Starbury TV

Recently, I have found myself watching Starbury TV, where current NBA player Stephon Marbury has a live stream of himself for long periods of time throughout the day. For those who have not watched it, click here (http://www.justin.tv/starburytv). I, along with many others, have watched Marbury cry, eat vaseline out of a jar, get into a car accident, freestyle and sing lyrics while also finding time to promote his line of discount sneakers. As everyone laughs and ridicules Marbury, I am going to put it in writing and say that "Stephon Marbury is a creative genius!" Yes, I will admit, some of Marbury's behavior is awkward, but as he said on his stream "I am just doing me". My hunch says that Marbury has started a soon-to-be very popular trend where athletes live stream their life.

Currently, athletes are on Twitter updating their fans about what they are doing whether its eating breakfast or working out, what sneakers or clothing they are wearing, what places they plan to eat or party at, and some even find time to answer questions asked by their fans. It is a way for the athletes to engage with their fans as well as promote and market themselves to the masses. Charlie Villaneuva, an avid Twitter fanatic, was ridiculed for "tweeting" during halftime of a game last season. The NBA along with other sports properties, are always looking for more ways to engage fans with the action. With this in mind, maybe the NBA should strongly encourage Villaneuva and others to continue "tweeting" this upcoming season at halftime, during practice or even on the road between games. Villaneuva's new boss, Joe Dumars, is all for it.

With the live stream, Marbury has bypassed the need to follow him on Twitter and fans or followers can just watch him live. What is more real than a live stream? Since Terrell Owen's reality show is made for TV, I am sure it is scripted and he is limited on what he can say and not say. With a live stream, what you see with Marbury is what you get. With all the publicity Marbury is receiving about his live stream, I can see in the future where players stream themselves live from practice or from the bench during games. Imagine if Mark Cuban was on a live stream during a game? With Cuban's passion for the game and dislike towards questionable calls made by referees, I would definitely tune in to watch Cuban's live stream. If there is a way to engage more fans and make a profit, all the sports properties will be in full support of the concept of live streaming.

Back to Stephon Marbury. Remember when his Starbury line of sneakers came out? I am sure everyone was surprised that a NBA player would come out with a line of discount sneakers that sold for $14.98 at a discount retailer store like Steve & Barry's in an era where sneakers go for over $100 easily because every kid wants to wear the same sneakers that Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have on their feet. The Starbury line, is not limited to just sneakers and includes shorts, t shirts and other apparel at discount prices. What has followed since Marbury came out with discount sneakers and apparel? Shaq and Al Harrington now have discount sneaker lines. Even entertainers and actresses like Miley Cyrus and Sarah Jessica have created affordable clothing lines that appear in discount stores.

Remember when Marbury said in 2007 that he would play overseas in Italy when his contract with the New York Knicks expires? Everyone was shocked and puzzled when Marbury made those comments. What happened next? High school standout Brandon Jennings bypassed college to play in Europe for a year, established NBA players like Josh Childress and Jannero Pargo decide to play overseas, and even to my surprise, high school player Jeremy Tyler decides to skip his senior year of HIGH SCHOOL to play in Europe to better prepare himself for the NBA.

History will tell you that Marbury has been a "trendsetter" in the past. In 1994, SLAM magazine was an up and coming magazine that combined basketball with hip-hip culture. SLAM used Marbury as their first high school diary (thanks to Russ Bengtson for that tip) and it gave the magazine "street cred". SLAM magazine will be publishing its 131th issue in September with Kobe Byrant gracing the cover. For most basketball fans, SLAM magazine is like a "bible" to them.

If you ask people at AND 1, they will tell you that Marbury is the one player who put the company on the map when he signed a sneaker deal with them after getting drafted in 1996. With everyone signing on with Nike and Adidas, Marbury decided to go in a non-traditional route and sign on with the lesser known AND 1. Once again, Marbury gave AND 1 "street cred". Today, AND 1 has evolved beyond just a sneaker company. AND 1 came up with the concept of "StreetBall" and it has evolved into a nationwide tour where thousands of fans attend the games and even more fans from around the world tune in to watch "StreetBall" on ESPN.

When more players start live streaming themselves and the NBA finds a way to make a profit off this concept, no one will be laughing at Marbury anymore. He will be seen as a "trendsetter" once again like he did in the past. As everyone continues to ridicule and laugh at Marbury, I am going to say to Marbury, keep "doing you" and make sure they never try to "keep you in the box".