While statistics on the demographics of Reynolds' social media following are not publicly available, it seems fair to assume the vast majority of the Canadian actor's digital constituents are in North America. Of course, there would be some effect, but it wouldn't be nearly what Reynolds was able to do boosting Wrexham's brand. When Bettman references the 100 million followers Reynolds has across his various platforms, he does so with a misunderstanding of how that would translate to interest in the Senators. Social reach huge in numbers, minimal in potential impact

In an NHL board of governors meeting he laid out his position in clear terms saying, 'If we can figure out a way to have him included, I think that would be great for the Senators and great for the league.'īettman, and the NHL, were clearly dreaming of a scenario where Reynolds could use his impressive platform to bring attention to the Senators, and his storytelling ability to generate content around the team similar to his critically-acclaimed 'Welcome to Wrexham' series.Įver since Formula One's 'Drive to Survive' docuseries on Netflix helped create massive growth in its fanbase, a number of sports have been trying to replicate the success - and Reynolds is one of the few creators who has proof of concept with that model.ĭespite his track record, the idea that Reynolds could do for the Senators what he did for Wrexham A.F.C was always a fantasy, for a number of reasons. So he's somebody who is very popular and very engaged, and he's doing a great job with Wrexham.' 'I think he told us his followers on all of his platforms combined was well over 100 million. 'He's very smart, he has a number of businesses besides the acting business, and he understands sports, and he understands promotion,' Bettman told ESPN on Dec. When Ryan Reynolds reportedly dropped out of the running to own the Ottawa Senators on Friday, it wasn't the best news for the NHL.Įver since Reynolds showed an interest in the team, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has seen a benefit to marrying the star power of the Canadian actor with a team that Forbes ranked as the league's 24th-most valuable in December. What Ryan Reynolds accomplished with Wrexham A.F.C was remarkable but not applicable to the NHL.

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