Jimmy Butler Partners With WhatsApp and OffBall On Fan Group Chats

This month, WhatsApp and sports-content publication OffBall’s “The Chat” feature has hosted conversations on some of the biggest moments in sports with some of the biggest names in sports.

The Big Play: So much of the culture of watching sports is engaging with expert commentary and interacting with like-minded fans. The Chat, which launched in February, was designed with both of those hallmarks in mind, which could make it an essential second-screen experience for sports fans.

Behind the Chats: WhatsApp and Offball have recruited some top players for The Chat.

• Catch up: The Chat hosts group chats between athletes, celebrities, and creators, where about 1,000 people are given the chance to watch the chat and provide reactions via emojis and memes.
• Earlier this month, LeBron James took over The Chat to provide insights during the NFL Draft, which featured guests like LeBron’s business partner, Maverick Carter, and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
• Next up on The Chat, Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler will provide commentary during the UEFA Champions League final between Paris St. Germain F.C. (PSG) and Inter Milan on May 31st.
• He’ll be joined by Corteiz designer Clint Ogbenna and YouTuber and TV host Harry Pinero.

Final Score: OffBall says its WhatsApp channel currently has 48,000 subscribers — giving the company a deep bench of fans to rotate into each group Chat. This constant shuffle keeps the experience feeling like a lottery, with no two Chats ever having the same mix of people. It’s that feeling of not being sure what other like-minded people are experiencing the Chat with you — maybe some people you’ve interacted with, maybe some new faces — that can help build a unique type of community.

Prediction: Considering that so much of social media is moving to more private chat groups, expect more publications to link up with social platforms to host their own message-focused events to get people talking.