EXPERT INSIGHTS

Game Changers: How Basketball's Ultimate High School Showcase Brought Together Sports' Biggest Voices

May 21st, 2025

A panel discussion at a Sports Business Forum featuring five speakers seated on a stage discussing 'Growth of Women's Basketball and What It Means for Brands' as shown on the large screen behind them. The panel is titled 'Fryside Chat' with panelists in professional attire sitting in white chairs. A central speaker in a burgundy dress is gesturing while speaking, with other panelists listening attentively A panel discussion at a Sports Business Forum featuring five speakers seated on a stage discussing 'Growth of Women's Basketball and What It Means for Brands' as shown on the large screen behind them. The panel is titled 'Fryside Chat' with panelists in professional attire sitting in white chairs. A central speaker in a burgundy dress is gesturing while speaking, with other panelists listening attentively

By Matt Smith VP, Director, Sports Specialty & Brad Shulkin, Director, Sports Specialty

For nearly 50 years, the McDonald’s All American Games have been the proving ground for the basketball’s future greats – MJ, Kobe, Candace, LeBron, Caitlin, Shaq, A’ja… they all donned the famous Golden Arches in the nation’s premier high school basketball all-star game. More than 2,000 hoopers have been named McDonald’s All Americans, and Golin has been a part of the Games since the very beginning.

This prestigious sporting event has evolved over the past nearly five decades, alongside the broader sports landscape. Recent years have brought unprecedented change through broadcast industry disruption, digital innovation, the growth of women’s sports, and NIL legislation—and McDonald’s has gotten a firsthand perspective on all of it through the lens of the Games.

This year, Golin helped McDonald’s find its place as a leader in the conversation, creating the McDonald’s All American Games Sports Business Forum. This unique event during Games Week in Brooklyn convened a collection of the industry’s biggest and most influential voices – brand executives, sports media and former NBA/WNBA stars.

This year’s event featured:

  • Courtside Conversations that explored the evolution and lasting impact of the McDonald’s All American Games through the years. The conversations featured McDonald’s All American alumni Jay Williams and Jalen Rose, as well as ESPN’s National Recruiting Director Paul Biancardi and Elizabeth Campbell, VP Marketing, McDonald’s USA.
  • Two Fry-side Chats discussing pivotal changes impacting the sports landscape, including:
    • “Breaking Through Basketball Sponsorships,” hosted by ESPN’s Ted Emrich with panelists Ryan Worthy (Director Brand, Content & Culture, McDonald’s), Tom Gargiulo (Chief Marketing Officer, BODYARMOR), Hank Kauffman (Brand Partnerships, DoorDash) and Reed Zak (NIL General Manager, Rutgers University)
    • “The Growth of Women’s Basketball and What it Means for Brands,” hosted by sports broadcaster Ros Gold-Onwude with panelists Keia Clarke (CEO, New York Liberty), Ari Chambers (Commentator, Andscape & ESPN) and Kirby Porter (Chief Brand Officer, Unrivaled)

The insightful discussions yielded several valuable takeaways, including:

1. Authentic Athlete Stories Slam Dunk the Competition – In today’s fight for attention, brands that break through are not those shouting the loudest, but those telling the most compelling stories. Athlete-centered approaches transform traditional sponsorships into cultural moments that naturally cut through the digital clutter. By transforming high-profile events like the McDonald’s All American Games into platforms for authentic athlete narratives, brands can create content that audiences actively seek rather than scroll past.

2. Capturing Athletes at A Young Age to Drive Brand Love – The NIL landscape offers brands an opportunity to forge meaningful connections with rising stars earlier in their journey. By establishing relationships founded on genuine athlete development, brands can cultivate authentic loyalty that transcends traditional sponsorships. This approach goes beyond one-time engagement, creating brand advocates whose influence naturally expands as their athletic careers progress.

3. Sports Are a Dominant Force in Galvanizing Diverse Audiences – While competitors focus on sports’ unmatched viewership metrics, visionary brands recognize the deeper opportunity: sports now function as cultural hubs where diverse audiences converge through shared passion. By engaging with these passionate communities rather than narrow demographic segments, brands can forge authentic connections that transcend traditional audience boundaries.

Today’s evolving sports landscape presents unprecedented opportunities for brands to create meaningful connections, offering more pathways to engage fans more than ever before and this was on full display in Brooklyn. Sports will no doubt continue to evolve, and our team will find new ways to expand and refine our tactics and strategies to meet the needs of the evolving landscape.

Matt Smith & Brad Shulkin are part of Golin’s Sports Specialty, which delivers integrated public relations, experiential marketing and digital strategy to connect teams, athletes and brands to fans.

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