OKnows: a student run, all-access sports platform for "sports junkies"

Dedication. Passion. Loyalty. Owen Schiff’s driving factors for OKnows Sports, an all-inclusive, all-access sport outlet for those who are new to the sports world or consider themselves “sports junkies.”

 

Schiff is a senior at High Point University studying sports management with work experience in ticket sales and a future career with ISM (International Sport Management) post-graduation. 

 

Growing up, Schiff was surrounded by the roar of sports fans at every waking moment. From his mother who was passionate about watching and playing tennis and his brother who played hockey, to his father who was a professional hockey player, there is no denying that his upbringing was primarily sports. 

 

He and his father created a strong bond through their passion for sports whether they were traveling for NHL games, casually watching sports or prioritizing football all day every Sunday. 

 

After all of his years in the sports world, it was time he brought his passion and knowledge to a platform where he could positively impact others around the world. 

 

This was the birth of OKnows Sports. 

 

OKnows Sports was inspired by Bo Jackson’s Bo Knows, a Nike campaign that began in 1989 with a focus on baseball and football. This was the campaign that kick-started Nike into being the most popular sports brand today, and happens to be the perfect inspiration for Schiff.  

 

Schiff uses the platform he has created for two different purposes: betting and general sports content. 

 

His betting sectors have grown dramatically since creating his channel. “Some of my listeners are fully dependent on my channel for their betting picks because through OKnows they’ve built a trust in me and my takes. This is something that’s so cool to me.” 

 

This is one of the aspects that sets OKnows Sports apart from other sports channels. The passion that Schiff has for connecting with his listeners and creating a trusting, honest and loyal community.

 

The technique in which he tackles these goals is making his channel a relatable and conversational place to hear about all sports. While he is on camera he is unapologetically his authentic self and that attitude does not change once the cameras stop rolling. 

 

Through social media and face-to-face interactions, Schiff tries to stay connected with those who listen proactively. Answering the direct messages he receives in a timely manner, thanking those around them for their support and taking time to get to know those who listen to his takes, he does everything he can to create a community through the love of sports. 

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“Social media is such a unique thing because you can see one [Instagram] reel or one Tweet or Tik Tok and then you DM the guys saying you love their content and from there they begin to follow your whole page. I have this one guy that does this with my accounts and I hope it continues to happen with new listeners. It’s such a small thing saying ‘I love your content, keep it up,’ but it keeps me going for another week or two at a time.” 

 

Taking the time to acknowledge those who support him is deep in his heart. 

 

In-person interaction is so important to Schiff, “The other day I was walking out of the Qubein Arena after a basketball game and there was a group of about 4 or 5 guys and they yelled to me across the field ‘OKnows Sports! OKnows Sports!’ and it was so cool because I only knew one of their names. These are times I remember because sometimes people are blindly following that I don't even know and I try to follow everyone back on social media and create a quick connection face-to-face but I didn’t know who they were beforehand so it's cool that they are choosing to support me when they don't know me personally either.”

 

Another aspect Schiff holds close to his heart is the partnerships he has begun through his platform. 

 

Beginning less than a year ago, he has created two partnerships. 

 

Jake Lagana’s Picnic Club, an apparel and fashion company based out of NY, partnered with Schiff just a month ago. With this partnership, Schiff offers a discount code for his listeners to shop PC’s newest clothing lines. In the future, PC and OKnows Sports hope to create merchandise directly correlated with his platform so that listeners can represent the channel wherever they go. 

 

Another major step in Schiff’s career is the partnership he was offered and accepted with Pro Sports Fans, an app that creates a community for all sports fans through live chats and livestreams. After the app’s CEO reached out with interest in having Schiff join the team, he knew this would open up a new audience for his channel. 

 

Within this partnership, Schiff has the opportunity to live stream with fans and communicate via chat and on the stream. On the live streams, he has the ability to add people live so that they can have a vocal conversation, rather than Schiff just answering questions that he types out. This opportunity allows the bond between him and his listeners to grow each time he chooses to go onto the app. 

 

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While Schiff enjoys all creative aspects of his podcast and platform as a whole, the best part of the work he does is getting to interview players at the collegiate level. 

 

“It’s special that I get the opportunity to talk to these guys who may not be as popular or well-known yet as other athletes because they deserve to be seen and heard and I love being the place where they get that chance.”

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Since his podcast began, he has been fortunate enough to host two former High Point University basketball stars who ended up moving on to ACC and the Big 12 Leagues after their time at the university, Zach Austin and John-Michael Wright. 

 

With these athletes under his belt, he dreams of continuing to interview collegiate, Division 1 athletes and hear their deeper stories as they are not always the target for podcasts and he is intrigued to hear how they got where they are and what they hope to see in their future careers. 

 

Through all of Schiff’s hard work, his end goal is to use his platform to create a community around what he loves the most. Whether that community is centered around only sports fans or is open to those at a more beginning level of knowledge, he welcomes everyone and is passionate about the community that he is building.

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To learn more about OKnows follow Schiff's instagram here.