120 Sports, an upstart digital media company that the MLB, the NHL, the PGA Tour and Time Inc. partnered with, is getting more aggressive in their search for more view and they are enlisting Abby Hornacek and Twitter to assist them into the next phase of their growth. It’s an opportunity that Hornacek, daughter of New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek, is clearly ready for.
"“I am thrilled by this new opportunity with 120 Sports and excited to move to such a great sports city like Chicago, a place that holds special meaning for both me and my family,” Hornacek said. “I have been in and around sports my entire life and understand the passion and level of interaction fans have. The 120 Sports platform is built for engaging those individuals who play as well as the fans who cheer. I hope to bring both sides together for a great digital experience.”"
The Rally will be a nightly program produced by 120 Sports that will include highlights across multiple sports, available exclusively to Twitter users in the United States and streaming only on Twitter.
It wasn’t that long ago that Hornacek had committed to a full scholarship to play volleyball at the University of Kansas. That was until sand volleyball, a game dominated by Olympic champions Misty May and Kerry Walsh, became an official NCAA sport. That’s when Hornacek chose become a part of the famed USC Trojan program in the hopes of one day following in the Olympians’ footsteps.
"“I loved the Kansas coaching staff and the girls on the team were amazing. I loved Kansas and then sand volley ball became an NCAA sport,” Hornacek remembers. ” I was always playing and dabbling in both sides of it and when it became an option for me to go to USC under Anna Collier, who coached Misty May and Kerry Walsh, it was the best decision for me at the time.”"
Having studying broadcast journalism while at USC, Hornacek will be brought in to help create more buzz and gain more traction, particularly on mobile devices through Twitter. As of late Februrary the company was struggling to capture a larger mobile audience but had surpassed the 35 million monthly on-demand threshold. They had only been downloaded on 0.01% of mobile devices compared to 5.6% that ESPN has acquired on mobile. It helps to have the daughter of a veteran NBA player taking the lead during this challenging time for the young company.
"“Obviously, there’s some pressure being the first of its kind, but when I was younger we’d be shooting a free throw or something and my dad would say ‘you’ve got to be a pressure player,’ so i think growing up there wasn’t any added pressure because we were taught to deal with it.”"
As far as her dad goes, sources close the situation have told me that the Knicks players are raving about their new coach internally. I asked Abby about how her dad is handling his post as the man in charge of trying to get the team who resides at 4 Penn Plaza to the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
"“I know he’s beyond excited,” says Abby. ” Not only is he a great coach, he’s a great dad and a great family member. He’s so invested in everything he does..I know that he has some great plans for the Knicks and I think everyone should be excited. I know for sure I am.”"
Fans of all sports, especially Knicks fans, can expect to see a lot more Abby Hornacek this year, on their mobile phones and especially at the World’s Most Famous Arena.