Weekly Newsletter, Sept. 16, 2026: Emily's Squad Hits the Quarters
GOOD MORNING.
Emily Oberst and Team USA women's wheelchair basketball tip off in the quarterfinals today at the Ottawa 2026 World Championships — that's plenty exciting on its own. But the thing I can't stop thinking about this week is a sponsorship panel I sat in on, and I wanted to pass along what stood out.
In today's newsletter, we'll look at:
Emily Oberst and Team USA's run to the quarterfinals at the Wheelchair Basketball World Championships
What I learned from a sponsorship-industry panel on how modern deals actually get built
Cejih's Corner: how our marketing funnel actually works
Emily Oberst leads Team USA to the Quarterfinals
Emily Oberst and Team USA opened the IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Ottawa with a 70-31 win over Germany, cruised through the rest of group stage, and tip off in the quarterfinals today — the day this newsletter lands in your inbox. Semis and medal games follow by the 19th. Keep an eye out.
Panel Discussion: Inside Modern Sponsorships
I caught a SponsorUnited panel called "Inside Modern Sponsorships," with execs who've sat on every side of a sponsorship deal — brand, team, agency, and athlete. It was one of the more useful hours I've spent and a few things are worth passing along:
Sponsorship is a cost center now, not a vibe: The old "our C-suite just likes to see the logo" era is fading fast. Brands are measuring full-funnel impact — actual cost versus actual return — not just impressions and exposure.
Authenticity isn't optional anymore: One line from the panel stuck with me: "all money ain't good money." Novak Djokovic has reportedly turned down partnerships that didn't fit who he is — and on the flip side, one panelist told a story about an athlete who signed a pizza deal without realizing he was lactose intolerant. Every fit has to be real, especially now that athletes' lives are fully public and an inauthentic deal gets called out almost instantly.
Speed matters. The best brands are moving at "the speed of culture" — Nike had a commercial ready within hours of the Knicks winning, and Levi's turned a stadium logo restriction at the World Cup into one of the most talked-about social moments of the tournament. Being nimble is now a real competitive advantage.
Most people leave value on the table. Brands and rights holders alike routinely underuse the marketing rights and IP they've already paid for. One stat that stuck: most fans can't even identify their favorite team's jersey-patch sponsor — the real value comes from social and community activation, not the patch itself.
This is exactly the kind of thinking we try to build into every deal we put together for our athletes — the story and the fit have to be real, or it's just a logo slap.
Upcoming Book Release: Becoming Uncommon: The Student Athlete’s Guide to Leadership and Life
Quick teaser: Our friend Dan Freschi has a new book dropping October 6— Becoming Uncommon: The Student-Athlete's Guide to Leadership and Life, published through CG Sports Publishing.
In Dan's own words, it's "the book I wish every student-athlete had the moment they first put on a uniform" — about the things that outlast the scoreboard: leading yourself, serving your teammates, holding the standard nobody's requiring. More details (and how to get your copy) coming as we get closer to launch.
Take an early look: becominguncommon.us
Cejih's Corner
This week's tip: know your own marketing funnel.
Most people think "marketing" means posting more. It really means understanding where your traffic actually comes from — and building around it.
A few things worth checking on your own site or page:
Know your traffic spikes. Ours happen on Wednesdays — the day this newsletter goes out. If you have a newsletter, social following, or email list, track which day/channel reliably drives people to your site, and plan your bigger announcements around it.
Audit your top pages. For us, that's the homepage, the About page, and the Clients page. Whatever your equivalent is, make sure those pages are clean, current, and make it obvious what to do next.
Publish something educational, not promotional. This column exists because real, useful information earns more trust (and more shares) than another sales pitch. Give your audience something they can actually use.
Check your analytics on a schedule — not just when something goes wrong. Look for what's already working and double down on it before you chase something new.
Full post: cgsportsco.com/cejih-explains/how-our-marketing-funnel-works
CG Sports Client Events
Sept 19, 2026 (Neptune City, NJ): Clinic with Monmouth Barracudas, Lilly King.
Sept 19, 2026 (Rocky River, OH): Clinic with Lakeshore Swim Club, Lamar Taylor.
Sept 26-27, 2026 (Framingham, MA): Clinic with Life Time New England, Kieran Smith.
Oct 2-3, 2026 (Summit, NJ): Clinic with Summit Area YMCA, Phoebe Bacon.
Oct 3, 2026 (Arvada, CO): Clinic with North Jeffco Swim Team, Rebecca Soni.
Oct 3, 2026 (Portland, OR): Clinic with Oregon Swimming LSC, Ella Eastin.
Oct 27, 2026 (Bloomingdale, NJ): Keynote at Walter T Bergen Middle School, Jack Wallace.
Oct 27, 2026: Speaking engagement at West Ridge Elementary School, Jack Wallace.
Nov 3-4, 2026: USADA Athlete Panel, Jack Wallace.
Nov 14-15, 2026 (Bay City, MI): Clinic with Bay City Aquatics Club, McKenzie Siroky.
Nov 18, 2026: Speaking engagement at Bryn Mawr School, Emily Oberst.
Dec 3, 2026 (Wilton, CT): Leadership keynote & Captain's Workshop at Wilton High School, Elizabeth Beisel.
Jan 10, 2027 (Issaquah, WA): Clinic with Issaquah Swim Team, Hali Flickinger.
Apr 10, 2027 (venue TBD): Clinic with Border Swimming LSC
That's the week. See you next Wednesday.
Cejih and The CG Sports Company
