Christian Scott, Global Director of Sports Marketing at TravisMathew, joins Shady Characters to talk modern sports branding, athlete partnerships, and creative risk taking in golf culture. From left of center campaigns and unexpected collabs to St. Andrews trips and family priorities, Christian shares how authenticity, hustle, and relationships shape both great marketing and a meaningful life.
In this episode of Shady Characters, we sit down with Christian Scott, Global Director of Sports Marketing at TravisMathew and a longtime leader across major sport and lifestyle brands including Nike and Oakley. The conversation blends brand strategy, creative instinct, athlete partnerships, and personal values into a candid look at what it takes to build relevance in modern sports culture.
Christian shares how TravisMathew helped reshape golf apparel by rejecting country club stiffness and leaning into lifestyle, humor, and creative storytelling long before it became trend. He walks through how the brand approaches athlete and ambassador partnerships, from NBA guard Austin Reaves to Reggie Bush and pro golfers, and why unexpected content often outperforms polished campaigns. From pickup court shoots to in office gauntlet challenges, the focus is on authentic moments over overproduced spots.
We also explore how sports marketing translates across categories. Christian explains how his love of competition and storytelling carries from basketball to skate, surf, and golf, and why he is always looking for ideas that sit slightly left of center. The discussion covers music collaborations, including projects with Avenged Sevenfold and country artists, plus limited product drops like the TravisMathew x Guinness shoe release and upcoming brand partnerships.
Beyond work, this episode goes deep on priorities. Christian speaks openly about choosing family over titles, leaving roles that did not align with his values, and intentionally creating experiences with his wife and two sons. From traveling through Greece and Croatia to never missing games and practices, he shares why presence matters more than position and how success at home defines success at work.
It is an honest, grounded conversation about creativity, leadership, sport, and the long game of building both brands and families the right way.
