Tuesday, September 27, 2011

"Smart Ball: Marketing the Myth and Managing the Reality of Major League Baseball"

From the Journal of Human Kinetics


Review by Kyle Park in KIN 332 (Section 2)

The articles main focuses are the powers possessed by the MLB and how they used those powers to market and manage. The article was a critique, itself, from a book that was written about how the MLB uses and abuses its powers. The article broke down the book into 4 sections: First Base: creating power, Second base: developing power, Third base: abusing power and Home plate: balancing power.

The two powers brought up in discussion are soft and hard power. Soft power is the ability to accomplish objectives through attraction rather than force or intimidation. Hard power tends to be more military or economical in form. Both of these powers are vital in the ins and outs of the MLB. In certain situations there can be more emphasis on one power over the other and that decides how the situation at hand is handled and whether it will produce a positive or negative outcome.

The article touches on marketing in a couple different areas, one being the history of baseball in America. It seems that there has had to be a mythological background to baseball being Americas sport and Cooperstown being the home of baseball. The MLB, to keep its audience, markets baseball’s history in the US on our own soil. In doing, this spectators and audiences continue to participate with the same passion. The myth side of the MLB enables them to use hard and soft powers in managing and marketing the game.

The article also touched on abusing power. This had to do with the marketing strategies towards international players and the different tactics used by the MLB to acquire talent at lower cost in an effort to increase profit. These actions have emphasis on hard power strategies while at the same time attracting talent through its soft power mythology and appeal.

The final topic looked at in the article is the balancing power or global marketplace. The MLB has taken some steps to begin a global MLB world. Baseball in the Olympics was a solid effort to globalize. Also, the World Baseball Classic has had continued success and hopes to continue to globally bring baseball together. The MLB overall seeks to become a smart power leader in developing an increasing network of global affiliations and games to increase its profitability and appeal.

The article was written well to portray and give good examples of the powers in the MLB and the ways the MLB uses these powers. It gave the reader an understanding of the factors impacting the MLB’s management strategies and marketing decisions.

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Review by Tommi Nissinen in KIN 332 (Section 2)

Smart ball is an article, which reviews a book called Smart Ball: Marketing the Myth and Managing the Reality of Major League Baseball written by Robert F. Lewis II. In the article, the author, Ted B. Peetz, highlights the most important parts of the book, and focuses on examining the use of “smart power” in Major League Baseball.

According to the article, smart power is the hybrid of two distinct techniques – the hard power and the soft power. The hard power refers to the use of force and intimidation and can be seen as more military or economic in form. Soft power, on the other hand, refers to a more gentle approach, which tries to attract its audience through attractiveness and unique appeal rather than force and intimidation.

Smart power tries to combine these two techniques in order to fully maximize the strengths of both models in order to achieve set goals. The article reveals how baseball has utilized soft and hard approaches in the past, and how its recent trend of shifting towards the combination of these two has affected its marketing strategies.

The article introduces four separate aspects of baseball:
1. Baseball as a sport
2. Baseball as a domestic monopoly
3. Baseball as a neocolonial power
4. Baseball as an international business

In the first aspect, baseball as a sport, the author focuses on how baseball has been, and still is, marketed as America’s national pastime. This is an example of the use of soft power in marketing the sport in America. It is an attempt to create patriotic ties between the sport and its audience. Recent trends, such as building what the author calls “retro-ballparks”, ballparks that try to capture the feeling of older playing fields, are a marketing approach, which goal is to create nostalgia in the target markets, and ultimately create more revenue and profit for the organizations that are involved with sport.

The second aspect, baseball as a domestic monopoly, attacks baseball’s “unique legal status as perhaps the only sanctioned private monopoly in the country”. Here, the author reveals the use of hard power in baseball by giving an example of how the lack of competitive pressure has given the MLB the possibility to ignore “both marketing and production opportunities that could have broadened and strengthened its position in the broader sports entertainment world”. The author also points out how baseball has successfully combined soft and hard powers by harmonizing its cultural and commercial strategies.

The third aspect, baseball as a neocolonial power, focuses on examining how the sport has been, and still is, exploited as a profitable business. An example the author points out in the article is acquiring talent at lower cost in an effort to increase profits. This almost automatically leads to questioning the higher morals of the organizations involved. What are they willing to do in order to make higher profits?

Finally, the fourth aspect, baseball as an international business, introduces different ways the sport has been, and is still, marketed overseas towards new market groups. According to the article, MLB has worked hard on keeping baseball as an Olympic sport. This would allow them to reach new audiences, more crowds, and therefore higher profits. However, marketing baseball globally has only one very big problem – the effort to create an image of America’s favorite pastime can easily backfire when reaching for new markets overseas.

Monday, September 26, 2011

"Revolutionizing the Market: Innovative Electronic Branding Strategies within NCAA Athletic Departments"

From the International Journal of Sport Management

Review by Patrick Pelletier in KIN 332 (Section 2)

The article I chose to read was titled Revolutionizing the Market: Innovative Electronic Branding Strategies within NCAA Athletic Departments, and was published in the International Journal of Sport Management. This article describes a very scientific approach to get a better idea of the electronic strategies that Division I athletic departments use to build brand equity.

The importance of brand loyalty is simple: the stronger the brand loyalty among consumers, the more likely it is these consumers will remain fans even while the team or school is struggling to win. That is why researchers Cooper, Ross, and Southall conducted this survey-style research. They wanted to know what athletic administrators were doing to build a brand electronically. The researchers sent out surveys to 64 athletic departments representing all 11 FBS conferences. The survey consisted of 16 Likert-type questions, in which the administrators were asked to indicate which strategy they thought was most useful in today’s industry on a scale of 1 to 6. For example the mean response for the relevancy of using video broadcasts on department websites was a 5.32 (1 was strongly disagree, 6 was strongly agree). The results showed that for department websites, administrators felt that using video broadcasts was the most effective (5.32) and that the use of message boards was least effective (3.03). The researchers also found that video sharing (4.53), text messaging (4.49), and social networking sites (4.47) were effective tools used by athletic departments when dealing with independent technologies.

These results were not surprising to me because of the constant desire for information in the sporting world. Video broadcasts online are a great tool, and I think most universities utilize this by uploading highlights and interviews, or even streaming live game footage. However, I am somewhat surprised that the numbers from the independent technologies section were not higher. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are used by universities on a daily and even hourly basis, and I think that adds a lot of value to their athletic departments. For example, JMU uses Twitter very effectively by updating followers with game updates, and news about current and former athletes. As a consumer I value that kind of information and it adds a little more loyalty to the JMU brand.

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Review by Brent Henchen in KIN 332 (Section 2)

In “Revolutionizing the Market: Innovative Electronic Branding Strategies Within NCAA Athletic Departments” by Coyte Cooper, Stephen Ross, and Richard Southall these men set out to quantitatively determine the importance of electronic media on college brands. They wanted to give the sports world some guidance as to what marketing vehicles to use since “several scholars have emphasized the importance of the realization of strong brand equity for sport organizations looking to maximize their financial endeavors.” Brand equity is the primary goal of many sports marketers. Increasing the positive connotation associated with a brand will in turn increase sales. “Researchers in the business field have illustrated that strong brand equity is directly correlated with the following consumer benefits: enhanced product value, improved purchase intention, and immunity to product-associated crises.” This carries over to increased immunity from declining sales when a team is underperforming. According to Gladen & Funk, 2001, “Scholars have expanded on pervious findings when explaining that consumers with a strong brand loyalty are more likely to remain fans when a team struggles from a performance standpoint.”

Since “investigating brand equity in web or Internet contexts is a relatively new research area” these three men decided to take it upon themselves to do some substantial research in this area. They sent out survey invites to NCAA Athletic Departments and ended up with 64 participants. All the participants were asked to identify, on a scale of 1 to 6, “the e-branding strategies that are most relevant in today’s competitive entertainment industry.” The strategies were divided into 2 groups: Department Websites and Independent Technologies. In the Department Website category participants were asked to rank the following: video broadcasting, audio broadcasting, podcasts, newsletters, blogs, interactive chat, interactive fan poll, and message boards. In the Independent Technologies category the vehicles ranked were: video sharing, text messaging, social network sites, podcasts, blogs, twitter, and message boards. The research found that when talking about department websites video & audio broadcasts were the two most important marketing ploys and the message boards were the least important strategies. For independent technologies the most important marketing ploys are video sharing and text messaging; with the least important category being message boards, again.

This research can increase the workload for sports marketers but also prevent a ton of headaches. Message boards are hard to police and are usually dominated by fans with extreme views. But if this data is taken as truth, sports marketers do not have to worry as much about message boards anymore. Unfortunately, now the fun starts in trying to make text messaging, video, and audio broadcasts current and plentiful. Video and Audio broadcasts take more effort to create than texts but do not need to be numerous. Texts messages, on the other hand, require minimal effort but need to by abundant.

Looking at the statistical analyses I was a little disappointed. I appreciate the work they put into the research but a few things pop out at me. Why did they interview the marketers and not the consumers? Wouldn’t interviewing a consumer tell you exactly what influences their image of a brand? Also, why did they use a scale 1-6? I always try to use an odd number so that responders can choose “neutral/neither.” The last problem I had with the result is the random p-values. Where did they come from? No hypothesis was being tested so there shouldn’t be a p-value to test for statistical significance. The p-value is the percent chance that you falsely rejected the null hypothesis. So, in order to have a p-value you must be comparing an expected value against an observed value. In the research paper there was no expected value or expected mean for the grading system. They simply observed and measured the values without guessing what the result would be. Therefore, I cannot determine why there is a p-value associated with the mean value in each category. Communication with the authors would be the only step to solving this problem.

"Honda Renews As Official Vehicle Of NHL In U.S."

From The Big Lead


Review by Ryan Stewart in KIN 332 (Section 1)

Honda has teamed up with the NHL again and renewed the contract of being the official car of the NHL. This also gives them the rights to a lot of promotional events at events such as the NHL All Star Game and the NHL Awards. This contract will continue to give Honda a lot of exposure, especially being the only automotive partner of the NHL. They will have reserved areas within NHL arenas that will help them promote their vehicles, as well as on-ice promotions. Most NHL rinks can fit around 15,000 fans which is a great deal of people to expose a product to. Taking into account 41 home games a year for each team, the exposure is phenomenal. Renewing this deal seems to be vital to the success of Honda as a leading automotive company.

Honda seems to have a well thought out plan as to why they are trying to market themselves through the NHL. They have found the right demographic they are looking for as Honda’s brand manager Tom Peyton explains. The NHL is also a very loyal and passionate fan base, which in return could help continue the success of Honda. Many fans stick with their teams throughout everything, and if Honda can convince them to buy a vehicle they may continue to stick with that brand in the future. The NHL fans are somewhat of a secluded demographic, they have a set fan base that stays loyal. I don’t see this market very hard to penetrate. I think this because the demographic is “young, affluent, and educated”. When I think of Honda I feel that the style of the cars they make definitely match the demographic. Honda is making a good choice by hooking up with the NHL.

The NHL is a great business and has many opportunities to help Honda be successful for the remainder of their contract. After the NHL lockout, the league seems to be revamped and exciting. Every year the NHL receives more and more exposure, which in return exposes Honda. All in all, this is a good move by Honda to team up with the NHL and they should see a continued success within this market.

"Under Armour grabs attention, mixed reviews for 'bold' Maryland uniforms"

From Baltimore Business Journal


Review by Sam Dowell in KIN 332 (Section 1)


Under Armour and the University of Maryland open up the college football season this year with a uniform that caught just about everyone’s eye. The design was so radical that it sparked conversations and got everyone talking about the University of Maryland. Interestingly enough, there were as many negative opinions as there were positive ones. The two-sided jerseys seemed to serve the purpose of giving Under Armour and the University of Maryland plenty of exposure.

The specific jerseys that the Terrapin players sported were the Maryland Pride uniforms which showcased the two different patterns on the Maryland flag. This was a great marketing move because it garnered support from the Maryland citizens as UMD wanted people to know that state pride is an integral value of the university. The Maryland Pride jerseys are one of 32 different combination patterns that Under Armour has designed for the 2011 season. Under Armour is taking a page out of Nike’s book, who designed the Oregon Duck’s uniforms that became incredibly popular last season. The one thing that both Oregon and Maryland’s jersey had in common was the fact that they were both eye catching and they created free publicity. Free publicity is a fantastic way to market a university but the only downside is there is no way to control what the public thinks of the product once it is out there. Some observers from Maryland’s season opener described the uniforms as “wild” and “hideous.” This is the one downfall for designing such a bold product but in the end, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives and the jerseys served the purpose of getting the program noticed and talked about nationwide. Under Armour is at the forefront in changing the strategy of a traditional marketing program. Under Armour as well as Nike are starting to put more emphasis on appearance than on merchandise. They are customizing helmets, gloves, football pants, etc, to garner as much attention as possible. Fans don’t regularly purchase these products so; these schools are counting on adding fan support through the style and originality of their gear. I personally think this would be most effective establishing a larger fan base with the youth population. This market loves the cool, sleek new jersey styles and is less likely to be loyal to another university. Once the fan base is established, the merchandise will also become more and more popular. The University of Maryland blazed a new trail with their creative jerseys and I expect other Universities to come up with some wild designs themselves to get their name out nationally as well.

"Pitt, Syracuse to join the Atlantic Coast Conference"

From The Business Journal


Review by Elliot Rosenfeld in KIN 435


The article “University of Pittsburg, Syracuse to Join The ACC,” by Owen Covington discusses the current changes going on in college sports. Syracuse and Pittsburgh have decided to leave the Big East after being members for 30 years in order to ensure some stability. This is the first real move this year towards super conferences and many believe it is going to start a serious domino effect to change all of college sports.

The main reasons for all these changes is money, but more specifically the ACC wanted to expand because it will allow them to renegotiate their TV contract with ESPN that they signed just a year ago. The current deal (12 years, and $1.86 billion dollars) was signed in July in 2010, but the addition of these two high profile teams should allow the ACC to increase that amount substantially. ACC officials are hoping that the new deal will be closer to the deal the PAC-12 just signed (12 years, $3 billion). Each ACC School is currently receiving 11 million dollars but that amount should also rise if a new network deal is agreed upon.

Pittsburg represents the 24th biggest TV market, and Syracuse makes up the 82nd biggest TV market in America. Along with this, Syracuse also has major footholds in New York City, which greatly attracted the ACC. There is some uncertainty when these teams will actually join the ACC however. The Big East requires each team to pay a $5 million dollar exit fee and wait a 27-month period, but the ACC is hopeful that the wait period will be reduced.


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Review by Erika Pearson in KIN 435

In the article, the Atlantic Coast Conference has announced that it has accepted Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburg into the its conference. The departure of Syracuse and Pittsburg from the Big East may cause realignment in the rest of the conference and negatively affect the Big East. According to the Big East bylaws, Big East requires team that leaves to give a 27 month notification and pay a hefty $5 million exit fee. According to the article, the ACC may have more schools interested in joining their conference; another Big East school that is considering moving to the ACC is Connecticut. Even though the big move may put the Big East in danger, the ACC has the opportunity to gain much anticipation for the basketball season as well as gain Madison Square Garden as a site for a basketball tournament.

I believe that the transition of Syracuse and Pittsburg to the ACC will be great opportunity for the conference. The ACC has the chance to expand their networks to New York and Pennsylvania as well as create a great buzz around the conference during the basketball season; the move will also bring money to the conference. However I feel that the future of the Big East is looking very bleak; the lost of two solid teams and possibly Connecticut could cause the conference to lose a lot of money as well as shrink their market and their buzz during basketball season.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

"UGG Australia Launches Campaign Targeting Men"

From AllBusiness.com





Review by Brad Harner in KIN 435

UGG Australia, a company originally known for women’s boots, made a bold investment in a new collection of shoes targeted towards men. The company decided they needed growth and the way the
y were going to go about this was to introduce a new line for men. Along with the risk of starting this new line for men, they also partnered with Tom Brady to market the product to men. The new line of shoes has people talking, especially fans of the NFL. NFL fans are venting about the UGG commercial they saw, featuring Tom Brady, on their televisions during the first Monday Night Football game. UGG strategically bought this time slot because they knew there would be millions of men watching the first Monday Night Football game of the season. The company chose Brady to endorse their new collection of shoes because they believe he is a well liked, popular, athlete that can influence fans into buying the product. Constance X. Rishwain, the president of UGG Australia said, “Working with Tom allows us to celebrate the heritage of UGG and at the same time introduce it to a new generation of modern men like him who appreciate great design paired with the UGG ‘inside’ experience” The commercial attempts to stick with the modern theme of the shoe by getting hip hop artist Mos Def to accompany the “Steps” of the commercial. They came up with a title for the commercial as well to keep it simple and trendy by naming it “Steps”.
            
My opinion of this new collection, introduced by UGG Australia, is that they have done everything they can for the product to catch on. Whether or not this product actually becomes popular is something that we will have to wait and see. Personally, I do not believe NFL fans were the ones to target because most people watching football are not as modern and trendy as Tom Brady.

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Review by Patrick Pelletier in KIN 435

The article I chose to read was titled UGG Australia Launches Campaign Targeting Men, and was published on AllBusiness.com. Opening with a nationally televised commercial during ESPN’s Monday Night Football, UGG Australia will target men using NFL quarterback Tom Brady. UGG has high hopes and expectations for this new campaign, but it will be interesting to see how using an NFL superstar will help accomplish their goal to reach a new market.

UGG Australia’s main goal in partnering with Brady is to increase the popularity of its new men’s collection of footwear. What better way to do that then use arguably one of the most popular players in America’s most popular professional sport. The NFL fan base is a huge area of opportunity for any company and UGG is trying to capitalize on it. President Constance X. Rishwain said in the article that: “launching our men's campaign with TV illustrates the commitment we have to this initiative and to our partnership with Tom Brady." This shows that the company as a whole is dedicated to the success of this campaign. However, it may not be completely up to them.

The audience UGG Australia is trying to reach is going to be very difficult to penetrate. There are going to be a limited number of men watching the NFL that are interested in wearing these boots or that have even heard of the company. In my opinion the campaign overall won’t have a significant impact on the popularity of this collection. There are going to be people that will buy these new shoes because they associate them with Tom Brady. I think that is where most of the new sales will come from. The commercial aired on Monday Night Football will continued to be shown and I think it will have more of an impact on the casual football fan and those that just know who Brady is.

This campaign being attempted by UGG Australia definitely shows their desire to get more men wearing their product. Targeting the NFL is a great way to do this but they will most likely not get the die-hard fans to wear them. However, I think they chose the right player to endorse them because Brady has enough recognition around casual fans and those that aren’t fans to influence what people think about when they make purchasing decisions.

"UPS, MillerCoors go in — and go big — on campus"

From SportsBusiness Journal


Review by Adam Carranza in KIN 332 (Section 2)


The start of the new football season began with both UPS and MillerCoors closing huge marketing deals with collegiate schools all over the country. UPS has almost 70 schools on its list stretching from coast to coast with such powerhouses as Texas, Florida, Ohio State and others. They are also in talks with the Big Ten and Pac-12 about sponsorships detailed to their championship games. MillerCoors is dealing with 23 schools across the country, while trying to promote strong messages about responsibility. This deal is coming after Coors Light lost its official partnership with the NFL, as Anheuser-Busch has taken over this season. While the college scene might be a first for MillerCoors, UPS had already made a deal in 2010 to become an NCAA corporate partner. These big multi-school deals seem to becoming a new trend that could catch on quickly, as opposed to dealing with each school individually.

Both companies are using sports to market their non-sport related product or service. The scale of the UPS deal shows just how important collegiate sports have become compared to the professional levels. This could open the door for other companies to try and complete something this large, because the NCAA has proved a worthy source of marketing over the years. Not only will this help UPS in the marketing game, but it could lead to deals with the schools to become their main shipping source. MillerCoors believes that this is a great addition to their marketing mix as they still have deals with many NFL teams, along with fantasy football and the MLB. Their deal is impressive because in the past schools have been hesitant to have a beer company as one of their main sponsors. They are allowed to put college marks on their point-of-sale advertising, but not on any television advertisements. By expanding their marketing attention these companies could pave the way for bigger and better deals in the future.


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Review by Josh Ruffner in KIN 332 (Section 2)

This article is about how UPS and MillerCoors are teaming up with the NCAA creating large sponsorships. This will be a whole new market for both corporations. UPS came upon terms of agreement with about 70 schools and a few conferences a deal worth $25 million a year. The only other corporation with this widespread sponsorship is State Farm which took them about 25 years to partner up with more than 90 schools. UPS will also shoot to gain sponsorship with some of the championship games this season. MillerCoors deal is with about 23 schools. Their idea is to market their product with responsibility messaging from point of sale with college marks. MillerCoors is reaching out to college football in hopes to fill the void from the loss of the NFL partnership. The deal will be somewhere are the $10 million range annually. MillerCoors will have to be careful promoting on college campuses where beer advertising can be sensitive because of underage drinking. UPS and MillerCoors are two of the biggest when it comes to sports marketing and we will see how they fair this coming season.

I think that this is a good idea for both corporations to dive into a new market. I think MillerCoors is doing a great thing by creating a grant program towards campus programs that create awareness about alcohol responsibility. I think they will do well in collegiate athletics because it is such a broad market as fans are more than just students. These large sponsorships are good for collegiate athletics and large corporations. It is going to allow the corporations to promote their product through a whole new market impacting a lot of viewers.

"Metlife steps up to take Meadowlands naming rights"

From SportsPro Media


Review by Matthew Per in KIN 435


The article that Kevin and I decided to present is titled “Metlife Steps up to Take Meadowlands Naming Rights.” The article was written by David Cushnan and posted in Sports Pro Media. It discusses that the new meadowlands stadium has yet to agree on naming rights to the stadium, until now. Its current sponsors are Verizon, Budweiser, Pepsi, and Metlife, but Metlife was the one that gave the best offer for naming rights. Metlife offered twenty million dollars for the next twenty years to receive the naming rights. This comes to a total of $400 million, over the twenty-year span. This is the most expensive naming rights deal done in the National Football League.

Even though this deal was expensive I agree with metlife that it will pay dividends. Metlife stadium is home to the New York Jets and New York Giants. While most stadiums have only one team, Metlife has two. This is double the publicity they are receiving. Also, the stadium will be hosting the 2014 Super Bowl, which will bring a good deal of attention to the stadium.

As Matt Higgins, the New York Jets' executive vice president of business affairs said, “It's got to be the right deal. The value proposition that we've offered is unlike anything anywhere in the country in that you're getting two NFL teams, but you're also getting the media capital of the planet.” This quote does a great job of summing up why I believe the naming rights of the New York Giants and New York Jets stadium was worth the amount of money they spent. Many would argue that New York is one of if not the most influential city in the world and now Metlife is a huge part of that.


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Review by Kevin Matsunaga in KIN 435

The former Meadowlands Stadium, home to the New York Jets and the New York Giants, will be acquiring a new name for the next 20 years. It has been reported that the insurer Metlife has agreed to a deal that could have their name secure in the area in the largest marketing city in America. The stadium’s name has been changed to Metlife Stadium and it will last for 20 years. The New York Post has reported that the deal could be worth $20 million for 20 years, which sums up to a whopping $400 million in a two-decade span.

This sponsorship sale has large implications in the marketing world mostly because it stands in the mecca of world marketing. Matt Higgins, the New York Jets’ executive vice president of business affairs, said, “It’s got to be the right deal. The value proposition that we’ve offered is unlike anything anywhere in the country in that you’re getting two NFL teams, but you’re also getting the media capital of the planet.”

Metlife already has significant sponsorship rights at the stadium, which cost $1.6 billion when the contract began last year. Metlife is now one of four cornerstone partners with sponsorship deals at the new Metlife Stadium along with Verizon, Pepsi, and Budweiser.

Since the city of New York has two football teams, that makes this deal all the more juicy for Metlife. Sponsors of other NFL teams will only be able to market during the home games. Which in an NFL season will be a total of 8 games. But since Metlife Stadium is host to two NFL teams, that guarantees that their will be home games almost every week of the NFL season.

"Tweet Smell Of #success"

From Sport Illustrated

Review by Jamie Coder in KIN 435


The article that we picked, “Tweet Smell of #Success” was a very interesting article. It talks about how Twitter.com has helped transform the world of pro sports. Now every NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL franchise, as well as a sizeable amount of pro athletes, has twitter pages. They can use these accounts to connects with fans one-on-one, promote games/players, or just to talk about nothing in particular.  This article also mentions how Twitter is changing the athlete-sponsor relationship because athletes are tweeting about their sponsors, which is sometimes gaining more recognition than a TV commercial. I think that Twitter has the potential to impact the sports world in a bigger way, especially through marketing and promotion. For example, pro athletes can tweet something about a product they like (or that they are sponsored by) and it would result in good publicity for that product because it would seem like it was not sponsored information or a paid advertisement, thus making it more believable in the minds of the people “following” that particular athlete. Another way Twitter could impact the sports world through promotion is athletes using twitter for more personal contact. As mentioned in the article, people are getting more excited about an athlete tweeting back at them then getting their actual autograph. Athletes could use this to get closer to their fans and to gain more support. The more fans like an athlete, the more sponsorship deals they could sign, the more popular they could become and so on. Teams and athletes could also use Twitter to offer incentives for following them. As mentioned in the article, when the Chargers faced a possible blackout, the official Chargers Twitter page offered discount prices for tickets to sell out the seats. Teams could use Twitter not only for putting butts in the seats, but for coupons to places that sponsor the team, special discounts at team stores, even have trivia with the lucky winner getting a meet and greet with the team. Finally, a team or athlete could use Twitter to improve its community relations or social responsibility. In the article, it mentions how the White Sox and Indians had a “#hashtag” battle by donating $1 to cancer research whenever a fan used certain hashtags. With fun games like this or even doing something simple like donating $1 to cancer research for every follower or an athlete donating $1 to their charity for every one follower, teams and professional athletes could improve their social image as well as improve their image within their community. All in all, I really enjoyed the article and think that the sports world has not even began to scratch the surface in regards to all the possibilities that Twitter holds, especially when it comes to marketing and promoting teams, athletes, sponsors, etc.

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Review by Patrick Downey in KIN 435

The article “Tweet Smell of #Success” discusses the relationships that professional athletes and professional sports teams have with the social media site, Twitter. It also touches on the impact of these relationships, noting that these relationships through social media create a unique experience for both the fans and the athletes/sports teams.

The article states that almost half of all professional athletes in the United States and every NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA teams have twitter accounts. Shaquille O’Neal, for instance, is approaching four million Twitter followers. Although not all athletes have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, enough have done so that Twitter has become a permanent aspect of the sports world. During Super Bowl XLV there were as many as 4,064 tweet per second and during the Champions League final there were more than 6,300 tweets per second. However, not all Twitter involvement is good, especially since athletes with Twitter accounts are the ones with direct access and control, Tweeting whatever that want. Athletes such as Reggie Bush and Ozzie Guillen and Rashard Mendenhall have got themselves into hot water in the past. Mendenhall tweeted skepticism of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and has since received a lot of backlash from those tweet.

Although it began as a “toy” for athletes, Twitter now provides much opportunity in the marketing and promotions aspect of sport. Last season the San Diego Chargers were facing game black outs, so they went to Twitter and used it as a venue to sell seats. The White sox and Indians also used Twitter during a game last year to donate money to cancer research by using a “#hashtag battle.” NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald embeds sponsors into his tweet, which provides that sponsor with medium to advertise their product indirectly. Although Twitter has not been used extensively for sport promotion, it certainly has the ability to do so. Twitter is a perfect vehicle for sponsors to convey information about their products to potential customers and it is also a good way to position a product. For instance, if a sponsor uses a well-respected athlete such as Michael Jordon, to tweet about a new product, this product is then positioned in the mind of consumers as a reputable product that they may want to buy. Also, due to Twitters ability for rapid response it becomes a valuable vehicle for publicity since athletes can tweet information about products or organizations that does not seem sponsored. Twitter also involves the personal contact and community relations’ aspects since fans (followers) can directly tweet an athlete or team and elicit a personal response thus making connection between athlete/team and fan (community). Finally, Twitter can become a large part of sponsorship, namely the ‘retail promotional sales (incentives)’ component. Twitter could utilize this component by having companies offer sales and promotions through the their Twitter accounts, such as the first set amount of people to tweet a correct answer to trivia or tweet a response to a post, get a coupon or win a prize.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

"Big 12 hits pause on Longhorn Network's HS plans"

Article from CBSSports.com

Review by Sky Powell in KIN 332 (Section 2)

The University of Texas recently launched the Longhorn Network, which provides 24-hour coverage of all sporting events the university is involved in. One of the plans the network has is to start televising high school games. After word started to spread about them doing so, the NCAA, the Big 12 and other universities became concerned with their intentions behind televising these games. One allegation is that the university may only broadcast the games of high profile recruits hoping to lure them towards committing to Texas.

For right now, the commissioner of the Big 12 has put a hold on the network televising high school games until they can make a decision about whether or not it will be beneficial for the entire conference or just the University of Texas. Issues other schools in the conference have is that this will be a major disadvantage for their recruiting programs because they will be over looked when it comes time for players to commit to colleges.

The Big 12 conference is not what it once was and there have been rumors of certain schools leaving the conference in search of rebuilding their teams. Schools such as Texas A&M and Oklahoma have reportedly considered departure and if the Longhorn Network’s intentions are in the wrong place, then they may be more intrigued to switch conferences which would be detrimental to the conference as a whole. The athletic director of the University of Texas states that they will cooperate with any rules stated by the NCAA and that they are acting with the best intentions for the conference. I believe that promoting high school sports at that level could be beneficial to everyone involved and has the potential to open up an entirely new segment of marketing and publicity for high school athletes.

As long as the University of Texas’ intentions are to help promote high school athletics as a whole and not solely to help bring in better recruits, this is an opportunity to create a new, successful division of sports. If the network is approved to broadcast the games, then I feel that more universities should attempt to do the same in different regions all over the country.


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Review by Matt Tucker in KIN 332 (Section 2)

BIG 12 commissioner Dan Beebe put a hold on the Texas Longhorn University’s new television network. The purpose of the network is to display all of the Longhorn’s athletics on all local Texas cable networks, however they are also looking to make deals with DirecTV for those Longhorn fans that have moved away. The problem however does not lay with airing Longhorn athletics, however there was a clause talking about videotaping local high school football games. Once the public found out about the media coverage for the high school teams there was a sour taste in competitors mouth. The advantage from a marketing standpoint, when it comes to recruiting top-level athletes, is the idea of being exposed on a national level. Not every school in the nation, not even the top programs would be able to compete in recruiting. Athletes in Texas would be greatly influenced because athletes are looking to transition into the NFL. Due to talks with the network, teams in the BIG 12 like Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Nebraska are all in discussions for leaving and joining a new league. Texas A&M is the only school so far to move out of the BIG 12 and join the SEC. If most teams decide to leave the BIG 12 Texas will have one of the biggest monopolies on marketing athletes. Sponsorships will come in the bucket loads to Texas asking to be apart of the national network giving the university money to put back into the football program creating a continuous cycle of improvement. I recently looked at the progress of the network and the Longhorn’s were approved for videotaping Texas Longhorn athletes but the jury is still not decided on whether or not to allow high school sports. The university has stated that they will do everything to comply with NCAA rules. In my opinion however I think it would be a big mistake from a marketing standpoint to let the Longhorns videotape high school athletes. The network would give Texas an advantage in recruiting, sponsorships, and revenue.

"Owning Orange"

From Athletic Management

Review by Jordan Fields in KIN 332 (Section 1)

Syracuse University has been known for both their athletic and academic standards. Though lately their athletics have been less productive then what the school has been use to in the past, Syracuse University is still making headlines. Like every college in the nation with a sports program, SU has trademarked many different aspects of their proud school. SU has trademarked everything from their famous mascot Otto the Orange to the nicknames of their players the “Orangemen” and “Orangewomen”, they even trademarked their stadium names. Now SU is going through a legal debate on whether or not they can trademark the word “Orange” as it deals with clothing and other merchandise. The issue here is that the word orange is so vastly used in other major and minor collegiate programs. For instance a few schools that were discussed in the journal I found were programs such as, Boise State University, University of Florida, and the University of Tennessee. These programs were discussed in the article due to how intertwined they are with the color orange. These teams were worried and I believe rightfully so, if SU was to be successful in acquiring the desired trademark then it could drastically affect the marketing of these teams. These teams use the word orange a lot in retail and in promotions. The answer to this problem was a co-existence agreement. Though the details of the agreement are uncertain, they are currently being worked out. The idea of a trademark is to insure that there is no confusion on the origin of an idea or object. Syracuse’s main reason for the trademarking of the word “Orange” is solely to prevent the sale of unlicensed or unofficial products using the schools nickname. This trademark, however, would not stop other schools from being able to use it in accordance with their own programs. This was one of the terms agreed upon due to how unlikely it would be that customers would mistake Syracuse for their school. George McGuire, who is the attorney handling legal issues with the school’s case, states that this agreement only re-affirms each school’s rights to use the word “Orange” as it had before and that colleges which are not part of the agreement will also be able to continue to use the word as it relates to their programs. This agreement will also apply to high school programs, as long as no connection to Syracuse is made through the word “Orange”. I think it should be passed in favor for SU, the only people being harmed by this are people selling the unlicensed products. It has no real affect on any other schools and it will help generate more revenue for Syracuse. They are only looking to stop the unlicensed sale of items with the school’s nickname. Being that it is their nickname, I feel as though they should have the right to protect it.

"Conference realignment: An ESPN conference?"

From ksl.com

Review by Chad Byers in KIN 332 (Section 1)

The uncertainty in college football has caused a giant conference realignment and has showed what college football has become—a giant cash-cow where every party has a substantial amount of greed.

This greed stems primarily off of multi-million dollar tv contracts which is split throughout the conference. The foreseeable end of the Big 12 shows the obvious problem with uneven revenue shares in a conference. The creation of the Longhorn Network angered so many of its members that the conference will most likely split in the near future.

But the Longhorn Network has opened up doors to ESPN that few have realized. This ESPN affiliate network has essentially taken out the middle man (conferences) and now there is a direct revenue line between ESPN and Texas. If this tool was used correctly it could mean an increased profit stream for both parties to gain from. The article Conference realignment: An ESPN conference? tells of the behind the scenes conversations that are going on with ESPN and universities that have the capabilities of sustaining their own private network. This network would enable the universities to get more national recognition through coverage on ESPN networks. Also would generate more revenue because they would not have to split TV contracts throughout a 12-team conference.

Furthermore this would generate a higher profit line for ESPN because they would lose a substantial part of overhead costs by essentially outsourcing their network to each universities own network. There are 5 premiere BCS schools that already have a network or capabilities to operate on on campus. Texas of course has already created one. Oklahoma just spent 5 million dollars creating an HD soonervision facility, with HD and fiber optic cords. Penn State, Notre Damn, and BYU all have small satellite networks that could easily be adapted into an ESPN affiliate. Many schools have these small in house networks; Liberty University even has one at the FCS level.

The combination of ESPN and independent schools united together could eventually be the end of the BCS. It would destroy the formula of the BCS—since the formula of the BCS is primarily predicated off of conference structures. The strength of conference is very important, notice that an SEC team has been in the national championship for the last 5 years.

Just as every other scenario trying to predict what is going on this is just a scenario but a very realistic scenario that no one is thinking about. The reason that this theory is not more prevalent is simple—why would ESPN (the only source of sporting information) talk about this possibility until it actually comes to fruition.

"Upgrades push JMU to top of FCS"

From The Associated Press


Review by Miranda Brewer in KIN 332 (Section 1)

After being away at an internship all summer, James Madison linebacker Pat Williams was in awe at the sight of the new stadium. “It was kind of overwhelming,” said Williams. The new stadium is now the biggest in the Colonial Athletic Association, with new heights in expectations to match. The Dukes have not been back to the playoffs since the semifinal loss to Montana in 2008, but they are expected to finish second in the conference this year. In regards to the stadium itself, head coach Mickey Matthews says the renovations on the home sideline give it an “SEC” feel. The new stadium holds 25,000 people, which is approximately 10,000 more than it did before. Athletic director Jeff Bourne says the next phase of upgrades would increase capacity to around 40,000. Bourne shrugged off the assumption that the expansion is the foundation for a move into the Football Bowl Subdivision. "I-A is really not on the radar screen at this point," he said. "The bottom line is to be the absolute best program in the FCS right now, head to toe."

Marketing comes into play in this article when it talks about the VIP areas. There is a club level on the third floor of the stadium and VIP suites on the fourth. These areas pour money into the university with $200 per club level seat, and as much as $4,500 per suite per game. The first game was almost completely sold out, mostly thanks to the JMU marketing team and their “25K Strong” campaign. The campaign was an effort to fill the stadium for the Dukes’ first home game on September 10, 2011.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Employment Opportunities

Courtesy of Joe Favorito

**MATTER, Edelman Sports & Entertainment Marketing has an immediate opening for a senior account executive for the New York office. Candidates should have 3-6 years relevant communications experience, a solid grasp of the sports & entertainment media landscape and strong writing and organizational skills.
https://tbe.taleo.net/NA1/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=EDELMAN&cws=1&rid=1164

**US Road Sports is seeking a highly energetic individual to assist in promoting the Publix Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon, the 13.1 Marathon® Atlanta and other events as necessary. The Marketing Director will assist the marketing and promotion of these events through creative means at the grassroots level, in the local running community and at events throughout the local areas (as determined in conjunction with the VP of Sales and Marketing and the Race Director). Additionally the Marketing Director will be responsible for prospecting and selling local sponsorships to their assigned events. Please email a cover letter, resume and availability to Steve Obert at nphipps@usroadsports.com.

**The Women’s Sports Foundation (http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/), founded in 1974, is the leader in promoting sports, health and education for girls and women. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the VP, Sponsorship & Marketing is a key member of the senior leadership team and will oversee a staff of four. The primary responsibilities of this position are: corporate sponsorship and marketing (digital, traditional, branding and public relations). This position will also work closely with a national Board of Trustees to achieve the WSF's funding and marketing goals. The successful candidate will be a dynamic, innovative business development or marketing executive able to build and manage a high-performing sponsorship and marketing program. Candidates from the nonprofit or corporate sector will be considered. For full position specification, please visit: http://www.sandlerassociates.org/searches.html.

**Southern Methodist University has an opening for a Manager of Sponsorship Sales for their Athletic Programs…the details are here… With us owning our commercial and marketing rights in-house, this is a wonderful opportunity for someone. https://access.smu.edu/psp/ps/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_HM_PRE&Action=A&SiteId=1

**Ludus Tours is a travel and hospitality company focused on many of the world’s biggest and best events, including the London Summer Games and FIFA World Cup. They are also among the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies. Ludus is seeking an Account Manager for Aquatics. This role will be responsible for managing existing relationships USA Water Polo, USA Swimming, USA Diving and USA Synchro. Former high-level aquatics athletes are encouraged to apply. The job is fulltime and is based in San Diego. Please send resume and references to jobs@ludustours.com

**The USTA Eastern Section has an immediate opening for a Competition Coordinator position. Duties will be to provide assistance to the Director of Competition and Player Development. In addition to a competitive salary, the successful candidate will be eligible for the following benefits: All interested individuals should forward a resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to: bliss@eastern.usta.com

**The WWE, based in Stamford, Ct., is looking for a Manager or Director of Corporate Communications. The company is based in Stamford CT, but you can split your time and work out of NYC also. Television experience is a plus. Please send your resumes to justine.sacco@wwecorp.com

**There are editorial openings at SportsBusiness Daily. All jobs based in Charlotte, NC. Must have excellent writing and copy editing skills, strong knowledge of the sports business, be familiar and comfortable with news aggregation and comfortable working on multiple deadlines. If interested, send resume to jobs@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

**The new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which will start play in 2013-14, is seeking a commissioner to work out of their Colorado Springs headquarters. Interested parties with at least ten years experience in sports and business administration should contact kathleenporter@staffordsports.com

**The USGA, based in Far Hills, NJ, is looking for a Manager of Championship Communications. The position will direct overall championship communications efforts, with primary emphasis on the media relations and media center operations at the USGA’s national championships and team events. The job will also have other functions, including coordinating media coverage of the organization throughout the year. The position requires 5-10 years experience in Journalism, media/public relations, writing, event planning skills and golf knowledge required. Interpersonal, problem solving, organizational skills; large and simultaneous project planning and implementation; four-year college degree or higher from an accredited institution, with focus on Communications, Media Relations, or Journalism required; working relationship(s) with media, varied computer skills preferred. Positive attitude and the ability to display consistent initiative that reflects a fresh approach and new ideas. Send info to: mtagliernie@usga.org.

**INTERN WANTED for two U.S. sports federations based in New York with international branches in Europe, South America and Asia. Jack-of-all-trades wanted for handling research, social media, website maintenance and some financial and administrative tasks. Must be tech-savvy; poker and knowledge of mind sports (chess, bridge, checkers, Go) a plus. Great opportunity to get hands-on experience on two exciting start-ups with global reach; possibility of advancement and great contacts. Send CV to ah@us.pokerfed.org

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

"NBA and Sprint connect for deal"

From the Sports Business Journal

Review by Frank Ramunni in KIN 332 (Section 2)

In a recent article written the week of September 5, 2011 in Sports Business Journal it was determined that the National Basketball Association and Sprint Mobile have come to an agreement on a four year sponsorship deal. The deal was successfully completed due to the NBA and T-Mobile terminating their once existing contract. The new sponsorship deal was kept quiet to many most likely because of the current lockout the league is in. One of the more impressive parts of this deal is the price, a $45 million rights fee and a total agreement of $250 million, including media commitments and other miscellaneous agreements. Also, a lot of the talking and meeting about this agreement was happening during the 2011 NBA finals and T-Mobile lost simply because they offered substantially less than Sprint, 15-20 % less. In fact, another interesting part of this deal was that Metro PCS almost out bid Sprint to make a deal happen with the NBA.

In my opinion, I feel that it is not going to be an easy hill to climb for Sprint because of T-Mobile’s apparent success with their marketing and advertising. For many years, I would find myself laughing at Charles Barkley and Dwayne Wade T-Mobile commercials and they obviously must have made tons of money through their advertising for the company because they had such a long and thorough contract with the NBA. I also feel that the aspect of this contract that has the potential to make Sprint even more money is the fact that they are coming out with the iPhone. The iPhone will enable the use of many downloadable applications that Sprint will be linked to the NBA with. All in all, I think the deal that Sprint Mobile and the NBA have come to have the potential and opportunities to do big things and make large strides in the business marketing and advertising departments.

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Review by Jeff Wilkins in KIN 332 (Section 2)

For my article review, I decided to pick out an article from the Sports Business Daily Journal. In the Sports Business Daily Journal, I chose the article titled “NBA and Sprint Connect for Deal.” In the article, staff writer John Lombardo discusses how Sprint came to an agreement of $250 million dollars and teamed up to sponsor the NBA. As we all know, the NBA is going through a lockout and Sprint quietly came to an agreement with the league.

Sprint and the NBA came to an agreement of $45 million for their rights fee agreeing to a four year sponsorship. The $45 million rights fee was one of the largest ever collected by the league. The total value came out to $250 million due to media commitments and contractual requirements. Before talking to Sprint, the NBA had been talking to AT&T during the finals in June but couldn’t come to an agreement. The new mobile network, MetroPCS, had been competing with Sprint in regards to who would sign with the NBA but Sprint had come out as the leader paying 15-20% more than the NBA wireless sponsor T-Mobile had been paying. T-Mobile had been the league’s most active sponsor over the past six years and now Sprint will be taking over.

When talking about the marketing and sports marketing implications from the following article, Sprint will be marketing its new iPhone coming out in October in hopes that it will be able to explode with sales due to the fact that the NBA plans to launch in early November. Through the NBA, Sprint will be able to market its 4G wireless internet service and build brand awareness to viewers and people within the NBA. Sprint hasn’t been a top-level sponsor since losing NFL rights after the 2009 season. They are hoping to be able to build up their network through the NBA and increase sales as the season moves on.

"WNBA lands Boost Mobile as top sponsor"

From the Sports Business Journal

Review by Megan Fessler in KIN 332 (Section 2)

In one of the more beneficial and definitely the mostwide-ranging sponsorships in its history, the WNBA has signed Boost Mobile asits one and only “marquee” partner in a contract that will put the company’slogo on most WNBA team jerseys. The WNBAand Boost Mobile are in an agreement to a four year contract and a ten milliondollar partnership. Boost Mobile willalso be the title sponsor for the WNBA All-star games, the playoffs, andfinals. This deal size makes BoostMobile the most significant sponsorship in the history of the WNBA. The addition of Boost Mobile also gives theleague fifteen corporate market partnerships. The Boost Mobile logo will be on the front of the jerseys, under thenumber in a patch.

The Boost Mobile contract is a wide-ragingsponsorship. Not only are theyadvertising on the front of the teams jerseys’, but they will also get floors,pole pads, and courtside signage in the WNBA arenas. Boost Mobile will also be the present sponsorof WNBA top fifteen moment’s program, which is a special to be aired on NBA TVon Fridays and online for fans to vote. “The Boost Mobile deal is good for the league and good for the teams,”said Greg Bibb, chief operating officer of the Washington Mystics, the mostrecent team to sign a local jersey sponsorship. This contract will most definitely raise positive awareness of theleague.

Other WNBA teams will still be able to sign their ownlocal marquee deals. The assets of thisdeal, jersey visibility to the court, visibility to the overall stature of theBoost Mobile brand, it’s a great alignment. It is a cost-effective way to side with with a premier women’s sports brand.

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Review by Stephen Beiro in KIN 332 (Section 2)

Boost Mobileand the WNBA agreed on a four-year/ $10 million deal that makes Boost Mobilethe sole marquee partner of the WNBA and the league's 15th corporate marketingpartnership. This deal puts a Boost Mobile patch just below the numbers onjerseys the 10 WNBA teams who don't already have wireless sponsorship deals.Boost Mobile becomes the title sponsor of the WNBA All-Star Game, and also thepresenting sponsor of this year's WNBA playoffs and Finals. Boost Mobile willhave floor and courtside signage in WNBA arenas and is one of the biggest dealsin league history. League-level marquee talks have been around for a while andit is great for the WNBA and the teams to have a marquee sponsor. The marqueelevel is a new top marketing tier for the league which includes jersey, court,and much other exposure. Boost Mobile is always trying to find new ways to getbrand exposure at good value and found it with the WNBA. The female athleticaudience will now be aware of Boost Mobile, which increases potentialcustomers. Both sides see the deal as a great opportunity for exposure andexpansion and want to make the partnership as successful as possible. Teamsthat already have sponsorship deals and put logos on their jerseys will have toshare the space with Boost Mobile. Multiple local sponsorships are allowed butthe Boost Mobile logo will have to be seen if the team does not have anotherwireless sponsorship. Both sides are excited about the deal which shows thatthere is a great chance for success between the two organizations.

"NCAA's Leadership Failure in Governing the Commercialization of College Sports"

From the New York Times


Review by Mac Mountcastle in KIN 332 (Section 1)


The National Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA was designed for one main purpose. The NCAA is there to regulate the fairness and safety of competition, also bring the college athletics into higher education for the student-athlete gets a high standard education. However, with college sports becoming more commercialized, especially in football and basketball, it has been difficult for the NCAA to regulate the college sports. Around the country football and basketball are the two main sports that fund the other sports offered by the university. One big debate in this article is where it talks about “making these commercial athletic enterprises non-profit organizations for tax purposes”, considering all the revenue they bring to the rest of the university. As far as Sports marketing goes the elite college conferences have just recently signed billion dollar deals to gain publicity on national television during their football games. This causes risks of violations, because of what the article says “imbalance of compensation” being that coaches and Athletic directors are compensated when the players are left out. This could lead to paying of the players when the teams are making all the money in revenue from ticket sales. Maybe even the booster supporters of the team pay the players, which is in turn still against the rules. This whole article boils down to the point that the amount of money a college generates in revenue needs to be well regulated. The NCAA should be able to tell all universities that only a certain amount can go back to Athletic Directors and coaches, so the coaches do not know what is available to them. That way coaches cannot offer recruits money when they do not know what the college is receiving in revenue. The NCAA needs to make it so they regulate how each university spends revenue towards sports especially football, and basketball. The article comes right out and says the entire problem, which is “more money equals more problems”. If the NCAA can govern the money flow the problem would be solved.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

KIN 435 Students Participate in the 2011 JMU Football Home Opener





Select students from KIN 435 class had a successful JMU football game day experience last weekend.  The students assisted the Athletics Marketing department with setup of the JMU Fan Zone on Godwin Field, game program distribution, and oversight of giveaway items.  A few students were also placed in the Gate A ticket booth to assist the Athletic Ticket Office.  

Friday, September 9, 2011

"Marketing, Technology Drive Oklahoma's New Youth Outreach Initiative"

From Athletic Business: http://athleticbusiness.com/articles/article.aspx?articleid=3789&zoneid=8

Review by Brittany Clem in KIN 332 (Section 1)

Dominic Carola, President of Orlando, Florida- based Premise Entertainment, drew a cartoon character that looked like Oklahoma Universities mascot in attempt to reach out to young people interested in Oklahoma University Sooner athletics. Oklahoma’s Athletic Director Joe Castiglione describes that Sooner Jr. is “one of the most unique youth outreaches by any college athletics program in the nation.” Sooner Jr. is founded on four educational pillars, the F.A.N.S. system which involves fitness training, academics, nutrition, and sportsmanship. Not only is the Oklahoma University Athletic Department working on helping today’s youth get involved in a healthy lifestyle, they have reached as far as making an IPhone application for the program so that people nationally may become part of the Sooner Jr. program.

From a Marketing standpoint, OU’s AD for marketing, Charlie Taylor, says a six figure sum has been invested into the launch but this figure will change as people become more interested in the program. Tee-shirts, sweatshirts, and other apparel have been created with the Sooner Jr. logo in youth sizes and there is plan for future merchandise such as backpacks and water bottles supporting the healthy lifestyle theme of the Sooner Jr. program. Taylor also describes that there was a very large persuasive research project stating that more than 80 percent of the three and a half million people Oklahoma identified themselves as Sooner fans and of that 80 percent, 67 percent use a Smart Phone and one third an IPhone. This makes it possible for not only people in the state of Oklahoma to enjoy the program but people nationally through this technology. If interest in the Sooner Jr. program grows, technology will make sure that it will spread to rival school athletic programs.

The Sooner Jr. program and this article opened my eyes to not only a new program that benefits today’s youth, but the benefits brought to Oklahoma University’s Athletic Department by creating such a program. I believe that kids should choose their own path as to which college they wish to attend or what athletic department to be involved in but I also am very supportive of children becoming involved in an active healthy lifestyle. I think that it is a genius idea to take a character that is already known and turn that character into a positive influence and good role model as opposed to some of the examples set by today’s mascots or top ranked athletes.

"Water Polo Making a Splash With Young Athletes"

From Athletic Business: http://athleticbusiness.com/articles/lexisnexis.aspx?lnarticleid=1494771534&lntopicid=136030023&h=Area-wide%20water%20polo%20program%20growing%20in%20popularity

Review by Jay Greenhalgh in KIN 332 (Section 1)

The article that I selected is titled “Water Polo Making a Splash with Young Athletes” written by Wendy Leung and it focuses on the Chino Hills Area Water Polo Club, or CHAWP. The program started in 1999 at Ayala High School in Chino Hills but moved to Rancho Cucamonga and Norco high school where it is still located today. CHAWP is a six-week session that teaches kids the fundamentals of water polo as well as swimming techniques and skills to help them get better. Water Polo is a sport rising in popularity in the Inland Valley, especially during the summer because of the harsh heat of California. This is a smart location for CHAWP to start their program because they know that children will be looking for ways to have fun while staying cool. The parents of these children will want their kids to be active during the summer and have fun so water polo satisfies both the children and the parents’ needs. After the six week program is over, the child can choose to not continue with the sport if he or she wants. However, if a child wants to continue they can be signed up for a competitive program.

CHAWP used smart marketing techniques and processes to become a successful water polo club because they were able to identify what the consumers in that geographic location wanted. It gets hot in Southern California in the summer and it was recognized that there needed to be a program that offered recreation for children when they’re all out of school on summer break. The children’s’ parents want their kids to be safe and be well looked after while they’re at work, but they also want their children staying active and having fun. CHAWP is an option for these kids during the summer and the club recognizes that it’s a huge opportunity to maximize business. The target market is kids and the location for CHAWP is optimal because it is offered through high schools where they have their own pools. Community based programs like CHAWP are good for the community to keep kids out of trouble and CHAWP made good business decisions in choosing their program and location.

"New Era Plots Aggressive Five-Year Growth Plan"

From SGB Weekly: http://www.sportsonesource.com/news/weekly/sgbweekly/archive/sgbw_1110lo.pdf

Review by Mason Bryan in KIN 435

Thomas J. Ryan’s article, “New Era Plots Aggressive Five-Year Growth Plan,” was a very interesting read that provided insight into the world of marketing and sales. Although the article included points regarding New Era’s sponsorship of the NFL in the 2012 season, I was disappointed with the lack of details about the sponsorship itself. New Era became one of the five official “on-field” sponsors of the National Football League (joining Gatorade, Canon, Nike, and Motorola), yet nothing regarding the price of the deal or the length of the contract is mentioned in the article and I believe that those are key points into educating the reader about the business of sports sponsorship.

Other than the fact that the details of the NFL deal aren’t made known, the article provided a great amount of detail into the world of marketing and sales for an up and coming company in the sports industry. New Era, as many already know, is the official on field cap of Major League Baseball. With annual sales of $500 million, the company is seeking new ways to double their sales by 2015. By doing so they have not only sponsored the NFL and become their official on field cap, but have done the same for the Canadian Football League, and have become the title sponsor of the Pinstripe Bowl, an annual college football bowl game played at Yankee Stadium. The company has also started a women’s apparel line and began their “Fly Your Own Flag” campaign in hopes of reaching new markets. Through the use of marketing and sponsorship, New Era is making its product(s) known to the public on a much larger scale and, in my opinion, will have no troubles doubling their sales within a five-year span.

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Review by Courtney Gannon in KIN 435

“New Era Plots Aggressive Five-year Growth Plan”, written by Thomas J. Ryan, discusses a recent change in the New Era Company and current plans to further expand the company. New Era recently became the NFL’s official on-field headwear licensee. New Era, along with Nike, Gatorade, Canon, and Motorola is a brand that will have exclusive sideline rights starting in the 2012 season. Along with the licensing agreement with NFL, New Era signed a three-year agreement to be the official headwear sponsor of the Canadian Football League. The company has become focused on expanding sales to 1 billion dollars annually within five years. As part of the five-year plan, New Era has had two acquisitions to help further the growth of the company. It acquired 5th and Ocean, a women’s apparel company and MARC4, one of Brazil’s fashion brand management companies. In the “New Era Plots Five-year Growth Plan” article, Chris Koch, CEO of New Era, referred to acquisitions by stating, “It’s definitely part of our growth strategy.” Acquisitions are a large part of the 5-year growth plan and will continue to be used in aiding the expansion of the company. Lastly, “Fly Your Own Flag,” is a campaign that aims to express individuality and show that New Era produces hats that can be used for all types of people and reasons. It consists of print and social media, as well as ambassadors from different industries. New Era wants to reach the 1 billion dollar goal by 2015 and hope to expand into all of the major cities around the world.

The sales and marketing used by New Era have made it possible for the company to become as big as it has and continue to expand. Since New Era focuses on different markets other than sports, it has the ability to expand and have customers from a variety of markets. Also, by becoming the official headwear licensee of NFL, New Era can almost double its market because now there are buyers from both the NFL and the MLB. Acquiring 5th and Ocean and MARC4 has also helped increase sales not only domestically, but internationally as well. New Era is not only focused in one specific market in a certain part of the world, which is beneficial to getting closer to the ultimate goal. Becoming the official licensee of headwear for the NFL, acquiring 5th and Ocean and MARC4, and focusing on markets other than sports, has and will continue to play a crucial role in becoming closer to obtaining the 1 billion dollar status.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

"Clothes make the brand"

From the Sports Business Journal: http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2011/08/22/In-Depth/Branding

Review by Renard Robinson in Kin 332 (Section 2)

In Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, I chose the article “Clothes Make the Brand” to write my critique on. In the section, it discusses how the idea came about of being different in designing new uniforms and the importance of having unique uniforms to attract top level recruits to their universities. With some traditional powers succumbing to modern day styles; it seems the only option to go is with the evolution of new uniforms.

It all started in 1996 following a disappointing bowl loss. Nike chairman and Oregon alum, Phil Knight, had asked his design team a simple question: “How can we help the University of Oregon attract better students and student athletes?” In order to help get Oregon on the college football map, its simplest decision was to create uniforms that were out of the norm. Like always, with change comes controversy. Many sports writers despised the uniforms, but it was all part of the grand scheme of things. Over the past 5 years, the University of Oregon has been a perennial top 25 caliber team. Prior to that, they were arguably the laughing stock of the Pac – 10. What helped them attract the recruits they needed to compete in the Pac – 10 and nationally was the best uniforms in college football.

The success of their uniforms has spread throughout the country. In 2009, Nike released the Pro Combat Uniforms featuring 10 universities; Miami, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, Texas, TCU, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech. Over the past few years, they’ve expanded to include West Virginia, Arizona State, and Boise State among others. With the popularity of these uniforms, top teams are annually at an advantage from a recruiting standpoint because these uniforms are a high commodity to high school athletes. It’s evident considering all of the universities sponsored by these uniforms are traditional powers or have been relevant within the past few years since unveiling new uniforms.

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Review by Cathleen Crouch in Kin 332 (Section 2)

This article which appeared in the Sports Business Journal, written by Michael Smith, is about how it is becoming more prevalent for schools to alter their looks by changing their uniforms in hopes of gaining more exposure and attention. In the article’s introduction it discusses how the University of Oregon revamped their football team that had no recognition with a new look and now has one of the best known football organizations in the country. This was all possible due to the use of smart decision making with their marketing and branding. Oregon’s athletic director, Rob Mullens said, “We had not had much success, so why not be bold and try something new. We used to be ridiculed for being out there, but now you look across college football and it’s the trend”. Other colleges around the country are now starting to see the success that Oregon has had with being edgy and daring with their branding and merchandise. Many more universities are now starting to follow in Oregon’s footsteps hoping for the same successful results. But for some schools, tradition over flashy merchandise is what gains recognition respect, with teams such as Penn State, Auburn and Alabama. These schools don’t need to rebrand their look to be successful. Instead, they have a tradition of being successful on the field.

Although rebranding a team in some cases proves to be more successful, universities must keep in mind that while finding a new marketing strategy can prove to be a worthwhile. However, it is also a good idea to spend time focusing on teamwork.

"NFL Back On Field, And Deals Pile Up"

From the Wall Street Journal:

Reviewed by Zack Siska in KIN 332 (Section 1)

I read an article called “NFL Back On Field, And Deals Pile Up” by Matthew Futterman in the Wall Street Journal. The article discusses the new marketing sponsorships that the NFL has signed since ending the lockout. The major deal was a 10 year extension with PepsiCo Inc. The agreement could be valued at over 2 billion dollars through the 2022 playoffs, making it one of the biggest sponsorship deals in sports history. Gatorade is a Pepsi brand and PepsiCo needed to make sure the orange Gatorade coolers stayed on the sidelines.

The NFL also signed sponsorship deals with insurer USAA, Bose Corp, and General Motors. In addition to the Pepsi deal, NFL sponsorship revenue will jump 15% this year from last year. The league revenue is projected to be a record $9.5 billion. Not only are the sponsorships increasing, but the projected attendance is projected to be higher than last year.

These deals have major marketing implications within the NFL. Now that Pepsi is signed through 2022, Powerade or other sport drink companies will not get a shot at sponsoring the NFL.

"UPS, MillerCoors go in — and go big — on campus"

From the Sports Business Journal: http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2011/08/29/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/UPS-MillerCoors.aspx

Review by Dana O'Brien in KIN 332 (section 1)

UPS and MillerCoors, two large powerhouses in the sports and marketing industry are working with a number of teams and conferences in collegiate athletics. Over the years, particularly for the beer industry is has been difficult to get sponsorships with collegiate athletics. Many schools such as North Carolina won’t even accept it, they do not permit any advertising or promotion of alcoholic beverages even if its responsibility messaging. However other schools take advantage of selling beer during football, basketball and baseball games because of the revenue it generates. MillerCoors have made deals with the schools they are working with that they will provide visible responsibility messaging such as “21 means 21”. They are also not allowed to use the logos of schools on any of their products. However, Millercoors marks and school logos can appear on co-branded merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, koozies or coolers. MillerCoors is also creating a grant program called “Great Plays” which provides funds for on-campus programs that address alcohol responsibility issues. I think MillerCoors is doing enough to make sure their target market is reached and going above what is expected to ensure their best to fight against underage drinking. After all MillerCoors is a large company that merged together they are trying to find other ways to generate revenue after losing their contract with the NFL. Its going to take some time before other schools give into selling beer at their sporting events because of the underage drinking problems that could come with it. UPS has a deal with close to 70 teams and that will allow UPS to be on the ground for college football season with access to signage, TV and radio advertising, game programs, web advertising, hospitality and tickets. Many schools will be turning to UPS for their primary way to ship and logistics.