captain rock face, the film also set a new record for highest opening pre-screen box office views of any documentary before it’s public premiere in September 2018. Prior to becoming an award-winning director, Mr. Chin was an American professional climber, skier, and mountaineer, that has led various international exploratory expeditions to China, Nepal, South Africa, Greenland, among others. According to his personal instagram: @Jimmychin, the National Geographic Photographer’s was last spotted in the Tetons, one of the highest mountain ranges in his home-state of Wyoming.
READ MORE for a short interview with the filmmaker. 🎙️
For Fast Company’s full 2019 Most Creative People list visit: https://www.fastcompany.com/most-creative-people/2019.
