{
  "id": 2715113,
  "title": "USA Fencing’s scrappy plan to make fencing a hit before the 2028 Olympics",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/usa-fencings-scrappy-plan-to-make-fencing-a-hit-before-the-2028",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-23T04:11:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91593682/usa-fencings-scrappy-plan-to-make-fencing-a-hit-before-the-2028-olympics"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fencing is an ancient sport that has struggled to capture the attention of domestic audiences, but USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews is determined to change that before the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. With little budget and no established marketing plan, Andrews has taken a unique approach to promote the sport. He's cold-called marketing executives, crashed Comic-Con and even convinced celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav to take up fencing. These efforts are part of a larger initiative to bring attention to five sports – fencing, squash, cycling, sailing, and rowing – under the banner of the United Sports Collective. This collaboration aims to share resources and ideas among organizations that historically have operated independently. Andrews, who previously directed U.S.A. Weightlifting, found that the challenges faced by fencing, rowing, and other sports in the collective are quite similar, particularly in terms of demographics and geographical focus. The collective is leveraging Hollywood's influence to promote fencing by tapping into its creative industry. Many high-profile figures, from actors to directors, have roots in fencing, and these individuals can serve as ambassadors for the sport.",
  "summary": "Fencing is one of the oldest sports in Olympic history. It’s also one of the least watched domestically. Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing, is on a mission to change that, and with the 2028 Los Angeles Games on the horizon, he’s running out of time. In a masterclass in scrappy brand building, he shares how he’s building a sports brand with almost no budget and no marketing playbook, cold-calling…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "USA Fencing's unorthodox promotional push, backed by a collective of similar sports, signals a shift towards collaborative marketing and leveraging celebrity influence to boost its domestic profile.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}