In this article the author talked about the company Under Armour and how it got to where it is today. This company was started in 1996 but truly found its identity after Sept. 11th 2001. It is a company that always specialized in performance apparel for sports but after 9/11, they wanted to exhibit more nationalist pride. They also wanted to show a more masculine and side to their brand of sportswear. As a former player for the University of Maryland football team, the CEO wanted to target these more masculine sports for promoting Under Armour's products. As a way to show their pride in both the military and our nation, they chose the slogan “Protect this House”. Using this marketing campaign, it showed their vision for focusing on the defense of athletic, corporate, and military spheres. To help the marketing of their products in these areas, Under Armour started a partnership with the NFL and Zephyr technology. This shows that they are current with the most popular sport in America and also have these newest advances in technology. Under Armor has shown that this is not just the words of a marketing campaign. They have proven their support by actually doing many important things to help support our troops. One of the things they've started is the "freedom initiative." This is also partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project. Under Armour also sponsors events that are both military and sport based like the "Tough Mudders," an intense race that resembles a military obstacle course. Another one of the ways they get their name into the main stream of the sports world is by providing custom football uniforms and cleats to universities of Maryland and Texas Tech. When they did this for these two teams, they wanted to keep the themes of militaristic and nationalistic pride, so they made them both in camouflage print, with the Under Armour logo on them. They have also used the NFL scouting Combine as an important event to help promote their corporate identity and reinforce a sense of national pride.
I felt that in this article by Gavin Weedon was very interesting to me because Under Armour did a very smart thing in capitalizing on nationalism after what happen on 9/11/2001. Under Armour was looking for a way to become more main stream in the sports industry, so they took their identity of the brand in a direction where the consumer would want to be a part of the company. Under Armour can show through there cloths and their advertising that they are nationalistic, masculine, and militaristic. This was a good way for people to feel like they were a part of the company and being that patriotic shows that Under Armour cares about our nation. I feel the people really responded to what the company was trying to do with their slogans that they came up with “Protect this house”. The slogan can be thought of in so many different ways like in sport or the way that the military talks about protecting the US. I think that rallying people around your corporation with something as nationalism is a good idea because it is something that everyone can relate too.
JMU SHSRM students have the unique opportunity to apply to work the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans. Select students would be working: - NFL Experience: NFL playground for adults/kids with games, simulators, contests, etc. - Super Bowl Boulevard: Local street dedicated to entertainment and NFL festivities. - Saturday of Service: A day of community service activities. - Networking: Event for student volunteers to network with executives. The deadline to apply is Friday, November 16. Please click here for more information.
In the article by Michael Popke titled Healthier Concessions Menus Present New Booster Club Challenges presented the dilemma that some school districts are going through now that they are trying to fight obesity. Portland Public Schools in Maine announced in August of this year that they were doing away with high sugar and high fat foods and drinks at schools and at school events. This meant that you could not get your typical vending machine food such as chips, nachos, candy bars, Mountain Dew, and Coca-Cola from classrooms, cafeterias, field trips, and concession stands at school sporting events.
With them not being able to sell or have food items that are high calorie, high sugar, and high fat it puts a damper on what booster clubs can sell at sporting events and how they go about to raise money. This is the issue that was presented in the article and was talked about in briefly but there is another issue that was not touched on and could become a bigger issue: fan experience. In the article it stated that Portland Public Schools are to sell low calorie and healthier food instead of the nachos and pizza you would expect from a stadium while watching a high school sporting event. When going to a sporting event, you expect the staples like nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers, and pretzels. With the new polices you will now expect to get humus and reduced-fat string cheese and low to no calorie drinks. I find the lack of choice is what is going to hurt the boosters and the fans.
This article stated that Portland School System enacted the policy over the summer with little resistance. This was because during the summer the general public did not hear about it until school started. Also at Durham (N.C.) Public Schools there has been a wellness policy in place for six years like the one in Portland, Maine but they are looking to change their policy to help with more choices. The larger issue is the law that was passed recently in New York City banning large sodas. With the government cracking down on obesity by instituting these laws it could be only a matter of time before it reaches over into the world of professional sports. By evidence of the article it is already an issue for public schools. There are proponents and opponents to these measures just like any other issue. Some are for it but others would like to have a choice, not a ban.
Looking at the grand scheme, when and if this affects collegiate and/or professional this will affect the overall fan experience. With fewer choices of things people want could lead to unrest in the audience. This is a good thing for people who want to eat healthier because now they have more choices than what was previously offered but to the vast majority this will be a problem if they do not find a balance. These laws and policies also affect sponsorship relations. When looking for corporate sponsors your choices will become limited and you will have to find companies who appeal to the policy that are in place. Also having food sponsorships in place before such policies are introduced could lead to friction and redoing of the contract.
