New Big Bash League boss Kim McConnie’s Super Bowl credentials can launch BBL to greater heights
FRESH from running the Super Bowl halftime show, new Big Bash League boss Kim McConnie is determined to turn the BBL into the greatest show on turf.
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SMASHING through Cricket Australia’s glass ceiling to take charge of the Big Bash isn’t such a menacing proposition when you’ve already created the biggest bash of all.
Kim McConnie spent three years tasked with the stunning pressure-cooker assignment of running America’s iconic Super Bowl Halftime Show, co-ordinating with the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga for a global audience of 120 million people.
Rubbing shoulders with the biggest names and egos in US sport became a 10-year passion for McConnie as head of sports marketing for Super Bowl sponsors PepsiCo in New York City, but now the Brisbane native is back home and adamant she can deliver on her new mandate to take the BBL and WBBL to the next level.
She wants BBL on Christmas Day, smart jerseys where fans can download player content from Chris Lynn’s shirt such as latest highlights, stats and merchandise offers, plus mobile and multi-screen technologies that can take spectators into augmented and virtual reality from their seats at the ground and their couches at home.
“The thing that really struck me straight away in the US was the depth of the fan engagement. Really the catalyst there is technology,” McConnie told The Saturday Telegraph.
“There was an opportunity to really learn from the connectivity they have around social media and how they can leverage their players to a much greater extent and be first to market in a lot of areas.”
McConnie’s appointment as head of the Big Bash represents the most senior standing by a female in the history of Australian cricket, which in the past has been referred to as pale, male and stale.
From the moment she walked into her first Super Bowl and was seated next to David Beckham, McConnie has seen it all.
There were roadblocks she had to break down working with the male-dominated National Hockey League and dealings with the megastar stereotypes who would literally say, “Can you make sure that no one looks at me as I walk through?”
But the more lasting impressions came from experiences with humble role models like two-time Super Bowl champ Peyton Manning and the innovation of athletes like NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr who would Facebook Live his thoughts for fans right up until the moment he took hold of the steering wheel.
It’s been a tough personal road for McConnie built on fighting for what’s hers and being realistic enough to accept the playing field isn’t always fair.
“Definitely you need to prove yourself a little bit more in some environments,” McConnie said.
“Particularly in those earlier years when you’re a little bit younger. I think the stage that I’m at now I have the network, I have the credibility, I have the experience, you have that which helps give you that voice at the table.
“But definitely as you come up the ranks, I just found as a woman you needed to make sure that you were pushing yourself to voice your opinions. You were pushing those opportunities for yourself. I don’t think you can sit back as a junior female coming up the ranks and think people will give you that same opportunity.”
McConnie is proud of her journey to being a woman of influence in Australian sport, but more specifically she believes she can turn the Big Bash into a world leader in fan engagement and innovation, particularly in the WBBL.
“It means a lot to me but it’s also about a representation that our fans aren’t just male,” she said.
“We may be male skewed and dominated but if you think about being a sport for all Australians, the opportunity is to talk to 100 per cent of the population and I think cricket is well set for doing that.
“I think the WBBL over the next few years will continue to be the most exciting women’s sport. Not just within Australia but globally. Hand on heart, I can tell you it will get there.
“I’ve worked in the WNBA, I’ve seen women’s US soccer, I know that what we will do with WBBL will blow that out of the water.
“One of the things that really attracted me to this role is how innovative the Big Bash is.
“The BBL is a league that has been built for the fan first. Really putting the role and experience of the fan at the forefront and making sure we’re building the experience to enhance that. The BBL is going to be at the forefront and it’s going to be imminent.”
FROM THE SUPER BOWL TO THE BIG BASH: FIVE GOALS
1. Make the WBBL biggest women’s sport in the world
2. BBL on Christmas Day
3. Smart jerseys where fans can download player content, highlights, stats, merchandise from a players’ shirt
4. Digital innovations like virtual and augmented reality
5. Connect at match experience to the couch using your mobile, for example a virtual t-shirt toss where you can use your phone to win prizes like you are at the game.
Originally published as New Big Bash League boss Kim McConnie’s Super Bowl credentials can launch BBL to greater heights
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