Internship Opportunity: Strategic Marketing Intern for the Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins are seeking an enthusiastic and creative individual to assist the Marketing Department as an intern for Spring 2015. The intern will assist in the strategic planning, implementation and coordination of numerous marketing initiatives including: the Redskins Salute military appreciation platform, the Redskins women’s platform, the Redskins Kids Club, the Redskins Rally displaced fan initiative and the Redskins Health and Wellness platform. This role will also have a strong focus on planning for Training Camp in Richmond, Va. The individual will have the opportunity to learn about the responsibilities of a National Football League Marketing Department by working as a member of the team and assisting in its day-to-day operations.

For additional information, please click here.

Job Opportunity: Landmark Event Staffing Services, Inc.

Landmark Event Staffing Services is the premier provider of crowd management and event services. At Landmark, the mission is to provide the industry's best crowd management and guest services with a focus on being "client friendly, fan friendly, and employee friendly."

The company is hiring for an Admin Event Manager.  Click here for more details.

JMU Night at The Diamond on July 17

It will be JMU night at The Diamond on Thursday, July 17!

There will be a special appearance by 2004 FCS National Championship team member and Washington Redskins linebacker Akeem Jordan. The JMU athletic department will have a table set up with some goodies and information about all things JMU sports.

Wear your purple and come out to support the Dukes and see the Squirrels take on the Harrisburg Senators (Washington Nationals affiliate) with post-game fireworks. 

Click here for more details.

Job Opportunity: Closing Manager at Massanutten WaterPark

WaterPark Closing Manager

Position requires excellent leadership, communication, and customer service skills. Prior supervisory/management experience and cash handling skills are required. Must be at least 21 and prefer applicants with recreation, accounting, or hospitality background. Duties include facilitating WaterPark evening closure, acting as MOD to address and report customer service and safety issues, verifying deposits, and other duties as assigned by management. Will also be responsible for ordering/maintaining supplies and assisting with special events as needed. Schedule: Varies, weekends and holidays required. Hours: Primarily evenings, until midnight or later during summer months. Apply online or submit application at the resort. For more information, contact Joanna at 540-289-4939 or employment@massresort.com.

Practicum Opportunity: Virginia Sports Properties

Time Commitment
- EVERY home football game (2014 season)
- A training session prior to the season in Charlottesville
- Make up remaining hours either in the office, or completing agreed upon projects for the sales team

Date	Opponent	Time
August 30	UCLA	12:00
September 6	Richmond	3:30
September 13	Lousiville	12:30
September 27	Kent State	TBA
October 4	Pittsburgh	TBA
October 25	North Carolina	TBA
November 22	Miami	TBA

Responsibilities:
- Assist in the set-up, execution and tear down of various hospitality areas (outside of stadium) on game day
- Be able to interact with guests at the hospitality areas in a professional manner
- Be able to instruct guests on basic gameday information (will be provided)
- Be willing/eager to assist in other aspects of gameday corporate hospitality and sponsor activation

Requirements
- Currently enrolled in college
- Able to fulfill Practicum requirements for credit
- Have reliable transportation to/from Charlottesville (VSP will assist in organizing a carpool, utilizing participants personal vehicles)
- Represent the University of Virginia, Virginia Athletics and Virginia Sports Properties in a professional manner at all times

Physical Requirements
- Be able to lift 25 pounds
- Be able to stand for an extended amount of time

Compensation
- Practicum Credit
- Polo to wear on gameday (with own khakis or dress slacks)
- Food on gameday
- Additional compensation available at completion of Practicum

Contact:
Kate McGowan
Account Executive, Client Services
Virginia Sport Properties
University of Virginia Athletics
Kmcgowan@virginiasports.com

Internship Opportunity: USA Sports Marketing & Services/Full Circle Marketing

USA Sports Marketing & Services/Full Circle Marketing handles: marketing, advertising, public relations, promotional campaigns, event operations, and sponsorship development/sales. USA Sports Marketing & Services coordinates various marketing advertising campaigns and events; including The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, Old Town Business Development Events (Friday Night Live, Rockin Independence Eve, Downtown Tailgate, Octobeer Fest), Valley Health Golf Benefit, National Memorial Day Parade, Tiger Woods AT&T National Golf Tournament, Advertising Promotional Products for companies.  Periodically, additional projects include; Washington Redskins Luncheons and Dinner, Blue Ridge Fall Races, Kelley Washington Football Camp, and multiple corporate special events.

Requirements and Tasks

• Good oral and written communications skills. Computer skills (PC, MS Office, and Basic website knowledge/social media) and clerical duties; typing, email and data management.
• Assist in developing advertising, marketing and promotional campaigns along with managing, promoting and developing new ideas for current and new events.
• Write press releases, radio and TV copy, E-Blast, utilize Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest.
• Set up meetings with community stakeholders; assist in developing sponsorship programs.
• Contact various media outlets for publicity and trades.
• Identify and develop new revenue streams.
• Assist in day of event operations (sport related and non-sport related).
• Promote and market the company via Chamber, Rotary, 3^rd Tuesday, other networking opportunities, and social media marketing.
• Assist with all Apple Blossom efforts (PR, media campaign, sponsorships).

This internship/position with USA Sports Marketing & Services will provide a vast amount of practical hands-on experience with various events and tasks.  It will allow you to use the knowledge gained and apply it in your work place.  USA Sports Marketing & Services will also assist the person (provided person has completed a satisfactory work record) in finding future employment upon taking their skills to the next level, using business contacts and resources available within the industry.

Our staff & interns must be organized and be able to manage a fast paced environment by creating tasks lists & follow up & through.  Candidates must be quick learners, multitasking oriented, attentive to details, take initiative and be ready to have fun and work diligently in a small relaxed office environment in Old Town Winchester. The intern will be working directly with the owner 90% of the time.  The atmosphere is like the dress code - business casual. 

To apply, please e-mail a cover letter and resume to Dario Savarese @ dario@fullcirclem.com or  admin@fullcirclem.com. For more information, visit our website at www.usasportsmkt.com or www.fullcirclem.com  call us at (540) 722-8700.

Internship Opportunity: Sports Tourism in Henrico County, Va.

This position is for a summer 2014 internship and is for academic credit for a graduate level student in Sports Leadership or Sports Management or a college level student rising junior or senior pursuing a degree in field relevant to internship: GPA 3.0 or better. Hiring selection and level is dependent on the qualification of the successful applicant and the needs of the County for this position.

This internship position will be assigned to the Sports Tourism section of the Henrico County Division of Recreation & Parks. Students will need to have:
- Considerable knowledge of social media, especially Twitter
- Marketing and media relations with a focus on sports
- Ability to assist in the planning and execution of special events and projects
- Ability to attend local and regional sports tournaments and tourism events that would require nights and weekend work
- Knowledge of summer outdoor sports like baseball, soccer and lacrosse
- Good verbal communication skills

Intern may help with:
- Communication efforts using social media such as Twitter.
- Research additional forms of electronic marketing for the Division to utilize
- Assist with taking photographs at Division sporting events and programs
- Coordination of sports summer leagues
- Assist with preparation of tournaments hosted in the County
- Work with Park Services in tournament preparation

Please click here for more details.

"Showtime: Turn Playing Surfaces into 3-D Video Boards"

From Athletic Business and Quince Imaging

Analysis by Jessalyn Stone in KIN 501

Quince Imaging is a company that provided a 3D video board display show for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The pregame show they designed for Cleveland was honoring the jersey retirement of Zyndrunas Ilguaskas. To create this “science of display” anywhere from 8-12 projectors are placed throughout the arena and used to project the video. Approximately 60 days before the final product is displayed the arena must be mapped out to figure out the location of the projectors and meet with the media department. A 3D CAD model of the court is built and used to create the video. The content of the video then lined up and rendered to create the final project. A few days before the presentation the projectors are installed and tested. Come show time literally the play button is pressed and all of the work is complete. This kind of technology can be used on basketball courts, ice, grass, turf and even on city buildings. The cost for these applications is based on the image area and ambient conditions.

From a marketing standpoint this kind of technology is the “up and coming” and the “new age” video displays. Having a team or University use this kind of projection for a video is still a new thing that not many places have been able to utilize and enjoy. If the team was given the opportunity to have a project like this displayed that can be used as a huge marketing ploy to their advantage. Because this is something so new and top of the line when it occurs it needs to be capitalized on and used in a manner that “sets the standard” for other teams or programs. Although this kind of program is expensive it is comparable to other special lighting and video projects. As a marketing professional it could even be used in a way that introduces it to your staff in hopes of using it and boosting your team or program. This course teaches us the different aspects of marketing and obviously video boards are just one aspect but it can be a very influential means of advertising. Being aware of new technologies and utilizing this kind of video boards can be very beneficial to a marketing department. In marketing you have to know the market that you are targeting and this kind of video board can be utilized on many different levels within the market. This kind of technology can be used on buildings, for presentations and for sporting events. These videos are relatively new and are created to be very unique to whatever specifically you are marketing and that can be very beneficial to the marketing department.

"DeSean Jackson Cut by Eagles Minutes After Report About Possible Gang Ties Is Published"

From The Wire

Analysis by Connor Cunningham in SRM 334 

For my current event I chose an article on DeSean Jackson and how he was released from the Eagles for possible gang relations. The article was on the website The Wire, and was written by Eric Levenson. The article discusses how the Eagles released DeSean Jackson mere minutes after a newspaper published a story that linked him to Los Angeles gang members. The story reported that Jackson had connection with L.A’s Crips gang. An associate of Jacksons form his rap label Jaccpot records was arrested for a gang related murder. The man was later acquitted of the murder charge, but this was still cause for concern for many. In 2012 there was another gang related murder near a building that one of Jackson’s family members owned. When police searched the place they found old receipts and gun permits of Jacksons. On top of this DeSean Jackson has been seen in several photos with one of the suspects from that murder, and is said to be flashing the Crips gang sign in these photos. This looks bad, although Jackson was never accused of any criminal wrongdoing. Eagles sources told NJ.com that, “a bad attitude, inconsistent work ethic, and missed meetings were the reason for his release”.

From a media/communications standpoint I believe Jackson was released because of gang ties. The Eagles were trying to trade him before the story went out, and once it was released it was the last straw for the Eagles. In 2013 DeSean Jackson hauled in 82 receptions for 1,332 yards and 9 TD’s. DeSean Jackson was 9th in the NFL in receiving yards in 2013. A guy like that doesn’t just get released over an attitude. There would have to be a team that would have traded for him? This may have been the thought a couple years ago but, ever since the murder by Aaron Hernandez many teams have stayed away from players that have character concerns, especially ones with reported gang ties. The media has had a field day with all of the allegations against DeSean Jackson. Many believe he is a bad teammate and what you would call a “cancer” to a locker-room, while others say he’s a guy who has a fiery attitude and is passionate about the game of football. The Eagles did not want to deal with Jackson, or the media attention that was coming with him.

Since his release DeSean Jackson has signed a contract to stay in the NFC East with the Washington Redskins. To relate it to our course, you have to look at the job the Redskins front office, coaches, and public relations department have ahead of them. How will they go about trying to fix the image many have of Jackson? Will they work at this or simply try to have people focus on his productivity on the field? As a Redskins fan my whole life I am ecstatic with the signing, and eager to see how this scenario plays out.

Internship/Part-Time Employee Opportunity: Shenandoah Valley Baseball and Softball Academy

Are you enthusiastic about sports, or sports marketing?

Are you sociable and enjoy working with kids, parents, teams and special events?

Are you steady and trustworthy?

The Shenandoah Valley Baseball and Softball Academy, located on South Main Street in Bridgewater, wants individuals, either interns or part time employees, who love sports and kids.  The Academy provides memberships to its baseball and softball indoor facility, lessons by some of the area's finest coaches, organizing and conducting leagues, and special events like camps, clinics, games, etc.

These individuals will help with some or all of the following duties:

·         Scheduling and greeting players for lessons

·         Being a great communicator to the players, coaches, and parents

·         Taking payments and ensuring accuracy of records

·         Documenting activity at the academy for management information

·         Updating content on Facebook and the website

·         Participate in planning, organizing and conducting the special events or leagues

·         Performing data entry of accounting, or statistics related to the games

·         Having fun and helping all of our customers enjoy a great experience

If you are seriously interested in this opportunity and meet these qualifications, check out our website. 

SVB-SA.com

Then call the Academy or email us for an application.

Phone: 540-828-3591
Email: info@svb-sa.com

Return your application to this email along with your resume, or mail it to:

SVB-SA
205 South Main Street
Bridgewater, VA 22812

We will be in touch if we agree that you are a great candidate.

"Tiger Woods has back surgery"

From ESPN.com

Analysis by John Kim in SRM 334

Throughout the past decade, Tiger Woods has emerged as the face of professional golf and has been considered one of the best players ever to play the game. In his career, Tiger Woods has a total of 79 PGA Tour wins, 14 of them being a major championship (About Tiger). In recent time, Tiger has recovered from the scandal that has happened in 2009. However, on April 1st, he posted on his twitter, “Sad to say I’m missing the Masters,” because of a back problem he has been having for the past few weeks (Harig, 2014). He had surgery on his back Monday and he is now currently going through rehabilitation; he is hoping to return sometime during the summer (Harig, 2014).

I believe that this article on Tiger Woods missing the Masters tournament this year is crucial in a media standpoint. The first name that would pop up on most people’s minds when talking about golf is Tiger Woods. He is the face of golf right now, and there are probably many people that watch the game of golf just to see Tiger Woods in action, especially in a major tournament. This article is also critical in a media standpoint because of the attention Tiger gets worldwide; on the ESPN website, he even has his own column named “Tiger Tracker.” I believe that the media covers Tiger Woods so much because he is probably the only interest to people that do not regularly watch golf. By promoting Tiger Woods and his status, it could spark up interest in golf and get more viewers to watch golf. Tiger Woods is the best advertising tool to attract the general public and now that he is not able to compete in this year’s Masters Tournament, it could possibly impact the ratings on television.

The article about Tiger Woods is relevant to our course in both broadcasting and relating with the audience. I believe that it was relevant to broadcasting because of the impact Tiger Woods brings to the game of golf. As I have stated, many viewers probably watch golf just because of Tiger Woods and when Tiger Woods is not playing, it could impact the viewings of the Masters Tournament, which is aired both on CBS and ESPN (Masters). I believe that it is also relevant to relating with the audience because in order for people to be interested, the article must attract the general public’s eye. If a player that is not as famous were to miss the Masters, it would probably not be as newsworthy as Tiger missing the Masters.

In conclusion, I believe that the media covering Tiger Woods as much as they do is necessary in order for the game of golf to grow in popularity. There will be a limit advertising Tiger Woods, but many people have started watching and even playing golf because of the way that Tiger Woods has played the game. If the media were to cover another player more than Tiger Woods, they would probably not be so successful in advertising and promoting the sport of golf.

"Labor board: Northwestern University football players can unionize"

From CNN.com and TSN

Analysis by Reuben Alarico in SRM 435 (section 2)

For our project, we focused our attention on two articles: “Northwestern Players Granted Right to Unionize” by Eric Macramalla and “Northwestern University Players Can Unionize” by Sara Ganim. Overall, they both detailed the situation similarly but they also detailed and went in-depth on different aspects. The first article by Macramalla focuses a lot on the criteria and regulations of being considered a “student-athlete” such as asking for permission to get an off campus job and how you have to accept a coach’s friend on any social media that the player may be using. The second article by Ganim focuses on what the players seek by unionizing such as medical benefits and how Northwestern University may actually eliminate their football program entirely if the players succeed in unionizing so that way they can preserve their academic integrity.

From a marketing and sales standpoint, I believe this situation can help and hurt both parties. I believe that if they succeed in unionizing, then current football players and the football program may be able to target potential recruits and state that their player get treated fairly and so will you. They would also be able to “pitch” them the fact that they will be able to receive medical benefits and possibly see increased stipends. Another marketing strategy that Northwestern University could employ would be to present their top high-profile athletes in a professional way to the NFL. For example, they would be able to show that they take on responsibility and that they handle themselves in a professional manner. I feel that this would take some pressure off any team that is interested in the player. Looking at it from the other side, Northwestern University can use this issue and their stance on it to help pave the way for other schools in preventing the unionization of their “student-athletes.” According to Henry Bienen, Northwestern University’s President Emeritus, is ok with completely eliminating their football program to maintain academics as being their priority. The article goes on to say that this situation could lead to what the Ivy League schools did back in the 1950’s when they dropped athletic scholarships.

As for how this issue relates to our sports marketing class, I believe that it will be a lingering issue for years to come and that it will be something that will cause controversy within private universities. With that being said, I think that later down the road we might see private institutions employ marketing strategies about being a part of a union that might appeal to potential recruits. There have even been talks that these ”athletes” might even receive a salary within the next couple of years. The last reason why I feel that this topic is relevant to class is because it may or may not hinder the schools chance to promote their football or other athletic team if they decide to eliminate the sport all together.

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Analysis by Matthew Flint in SRM 435 (section 2)

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that the Northwestern college football players are employees of the university and have the right to form a union. The union is led by Kain Colter who played for Northwestern as their quarterback. The players on the football team can now bargain with their coaching staff and school, or employers, for more rights and benefits in regards to the basic rights that employees are granted through labor laws. With the players able to unionize, if enough teams pick up on the ability to unionize through private schools, then the situation could very well change the way the NCAA is handled with student athletes. The billions that the NCAA pulls in through college athletics could be split up a lot more if more and more players are considered employees and demand a higher salary and benefits. Northwestern stated that they would consider getting rid of their football program if the union actually came to fruition.

The situation about Northwestern is gaining a snowball effect with the media and how much coverage the topic is getting. A union could be a brand new selling point to colleges if they want to try to adapt the feature of athletes having more benefits and pay raises. Recruits from high school would probably much rather focus more on the sport they are interested in as well as look at the benefits of getting paid for what they love playing. The union could be a great selling standpoint because instead of a recruit going on to another school just with a scholarship, the union could offer the recruit much more.

I believe that the Northwestern unionization is relevant to this course because it has a chance to completely change the way that the NCAA is ran. If Northwestern decides to keep their football program due to the union, they could have an unfair advantage when looking for new recruits. Unions catching on to private schools could easily influence player’s decisions on whether they want to focus more on their academics or their college career. Marketing with the union would be very easy to appeal to younger athletes because they would look at the bigger picture with what is readily available to them to help them achieve their goals and help them in case they get injured.

Sport marketing implications of moving the extra point kick back

From Yahoo! Sports and NBC Sports

Analysis by Ryan Watson in SRM 435 (section 2)

This article is about the NFL moving the extra point (after a touchdown is scored) to the 20-25 yard line. Recently owners voted down the rule of moving the ball to the 25-yard line, but this year during the first two weeks of pre-season they will place the ball on the 20-yard line for PAT's. The reasoning behind this is to make the point attempt more difficult to increase competition. If you look at the field goal attempts in recent years the defense barely take two steps because the point is "guaranteed". An NFL writer said it well when he wrote, "the extra point serves as a bathroom break for fans at games". Another statistic is that around 99.6% of extra points were made last football season.

From a marketing, promotion, and sales perspective there are a lot of different variables. The increased competition could increase interest in the extra point, which in turn can increase fan viewership. I do not necessarily think this will be a deciding factor when purchasing a football ticket, but when watching a game, people would likely pay more attention to an extra point. I personally usually flip the channel on the TV when this play is going on, but this rule would prevent me from doing that. I think a lot of the increased viewership would come into play when people are watching on their tablet, computer, smart phone, or TV. Another thing that I thought about is the marketability of kickers. NFL kickers are not very marketable for products or sponsorships, but I think this rule would help some kickers stand out. For example if a kicker went 100% on his extra points during a season this would be notable. Companies and organizations might try to use the increased awareness in kickers to use them to endorse products. Since kickers are not really known to have these deals, that would mean an opening to a whole new market. One other sales aspect that could come from this is a substantial increase in "kicker" merchandise like jerseys.

With these marketing benefits I think that this rule will eventually get installed in the NFL. There are other negative affects though to think about. This could drastically change outcomes to close games, which might not be favorable to fans. A lot of people would be very mad if their team lost to a missed extra point. A major negative affect would also be the increase of player injuries since both the offense and defense would be trying a lot harder (since there is an actual chance of blocking the kick).

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Analysis by John Sullivan in SRM 435 (section 2)

The article Ryan and I chose for our class discussion topic is ‘NFL will test longer extra points for two weeks in the preseason. On March 26th, Michael David Smith posted the article on NBC Sports. The article title is a dead give away for what it is about. For the first two weeks of the 2014 preseason the spot where the football is placed for the extra point will be moved back to the 20-yard line. This turns the normal 20-yard distance into a distance of 38 yards. The article suggests that making the kick harder will make the games more interesting to the fans.

How this relates to marketing, promotion, and sales. By moving the extra point back, it will make the kick more difficult to make. By increasing the difficulty of the kick, the margin of error also increases. By increasing the margin of error, the fans will be more willing to pay attention to see the outcome of the kick. Moving the kick back will increase viewership at both the stadium and at home on the couch. It could potentially keep fans better engaged in the game. It could make them stay in their seats at games and maybe even stay tuned it at home through the commercial breaks.

If this rule becomes concrete it could very well lead to increasing popularity in kickers. People may actually start buying jerseys with the kickers name on the back rather than the quarterback or running back. Kids who like football might aspire to become a kicker instead of a quarterback. Moving the kick back will bring the kickers that do not miss the extra point the respect that they deserve.

This rule change can only bring good to the already great game of football. People are going to watch and go to the game no matter what, but it is the excitement of the unforeseeable events that keeps them coming back for more. People want to see kicks get blocked, or missed. It adds excitement to the game. It makes the game more interesting (if it is a close game), and that is what gets people to watch. This rule change will help promote games because it should make the games more competitive.

It is not for certain that this rule will be established in the official rules of the NFL. But for the first two weeks of the preseason the NFL will experiment with the rule in play. It will be interesting to see how the rule affects the game and the fans.

"Manziel puts on pro day show, then Nike capitalizes on Manziel Pro Day Collection"

From NBC Sports

Analysis by Josh Wells in SRM 435 (section 1)

On March 27th college football may have been changed forever with a revolutionary pro day put on in College station by the one and only Johnny Manziel. Pro day gives athletes with a dream to play in the NFL a chance to show their talents to scouts and coaches. In Manziel’s case he had seven head coaches, George H Bush and Barbara Bush, and many scouts. Many first came from this proday such as; Johnny addressed scouts prior to workout, mixtapes playing throughout, and most of all wore shoulder pads and helmet. Manziel put on a show completing 61 passes out of 65 with 2 drops, leaving scouts with their mouths wide open at the end of the day. As soon as Manziel was done working out, Nike was sure to use this as an opportunity to tell everyone they also had the chance to dress and compete in the same gear as Manziel. Johnny football being endorsed by Nike gives them the chance to use him as much as possible and in my opinion is what his pro day was all about. Being criticized is something that Johnny Manziel is used to and learns to embraced, but I feel he is being push into a certain direction by Nike while he should be focused on his career. When asked about his decision on wear shoulder pads and a helmet, he replied “the game isn’t played in shorts and a tshirt.” Perhaps now we have a real answer to the question; because Nike had a helmet to market. While all the endorsement hype surrounds Manziel, his future employers and coaches have been quoted by saying his performance was a “sideshow and “Circus.” Money is important and I will be the first to say this, but being so young and growing up with one dream to play in the NFL, I feel he has been sidetracked by companies who want to use him. From here on out I believe he needs to focus on himself and try to fly under the radar. While also showing teams he can control and maintain focus with many distractions.

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Analysis by A.J. Scott in SRM 435 (section 1)

They don’t call Johnny Manziel “Johnny Football” for no reason at all. During this past 2013 season, Johnny Manziel was one of the most known, if not the number one, name in college football. Only a 21 year old starting quarterback for Texas A&M, Manziel didn’t waste time showing his talent through his schools football team, completing over 60 passes last season and receiving the Heisman Trophy award.

With all of this recognition, it is no surprise that a high profile athletic brand would want someone like Manziel promoting them. Of course, Nike was the lucky winner. Not only does Manziel wear their brand from head to toe, Nike also took it upon themselves to dedicate a whole ‘Manziel Pro Day Collection’ to him. This collection included all the works you could imagine from the shirt all the way down to the shoes and socks.

Why would Nike want to invest all this money into Johnny Manziel? Well, not only will Manziel more than likely be one of the first 10 that are picked in the NFL draft this year, he will also get a lot of attention once he does get drafted to a team. Manziel left observers speechless at his pro day on March 27th and will only continue to impress America with his talent.

"Dick's Taps Amateurs to Make Case That 'Sports Matter'"

From Advertising Age

Analysis by Kristina Mohler in KIN 501

This article talks about how sporting goods retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods is launching a new brand campaign that focuses on amateur/youth sports, as opposed to professional. Additionally, Dick’s is supporting youth sports with a “Sports Matter” program where they plan to award up to $2 million in grants to disbanded or financially challenged youth sports teams. The article states that “an estimated $3.5 billion was cut from school sports budgets between 2009 and 2011… and one study predicts that by 2020, 27% of U.S. public schools will not offer sports programs”. Dick’s plan is to help fund between 75 and 100 teams, but the teams must help pull their own weight as well. The teams must raise half the money they need themselves utilizing marketing, public relations, and counseling support from Dick’s. Dick’s will then match the other half of their funding needed.

Lauren Hobart, Chief Marketing Officer at Dick’s, says that is very important that the teams also learn to fundraise, so they can continue funding their team in the future. I completely agree with this. I did some fundraising in high school, and I definitely did some with recreational teams. We were pretty well off in high school with our sports programs, so I could see how kids could be comfortable and expect to just have things handed to you. Fundraising is a more practical approach with great lessons on kids having to learn how to support themselves. Lauren Hobart also stated that she did not know if Dick’s would continue this as a reoccurring program or if it will just last for this campaign. If it is successful, I think Dick’s should look into continuing the program. It gets their name out there and is also a positive promotion with funding youth sports and getting them involved in the community.

This article really opened my eyes to the struggling budgets for youth sports, especially in public school systems. I feel very fortunate to have been able to participate in sports throughout my childhood and collegiate years. From my perspective I felt we had enough money to cover anything we needed. I do know we did a few fundraising events though, including car washes and candle sales. Only items we got to keep, like our megaphone, we had to pay for ourselves. Uniforms and equipment were supplied for us. I could not imagine attending a public school and not having a sports program to participate in.

If public schools have to start eliminating sports programs, this would have many negative impacts. Most importantly, our country has an overweight problem. Not being able to promote active, healthy activities will certainly contribute to childhood obesity. Also, this could affect the likelihood of some student-athletes receiving scholarship offers, unless they can afford travel and all-area teams. Overall, kids will be missing out on developmental growth such as teamwork, competition, and overcoming adversity. I also think the school boards and athletic associations need to look at other ways to generate revenue as well.

"Owner of NFL's Indianapolis Colts accused of intoxicated driving"

From Yahoo! Sports

Analysis by Madison McMillen in SRM 334 

Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay was arrested on Monday March 17th for driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance. Irsay failed many field-sobriety tests when he was stopped late Sunday night for driving slow, stopping in the middle of the road, and not using his turn signal. When police searched his car they found many prescription drugs that did not match any of the labels they found on the pill bottles. After being processed at the Hamilton County Jail in Camel, Indiana Irsay was able to post bond and be released Monday afternoon. In a later article, Irsay is said to have checked himself in to a health care facility and is ready to get the help and care he needs.

Jim Irsay is said to be worth 1.6 billion dollars and as the Colt’s owner I would say he is a pretty important guy. The news of his arrest is a hot topic but I don’t believe the amount of publicity he’s getting is necessary. The media has given so much attention to Irsay over his negative actions when many people who are not so well known make these same choices and get arrested every day. He also publically announced his admittance into a health care facility which makes me wonder if he really wants to get help for himself or if people have forced him to do this because of how wide spread this news has gotten. While it is human nature for people to be curious over scandals of famous people or people in positions of power I believe a certain degree of restraint should be in place as these individuals are human and have family members who may be impacted by all of the negative media publicity. It is my opinion that personal issues should be left to the individual and their families to resolve on their own.

I think this is an important topic for our class to discuss because in our future jobs we will run into these sorts of issues whether it be an owner, coach, or athlete. By seeing how much media attention is given to an Owner for making a bad decision can help us understand how to handle the situation when something like this become an issue for whichever team we will end up working for. It also is a great example to use and learn from to help educate members of staff and players about having their personal issues being broadcasted because of their decisions.

"March Madness Ratings And Revenue Keep Reaching New Heights"

From Forbes.com

Analysis by Jacob Nicely in SRM 435 (section 2)

When you think of the most watched sporting events you may think of the Super Bowl, the World Series, the BCS national championship game, but what you may not realize is that the Men’s NCAA basketball tournament is right behind the BCS national championship game and a few NFL games. When March rolls around, people everywhere fill out their brackets and tune in to stay up to date with how their favorite teams are doing and to keep track of their bracket. In all of this the unthinkable always happens, a cinderella team out of nowhere beats a heavily favored team and makes a run in the tournament highlighting what we all know and love about “March Madness.” Everyday people watch these games from their television, their laptops and tablets, and their phones to try and keep track of their teams, their bracket, or just the overall madness of the tournament. As a result of the madness, more and more people are tuning in to the tournament creating a revenue machine that is raking in over a billion dollars every year.

In 2010, CBS and Turner inked a 14-year deal worth $11 million for the broadcasting rights to the Men’s NCAA tournament. In the regular season, it is extremely rare for a Men’s NCAA Basketball game to reach over 2 million viewers but during the tournament that number skyrockets to an average of 10.7 million viewers a game during the 2013 tournament. Only the Super Bowl, BCS national championship game, and a few NFL games drew in a larger audience than the men’s national championship game with 23.4 million viewers with fans taking in over 1.4 million hours of live streaming during the tournament. To achieve this goal, the two broadcasting companies have devised a scheduling plan that staggers game times and spreads them across 4 channels so that there are more games on television and so that as one game ends another game begins. This is something that marketers can only dream of.

In combination with the television format, there have been numerous mobile applications developed so that fans can live stream the games, get live scores, and keep up with their brackets. With numerous platforms to follow the tournament, it creates more and more places for companies to advertise and spend their money. This has led to companies spending a mind-boggling $1.15 billion on advertisements during the 2013 NCAA tournament and a number that is expected to increase for this year’s tournament. Along with advertising, the NCAA does a phenomenal job segmenting the rounds into their own separate sporting events that everyone can identify with such as the “Sweet 16”, the “Elite Eight”, and the “Final Four.” This creates many options for merchandising and licensing of apparel that many fans buy into every year creating another revenue stream for the NCAA and the schools involved.

All of these numbers are great and show how the NCAA and the broadcasting companies are creating a juggernaut of a sporting event but how do they get people to tune into games that may not normally watch? Well brackets are the answer. Every year fans can go online to various sites and fill out a bracket, where they can predict who will win what game. This creates not only a way to get more fans interested in more games they can watch, but also creates more platforms for advertisers to spend money. With the first-round games which are commonly referred to as “play-in games” reaching all-time high tv ratings, the tournament is only gaining interest year after year.

Turner-Sports and CBS, in combination with the NCAA, have created a fantastic formula from a marketing standpoint. Their TV scheduling and staggering of games encourages fans to watch more than one game, tune into games they may not normally watch, and have more coverage of games causing more people to cut on the television and watch the tournament. In combination with TV broadcasting, the live streaming and mobile applications allow people who normally could not tune in, the ability to watch the games from anywhere, even in school and at work when they are not supposed to. With all of these options to take in the games, the broadcasting companies and the NCAA have allowed themselves to offer diversification of advertising to companies. Now they can reach more target markets, more often, and in locations they normally would not be able to reach them at which is very important because consumers are more likely to buy a product when it is advertised to them when they are in the mindset. Just to give an example, an office supply company can now advertise on live streaming websites and mobile applications because people can tune into to watch the games from their work as opposed to television, which people who are at work cannot normally watch the day games. Also, with more channels and more games it allows for companies to advertise on specific channels to specific demographics based on locations of the teams which they would not have been able to do if only two games were being shown at a time instead of four.

All in all, this time of year can get everyone excited whether you will be rooting for the underdog, cheering on your favorite team, following your bracket closely, or just tuning in to see some great basketball games. The Men’s NCAA basketball tournament will only continue to rise in popularity thus showing that it will only rise in ad revenue as a result. As technology advances, broadcasting companies and the NCAA are keeping up and finding more and more ways to reach viewers every year. This is great news for companies who are looking to market their products and services because they can reach more demographics and specific target markets than they have in the past. From a marketing standpoint, they have created a phenomenal plan to get companies to spend their money as well as keeping up with current trends to keep the companies happy with their investments. As times change and technology develops, we can only sit back and see what the future tournaments will bring.

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Analysis by Ben Eidle in SRM 435 (section 2)

Our article has to deal with CBS and Turner’s television package for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Last year was a big year for the tournament because it hit a nineteen year high for ratings. Last year’s championship game only trailed some NFL games and the BCS national championship game in viewers as well. When speaking about ratings in college basketball they jump a significant amount during the offseason. This has caught CBS-Turner’s attention and they walked away with a fourteen year television deal that runs through 2024. The tournament has been praised for the way they are showing their games as well. They have the times staggered so that you are able to watch the maximum amounts of basketball games and they are spread across four channels which makes it easy to flip back and forth between. Another thing that has brought in more viewers is the expansion of applications for mobile devices. People are now able to interact and watch in many more ways compared to being stuck to a television. Quicken Loans tried to take advantage of the tournament as well by sponsoring the billion dollar bracket challenge but was overshadowed by Warren Buffet who walked away with most of the attention with people ignoring their name on the contest. Ad space has been bringing in more revenue year after year as well. Last year it brought in $1.15 billion in television ad revenue and it is expected to increase this year as well. It has brought in more money than the NFL which is interesting. The last thing they mentioned in the article was that they are thinking of expanding the tournament by adding another round.

This article deals with marketing in multiple ways. The first thing that really stood out to me was the television ad revenue. It impressed me because of how large the number was. It was very unclear in the article what the figure was actually for because it could have been for other advertising as well but I found in another article that it was just for television alone. The ad revenue is larger than you think. It has gained more ad revenue compared to all of the professional sports leagues in the United States barely beating out the NFL.

I feel that the “First Four” is also a great marketing tactic. They have taken 4 games and created play-in games for the tournament. The NCAA has taken these games though and have called them the first round of the tournament and once the field of sixty-four is set that is now the second round. They have taken these games and have people thinking that they really are first round matchups which is great because it brings greater interest and kind of jumpstarts the tournament. This is great because at the beginning of the tournament the people are limited to the couple of games at the beginning of the week that they are able to watch instead of changing back and forth between multiple games once the “second round” begins.

Finally, the different ways that you can watch the games in the tournament is a great tactic by CBS-Turner. They have taken the games and spread them across four channels which gives one the option of changing between games in case one is bad compared to another. They also give one the opportunity to just keep going to the ending of each game because the games are staggered and don’t have the same start times. Also, for the final four the games will be broadcasted on three different channels. One will be a national broadcast of the game and the other two channels will have broadcasters for each of the two different schools that are playing in the game. And last but not least, they have continued to improve the online experience. The applications have been vastly improved over the years and this year has become more user friendly. One is also able to follow each team through the application and see what people are saying about each team.

Overall, I believe what CBS-Turner has done is great for the tournament. You give viewers the opportunity to catch the magic of the postseason without missing endings to each game. It has given great customer service as well because people have so many new ways in which they are able to follow the tournament instead of just watching the games on television or checking the scores on the internet. Finally, the television ad revenue is ridiculous and the fact that it is supposed to be more than last year’s tournament has to mean that they are doing something right.

"March Madness Twitter Ads Tip Off After Buzzer-Beater"

From Advertising Age

Analysis by Kelsey Holmes in KIN 501

With each new year of March Madness comes new sports marketing plans. The 3–Week long NCAA tournament is attracting businesses to put forth their very best social media marketing plans. All these companies have goals to be the most creative, wittiest, and fastest to tweet. The ad-revenue of March Madness continues to grow year by year and is steadily catching up to major events such as the Super Bowl. Marketers are debuting new ad campaigns and doing everything they can to get their name in the mix.

This year’s biggest trend will be “Real-Time” marketing. “From now through the NCAA's Final Four weekend in early April, brands will attempt to score marketing points after nail-biting games and general basketball-related social media activity.” While some efforts will be real-time reactions to game events others will be pre-planned. All types of brands; food, insurance, and even hotels are all buying in to get a piece of March Madness on Twitter.

There are 4 types of tweets taking place.
Real-Time: As soon as games end, brands are reacting with witty sayings and tweets to become part of the frenzy.

Prepared: Multiple tweets prepared before games and then used based on what’s happening

Promoted: Advertisement on users Timeline promoting a particular brand.

Intentionally Confusing: Tweets about sports and the brand but not necessarily basketball.

Using March Madness to advertise is a smart and efficient move for these companies. A major attractor is the variety of fans that watch march madness. March Madness attracts fans of all ages and sexes as well as the dedicated and leisure fan. Along with variety of fans come a variety of platforms. March Madness can be watched on television, the computer, tablets, and mobile devices. That means there are 4 channels on TV plus their websites and the March Madness website and mobile apps. This is extremely useful because consumers can be reached anywhere and multiple times a day.

This marketing strategy is extremely relevant and useful to this course. Real-Time marketing is an example of how marketers must evolve to stay relevant to the consumer. Companies must continue to adapt to “stay ahead of the game”. The importance of staying relevant is realer now than ever and the window to react is now slimmer than ever. Companies must now hire professionals specifically for Twitter. This person must be creative and witty and always have a pulse on their audience. Because of this need companies now have to rethink their hiring and the experience of their employees. Also, professionals looking for jobs will find it beneficial to have social media experience. Overall, I think that Real-Time marketing will become more common practice and expand outside of sporting events.

"Beyond the Selfie: Is Snapchat the Next Frontier for Sports Franchises?"

From SportTechie

Analysis by Danielle Colassard in SRM 435 (section 2)

Snapchat is a photograph application that was created in July 2011. This application was created so people could not upload pictures they have already taken, but must take pictures of where they currently are. There are approximately 400,000,000 messages sent a day by its 30,000,000 users. However only 55 percent of those users use Snapchat daily. Snapchat became popular among teenagers and young adults within the past year or two, and now brands and franchises are using that information to their advantage. Knowing that teenagers and young adults use social media almost daily, brands and franchises have joined in and made those same social media accounts to get connected with the younger generation. The New Orleans Saints were the first sports franchise to join Snapchat. In December, the Saints had over 17,000 followers. In order to push content via Snapchat, sports franchises and brands must take a picture and post to what Snapchat calls “a story.” The picture they post to their “story” is only visible to their followers for 24 hours before it disappears. After they got their account, it was all word of mouth promotion for the New Orleans Saints. Snapchat does not have a direct link the Saints could post for their fans to see and follow, forcing fans to have to search for the Saints by themselves in order to actually be able to see the content the Saints send via Snapchat.

Sports teams are beginning to utilize Snapchat to appeal to their younger fans. Some teams are using the application to offer discount codes for game day tickets as well as team merchandise. Other teams are using it to announce a big reveal is coming from the team soon. Some teams are using Snapchat to have a new twist on scavenger hunts, or use it as a fun way to involve their team mascot. Where as others are using it to show content that fans would not get to see otherwise.

Using Snapchat to connect with their younger fans is a brilliant idea. With Snapchat being such a big hit with the younger generation, it is a great idea to use the social media younger fans are using. Using Snapchat for discount codes can be rewarding but also risky. As mentioned in class, giving discounts or gifts away may upset season ticket holders, as well as dilute the value of the product. Since Snapchat “stories” are only visible for 24 hours, the code should only be visible to the fans that look at the content daily. For professional teams it may be a little more risky than for a minor league team who are just trying to get fans to attend their games. Having a discount code for a Monday night game may benefit minor league teams in college towns or a town where minor league is the only team around.

Teams using snapchat to announce a big reveal coming soon, will get their fans looking at their content multiple times per day to see what is going to happen with the team. Using Snapchat for that purpose is smart because the team will have a lot of traffic going through their website as well as all of their social media accounts, promoting their name.

Franchises using Snapchat to show behind the scenes content that fans would not normally get to see is also a great idea. Fans love to see their favorite player in the locker room or some place they do not have access to see them. Fans also enjoy seeing their favorite players at the events they were not able to attend because they were stuck at work, college, or were not of age to attend the event. Using Snapchat can show those fans all of what they were missing.

Brands and franchises using Snapchat is relevant to this course because teams are marketing and selling their brand by using this application. They are sending content to their fans via Snapchat, a type of social media that not everyone has. It is a benefit to those that have the application on their phone. The content posted to the Snapchat Story is only available to those with a smartphone that allows them to download Snapchat. This benefits the younger generation because almost everyone has a smartphone, iPod, iPad with Snapchat access. Depending on what the team chooses to send out, they may gain interest of teenagers and young adults to want to work in the sport industry, helping it to grow. If a team sends out pictures or videos of event level of different stadiums or arenas, it may gain interest of students wanting to work in facilities. Snapchat can also be used as a promotional tool, providing contests for fans, giving incentives, as well as showing them when and where they can help with community projects or visit players for autograph sessions. Snapchat also shows what game days are like as well as the game themselves, getting fans to want to come back to the stadium to witness the atmosphere in person. Following other teams that are not necessarily a fan favorite, can show people how other stadiums are and what other teams are like behind the scenes.

As mentioned above, Snapchat is a great tool for marketing and promoting sports brands. Showing fans content they would not normally get to see is priceless. Seeing pictures or videos of their favorite player encourages them to come to games, buy merchandise or keep checking back for more.

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Analysis by Chelsea Weber in SRM 435 (section 2)

News about sports used to be limited to newspapers and television, but with social media taking the world by storm, there are unlimited outlets for fans to gain access to information about their favorite teams and players. The most recent social media to catch teams and fans attention is Snapchat. The first team to try out the app was the New Orleans Saints and both the fans and the team have found it quite successful. Snapchat is different than most apps in that the picture or video only lasts up to 24 hours. It is a more personal app than most in that the fans get a direct message from the team and only they can see the picture or video, unlike Twitter or Instagram where the text and pictures last forever and can be seen by anyone. Snapchat gives fans an inside and behind the scenes look at the team and players. This could potentially be a very positive and successful marketing tool if the teams use it correctly. Knowing that the app is used primarily by the younger generations, the organizations need to post things that appeal to that age group. Showing locker rooms, pre-game routines, off the field appearances, individual players, bloopers , etc., could gain the attention of potential fans, while keeping the existing fans. Teams can use Snapchat to promote team events, share team news, and even create challenges for the fans to take part in. All in all, Snapchat is another tool for teams and organizations to get their name out there and create more noise about the organization. It is a great way to market the team and could also create more sales, whether it be merchandise or ticket sales. Whether or not Snapchat is going to work or how long it’s going to last, teams should try it out and see what kind of response they get.

"March Madness evokes marketer madness"

From USA Today

Analaysis by Wyatt Johnson in SRM 435 (section 1) 

Our article talked about how big March Madness is and how it is a marketing mix that advertisers try to take advantage of. With the tournament being broadcasted on 4 different networks it gives companies an advantage to promote their products to potential consumers. March Madness is so big companies can reach different audiences through ads, giveaways, concerts, and rebranding hotels. I feel like this is a month that companies definitely look forward to because it’s a whole month of basketball and a whole month fans will see these ads multiple times throughout March. Companies are also using social media to engage fans as well. Companies like Burger King and Pizza Hut are using twitter to promote their special deals. I believe that March Madness is huge marketing mix for companies because they use all 4 phases of promotion which include advertising, publicity, personal contact, and incentives. All of these phases are essential to engaging fans and consumers. Companies are using different marketing strategies to get in touch with potential consumers even through cell phones. Some companies having different apps that people can download on their phones and that helps companies get various ways of promoting their message. This article is relative to the course because March Madness is one of the biggest events in sports and it helps companies display different ways of connecting March Madness with their product to help promote their message to potential consumers. Companies have to go through various marketing steps we talked about in order to be affective in sport promotion and sales.

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Analysis by Lindsey Tomasz in SRM 435 (section 1)

USA Today's "March Madness Evokes Marketer's Madness" is a short yet great article that focuses on how those in the marketing industry use this three weeklong event to promote their products. It is obvious that although March Madness doesn't exactly have the "heft" of the SuperBowl or the worldwide scope of the Olympics, it certainly is becoming a marketer's dream come true. Over the past few years, this event has brought in more and more ad revenue - more than some professional sports leagues - and the young, desirable audience and the great world of social media are mostly to thank for that. Marketers are doing all they can to take advantage of this; debuting both new ads and apps, hosting concerts, giving away free food, and even rebranding some hotels, just to name a few.

I believe that companies using March Madness to advertise themselves and their products is an extremely smart move. Along with the young audience, the different games throughout the tournament are shown on multiple different channels, which gives marketers more room to work with. It gives them the opportunity to really get out there and spread the word around for what they are trying to sell. There about four stations that are televising games, which also means that there are at least four major websites that can be used for advertising as well. I know from first-hand experience in the past week, that if I miss a game that was on my bracket, I immediately go to the website to see what I missed. I think it is also a great idea to be using former basketball stars in the commercials. Using these stars keeps a relationship between the ad and what the viewer is actually watching it for, and probably holds the viewer's interest more than other, say "regular", people. Although people don't necessarily watch this tournament for the commercials in particular, like they do for the Super Bowl, I think it is still a safe bet to be spending the millions of dollars for that thirty second commercial as long as they keep that "ad to game" relationship going.

This marketing strategy is very relevant to our course because it is a prime example of obviously promotion and sales in the sport industry in relation to a widely social and growing event. To name a few, we are taught about sponsorships, advertising, licensing, different incentives, and what really makes a good sales person/company in a business. Reading about these March Madness marketers has really put a lot of these into perspective and allows me to better understand what all goes into selling a product or service. It has been very interesting for me to watch the games and commercials and be able to go more into depth about how the advertisement was created to better fit the sport and audience and maybe how the certain sponsors/ads fit back into the college basketball aspect. Connecting everything back to the consumers is huge and marketing in this tournament has proven to be all about that, which is why there is no “peak” to be seen at all in the near future of this and it will only become more popular in years to come.