"The Social Side of Sponsorship Sports marketers take aim at activating fan engagement"

From Adweek

Review by Jenny Hansberry in KIN 332 (section 2)

Stuart Feil does an outstanding job of proving that social media is a vital way for sports teams to build a better organization amongst players, employers, and fans. Today’s marketers want to take greater advantage of the powerful emotional attachments leagues, teams and athletes have with the fans that follow them. The responses from fans on social media, whether it’s for a specific player or entire team, have showed their loyalty and in return, organizations have been able to make a better understanding of their followers.

Social media is constantly enhancing and the need to consistently be adapting is essential. A perfect example of how a sports team utilized social media to connect with its fan was the New England Patriots decision to host a virtual tailgate. Not only did this allow fans to interact with thousands of others with the same loyalty to the Patriots, but it allowed them to ask questions and speak to the coaches and staff. The most avid fans loved this engagement with the coaches and felt a sense of participation in prepping the NFL superstars for the game. Pat Coyle, the president of Coyle Media, stated that “fans want three things: camaraderie, recognition and access. Camaraderie comes from interacting with other fans. They want recognition from the team for their passion and loyalty. And access means they want to feel close to the team or the athlete. Social relates to all of that”. Fans want to feel as though they are a valued part of a team, and in today’s society that feeling is not hard to come by.

Beyond just the fans having the ability to be more involved, the business side of social media gives insight to fans demographics and psychographics. It’s crucial for an organization to know its fans and be able to deliver what they need in order to make money. Whether a company uses an athlete known across the world to push a product, like McDonald’s did with Dara Torres for the 2012 Olympics, or simply giving a large opportunity to engage with your favorite sports team, everybody wins. Fans feel more passionate about staying a loyal fan and the organizations are striving off of the extra support from its fans.

After Feil explains all the benefits of the social aspect of sports, it is difficult to people that anyone would shy away from it. The results clearly show one thing: everyone wins.

"NFL ties road races to start of season"

From SportsBusiness Journal

 Review by Nathan Eldridge in KIN 332 (section 1)

The National Football League has created a joint venture with Competitor Group to implement a road racing series in hopefully every hometown that houses a NFL team. The goal of this joint venture is to promote health and wellness while also promoting the NFL’s back to football marketing plan right now. The races started with a soft opening with only 4 out of 32 teams this preseason; the teams that were included were the San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans, and the St. Louis Rams. Competitor Group is the only racing entity in the world that can manage this multi-race platform because they already have 83 races every year throughout the world, while 75 of those 83 races are help the in United States and most are held in a city housing an NFL team already. They hope to have all 32 teams agree to hold a race in the next few years coming up.

The marketing potential for the NFL to promote the health and wellness kick that they have been trying so hard to promote over the last few years with the rule changes and stuff to protect players and to combat obesity, is great for them. The issue that I see is that there were no real promotions anywhere on the web or in the different multimedia avenues giving information about the NFL Run Series. I understand that there probably were some marketing ventures in the cities that were housing the events, but with the current increase in the popularity of marathons in the last few years I would have thought that they would have tried to spread the word better than they did. Marathon runners that I know travel to different states and cities regularly to participate in events and with having fans of the teams that held the races this year, I am sure that there are some fans that live outside of those areas would love to attend the events if there was a better promotional plan that could have gone more national, which I also believe would have helped spark the interest from other teams to join.

"Patriots latest to install Wi-Fi in stadium"

From ESPN.com

Video from NFL.com of Roger Goodell discussing Wi-Fi in stadiums

Review by Mike Freas in KIN 332 (section 1)

The article I chose was an article recently written on ESPN.com under their Sports Business section. The article talks about how the New England Patriots have decided to install Wi-Fi in their stadium so all of their fans could access it for free. This has been a common theme in the NFL and the Patriots join the likes of the Jets, Giants, Panthers, Buccaneers, Saints and Colts to do so.

The NFL has seen a reduction in ticket sales over the past few years but nothing to drastic. The shocking statistic is the ESPN Poll that showed fans no longer prefer the in game experience over watching it at home. In 1998, over 54 % said they would rather watch the game at the stadium in contrast to at home. ESPN’s most recent study conducted last year revealed that only 29% of people would rather watch the game at the stadium instead of at home. This is the biggest drop in any professional sport.

The reasons for this drop is in large part due to being out of the loop while at an NFL Game. You no longer have access to other score or highlights. Fantasy football has also played a huge role as fans no longer have access to all of their fantasy players stats. The NFL in their meetings in May began to brainstorm to try to make the in game experience better for all fans. Their main focus has been the addition of Wi-Fi. Although not all stadiums have installed it due to its high prices (upward to 6 million), more have begun too. The NFL will also be researching the Wi-Fi statistics and usage from these stadiums to share it with the league as a whole to find the best strategies and solutions. The NFL’s goals within the next 5-10 years will be not only to challenge the at home experience but surpass it.

I believe this article relates to marketing in numerous ways. The NFL I feel has been proactive in their approach to fix a minor problem before it escalates. As any good marketer should do. They spent this past May brainstorming ideas and solutions to help enhance the in game experience. They have already began advertisements and marketing campaigns to help entice fans to attend the game with the new addition of Wi-Fi. They believe this will entice fans to return to games who were originally deterred by being out of the loop. The defined a problem, came up with solutions and implemented them. They used a marketing strategy to implement this campaign.

"Policing the social media craze"

From ESPN.com

Review by Jennifer Luck in SRM 334

140 characters. That is the amount of characters the 140 million Twitter users have to
express themselves. College athletes have joined the social media craze. For most,
they’re casual outlets that rarely cause problems. But when the outlets become online
soap boxes for emotional young adults, issues can arise.

In recent years, college coaches and athletic directors have dealt with a variety of
social media challenges. At the Catholic University of America the whole lacrosse
team was suspended because of hazing photographs of new athletes posted on their
“personal” Facebook accounts. Kansas basketball coach Bill Self had to break up a
Twitter fight between former player Tyshawn Taylor and critical fans.

Firms such as Varsity Monitor, UDiligence, and CentrixSocial have capitalized on
the growth of social media and try to help schools control negative Internet behavior.
These firms offer schools a computer application that allows them to filter and identity
problematic social media behavior. Universities are reaching out to these firms
because they want to protect their brands and players.

However, there are times where athletes possess the technology to instantly broadcast
messages and photos before any type of authority can intercept them. For example,
the University of North Carolina. The NCAA cited North Carolina for failing to
monitor their players tweets which led to an investigation and violations. Because of
one tweet posted by former football player Marvin Austin, fifteen scholarships were
revoked and a one year bowl ban was placed.

In the past, student athletes were prepped for only interviews. Now, they must be
reminded that social media is an open forum. Young men and women may think
because they have specific “privacy” settings it won’t reach a media outlet, but most
of the time it does. Student athletes and social media have become big issues on
college campuses over the last few years, but universities are taking steps to prevent
negative images of their programs from being posted and tweeted. Education towards
athletes on what to say on social networking sites has become the leading way to
keep a positive face. How universities face the social media era and their athletes will
be left up to their own discretion until the NCAA develops restrictions.

Social media is here to stay and as future employees in the sports industry we must
learn to embrace it for the way it can connect a fan base and promote a team or player
rather than shun it because of its potential embarrassing and distracting tendencies. If
we do, we will have a leg up in the arms race of college athletics.

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Review by Caroline Snedegar in SRM 334

In the article, “Policing the Social Media Craze” it talks about the recent impact the social media has had on the world of sports, specifically concerning college athletes, coaches, and athletic directors and how they deal with the challenges that the social media brings. With the constant use of social media people now can access it basically 24/7, which means athletes and coaches have to monitor what they say even more closely since the media and audiences have access to this information the second it is published online. Where some coaches see the benefits and actually promote the use of social media like twitter; it can also hurt a program if certain players aren’t careful about what they put out on the web. While most programs rely “on individual teams to inspect social media accounts (Medcalf, 2012),” however, with the immense amount of athletes there is no possible way that everything that gets put out on a social media source can be fully monitored. The majority of athletes have “instruments that allow them to broadcast messages and photos to people around the world before any authority can intercept them (Medcalf, 2012),” which has caused either citations with the NCAA or backlash from the media and fans in general.

This article exemplifies the constant evolution of the Sport’s Media Industry, with the rapid growth of social media it has impacted how people in this field have to deal and adjust by adding another media outlet for delivering information. Guest Speaker for our class, Niki DeSantis, Assistant Commissioner for Creative Services for the CAA, even thought that the increase use of the social media and online media sources has definitely increased her work load and adds another element that has to be constantly updated for the public and is on constant display.

"Cavs rethink scorer’s table with ads in mind"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Jordan Grudko in KIN 332 (section 1)

This article is about NBA team the Cleveland Cavaliers and their idea to make the scorer’s table, where the announcers, statisticians, and scoreboard operator sit, into three separate sections in order to maximize ad time on TV. The design is still pending league approval, but it will eliminate the 40 foot table they had last season and replace it with a 24 foot table in the middle of the court while there will be two eight foot tables near each team beach. The point of this is to allow more TV time to advertisements, and raise the prices for these advertisers to try and maximize profits.

In my opinion, this is a good idea from the Cavalier’s marketing department. It’s an easy and efficient way to get as much money as possible. Especially since the design will allow them to not only add more courtside seats, but also move them closer therefore charging more for those tickets as well. They can really raise prices a lot because basketball is played in a half-court set meaning the ads will be in view throughout a very large portion of the game. The Cavaliers are not the first team in the NBA to utilize this type of space, teams like the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks have done similar things to maximize advertizing opportunities. Last season, The cavaliers averaged about 4,300 seconds a game of TV exposure for courtside sponsors, this season they are expecting to average around 5,000 seconds of TV exposure. This is important because it really means that courtside sponsorships, not courtside seats, are the biggest moneymakers in the NBA. Therefore, the Cavaliers decision is one that should make them plenty of extra money this season than in seasons past.

"Sponsors extend support to Paralympics"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Ryan Dixon in SRM 334

The Paralympic Games have no been very popular since it first started in 1960. Not many people have known about it. To tell the truth, before having another SRM class this semester I did not even know what the Paralympic Games were. As I learned about it more I became interested in how it first began and what it is like today. With the article I chose it talks mostly about the sponsorship aspect of the organization. Over the past years there has not been much support to the games causing there to not have much money to host events. With the 2012 London Paralympics starting, this year they managed to get more support from many new sponsors. Some include Visa, Coca-Cola, and Samsung. With these sponsors they were able to advertise more and spread the word around about the Paralympics. Communication plays a big deal in this topic because not many people know about the Paralympics and with the sponsors that support the game also comes with advertising. With advertising there comes more recognition of the Paralympic Games. As people watch television there will be Coke commercials or Visa commercials that will say they support the games and then fans will be more informed about the games. Also with the Paralympics not being very popular over the past years they have only been able to air the videos on the Internet. There isn’t much coverage on television and with the games going on around the same time as college football and NFL starting to air on TV most TV stations wont want to cover it because not many people watch it and it will take away from viewers that they get daily. Overall I think the Paralympic games will become bigger over the years and people will be more interested in their stories and they diversity the athletes overcome while training for 4 years.

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Review by Dejor Simmons in SRM 334

Sales have increased in sponsorships for the London Paralympics. Many different sponsors have contributed like Visa, Samsung, McDonalds, Kodak, and Coke and totaled up to twenty-four. These sponsors may be the reason why a record number of two point five million tickets been sold. The enhanced coverage from commercials, print media, and the internet helped allow more viewers to watch Paralympics. Paralympics tickets sold out for most events in London weeks after the Olympics. Coming into the Paralympics, organizers’ goal was to sell more than 2.7 million tickets which would bring them close to 45 million pounds. That’s a big change since tickets in past years were given away if seats weren't filled but most tickets this year sold were 10 pounds or less.

The athletes themselves are also seeing an increase in revenue. Oscar Pistorius can expect 2 million dollars a year in endorsements like Nike and BT. That’s a lot less than Usain Bolt’s twenty million but its more than many able-bodied athletes will get. Businesses sponsoring both Olympics and Paralympics receive more than just logos on running tracks and swimming pools. Paralympics brings emotional connection even more than the connection that Olympics deliver. Mike Sharrock stated, “It’s not about selling more fuel. It’s a deeper, more values-based partnership.” Most demands came from companies trying to associate themselves with Paralympics after the success of the London Olympics. For the first time the Paralympics have a major sponsor in Sainsbury which paid 20 million pounds which did not sponsor the Olympics. IPC’s Greg Hartung said, “The appeal of the Games has grown alongside the public appeal and acceptance of Paralympic sport as a high performance sport.” First time broadcasting rights for Paralympics were sold to countries like Iran, Malaysia, Singapore, and Pakistan.

This relates to this course because Paralympics is a sport that really doesn’t get a lot of publicity or media coverage in the United States. With the enhancement of technology and sport communication there’s no reason why Paralympics shouldn’t be publicized more than what it is and maybe the new sponsors will help enhance it.

JMU Student Opportunity: Lacrosse Manager

The James Madison University Lacrosse team is looking to hire a team manager.  This would be a paid internship.  Freshman and sophomore level students are preferred.  Click here for more details.  

If interested in applying, please contact Samantha Eustace, Assistant Lacrosse Coach, at (540) 568-6326 or eustacsj@jmu.edu. 

"Firm extends corporate perks to schools’ fans"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Derek Orndorff in KIN 332 (section 1)

A little over a year ago, two former Zappos employees decided to break away and start their own business, Fandeavor. Fandeavor is a new idea that gives fans the chance to become a VIP, but without the high costs. The experiences, in which Fandeavor is selling, are not just your everyday sports ticket. Yes, tickets are included in the packages, but so are field passes, tunnel passes, meet and greet passes, party tent passes, and so much more. I think this business is a great idea. The colleges and organizations are going to benefit from the extra attention, as well as the sales that Fandeavor creates. University and college experiences were the first stepping-stones for Fandeavor. By forming a stronger base through NCAA exposure, Fandeavor believed that they could generate more publicity and business faster than other organizations. The marketing team at Fandeavor has partnered with the Universities and Colleges in which Fandeavor promotes, to generate more interest in the business. Social media and carefully placed ads are another marketing tool that Fandeavor uses. However, to get to the next step, I believe that Fandeavor needs to increase their marketing campaigns. I think they need television exposure, instead of only using the Internet and word of mouth. Overall, these experiences seem to be just what people want. After reading several reviews about customer experiences, it is clear that these fans are more than pleased with what they purchased. Many of the packages are priced at a low cost, but the NFL packages offer more of a VIP experience and are higher priced. No matter what the cost is, Fandeavor customers seem to be enjoying the new business and continue to give great reviews.

"If your Doritos Super Bowl ad wins, you get a movie job"

From USA Today

Review by Pat Amerena in KIN 332 (section 2)

Doritos and Frito-Lay are well known for their “Crash the Super Bowl” ads and now they are trying to sweeten the deal even more. For this year’s contest there will be the usual chance at a cash prize but there will also be a new prize involved. For this year, the winner will win the chance to work with Hollywood director Michael Bay, who is most widely known for his Transformers movies. So in this year’s contest not only does the winner have a chance at anywhere from $400,000 to a $1 million but they now have a chance to make it big in Hollywood. Doritos chose Michael Bay for a number of reasons including because he is the director of the fifth highest grossing film of all time, he is number two on Forbes’ highest-paid celebrities list and he has earned $5.4 billion in box office sales. In addition to all this he has also filmed Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys and The Rock. However, to earn both the money and a chance to work with Michael Bay there is a catch. Working with Michael Bay is guaranteed but just as in years past the money is not nearly as guaranteed like one may think it is. In order to guarantee a money prize the finalists for the contest must have their commercial ranked in the top three of the “USA Today Ad Meter.” If the finalists are able to garner third place they earn $400,000, second place $600,000 and first place will earn them $1 million. Also, starting this year Doritos is trying to find a way to get those not interested in film involved in the contest. Individuals are allowed to go to Doritos Facebook page and offer the use of their homes, their pets or even themselves for other individual’s commercials. Doritos goal this year appears to be trying to appeal to all audiences who might be interested in being a part of a commercial one way or another.

In my opinion, there come both good and bad things from this new offer that Doritos is putting together. For starters, there is the good part. People are absolutely going to be more inclined to make a commercial now that there is the chance to meet and work with Michael Bay on the set of the newest Transformers movie. Many people looking for a break in Hollywood, who feel they have the talent and ability, will now submit their commercials. With more people entering higher quality commercials this is a win for both Doritos and for the viewers. Doritos wants to air the best commercial they can find and with a higher prize they will find those commercial. For the viewer they are looking to enjoy the best commercials the Super Bowl has to offer and with better prizes in this contest they too will enjoy higher quality commercials. However, there are some red flags and negative aspects raised by this contest. Just how worth it is this contest to Doritos? I understand they wouldn’t be doing it if they didn’t turn a profit from it and find it valuable. But just looking at the numbers it seems to be difficult to understand. A 30 second commercial in the Super Bowl cost around $3.5 million, if three finalist place in the top three of the “USA Today Ad Meter” that costs Doritos $2 million and then there is whatever compensation that Michael Bay is receiving to do this project. This means that Doritos is spending around $7 million to air two ads in the Super Bowl plus all of the prize and compensation money which adds up to be an awful lot of money. For me, that just seems to be too much to offer when they could just simply use their own marketing team to make quality commercials. Overall though I feel that the contest is going to be a great success this year, even more so than past years, and Doritos is going to like what they find in this year’s commercials.

"NFL Not Firing Replacement Ref Pulled From Game; Will Not Give Him Saints Assignments"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Beau Banglesdorf in KIN 332 (section 2)

Brian Stropolo was pulled from this past Sunday’s Saints vs. Panthers game after pictures were found on his Facebook page of him wearing Saints clothes and being a Saints Fan. Brian Stropolo was not fired and the NFL said he would continue to work games starting week three of the current season (the next week). This incident triggered a lot of media buzz. Sport writers were coming out and saying things like the NFL should be embarrassed, Brian Stropolo should not be allowed to work for the NFL anymore, the integrity of the game of football is slipping, and that the NFL is not doing its job when it comes to screening officials before hiring them. Due to the replacement officials struggles on the field, players are starting to voice their disappointment with the officials and analysts are agreeing with the players and are saying that the replacement officials are negatively impacting the NFL. Players are getting away with more things on the field and games are taking longer to be played out due to the officials’ lack of understanding and implementing of the rules.

I believe the replacement officials are seriously hurting the NFL brand right now. Fans are complaining on how long the games are taking. If games continue to last this long, fans are going to start to become unwilling to devote four hours to watch a football game instead of the three hours they have become accustomed to. Also, with players and analysts coming out and criticizing the officials and down playing their knowledge of the game and ability to keep a game under control, NFL fans are going to start believing that and stop caring as much about the outcomes to games because they do not know if the better team really won. This will result in lost fans, lower revenues, and lower TV ratings. I could see other leagues such as college football or the UFL (United Football League) taking advantage of the current situation the NFL has with their officials and making gains in fans and TV ratings which would result in higher revenue and more brand recognition.

"The Extra Point" with Khalil Garriott from the NFL Players Association

"Pros and Cons: Corporate Ads on NBA Jerseys May Debut in 2013"

From Forbes

Review by Zack Krukowski

The NBA has announced that, beginning in the 2013 season, the league will sell a two inch by two inch patch on the shoulder of jerseys to corporate sponsors. This is a marketing approach that has seen much success in other sports such as NASCAR and the English Premier League, and the NBA decided they couldn’t miss out on the potential additional revenue any longer. Advertising on EPL uniforms brought in $178 in revenue in 2010, and NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver has estimated it could lead to $100 million in added revenue for the NBA. This is the equivalent of $677.50 per square inch of advertising, per game.

The reaction from fans has been mostly negative since the changes were announced. Many fans think that ads on jerseys are tacky and distasteful, and that they take away from the tradition of the game. People also rightfully believe that putting ads on jerseys is a slippery slope. Many don’t necessarily mind a two by two patch, but fear it will lead to a jersey full of ads, like in the Premier League. Fans also see this as a greedy move for a league that already brings in enormous profit. With this move its clear the NBA is jeopardizing its relationship with its fans, and in turn is risking a decrease in ticket and merchandise sales.

This article relates to our class because of the amount of negative media backlash this story received. The announcement to add advertisements to jerseys was front-page news when it was made, and many media outlets had only bad things to say about the change. When fans go onto a site like ESPN.com and read articles where sportswriters slam the league and call the decision greedy, their loyalty to the NBA is only hurt. This will lead that fan to be less likely to spend money on tickets and merchandise. This story is a great example of a situation where media coverage is bad for a sports league.

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Review by Tyler Green

Advertisements and sponsorships have always played a large role in the sports we know and love today whether they’re seen throughout the stadium or shown during the commercial break, but when does one draw the line for too many ads? A recent topic of discussion in sports media has been the coverage of corporate advertisement becoming more prominent in the NBA by displaying them from the jerseys of every player. The move would ultimately bring in a lot of revenue for the sport, but those who value the tradition of the league see it as more of a negative change. The ad would not exactly be an eye sore, but the 2x2 square plot jersey space it certainly is producing a lot of mixed opinions amongst the league and fan base.

With advertisements being seen all over NASCAR vehicles/uniforms, UFC shorts, or on English Premier soccer jerseys, just to name a few, we know this isn’t the first time the addition of ads have been focused towards the athletes. But many NBA fans can’t come to terms with being the first of the major American sports to give in to selling out their traditional jerseys. What’s to stop the other sports from following suit or adding so many ads that it becomes a much larger distraction than anyone intended? It only seems to be creating concern for the issue going from bad to worse and fans can’t seem to find the good in it. The biggest benefit seen by the NBA would be the $100 million in additional revenue, but many would question how necessary making that extra profit really is.

Overall the media has been projecting the decision as a negative one leaving the league to look like money grubbing gluttons. It is said to only get worse with the size and quantity of these ads to the point where you’re only recognizing a player by their sponsor. This truly hurts the image of the NBA and the fans loyal to the sport simply will not want to contribute to a league they feel has turned their back on the game. In a world where media plays a powerful part in getting the final say and influencing the people, this is an example where the media has impacted the sport world negatively.

"American Express shows savvy at Open"

From ESPN.COM

Review by Kevin Bradshaw in KIN 332 (section 1)

After this year’s U.S. Open, American Express has been recognized as one of the best sports marketing plans in the business. They don’t just associate themselves with the event, but the extend their name while making sure as fans they have the best experience possible. First, American express gave out headphones that streamed live podcasts to all fans that were carrying an American Express card at the Open. They also had stands that matched your personal preferences with players and matches to make sure you enjoyed you match and experience to the fullest. American Express went above and beyond with their marketing plan, the didn’t just give away items or put their name on merchandise, they succeeded fans expectations and kept them entertained the entire time. They even gave other fans that could attend the matches a chance to watch. The set up screens that streamed live matches in parks around New York City. American Express had options for almost every type of person. The fan, the fair-weather fan, the lazy sport enthusiast, children, etc. The attracted people who liked to shop and get away from tennis, by supplying a $50 gift card to anyone who spent $150 dollars at the Ralph Lauren store. They also gave parents a break from their fidgeting children by having open tennis courts and Nintendo Wii for the kids to play. The USTA took this opportunity to help spread the love of tennis to children. They gave out free lessons with professional tennis players to any child that wanted them. American Express went above and beyond for their company, the athletes, and their fans. They put a lot of risk on the line, but came up on top. Businesses should use American Express’s marketing ploys as guidelines to their advantage in the future; they are obviously doing the right things since they are one of the most successful sports marketers in the business.

The hype about Bryce Harper

From Bleacher Report and ESPN.com

Review by Ryan Gerrity in SRM 334

The article and group discussion that we decided to bring to class was about Bryce Harper, and his early introduction into the sports media world. The article that we chose was about both Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, and how they are taking the MLB by storm at such a young age.

The article talks about how that at age 16 Bryce Harper was put on the cover of Sports Illustrated. They compare him to LeBron James because he was the first high school player to ever be on the cover of that magazine. The article than goes on to describe how the hype is surrounding them both. Trout even though, he is having a better year than Harper, is not receiving the same attention from the media.

The way that Harper approaches the media is also another part of the article. He does not handle the media well at all. It seems like he gets frustrated very easily with the media and will have outbursts and sometimes even attack the reporters verbally. It is unnecessary and very immature. At a very young age he was put into the spotlight of the media, and this made him grow up very quickly. Even though he is in the media spotlight, he is still a young man, and may not be prepared and may still be very immature. Personally, I believe that he was put on a pedestal at such a young age by his parents, and by the media that surrounded him. This caused him to become a little over confident in himself and his ability to play baseball. He was a spotlight in a feature called E:60 by ESPN when he was 16 years old and that was when he was in high school. He then took that and believed that he wanted to leave high school early, and go to a community college so that he could go to the MLB draft when he was 19. He was drafted first overall, and the spotlight was on him since that day.

This subject has to do with our class because it is based on the media and the effect that it had on him at such a young age. The way the media portrays him and how it effects him is very noticeable. The media shows him as a young immature player and person, and he follows through with that stereotype by the way he handles himself with the media. I do not think that he is doing a good job when he is handling the media. I believe that his teammates and his fans are annoyed by the way he handles himself.
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Review by Steve Robertson in SRM 334

When I think of the media today I think of a monster. It can essentially make you or break you. I find it extremely interesting how influential the media can be for the fans, and how it keeps them coming back for more. I did my article on the MLB Rookie, Bryce Harper, and his popularity between the league and media.

This article begins with comparing him to NBA Champion LeBron James as a rookie coming out of high school and his fan base in the MLB, compared to Tim Tebow’s popularity within the NFL. The major similarity which was highlighted was similar to LeBron, Harper found himself on the cover of Sport Illustrated as a teenager in high school. Furthermore, Bryce was also drafted number 1 overall in his draft class, similar to LeBron.

As the article continued, it began to compare Bryce Harper to the other new MLB rookie Mike Trout. Mike Trout has actually been out performing Harper throughout the entire season. However it said due to his struggles before he was called up, was when Bryce Harper “went-off.” As the article began to wind up the author mentioned that, “Hype has its place and serves a purpose in the sports-entertainment world. It cultivates interest—both positive and negative—which generates publicity, which increases newspaper circulation and page views, which facilitates the pursuit and attainment of the almighty dollar. “

Honestly anything that has some sort of drama/hot topic can sell, in the media sense. A big reason that Bryce has become so popular throughout the league has been because was talked about a teenager and the media fell in love with not only his athleticism, but his character as well. I feel the Bryce Harper needed to learn how to mature quickly when coming into the MLB. A major reason, I feel why the fans and media love him is because he can be quite unpredictable and has had a history of immature outbursts during interviews and has already had multiple ejections throughout his baseball career.

I think Bryce Harper along with Mike Trout have very promising careers ahead of them. I feel in order for Bryce to thrive in the MLB however, I strongly believe that he needs to grow up quicker in the league- he will not be a teenager forever.

"The Alchemy of Olympics Advertising & Sponsorship: Turning the Games into Gold"

From the Journal of Management Policy and Practice

Review by Ben Thacker in KIN 501

Over the past several months, there have been several current events that pertain to marketing within the sports world. The first that came to my mind was the Olympics. The Olympics are a fantastic opportunity for companies to get their name to people watching the games on both TV and at the events. Companies take advantage of marketing during the Olympics by utilizing both sponsorship and or advertising techniques. Companies that utilize sponsorship own some of the rights to the event and their competitors aren’t allowed to participate at the event itself.

The Alchemy of Olympics Advertising & Sponsorship: Turning the Games into Gold is an article that hypothesizes whether advertising and sponsorship in the Olympic games actually helps to generate stock increases in stock prices. The article hypothesized that Olympic stocks would outperform the SAP 500 during the Olympic games, during a four week period thirteen weeks before the Olympics there would be no significant difference between the Olympic stocks and the SAP 500, companies that use sponsorship and advertising do better than companies just advertising and companies that use both sponsorship and advertisements will not see a major difference in a four week period thirteen weeks before the Olympics.

To accomplish this study the researchers looked at 225 publicly traded firms that had participated in the last seven summer and winter Olympics. The control period (the four week period, thirteen weeks prior to the beginning of the games) was used exactly thirteen weeks prior to the games. Comparisons of companies that used both sponsorship and advertising to companies that used just advertising techniques showed a vast difference between their stock price performances.

Overall, the study showed that these hypotheses were all confirmed. Hypothesis one was supported. Olympic Stocks did better than the SAP 500 Hypothesis two was supported. There was no significant difference between Olympic Stocks and SAP 500 in the four week period, thirteen weeks before the games. Hypothesis three and four were supported. Companies that used advertising and sponsorship outperformed companies that only used TV advertising for the first week. Lastly, the authors said that this Olympics proved to show a synergistic effect, where the Olympic stocks actually did much better than anticipated. This study may have several implications and they showed that stock prices can go up during the winter Olympics and not just the summer games. Also, this study shows that more companies would want to make future investments and lastly, firms would want to study the more successful Olympic sponsors like Coca-Cola at McDonalds.

Overall, this is an interesting study. The study shows that there is usually no correlation between advertising and sponsorships with the stock price of a company. The trend seems to show that there are several companies who benefit from being Olympic sponsors and advertisers. By doing other research and finding a relevant video, I did notice that there seems to be a trend with the research. Since Nike has been a publicly traded company they typically do well during the Olympics. The only Olympics that Nike struggled during was in 2010 at Bejing and that was during the beginning of the economic downturn. Lastly, this study seems to prove true and indicates that investors could make a fair amount of money during the Olympics if they pick the right companies during the Olympics.

"JMU Announces MadiZONE to be Free For the 2012-13 Season"

From JMUSports.com

Review by Patrick Gotimer in SRM 334

The choice for JMU to provide free coverage of home JMU athletics shows a changing market for the sport media industry.

For starters, a big reason for the change is social media. Users can instantaneously comment and discuss about games and events for free via blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. This type of coverage forces better coverage (i.e. video coverage) to compete with coverage one can receive on one’s smart phone.

As for MadiZONE, turning to free coverage of JMU Sports was just a natural evolution of media. Free coverage means a greater number of viewers and more viewers means there will also be a greater demand for advertisement space. Subsequently, the revenue loss from MadiZONE subscribers when MadiZONE had to be paid for to watch, is made up and surpassed by advertisements.

To further increase the demand for advertisement space, MadiZONE must first increase the number of viewers even more; by increasing the quality of the production, MadiZONE can achieve just that. One suggestions we had for Mr. John Martin was to further market to students who, for example, may be studying but able to flip between homework and the game. In addition, by having more sequences of student spectators at the game could increase viewership. For one, people want to see their friends and family on camera. Also, prospective students will also see a better student atmosphere which could ultimately attract better student and better athletes to James Madison University.

In conclusion, MadiZONE is on the rise. It’s free subscriptions will help JMU Sports promote JMU by using MadiZONE as a recruitment tool for athletes and students alike. I look forward to the changes and updates to come to MadiZONE.
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Review by Chase Warren in SRM 334

MadiZONE is the best place to go for all of your James Madison University sports, and it recently became free. In the past, a paid subscription was needed in order to use MadiZONE and get access to JMU athletics, but that has changed. For different reason, such as contract negotiations,  MadiZONE  decided to change its ways. This website gives JMU sports fans access to virtually any home game, and even a few away games. There are many perks to this website becoming free. It is a great way to promote JMU as a university in general and it creates a better fan base. Another perk to  MadiZONE  being free comes from a recruiting standpoint. For example, if a player is thinking about JMU but lives on the other side of the country, his or her parents will be pleased to hear that they will have free access to every home game right on their computer at home. One last thing that it does is creating a higher demand for advertising space. With that being said, the advertising space will help to make up for the lost funding created by  MadiZONE's conversion to free, rather than paid. The amount of viewers has grown exponentially since the change has been made. Last season, football games averaged about 750  MadiZONE  viewers per game, and in the home opener against St. Francis, $4,700 viewers tuned in to  MadiZONE  . The fact that this is a sports website that is interactive with fans makes it relevant to this class. It is a type of sport communication, and it becoming free is the type of thing that can happen to many different types of sports media at all levels of athletic competition. Money will always be a huge issue in the world of sports media.

“Dollars just keep climbing for college kickoff games”

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Daniel Allen in KIN 332 (section 1)

The article, “Dollars just keep climbing for college kickoff games,” highlights the fierce, competitive industry for opening college football games that includes a neutral site and an illustrious high payout offer to both teams competing in the game. This wasn’t always the case though as the “kickoff” as it is called started back up in 2008. The idea was and still is to give two college football teams a chance to feel what it is to have a bowl like atmosphere while increasing excitement about the beginning of the new college football season. This year highlighted two big time programs, Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines, in the Cowboy Classic. The payout for the game is anticipated to be about $9.4 million dollars with each team receiving about $4.7 million dollars after the game. The article continues to list big time neutral site openers for the 2012-13 year that are expected to bring in high revenue. With such high profile games and neutral sites the marketing aspect of this seems to be ingenious. First the schools still must market the game to their fan based audience which is sort of a tough position trying to market a game that could be hours away with higher ticket prices. How do you sell 25,000 tickets to your fans with a 20-50% spike in price? At the same time as a coach you must ask, “Do I want to lose a chance of hosting a home game while increasing the chance of being on a national stage and having future recruits witness your school on the big stage?” Being on a neutral site at a NFL stadium is a market itself to future recruits. Another big factor with these games that was brought up in the article is the advertising on TV with Dick’s Sporting Goods being the winner as they were the umbrella sponsor this past weekend with advertisements during all the games. Overall, in the sports marketing world this article is perfect as it hits many aspects involving sports marketing from many different views such as the coach, fans, players, future players, and marketing departments of big time companies.

"StubHub, Paciolan go mobile for four schools"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by William Spreen in KIN 332 (section 1)

Smart phones have made it possible to access immeasurable amounts of information and the ability to perform services anywhere a person could possibly desire. Whether it is checking the score of a game, finding directions with GPS coordination, shopping, or even renting your favorite movie to watch in the palms of your hands these phones continue to change the ways in which both businesses and individuals conduct business and leisure activities everyday. “StubHub, Paciolan Go Mobile For Four Schools” is an eye-opening article in the August 27th issue of the Sports Business Journal discussing the introduction of mobile ticketing to NCAA college football.

North Carolina, Purdue, Tennessee and Texas are the four schools that are introducing mobile ticketing for this upcoming season. In the words of Greg Ivry, Stubhub’s business development manager, “Mobile is a seamless experience that allows fans to buy a ticket on their phone. Receive a new barcode for that ticket and then scan it at the gate and get your seat.” Forget stopping by the box office or even printing out the tickets at home, this new form of service provides consumers with the convenience of having a ticket within a matter of seconds. Making it this easy for the consumer to purchase will result in new marketing and sales strategies for both Stubhub and the University introducing mobile ticketing.

Stubhub is affiliated with thirty colleges for ticketing services, however only a few maintain legitimate sponsorship deals. With more universities embracing the secondary ticket market industry I believe that this new form of convenience will soon become the norm of the college sports world. According to Paciolan eighty percent of school’s currently have the technology to scan barcodes off of phones. The Internet in recent years has proved to be a major game changer bringing in new ways for fans to purchase tickets. This leaves you to wonder what is in store for the athletic marketing and sales world with the dawn of the Smartphone era.

"Men's College Basketball Programs Facing Attendance Declines"

From Athletic Business

Review by Heather Holston in KIN 332 (section 1)

The article “Men’s College Basketball Program Facing Attendance Declines” is about the current problem facing ticket sales in college basketball programs across America. The article states that the NCAA Division 1 basketball teams had a decline by 47 fans last season. One in five programs have seen a 20% attendance drop or more over the past four seasons. Half of the programs affected were in the Pac 12. The article list three problems that could contribute to the problem. One is the effect of the NBA being close to major colleges. The article states that more fans want to spend money on NBA games than college. Second is technology making it easier for people to stay at home and watch the games. Their saying students can watch games on the phone or ipads. Third, when it comes to basketball, viewers are more interested in the post season. Fans don’t want to watch every game because it takes time. The article had a lack of the sports marketing that the basketball venues were trying to do. In the article, it states that Duke University had declines but wasn’t going to buy into the cheesy promotions during the games. However, Bobinski states that enhancing the experience or non-conference scheduling can help reverse the decline. I believe that Bobinski is right. If the colleges want to get more students and alumni in the stands, enhancing the experience in the stadiums will help. It might be easier to watch it on tv with today’s technology but it’s not the same. If the stadiums had more in house promotions or more advertisement within the community, more people would come. The Duke reporter said they don’t play the canned pop music or any of those things before a game. It seemed to me that in the article, the colleges gave up when trying to compete with the NBA or get fans in. True the NBA may have bigger stars and more excitement, but nothing is more exciting that rooting for your own college with your friends on a Friday night. Even if that does entail cheesy promotions and canned music.

"NFL Teams Turn To Social Media To Connect With Fans"

From Forbes

Review by Amber Bolen in KIN 332 (section 1)

In today’s world, technology surrounds our daily lives. Most of everything we do involves the use of technology in some sort of way. In the article, “NFL Teams Turn to Social Media to Connect with Fans,” it explains the NFL’s efforts to make sure that all fans can access team information and news. These features will benefit many different people depending on their lifestyle.

The NFL teamed up with Buddy Media which gave the insight to the NFL of what fans wanted in terms of social media and mobile technology. Every single NFL team now has a mobile site that everyone can access on their phone to make browsing faster and easy. And most, not all, teams have their own mobile app that someone with a smart phone can download and track their favorite team. 

Specifically, the New England Patriots have created an app that allows you check news, keep live updates of the game, and even watch highlights from a previous game. Not only do the Patriots have this app but they have an app that is free for users with premium seats to download and see on demand instant replays from many different camera angles and a feed of NFL’s Redzone channel so that they can see what is happening across the league.

I loved this article simply because it showed me where media was going in the future. I like the NFL but I’m more into college athletics and if this continues to grow into college sports it would definitely make me more interested. Even though most games are played on Sundays, some people still work and giving those type of people who cannot catch games go to an app and access updates and even go back and watch highlights of the game from their phone. The only thing that I do not like is how people with premium seats are the only ones who can get that app for free. Some people have just enough money to buy the cheapest tickets/season tickets. It is not fair to limit one group of people to this app.

"Tanzania’s ‘tentacles’ reach Seattle"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Peter Brosnan in KIN 332 (section 2)

Tanzania, a relatively small East African country that holds a relatively big population of about 43,000, has recently brought attention to itself through advertising in Major League Soccer and the English Premier League. In July, the Seattle Sounders FC signed a one-year partnership with the Tanzanian Tourism Board, making it the third consecutive year that they’ve done so. The relationship between those two areas of the world started about two years ago, when Sounders assistant coach and head scout Kurt Schmid visited Tanzania to scout players and search for talent. Since then, Tanzanian tourism has been advertised through scoreboard messages, LED panels on the sideline, and two large murals on either end of CenturyLink Field, where the Sounders, Seahawks, and University of Washington football team play. The Tanzanian Tourism Board also has a deal with the English Premier League, advertising in the stadiums of six small clubs. They chose a six-team deal as opposed to a single deal with a powerhouse like Manchester United, expecting the former deal to produce a bigger market. It is way too early to come up with any substantial results from this partnership, but according to the Tourism Board, they’ve been hearing from many tour operators in the Pacific Northwest already.

As hard as it may be for me to grasp this concept, the country of Tanzania is itself a product. There are natural wonders there that most people have never gotten the chance to see, and giving people that chance is a way to seriously boost its’ economy. That being said, I believe there are few better ways to advertise a product than through sports, so I believe that this is a smart partnership for both sides. The Sounders have opened up a pipeline with Africa, increasing the possibility of bringing international players over to play in Seattle. Not only that, but Tanzania is now advertising in a market that they haven’t reached before, which should have positive long-term effects on their tourism and overall economy. Soccer is an international sport. In fact, it is without a doubt the most popular sport throughout the world. With the growth of globalization and social media it has become even more popular in recent years, and the Tanzanian Tourism Board has utilized that in order to try and sell its product.

"Does Nike’s ‘Greatness’ Ad Exploit Fat People?"

From Time

Review by Dominique Fitzgerald in KIN 501

The article takes a look at various people’s reaction of seeing the new ‘Greatness’ ad from Nike featuring Nathan Sorrell an overweight 12 year old boy. Many people found that the ad was refreshing, inspiring, and amazing something Nike would normally not do; whereas others may have found the ad to be unclear or another way to combat myths. In my opinion I believe the Nike’s ‘Greatness’ ad focuses on the everyday person trying to achieve greatness whether its through running to loose weight, wheelchair racing, or playing soccer.

According to the article Dr. David Katz Editor-in-chief of the journal Childhood Obesity found the ad ambivalent because he was uneasy with the message that Nathan is chasing greatness by running. I do not think Dr. David Katz took in the idea that making the choice to become healthier by running that Nathan was making the choice to be greater. I also found that the ad helps people focus on their obstacles and how finding one’s greatness through their obstacles can bring pleasure into one’s life. Also Dr. Katz did not realize that greatness does not come over night but it is something that one has to work at everyday. So for millions of Americans to see Nathan in the early stages of his greatness is inspiring.

Based on the article other people believed that the ad is attacking the myths or notions that obese and overweight people are lazy, live for junk food, and are lacking in willpower or self-discipline. I found myself agreeing that the commercial does fight the pre-conceived notion that obese/overweight children are not trying to fight against obesity or being overweight because it seems people are very quick to generalize one form of demographic based on a few. Rochman further expresses my opinion by stating that, “ by featuring and overweight boy in their ad ( in a respectful manner), Nike challenges the stereotype that overweight youth are inactive, and shows that body size has nothing to do with a person’s ambition or ability to push themselves to achieve their goals. America has put greatness on a petiole that it is something that is allotted to a few people and everyone else has to stand by and watch others achieve it. I believe Nike is stating is that greatness is not given to certain individuals but greatness is simply having the guts to make a choice to become greater than who or what we are in essence it is centered around respect.

"How being open, honest and professional can build a brand"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Philip Pierce in KIN 501

Ryan Richeal’s article How being open, honest, and professional can build a brand summarized the success former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey accomplished with Fenway Park and Boston Fans.

Guided by his personal values, Yawkey focused on the team and not individual players. Moreover, Yawkey knew the importance of connecting with Boston’s fanatics and made it a priority to build that relationship.

Richeal’s article combats some of the most obvious reasons a brand could falter such as the team’s recent poor performance and unfortunate traits of social evolution. “People are more transient, attention spans are shorter,” Richeal writes, “expectations are higher and more immediate.” (Richeal, 2012.) Despite the obstacles, Richeal urges “any company should start by recognizing the value of reputation.”

The Red Sox traded Babe Ruth but have always seen the value in their employees. The Red Sox disposed of Roger Clemens in his prime but will always embrace the community. And most recently, the Sox unloaded Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Josh Beckett to the Dodgers while staying true to Red Sox Nation – the fans.

Richeal highlights those three crucial pieces (employees, community, and fans) as a foundation to creating and maintaining a reputation that will build a brand. “Encouraging employees to be socially responsible allows them to benefit from better teamwork and greater work satisfaction,” Richeal writes. Furthermore, social responsibility extends beyond the Green Monster out into the community. “A truly successful effort will link prosperity between the team, its employees and the community to result in the long-term emotional bond of the team,” he adds.

Yawkey’s idea of a social conscience is reflected in Boston’s Customer Relationship Management strategy and has given them a marketing advantage over other teams. “All organizations should realize that the health of a community is interwoven with the health of a team”. (Richeal, 2012)

I could not agree more with Ryan Richeal’s ideas for building a successful brand. It seems like many brands in turmoil, the organizations or athletes that fill recent news headlines are in a branding nightmare because they forgot one of the three: openness, honesty, or professionalism. In addition, I think Richeal hit the bull’s-eye focusing his article on three central components of sport brands: employees, community, and fans. Richeal is right, times are changing. Some teams respond by spending more money but I agree with Ryan, invest in more time, effort and thought.

People are the backbone of sport teams. The more teams can connect with their people, the more fanatics will emerge, and the backbone to the business will be strong. In Tom Yawkey’s case, a Nation will be formed. “Teams don’t have the luxury of building on decades of tradition any longer,” Richeal added, “but, as Yawkey taught, stay true to the brand, and love and respect the customer. The team will be rewarded with a stellar reputation and a fan connection that is stronger and more enduring than the average business-consumer relationship and less influenced by the cycles of on-field performance and off-field competition.”

JMU Sport and Recreation Management Practium/Internship Information

Attention all JMU sport and recreation management students!  

Please be aware of the meeting dates for spring practicums and internships.  This semester and next, there will be separate meetings for KIN students and SRM students.  Any KIN student that attended a spring meeting will not need to attend again.  The meeting for SRM students is mandatory, even if the student attended a spring session.

Also note that this is the last time KIN students can attend a meeting to be eligible for KIN 472.  The last KIN 472 will be this spring; the last KIN 482 will be next summer.  Individual meetings will not take place this semester.

Please click one of the links below for meeting dates and times:

Informational flyer for KIN students

Informational flyer for SRM students

"Cowboys sell ‘experiences’ on LivingSocial"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Pat Amerena in KIN 332 (section 2)

In an attempt to be the first of its kind and pave the way for a new marketing idea, the Dallas Cowboys have announced they are teaming up with LivingSocial to provide Cowboy “experiences.” The Dallas Cowboys have chosen LivingSocial because it is a website that has over 60 million users and considers itself one of the best ways to connect people with their local businesses and neighborhoods. LivingSocial is a company that offers its users a variety of opportunities including escapes, experiences, events, adventures and the Dallas Cowboys want to be a part of it. The two parties came to a multi-year deal that will include over a dozen different experiences. These experiences will include opportunities such as access to the Cowboys’ war room on draft day, a chance to try out for the cheerleading team, attending a cheerleaders’ photo shoot, shadowing a team reporter, appearing in Dallas’ official team photo or even attend training camp 101. The goal for the Cowboys is to create new and unique experience for both new and old patrons that can’t be found anywhere else. The Cowboys will be the first team in the NFL to offer deals as comprehensive and all-access as these but there will be limitations. Each experience will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and will be limited to a certain number of tickets. Some of the events will even be tailored to a specific group of fans, such as female only opportunities. By completing this deal the Dallas Cowboys may be well on their way to starting a million dollar idea or opening a can of worms.

In my opinion there could be two outcomes that come with this new marketing plan. It either becomes one of the most popular assets in sports marketing or it becomes a dangerous and uncontrollable ploy to maintain and create new fans. It can become the most popular thing in sports marketing if it is not abused. Fans are always looking for new ways to experience what their idols and heroes do every day so experiences like these will give them the chance to do so. For now it starts as access to the stadiums, fields and meeting the cheerleaders all while at a reasonable price. If it remains at experiences just like these and for the price they currently are it is all fine and well. However, if demand and greed play a role in this the prices could soar and the demand may cause much larger issues. This is where the other second outcome comes into play and how it could have a powerful impact on the sport marketing world. People will pay for these types of “experiences” and many fans would be willing to pay a lot of money for something they know only a few people have a chance at taking part in. By doing so it could end up alienating the true fans that don’t have the opportunity to afford it or the new fan who doesn’t want to pay the price for it. Well then suppose one team offers an experience that everyone wants to try, will other organizations then try and top this to make bigger bucks? Then there can be the point where it becomes too much of a problem for the athletes themselves. Suppose owners start asking players to play catch with a fan that paid for the opportunity to. Does the athlete then get a portion of the profits? Do agents then get part of it too? My point is this, marketing tools like this have all the ability to be successful and be a great tool for professional sports teams but they can also be a never ending attempt to “One up” the next guy. When you give a fan a peak at the inner workings of the organization are they going to ask to see the whole thing? Well then if they are willing to pay for the whole experience are you going to give them the option to? It can be a never ending revolving door of questions, answers and money for a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s a matter of seeing if more good comes than evil, or vice versa.

"FoxSports.com charging back into fantasy football"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Henry Bronez in SRM 334

Fantasy Football in the past several years has become a large social network among young men, who commit large amounts of time, effort and in many cases money into fantasy sport leagues and teams. Draft days have evolved into large event that sees friends traveling and rearranging schedules in order to come together to draft teams for the new season. As fantasy sports have gained popularity and the market grows ever larger, businesses and corporations are vying amongst themselves to gain dominance in the adolescent market.

FoxSports.com used to host fantasy football, but in 2005, a year that saw many fantasy football leagues change from fee based to free, the site suffered several technical and organizational difficulties, which left it far behind its competition as fantasy sport’s popularity started to take off. The site is now attempting to re-enter the market and become a major player in the fantasy football market, in which a few large companies such as Yahoo, CBS Sports, ESPN and the NFL currently control the majority of the market.

Fox sports has been aggressively campaigning its re-entrance into fantasy sports, largely on the Fox Television networks and its affiliates as well through social media to attract consumer attention. Television ads have been running during Major League Baseball games that Fox broadcasts and also during the National Football League’s preseason. Two main competitors, Yahoo and ESPN have strong footholds already and successful leagues with loyal user bases, which will hinder Fox gaining ground in the market. ESPN also possess a media network that is on par with Fox media in order to advertise and promote the leagues that it already has in existence to try to maintain dominance.

This article pertains to us studying the media because the fantasy football market has blown up in popularity in the past few years and transformed from a leisurely pastime into a competitive quasi-sport. There are a variety of leagues, free or fee-based, some just for fun and others that are highly competitive with large ticket prizes such as Super Bowl tickets or cash. Even though the market is dominated by a few significant players Fox media controls one of the largest and widespread media networks in the country and has ties to other large corporations and leagues through which it can advertise its new fantasy leagues. Fox Sports is unquestionably behind in gaining a foothold in the fantasy football market, however it has business relationships and large enough media reach that in a few years there is a possibility that Fox may be one of the big players fantasy sports.

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Review by Ryan Oliphant in SRM 334

FoxSports.com is attempting an aggressive re-entry into the fantasy football market after setbacks and technical failures in 2005 which saw many consumers go to competing outlets. Fox’s new fantasy football program is being supported by WhatIfSports.com and the company has a goal of eventually being in the top three of the market. To do this Fox has to compete with other leading companies such as Yahoo Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports and NFL.com. Like most of these other key competitors FoxSports.com new fantasy program will be free to use. To be a major player in the market Fox will have to use its extensive reach, particularly through TV baseball coverage and NFL game day coverage to attract and obtain new players for their game.

FoxSports.com will have a difficult time making a splash right away in the market even through their extensive coverage of the NFL and baseball on TV. The company will most likely be in fifth place in the fantasy football market in the short term as the other companies are more familiar to people and have a well established product. To be in the top three of this competitive industry FoxSports.com will have to have appealing ads on TV throughout popular sporting events. FoxSports.com will also have to have an easy to use system for the game and some distinguishable features that make their product different.

This current issue/topic is related to this course because the game of fantasy football has become a huge part of sports media and communication over the past five years. There are now TV shows just on fantasy football, as well as magazines and radio stations that just talk about the game. There are apps for smart phones that can give updates and scores to people playing and even during the NFL games fans can see updates for their fantasy player’s flash in the bottom of the screen with the scores of the different games around the league. 

"Over the years, ‘Hard Knocks’ has provided players with 15 minutes of fame"

From The Palm Beach Post

Review by Jen Nelson in SRM 334

The new hit TV serious, “Hard Knocks” has been around since 2001, and recently just had the serious premier featuring the Miami Dolphins. The show is a “docu-drama”, consisting of a sports documentary following the teams training camp, along with drama to capture viewer’s attention. For our presentation, we decided to focus on what we believe is the main issue: is there too much media coverage?

The article we found provided us with positive and negative impacts of player publicity. Although some players enjoy the constant media attention, other would prefer to stay out of the limelight. Our article was entitled, Over the years, ‘Hard Knocks’ has provided players with 15 minutes of fame by Hal Habib. Aside from the Miami Dolphins, 6 other teams have been featured on “Hard Knocks” and racking up a total of 7 sports Emmys. Player Dwayne Missouri from the Baltimore Ravens said, “I enjoyed the opportunity and I’m thankful for it…I think it kept my name on a lot of peoples mouths for a long period of time.” On the other hand, he also encountered a negative experience with the media when they caught him throwing up many times throughout a game. Since the camera is essentially rolling at all times, players are now seeing what coaches say about them behind closed doors, because really the doors are now open.

Other positive aspects include players learning from their mistakes, and having the chance to watch other teams closely. From a fan based perspective, tickets sales have generally increased for all the teams who were on the show.

The article also has a lot of information discussing the negative aspects that may come about from the show. Having the media there constantly is a huge invasion of players privacy, especially if they are going into places off limits to gain more drama for TV viewers. It can also cause the team to loose focus and often times many events are aired that the players wouldn’t intend for the world to see.

My opinion of the show, is that it’s unique in which its essentially the first sports reality show. This will give fans the capability to learn more about their player’s both positively and negatively. For teams such as the Miami Dolphins, who over the past few years haven’t been doing well, now have the chance to earn back a positive reputation. In regards to the media, I know the public loves scandal, however, there are certain boundaries I think the media shouldn’t cross. I think they should put more of an emphasis on the time training camp, rather than focusing on digging up dirt on athletes personal lives.

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Review by Alyssa Truesdale in SRM 334

We chose to do our presentation on the HBO miniseries, Hard Knocks, because it is a good representation of how communication and media relations has evolved in sports. Many years ago, teams in the NFL were getting little to no media coverage. Tex Schramm for instance, begged the media to cover the Dallas Cowboys. He was forced to write and publish his own stories to send to newspaper companies. Today, NFL teams and players may now be getting too much coverage in the media. The article that we read discusses the positive and negative impacts the show may have on a player’s career.

The article, “Over the years, ‘Hard Knocks’ has provided players with 15 minutes of fame”, was found through SportsBusiness Journal Daily and was written by Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post. Former NFL players, Dwayne Missouri and Todd Lowber discuss their experiences from being on the show. For Missouri, who was a seventh-round draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens when they were featured on the show in 2001, it was a chance to make a name for himself in the NFL. He admitted that it would have been much harder to focus during practice if he didn’t have cameras and microphones following him constantly. Another thing the show did for Missouri was teach him how to step it up in practice. The show features many coaches’ meetings and discussions with one another where they are very blunt about players. Missouri was able to hear what the coaches were saying about him and the way he played, without them speaking to him directly. After the night the episode aired, he was inspired to work harder in practice and fix the mistakes the coaches had brought up.

Lowber had a similar outlook on the show’s ability to increase awareness of players in the league. Lowber explains that if a player featured on the show gets released and another coach in the NFL that had been closely watching him throughout camp liked what he saw, the player would be more likely to get signed with that new team. Essentially this means that players are “trying out” for all of the teams in the league when being featured on the show, not just the one that they are training with. The criticism that Lowber heard from coaches while watching the show did not have a positive effect on him like I did on Missouri however. He heard coaches say he looked lost while playing, and did not like that upon showing up for practice the following day, he already knew what the coaches thought about him.

It is interesting how the show seems to have slightly changed the game. Players who may not have ever been noticed before get to shine while on camera in the show. Players are also able to learn what coaches are saying about them behind closed doors. Other things that happen throughout the training camp with the team that typically no one would ever know about are suddenly broadcasted for the entire world to see. On an episode from this seasons Hard Knocks, a Dolphin’s player admitted to another that he had been taking acting lessons to learn how to “not look tired on camera”. The show completely changes the experience for NFL teams and players going through training camp. Instead of focusing solely on their play, they are now becoming actors of a show. If I were a coach, I don’t think it is something that I would want my team to be a part of, but as a fan and sports communicator, Hard Knocks makes for great entertainment.

Student Profile of Alan Daniel in the Masters Program

JMU Sport & Recreation Leadership Masters Program students enrolled in KIN 501 (Marketing) during the Fall 2012 semester were required to create a Student Profile. Inspired by the Apple iPhone 4S/Siri commercials, here is Alan Daniel's take on the assignment.