Sometimes Las Vegas has a way of helping a business grow. All it takes is a little luck and a whole lot of perseverance. That is how Ball Dawgs was born just three years ago. As always, at Vegas Betting, we have the latest news on a company that is making waves on the Vegas basketball scene.
Some saw the vision of such a business and yet it is hard to believe how far Ball Dawgs has come in such a relatively short period of time. It also does not hurt to have some keen marketing sense. That is just what Neal Carter possessed when he moved from New Jersey to Las Vegas a few years ago.
Stories like these tend to come along often. Stories that succeed like this one do not. Carter put his marketing expertise to work quickly. He took a job with Founders Academy as a member of their coaching staff. It was that one-year experience that taught him a lot about the social media world, Las Vegas, and so much more.
This is just a small illustration of what Ball Dawgs does and can do. It is hard to believe how it started but then again leave it to a New Jersey kid to make a dream possible. Neal Carter may only be 32-years-old but with his connections and other connections, one would never know it. He tends to find ways to make no turn into yes.
This started as a hobby just to shine a spotlight on the Las Vegas basketball prep scene. Then, it became more.
From looking at this in several ways, the venture has been some undertaking. These are players who watch the 2021 NBA Playoffs with a gleam in their eye — hoping to be that next player that catches on whether it be the college or direct to the NBA route.
Again, the intentions were simple. Repost events, videos, etc. from games, and that was it. Then, it became let’s shoot it ourselves with production, etc. Word of mouth spread quickly. By Christmas of 2019, Ball Dawgs had over 8.000 followers and the rest was history on social media.
Evidently, that model just kept working to the tune of now 171,000+ followers on Instagram just 18 months later. It is amazing when something has such simple beginnings then mushrooms into something so much more.
However, there is one interesting aspect that cannot be overlooked. That is the players of course. Now, players come to Ball Dawgs specifically and that is not just players from Las Vegas. This is how fast social media works. It does not take much for anything to catch on and take a life of its own.
Consider how hard it is to make it in Las Vegas and all of the “competition”, Neal Carter found a niche and ran with it. Now it is far more than just a niche.
Again, people forget that Neal Carter was an underrecruited athlete himself. It is telling how that experience applied to what he is doing today not just for players in Las Vegas but under the radar players throughout the country.
“The passion for me was, I was under-recruited,” Carter says. “There was a lack of technology back then. There was a simple camera that you could use to make a tape and send out to colleges if you were trying to get a scholarship, but if your coach didn’t do it, you didn’t get it. It would have helped me tremendously if I had this opportunity. Early on, I thought, I would love to give kids the footage that we’re filming. Everybody gets mixtapes now, and that has helped grow our brand tremendously.”
from Las Vegas Sun article by Mike Grimala
It is an idea that truly helps everyone. The company now is headquartered at the Tarkanian Basketball Institute. They have seven full-time employees and over 30 videographers and growing.
However, the point of emphasis here is offering a spotlight again to all players — not just the top-flight talent. That has always been the goal of Ball Dawgs.
If that was not enough, the business keeps expanding. They do host their own events and again have help from celebrities, former NBA players, and much more. And the best part is more events are coming…
3 more events this year.. all 3 are gonna be super dope ??
— Ball Dawgs (@theballdawgs) July 2, 2021
Now, providing some last-minute tweaks, expect there to also be a summer camp to showcase even more talent come August. Imagine that. Who knows. Maybe some of these players spotlighted may be betted on in Vegas.
It’s a great question. The answer may slowly start to come into focus. The future is indeed quite bright and innovation only creates better opportunities. Maybe Vegas truly needed d a little New Jersey creativity. For there to be agreements with development leagues, the NBA, etc. is something else. The fact that the company has expanded into women’s leagues including the WNBA is incredible.
The sky is truly the limit for Ball Dawgs. It also does not hurt that now there is this fact.
Breaking: Every NCAA athlete in the country will be able to make money from endorsements and through a variety of other ventures starting Thursday. pic.twitter.com/Iu3i8Q3p7x
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 30, 2021
Again, this all fits into increasing the visibility of companies like Ball Dawgs. Even more, athletes can market themselves. They need a company that can help. Neal Carter and his business provide that in ways most athletes cannot even dream of. This truly is just the beginning.
Summary
Chris Wassel AA, AAS CURRENTLY Sports Writer and Journalist RESIDES IN Rahway, NJ EDUCATION Union County College, Montclair State University EXPERTISE Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and more Summary Member of FSWA, FSGA, and a variety of Sports Betting Groups. Lead arranger of news and injury reports for Rotoballer Hockey. Also did the news lead for NASCAR on the same site coming out of COVID. Strategy and mapping out of various sports betting and sports articles for MyNHLTradeRumors and gambling.com. Runs a hockey and fantasy hockey podcast that teaches fantasy hockey players how to improve their skills. Experience Chris Wassel has 20+ years of sports journalistic experience in various disciplines.. His ability to play sports is well documented. Most people in the business just write. However, Chris will race cars and even a super Moto bike from time to time. There is that fitness and hiking/cycling aspect too. Chris has climbed mountains from Mount Washington to Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California. For those that do not know. Chris also dabbles in food eating contests and challenges. Having a unique background with friends including Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has the ability to eat a whole 16-pound turkey or a 32 inch meat lover's pizza. Since 2013, Chris has primarily focused on sports writing and fitness. On social media, he will answer any question in many different aspects. Even Chris's ability to wager on Entertainment and US Elections is well documented. He was able to predict Joe Biden's inevitable dip in approval rating below 40%. Throughout his career, Chris has worked at a lot of places from DraftKings to USA Today and much more. Finally, Chris has been nominated for quite a few awards from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association for Hockey Writer Of The Year. Also, there have been a number of amazing fantasy hockey championships from expert to high-stake leagues. Education Chris received an Associates from Union Country College for business and accounting. Chris did sports journalism work at Montclair State University covering the hockey, baseball, and football teams. Quote from Chris Wassel "Do Not Think, Just Do.”
Education
1999 Graduate of Union County College
1993 Graduate of Rahway High School
Professional Achievements
Media credentialed member of the New Jersey Devils since 2010
Covered several NHL Drafts including the one day event in Newark in 2013
Been on countless podcasts, TV shows, and more including Sportsnet and even NHL Network