Overview
You run content strategy for the San Antonio Spurs social media accounts. This means figuring out what content to make, how to distribute it, and which platforms/formats to prioritize. You work with Kent Heckel (who posted this) and likely 1-2 other content producers. Your raw material is NBA games, player access, behind-the-scenes footage, and whatever you can create around the team.
Role Snapshot
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Role Type | Director of Content Strategy (Social Media) |
| Content Motion | Platform-native, short-form focused, creator economy influenced |
| Audience | Spurs fans (local + national), NBA fans, basketball content consumers |
| Team Size | Small (likely 3-5 person social team) |
| Reporting | Likely to VP/Head of Digital or Marketing |
| Scope | All Spurs social platforms (Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) |
Company Context
Organization: NBA franchise - 5 championships, strong brand equity, Victor Wembanyama era
Size: Large org overall (~200+ total employees), but social team is small
Market Position: Mid-market NBA team competing for attention against bigger market franchises
Current Content Approach: Traditional sports content shifting toward creator-economy tactics
Leadership Buy-In: Kent's post suggests real investment in pushing boundaries, not just incremental improvements
Content Reality
Content Sources:
- Game footage (home/away - NBA media restrictions apply)
- Player availability (practice, locker room, scheduled media availability)
- Behind-the-scenes access (team facilities, travel, warmups)
- Archival content (championship history, throwback moments)
- Created/original content (need to conceive and produce)
Platform Dynamics:
- TikTok/Reels/Shorts: Where most growth/reach happens, requires constant output
- Twitter/X: Real-time game commentary, NBA discourse participation
- Instagram: Mix of polished content and stories
- YouTube: Longer-form content, requires more production
Constraints:
- NBA media rights restrictions (can't post certain game footage)
- Player availability is limited and scheduled
- Competing with 29 other NBA teams for attention
- Small market vs Lakers/Warriors/Knicks content advantages
What You'll Actually Do
Time Breakdown
Strategy/Planning (30%) | Content Production (25%) | Platform Management (20%) | Meetings/Coordination (25%)
Key Activities
- Content Planning: Mapping out weekly content calendar around game schedule, player availability, and platform trends. You're deciding what to make, when to post, and which platforms to prioritize.
- Format Development: Testing new content formats - bringing creator economy approaches (POV content, personality-driven pieces, trend participation) to a sports org that traditionally does highlight packages and game recaps.
- Platform Monitoring: Watching what works on NBA social media - what the Nuggets/Grizzlies/other teams are doing, what individual NBA creators are doing, where engagement is happening.
- Cross-functional Coordination: Working with video production team, PR (for player access), marketing (for sponsorship integration), and team operations (for behind-scenes access).
- Performance Analysis: Looking at what's hitting, what's not. Adjusting strategy based on reach/engagement data across platforms.
- Talent Collaboration: When you get player time, directing what content to capture. Most players do required media - you're figuring out how to make that content perform better or getting extra minutes for social-specific content.
The Honest Reality
What's Hard
- Limited differentiation: You have the same basic access as every other NBA team. Everyone has game footage, locker room access, and player interviews. You're trying to stand out with the same raw materials.
- Player availability constraints: NBA players have packed schedules. Getting extra time for social content competes with practice, recovery, family time, and mandatory media. You can't just shoot content whenever you want.
- Organizational speed: Sports orgs move slower than creator economy. Legal review, sponsor considerations, PR approval - things that take creators 30 minutes take you days.
- Platform algorithm dependency: Your reach is entirely dependent on platform algorithms. A format that works for 3 months stops working. You're constantly chasing what platforms are favoring.
- Measurement ambiguity: Hard to connect social performance to business outcomes. Views and engagement are your KPIs, but leadership often wants to know how it drives ticket sales or sponsorships.
- Burnout risk: Content never stops. Games happen year-round (season + offseason). Viral moments happen at random times. Your competition is posting 24/7.
What Success Looks Like
- Spurs content consistently getting picked up by House of Highlights, Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT social accounts
- Growth in followers/engagement that outpaces team on-court performance
- Content formats other NBA teams start copying
- Players actively participating in content ideas (not just tolerating required media)
- Sponsorship team using your content performance data to close deals
Who You're Working With
Internal Stakeholders:
- Social media team (Kent + 1-2 others producing content)
- Video production team (shooting and editing)
- PR team (controls player access, approves messaging)
- Marketing/sponsorship team (needs content that includes sponsors)
- Basketball operations (gates access to practices, facilities)
External Partners:
- NBA league office (sets content guidelines and restrictions)
- Platform reps (TikTok, Meta, YouTube - they want Spurs content to perform)
- Agencies/freelancers (if you bring in outside help for production)
What They Care About:
- Players: Not being made to look bad, content that helps their brand
- PR Team: Protecting player image, staying on message
- Sponsorship Team: Logo visibility, brand integration
- Fans: Winning content (when team wins), personality content (always), inside access (always)
Requirements
- Deep understanding of creator economy content tactics - you've built audiences or worked closely with creators who have
- Knowledge of what makes platform-native content work (not just repurposing traditional media)
- Basketball knowledge - you can watch games and identify moments worth clipping
- Comfort with ambiguity - this role is about testing things the team hasn't done, not executing a proven playbook
- Ability to work within traditional org constraints while pushing boundaries
- Experience reading analytics and adjusting strategy based on performance data
- Willingness to work nights/weekends around game schedule (this isn't a 9-5 role)