Business of Esports TV: LeBron Needs a Gaming Chair Apparently

(Livestream #130B)

In this segment, we discuss the internet’s reaction to LeBron James asking for gaming chair recommendations and the potential context behind it.

The Business Of Esports brings you news, debates, and all the information you need to know about the gaming sector, the world’s fastest-growing market. With Paul “The Profit” Dawalibi leading the charge, and a variety of special guests, BoE TV is the only place to find insider information on the esports industry!

Check out the full livestream here:

Paul Dawalibi 1:13:24
I have two fun stories for you guys a little more lighthearted here. The first is gaming Twitter explodes. After LeBron James asks for gaming chair recommend And so basically, LeBron James NBA superstar and international celebrity went and asked Twitter for gaming chair recommendations and big streamers like specifically Tim, the tap man actually replied. So LeBron said, who makes the best, most comfortable gaming chair? I need one for myself. And Tim, the tap man came through with Herman Miller m body gaming chair trust, by the way, which you can see right here. We are not sponsored by Herman Miller, but we should because I own so much of their product. One of these examples of pop culture, traditional sports, you know, intersecting with gaming, is anyone surprised that LeBron tweeted out looking for a gaming chair recommendation, though, like, does he not have people for this? I mean, is it the landscape?

Jeff Cohen 1:15:50
Like is there any chance this isn’t an advertisement?

Paul Dawalibi 1:15:54
Like is there any change? Do you think? It’s like

Jeff Cohen 1:15:58
100% 100%? Like, I feel like this is this is like the next tweet, like, Hey, I decided to get this chair like it’s really awesome. Here’s a picture of me for chair hashtag ad like.

William Collis 1:16:11
I mean, sure, like, like the only place he can go for advice. Yeah, Twitter, like that’s where he’s gonna get the best advice. Like he’s all it’s just such a burning question. I better tweeted out to my millions of your right brings up

Jeff Cohen 1:16:24
anything unless it’s planned and has an agenda like LeBron James, in the midst of ease, battling back from an injury in the midst of a playoff Chase, like, literally any late stage in his career, like trying to win another ring catch Michael Jordan.

Yeah, what’s, what’s this best gaming chair like

William Collis 1:16:39
really waiting on? Love? I want to see I want to, like have like, 10,000 comments, I can scroll through for like, a day to find the right one. You know, also, I don’t have a lot of money. So I can’t afford to buy all the different chairs and try them and then just see which one works for me best. No, I’m just gonna buy the one.

Jeff Cohen 1:16:59
Yeah, this is

Paul Dawalibi 1:17:00
what so

Lindsay brings up a great point, which is his son is part of FaZe clan, right? Shouldn’t it have been an easy phone call to face to say, hey, like whoever your chaired guy is like, hook me up, you would think it’s an advertisement.

Jeff Cohen 1:17:17
And you think this whole thing came about, but I like I like this collaboration with LeBron and brawny. And you know, now bronies gonna respond and say, Oh, this is the chair, we use it phase, and then they’re gonna stream about it, then LeBron when he retires is going to join FaZe clan.

Lindsay Poss 1:17:35
Justin, why don’t they have a six year old man asking for a chair?

Paul Dawalibi 1:17:40
But doesn’t he have to put hashtag ad or something?

Jeff Cohen 1:17:44
But he hasn’t mentioned a product when he mentions a product? Why would he have to put in a hashtag add now? You’re asking what’s the best gaming chair? Okay,

Paul Dawalibi 1:17:51
but if he’s just pushing a gaming chair, why not push the gaming chair? Why? Like if I’m, let’s say, I’m Herman Miller.

Jeff Cohen 1:17:58
If the brand just says I like Herman Miller chairs, you know, it gets some attention. But right now we’re talking about it. And next week when he says, Oh, I did find the best chairs, Herman Miller,

Paul Dawalibi 1:18:08
but a bunch, a bunch of companies, it’s just got free publicity, because he has all these mentions in his tweet of like, hey, go buy, you know, whatever.

William Collis 1:18:19
It is that is that gonna matter as much as the ultimate endorsement that’s coming, you know, I, you know, and like, also, like, you have to, it’s not like, this guy in gaming chairs are synonymous, right? Like you have to ease into the conversation. And part of I think somebody told me a secret in social media is to look like you’re reacting to other things. Like, you never really want to be a person who’s starting a conversation want to be a person who’s continuing a conversation. And this is creating a conversation thread that then he can continue from with the recommendation, which feels natural and organic, and feels way less advertising even if it’s an ad than just coming out and being like, Herman Miller, it’s what I use, go for it guys.

Paul Dawalibi 1:19:04
Greg says phase has vertagear tears embodies better embodies the best, which is what Tim the tap man told him. And that was the main tweet, right? Like that’s what almost everyone saw LeBron Tim the tap man. If it’s not Herman Miller, like doing this ad, if it isn’t, and then Herman Miller got a lot of free publicity. Let’s put it that way. Like a lot. This is lebrons millions and millions of followers who all now know Herman Miller exists like, up until like, I’ve been till I would say three years ago, like I’ve always been a buyer of Herman Miller chairs in the tech startup world. Aaron’s we’re always like the quintessential startup chair. If you were funded at least, got like in circles outside of that it wasn’t a known brand, like now you have LeBron and Tim, the tap man talking about it. If it’s not them, this was a lot of free publicity and I’m not convinced it’s an ad. I agree it could be. I like that idea. The capitalist in me likes this idea. But to Lindsay’s point maybe he’s just a 36 year old man who needs a gaming chair.

Lindsay Poss 1:20:11
No, he just doesn’t do a lot of ads. That’s why I would find it puzzling.

Jeff Cohen 1:20:16
LeBron didn’t do a lot of ads.

Lindsay Poss 1:20:18
He does a lot of like TV commercials and stuff but a social media is largely the whole movie.

Jeff Cohen 1:20:23
That’s basically an advertisement.

Lindsay Poss 1:20:26
Yeah, exactly. He could have you know, gone Herman Miller commercial or something, like, really high impact that, guys,

William Collis 1:20:34
I

Jeff Cohen 1:20:36
love social media gimmicks and companies doing creative things. Like, I hope it’s an ad. It’s a really creative, cool way to do it. I think maybe it’s not well find out.