The Beauty of Building Your Own Table
Most people have never heard of PlayersTV, which is exactly what makes it interesting. The streaming network is built as the first athlete-owned media company, backed by more than 70 current and former professional athletes across the NBA, NFL, WNBA, and MLB. Its investor and creator roster includes household names like Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Carmelo Anthony, Travis Kelce, Ken Griffey Jr., and WNBA leaders like Chiney Ogwumike. The idea isn’t highlights or hot takes — it’s ownership, equity, and athletes shaping how their lives, businesses, and communities are portrayed.
That vision now has a new steward. Veteran media executive Michele Ghee has been named president of PlayersTV following the acquisition of her company, Expectant Media. Ghee’s résumé reads like a tour through modern Black media power: senior leadership roles at CNN, BET, Ebony & Jet, TheGrio, and Essence Communications, where she helped shape content, strategy, and revenue at scale. She’s also spent the last two years on PlayersTV’s board — meaning this move wasn’t a leap, but a natural next step.
What makes Ghee’s appointment compelling is the alignment of experience and intent. PlayersTV is still relatively under the radar, but its structure — athlete ownership paired with seasoned media leadership — suggests a different kind of growth story. As president, Ghee is expected to expand programming, partnerships, and distribution while deepening the network’s focus on athletes as full human beings, including women athletes whose stories are often sidelined. Financial details of the acquisition weren’t disclosed, but the larger question lingers: what happens when the people who built the culture finally own the platform telling it?
