Media and the NBA All-Star Weekend

From ESPN.com - article 1, article 2, article 3

Anlaysis by Max Swartz in SRM 334 (section 1)

For our current event, we decided to do things a little bit differently and choose one huge event with a couple of smaller stories that happened during the event. The event we focused on was the 2015 NBA All Star Weekend that occurred over the past weekend. The specific articles that we chose to focus in on were Carmelo Anthony’s decision on how much he was going to play in the All Star game, Kevin Durant firing back at the Media on Saturday, and Saturday Night Live dominating the ratings versus the All Star Game. Carmelo Anthony has had an injured knee all season, and he told reporters on Friday that he was going to shut his season down after he played for a couple of minutes. From a media standpoint, I believe that this story shows a break in the chain from the owner/management side of communication to the player side. If Anthony truly believes that he should not play any more then the team’s personal media staff should have came out with a statement regarding Carmelo’s health, and then they should have consulted with him about future statements that he should make to the media. The next smaller article that we focused on was Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder lashing out at the media at first in defense of his coach, Scott Brooks, but eventually ranting a little bit more on the award voting process and talking to the media in general. From a media standpoint, I believe this story is important because the way that we see players interacting with the media within the next 5- 10 years could completely change. It is becoming clearer and clearer that many players are beginning to have a problem with the media and how the media is misrepresenting the players. Also it is very different to have a player like Marshawn Lynch, who has been someone who has never been in the limelight and doesn’t enjoy talking to the media, and a player like Kevin Durant who is one of the young faces that will make up the face of the entire NBA, and someone like him needs to be able to talk to the media. The last article we did was about the television ratings during last Sunday night’s All Star Game; during the game, Saturday Night Live aired it’s 40th Season reunion special, and the ratings at the end of the night ranked the All Star Game with a 5.5 and SNL ended with a rating of 14.2. From a media communications standpoint I believe this story is relevant because if one of the league’s marquee events during the season gets that outshined, then there is a problem. Right now the NBA is making the most money, has more viewers, and there are more marketable stars then the league has ever had before, but that can all be overlooked if you cannot keep your viewers for one of the best events of the season. The key is to make the game itself more interesting and more enticing for the players to actually try, watching a little bit of that game like I did, it was easy to tell the lack of willingness to play the game and more just going through the motions.

All of these articles are relevant to this course in slightly different ways; the first story about Carmelo Anthony was about keeping possible injury announcements internal within the organization, and if an announcement is going to be made, then it should come from a team official so there is no grey area in the report. The next story regarding Durant is relevant because as possible members of the media someday, the player-media relationship is something that is going to change and we need to be ahead of the curve for it. The last story is relevant because every league has an All Star Game, and it should be must see TV, but with the way things are going, All Star Games are more out than in right now, and that is something that needs to be changed.

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Analysis by Jesse Moses in SRM 334 (section 1)

Our current event focused on the NBA All Star weekend, and more specifically three articles of events that occurred during the weekend. It was a star studded weekend with some very interesting topics that we got to cover. The first article that we will discuss is about Carmelo Anthony dictating his minutes in the All Star Game. He has been fighting a knee injury basically the whole season. In the article they quote Carmelo saying that it is “very likely” that he will not play the rest of the season after the All Star break, even though later in the interview he told reporters that he will play in the All Star Game, “Even if I come out and just play a couple minutes and just wave”. The second article is about Kevin Durant and his comments about the media and the voting for the MVP. He lashes out at the media saying that he is only talking to them because he has to. He then goes further into the whole media relationship with the players and comments on how they should not be the ones voting on the MVP, that in fact it should be the players because they play with the candidates. Finally in the third article, they discuss the competition between Saturday Night Live Forty and the NBA All Star Game (the two broadcast at the same time on Sunday). SNL stole many viewers from the All Star game and the article goes in depth into that competition.

In the first article there is a direct tie into the media and communication standpoint of this course. Carmelo Anthony went onto ESPN Radio and told them his plans for the rest of this year and more importantly the future. It is directly associated with communications between the player and the coach/front office and the team’s media sources. He went through an outside source of media instead of talking directly to the New York Knick’s reporters. On the coach/front office side, we wonder if he spoke to them before going through with this interview. We wonder if the team was blindsided or not by this comment. This ties directly to our course because we might someday have to deal with an athlete that is going through a similar situation. In the second article they speak about the tie between the media and professional athletes. Kevin Durant spoke out at the media telling them “"You guys really don't know s---". This was a direct shot at the media, that really got out Durant’s opinions. He believes that they are glorified and that they do not deserve the power that they are given. This article and story relates to our course because someday we could be the media and this is a statement directed at us. We have to know how to cover a statement like this and how to evaluate the situation and not let it get out of hand. Finally in the third article, they speak of SNL 40 and how it stole views from the All Star Game. The media/communication aspect of this article and of this story is very important in our field. As a part of the media we will have to promote events, such as the All Star break, and be successful in competition with other shows. This directly ties into our course because of the fact that we have to be able to deal with a situation like this and draw viewers to our program. We may face a very similar task at some point in our career and we need to mull down the situation and find a solution.

The NBA All Star Weekend was a long one with many different events. It was entertaining at parts and others were bland. The events were only half of the excitement, with Durant and Melo being in the headlines as well as the SNL 40 dominating the TV ratings. All in all it was better than it has been and people will definitely continue to talk about it.

"Atlanta Hawks Thriving Off Court Thanks to Rebranding, Embracing Social Media"

From Bleacher Report

PowerPoint by William Lin and Travis Oyler in SRM 435

"NBA's All-Star Weekend Tweaks Are Step in Right Direction"

From Bleacher Report

Analysis by Jauan Latney in SRM 435 (section 1)

This article was all about increasing the fan experience in the all-star weekend contest for the NBA. The most anticipated was the new style of the dunk competition which added a freestyle round and is putting three western conference players against 3 eastern conference players. It goes into the changes to other invents like the skills competition being a two-man relay and the three point competition having one full rack of money balls placed wherever the shooter chooses. They also talk on how the young players get a chance to put their names out there during the all-star weekend and possibly get themselves some endorsements.

            The NBA has the best all-star event compared to the rest of the top professional sports. From a marketing standpoint, companies have their names on events that go on involved in all-star Saturday night as well as other events throughout the week. All the fans that are in town for the four day weekend are seeing ads and being involved with these sponsors of the NBA. They came out with a “JAM BAND” for this year at the Jam Session events where you sign in with the bracelet using your information and swipe in at different events. When people swipe in at these events/stations the sponsors of that station can see that and send them mail in the future. The bands can also compare the fans stats to their favorite NBA player in the “Draft Combine” drill. When you’re having events like this, social media is always good to have and you can post to social media with the use of the bands as well. When it comes to sales this was the cheapest all-star game in history to get into but they were also more focused on the whole fan experience this year. With the use of the many performances throughout the weekend and meeting all the players the experience was definitely boosted this year along with the JAM BANDS for Jam Session events.

            This is relevant to the course because it covers getting the experience that all fans crave and the way the NBA gets sponsors involved in their all-star weekend. It also is about reaching out to those fans after the event is over to reach them about sales in the future and to ask about their experiences from the weekend. The NBA all-star weekend is the ultimate example of any all-star event in the top professional sports, even greater than the NFL. They get into the marketing and promotion standpoint to make current and future sales and reaching out to obtain new customers due to their combination of being with the NBA. 

"KD well past tired of talking about LeBron"

From ESPN.com

Analysis by John Kim in SRM 334

In every sport, there are elite players and the media always try and compare to determine who the best player is. In recent years, LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder are considered one of the best players in the National Basketball Association. Even though they were compared for a few years now, the debate has fired up even more this season due to the fact that Kevin Durant is considered by many experts to likely take the Most Valuable Player Award after James has received it the past two seasons (Wallace, 2014). After the endless debate about these two players and the constant questions that they receive, Kevin Durant said that he is tired of being questioned about James. However, James told the press that he has no issues addressing questions about Durant (2014).

The media has been comparing elite athletes for a while now and it could be too much for both the athletes and the audiences. Even though many athletes are not too thrilled about the media asking them questions about other athletes constantly, the media keeps bombarding athletes about other players or potential rivals. The media’s intentions for comparing athletes could be to relate to the audience and promote drama; if players are compared and the media creates a “rivalry” between the players to relate to other audiences that are not so interested in sports, it could cause the audience to be interested. Also, sports audiences are interested on what the athletes say about their rivals, so they will tune into interviews, thus creating more views benefiting the media. 

This article is relevant to our course because we have constantly talked about the drama that the media creates and how it attracts both audiences that are extremely passionate about sports or not so passionate about sports. By releasing stories that include rivalries and dramas, the media relates to the audience and attracts them to what interests them. Even though Kevin Durant stated that he was tired of being questioned about James, the media will not stop asking questions about James or other athletes because people want to hear what Durant has to say about other players that he is compared with.

"Ex-NBA team in North Korea"

From ESPN.com

Analysis by Justin Syharath in SRM 334

Basketball is a sport that is growing more and more popular through countries all over the world. Throughout the years basketball has been used in a way for people to interact and come together to share common interests. In recent news, the media blew up when Dennis Rodman was sharing a common interest in basketball with his “friend for life” Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea. Early January of this year, Rodman brought a team consisting of former NBA players and street basketball players to play in an exhibition match against a North Korean team.

Rodman’s intentions for this exhibition match were to uplift his relationship with Kim as well as sharing cultural differences between the teams, but the media didn’t seem interested. The relationship between the U.S. and North Korea are not exactly on level terms due to the fact that they have threatened to use nuclear weapons if conflicts were to occur and they also have an American missionary by the name of Kenneth Bae that is being held captive for reasons that the U.S. does not know of. The media constantly attacked Rodman with questions concerning Kenneth Bae and how and why their country is ran the way it is but Rodman states that it’s “none of that is his concern.”

This article is relevant to this course because we learned that as viewers of the media, we want answers. This event that Rodman took part in was supposed to be about an exhibition basketball match that influences how sports can be a bridge between cultural differences and to maybe set foot in the direction of peace between the two nations. Instead, the media ignores the positive aspects of this event and talks up the broken relationship that the U.S. has with North Korea.

"Drake named Raptors' ambassador"

From ESPN.com

Analysis by Dru Henderson in SRM 435 (section 1)

In this article ESPN covers the groundbreaking news that the Toronto Raptors hired the well-known rapper Drake as an ambassador for the team. A celebrity in the NBA is no new trend. Jay-Z was a minority owner in the Nets (he recently sold his stock to Jason Kidd), Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are minority owners of the Sixers, and its no shock to catch Jack Nicholson and Spike Lee front row of a Lakers-Knicks game. However, this is the first time a celebrity has been such a vital part of an organization.

So what can Drake, who has no professional experience in the sport industry, bring to the Raptors? A lot actually. The rapper is one of the premier artists in the music industry today. He has a huge following, which is shown by his 13,000,000+ Twitter followers. He can attract an audience that otherwise would not attend a Raptors game. Fans of the musician may not be basketball fans, but if Drake endorses the team its safe to say they will follow close behind. As a native of Toronto, Drake’s fame has made him an icon in the territory. If he attends games regularly he can pull the hometown crowd out to the game by just his presence. He more than likely won’t be the only celebrity in the crowd. Fame has made the rapper an acquaintance of several A-List celebrities. This season you may flip the channel to TNT and catch Drake and Lil Wayne front row of a Raptors game. Celebrity appearances do wonders for the marketing department of an organization as fans get the chance to see celebrities in the same crowd as themselves.

The Raptors have struggled in recent years resulting in relatively poor fan attendance. In 2012 they ranked 17th in the league with an average attendance of 16,835. Through two games this season the organization has attracted an average of 19,312 fans, which is seventh best in the NBA. Has Drake’s presence already made an impact? It’s a little early to know that, but it will be interesting to follow throughout the season. 

Drake’s role won’t be solely focused on fan attendance. The recent trend in the NBA is super stars joining forces during free agency. Drake has become close with several NBA stars including LeBron James. He holds the potential to open up opportunities for stars to team up in Toronto through his networking skills, and his ability to attract the athletes simply by his celebrity status.

Overall I think this was a brilliant move by the Toronto Raptors. Unless Drake has a social mishap that would represent the organization in a less than desirable way I don’t see where this situation could end badly for the Raptors. 

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Analysis by Aaron Jason in SRM 435 (section 1)

The article summarizes the initiation of Drake as the new global ambassador of the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. Drake, a rapper from Toronto, has been a long time sports fan and specifically a supporter of the Raptors. On top of the amount of brand recognition Drake will bring to the franchise with just his name, he brings much more to the table than that alone.

Drake possesses a sort of intellect that many rappers do not seem to possess; he shows true, relatable emotion in his songs and strikes true in the heart of many people through his role on Degrassi as an ex-basketball player with a debilitating gunshot injury. His intelligence will be on full display as an ambassador. He is not focused on creating personal name recognition, he more cares about the revival of a franchise who so desperately needs it. He has shown he understands the fundamentals of a successful ambassador. He connects well with people through his messages on a deeper level than most artists. Not only does he have many music fans, he has many fans of him as a person. From a marketing standpoint, this will be absolutely essential to his success. Fans of his music, fans of the Raptors, and people who simply support him as an individual will all unite into a new demographic of fanhood, similar to what Jay-Z constructed in Brooklyn with the Nets. Beyond the fan connection, Drake’s name will bring more non-basketball fans into attendance of what is going on with the Raptors. Whether people follow him on Twitter or read about him in the news, they will now have a steady stream of information relating to the Raptors show up on their feeds or web searches. Drake also brings a hip factor into the equation. While it is not good to completely stray from the traditional values of an NBA franchise, a little infusion of youth and excitement will only increase sales and awareness of the organization.

Another interesting factor in this equation is his upbringing in Toronto. It is more than ideal that a global representative of a team should be from that area. If anyone knows what the city yearns for most from a fan standpoint, it would be Drake who was submerged in the culture of Toronto and specifically the Raptors. His connection on a cultural level will do wonders for his ability to connect with the outside world and promote his product, the Toronto Raptors. Overall, it seems highly inevitable that Drake will bring large brand recognition and excitement with the Raptors as a new partner of his. Even if the team does not immediately win, the culture and understanding of the city Drake possesses will help him connect to a fan base better than many professional ambassadors could attempt to do. Between high class celebrities, the enticement of star free agents, and the money revenue generated from his name, Drake is bringing a potential storm of success through the city of Toronto and he has the real possibility to turn this project into a serious success not only in the town but across the game of basketball in and beyond our country.

"NBA Teams to Sell New Ad Space on Courts and Backboards"

From Ad Age

Review by Brad Burgess in SRM 435 (section 1)

The NBA has allowed all 30 teams for the 2013-2014 season to have new areas on the court for sponsorships. These areas include ad space on the apron of the court right in front of the benches and on top of the backboard. Ads are not however allowed anywhere inbounds on the court. The apron ads will be highly visible throughout the game and even though the backboard ads are not as visible they still will appear a few times throughout the game.

These ads are only allowed during pre-season and regular season games that are broadcasted locally. All games broadcasted nationally on ESPN or TNT the ads will have to be removed. This also applies to the playoffs. No ads will be allowed to be shown during playoff games. This ad campaign is a one year trial period. After this upcoming season the NBA will reassess the campaign and discuss what the future parameters will be.

Looking ahead to other future goals for ad sales the NBA has discussed the selling of ad space on NBA jerseys. This is a concept that is currently used in the WNBA and used by other teams worldwide. To many around the world it is normal to have ads on jerseys but to the US it is an uncommon concept. This could lead to millions of dollars in ad revenue. The ad logos have been discussed as being small patches on the top corners of the jerseys in order to keep the jerseys classic, clean, and not plastered with ads.

Analysis:

Ad sales is one of the most lucrative aspects of sports marketing, promotions, and of course sales. Professional teams make millions if not billions of dollars on their advertisements sales each year. Teams and sports are going above and beyond to find the best possible ways to get more ad space into a game, practice, or in the eyes of media and fans. As ad space gets exhausted new creative ways are being born to place ads. In this articles case placing and ad on the top of the backboard sounds foolish at first. However, there will be a handful of times when the overhead cameras on the basket are shown on TV and when that happens someone’s name will be popping up. If someone wants to buy ad space on the top of a backboard for a few minutes of camera time every game then why not. Seeing the opportunity for more money as a team or business is always smart. There are arguments that ad space will consume the game, but the game isn’t changing, the players are still playing the same way. The only time I personally think that ad space/time effects the game is when there are media/commercial time outs. That disrupts the game but ads on the floor should not affect the flow or play of a game. Lastly I think that as a country we are weary of ad sales on jerseys because it takes away from the pride of the team. It may clutter a jersey that to some is a work of art. However, in most countries the entire jersey is sold to a company for ad space. It is the norm to not see a team logo as the biggest logo on the jersey. I think that once as a country we get use to the idea of ads on jerseys it will become second nature to us. I look at it this way, there are millions of shirts given out as free giveaways with tons of ads on them. People still wear those because it’s normal. I think that one day ads on jerseys will be a normal thing too.

This article is relevant to this course because it is showing the importance and need for all three of our core topics marketing, promotions, and sales. It is talking about new ways to market your team and to promote your sponsors. All of it includes the sales of ad space, jerseys, and anything pertaining to sponsorship sales. Most of the money that floats around in sports besides paying the players comes from the sponsorships and ads that are linked to the game. That being physical signage or commercials run during the game. Ads in so many cases are what sports have become.

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Review by Ryan Hourigan in SRM 435 (section 1)

With advertisers still waiting for the NBA to approve the space of ads on jerseys, advertisers will begin to have the opportunity to use ad space on the courtside aprons in front of the player’s benches as well as the top of the backboard. Starting in he 2013-2014 season all 30 teams will be allowed to sell the two new spots inside their arenas. The new aspect of the courtside apron will change from the teams website or twitter handle to the advertisers company name, giving the advertiser an extremely visible location to the local audience. Chris Granger, exec VP-team marketing & business operations at the NBA, declined to tell how much each NBA club would make in ad revenue. These new advertising methods have a catch; it is a one-year trial run that will only show these removable ads during locally televised games, not for nationally televised TNT or ESPN games. The NBA also is exploring the idea of placing advertisements on jerseys like professional soccer teams in Europe and Asia as well as the WNBA. 

The execution of this ad space was well thought out by the NBA in allowing teams to monetize these spaces. The courtside apron has a distinguishable position for many camera angles and will allow the advertiser to have its brand seen numerous times throughout the duration of the game. The previous hash tags and websites clearly did well in a marketing aspect or else the NBA would not have pursued the thought of monetizing these locations. The location of the advertisements on top of the backboard will only have an impact when that camera angle is utilized, mainly after a big dunk. The only downside I see in this deal with advertisers and the 30 NBA teams is that these removable ads will only be shown during locally televised games on local networks and not during the biggest and most watched games on national television. I believe in time this will change after the teams and advertisers get more accustomed to the change. While the NBA is contemplating adding advertisements to jerseys in the future, I believe that is a mistake. Although the teams will make money off of this ad space, I think it takes away the aesthetics of a classic NBA jersey and turns it into a walking billboard. This new way of advertising is relevant to this class because it is a brand new attempt at monetizing space on the basketball court as well as potentially using ad space on jerseys. New marketing schemes are vital to the success of a team in hopes of bringing in more revenue as well as product awareness for the advertiser. It is also relevant because it is using the basic concepts of marketing by putting the name of an advertiser in a high-profile space and will now have brand recognition with a team.

"New Orleans Pelicans: Name Change Should Bring Hornets Back to Charlotte"

From Bleacher Report

Review by Quintin Hunter in KIN 332

After reading this article, it makes sense for all of the NBA to make changes. This change will help socially, marketing, and also the entertainment of the game. I think it was a good idea the Hornets name should return to the city/community of Charlotte. First for all of this to happen, owner Tom Benson of the New Orleans Hornets has to change their name which they are doing; they will be called the New Orleans Pelicans by next season. This is going to be an interesting decision for the city of New Orleans. I’m not sure if they have an issue or not with changing their team name. Now it’s up to Charlotte Bobcat’s owner Michael Jordan to make a decision if he wants to bring the Hornets back to Charlotte. Even though, the Bobcats haven’t been doing well on the court, the fans will be happy just to have the name back in its original location. The only problem that the Bobcat franchise would have is that they just obtained new uniforms for this past season. That would mess up the stores around the city of Charlotte that is selling the Bobcats gear. In the article, there is a group/movement called, “Bring Back the Buzz” that attends the games in Charlotte that is trying to convince that franchise to change their name back and on an occasion that chant, “Charlotte Hornets” in the middle of the games. I think if everyone in the city supports this movement then owner Michael Jordan would automatically change the name back to the Charlotte Hornets.

"Can Heat set record for NBA’s longest winning streak?"

From SI.com and Hoops Habit

Review by Matt Flint in SRM 334 (section 2)

Chris and I decided for our current event to be the Miami Heat winning streak creeping up on the previous Lakers winning streak. We decided to focus mainly on how the coverage of the streak is slightly taking away from other presenting topics that are relevant right now like the NCAA tournament and March Madness. We decided to outline both the statistics of the 71’-72’ Lakers and the 12’-13’ Heat to show what kind of skill both teams had and now possess to have a streak like the record is. We also decided to show a critique video of the Heat’s streak and which teams they are going to have to face to continue the streak, I strongly believe they will beat the Laker’s previous record. For the slideshow I wanted to make sure we weren’t just reading off a slide but just have bullets and elaborate on the point we are trying to make. I believe the topic we chose correlates to the class because we are so focused on good media, can too much media be bad? We introduced a few discussion questions that the class can answer with their opinions. Obviously the attention the Heat is getting has increased their fan base greatly and will continue to as the streak continues. What we are trying to achieve by presenting this topic is for the class to understand that when one topic achieves a great amount of hype it leaves the other topics out to dry in a sense that something that could have been a great headliner is now just a sub-topic. 

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Review by Chris Moffett in SRM 334 (section 2)
The Miami Heat are currently sitting on a 26 game winning streak, the 2nd highest in NBA history and just 8 games shy of breaking the record of 33 straight wins set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. Miami, already one of the most popular team in the league is generating even more press by the day due to their streak. Because of this, one may wonder whether the streak is good or bad for the NBA. 

In an article by Frankie Hobbs of HoopsHabit.com, he describes that the streak is good for the NBA because March is typically a down month in the popularity of the league. One reason for this is because of March Madness, and the average basketball fan is more likely to watch the NCAA Tournament than the NBA regular season. Miami’s streak has given fans something to watch for in the NBA. Hobbs also says that the fact that at this point in the season many teams are already out of playoff contention and are now just “going through the motions”, making watching their games rather boring.

In some aspects, I agree with Hobbs that the streak is good for the League. The problem I have with the win streak is the incredible amount of media coverage the Heat get, on top of already being one of the most talked about teams in the NBA. I think that sports media has a habit of taking a story and completely running it into the ground, such as Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, and the struggles of the LA Lakers earlier this season. I think that the Heat getting this much coverage is resulting in a lack of coverage for other teams, specifically the Denver Nuggets, who are on a win streak of their own of 15 games, a franchise record. The media needs to better diversify the material they cover.

"Dwight Howard shrugs off remarks"

From ESPN.com

Review by Jazmon Gwathmey in SRM 334 (section 1)

Throughout his career Kobe has been a power house player that has dominated the league in different ways. Though his career has been very successful, this season has been one of the toughest seasons that he has had to deal with thus far. From getting new players traded to his team like Dwight Howard who dominated the paint for the Orlando Magic to Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns. The whole controversy with Kobe making remarks about his team and if there fair of foul remarks. The way that he goes about confronting his teammates and then the way that the media takes those comments have given a lot of people different feelings about Kobe. He bad mouths his teammates and coaches out of anger and it is not only effecting Kobe but his teammates too. The media has played a crucial role by making the situations more than what they really should be. For example when Kobe was talking about Howard's shoulder issue most of what he said was out of anger saying that Howard either needs to suck it up and play or stay off the court and stop trying to play and not contribute anything for the team. In the second video about Pau Gasol, Kobe thinks that Gasol should be the one stepping up and being more aggressive when he can’t get and open shot. The Lakers should be dominating the west coast they have one of the greatest all-around players on their team with one of the best point guards and power house players in the paint.

Kobe had made remarks to the media about his team not to down them or make them feel like nothing but he makes the remarks because he knows what is takes to win a championship and how hard everyone has to work to get there, and that’s why the media is trying to show if its fair for Kobe to say the things he says or is it foul should he have kept the comments to himself instead of saying them out of anger. 

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Review by Crystal Ross in SRM 334 (section 1)

This article is about Dwight Howard’s response to Kobe’s comment about his injury. Dwight does not believe that Kobe should have anything to say about his injury. He thinks the only person that should have anything to say is the doctor, who has decided that his shoulder was messed up. 

I do not think that Kobe should have said what he said about Dwight Howard to the media. I think that if Kobe wanted Howard or thought that Howard was capable of playing that he should of went to him as a man and a teammate and said what he had to say to Howard. Kobe should of went to Howard in private and spoke his mind. Even though I do not agree with what Kobe said to the media, I understand why he said it. Howard is one of the key players the Lakers need to have a winning season and to make it to the playoffs. During this season, Howard really hasn’t been dominating like he should be. He’s been hurt a lot. I think a lot of what Kobe did was out of frustration. I also do not think that Kobe disrespected Howard, he was just explaining that Howard has not been on a championship team therefore he do not know what it is like to work for a championship.

This article is related to our class because it deals with what a NBA player told media reporters. He spoke out to the media, which shows the fans that there are some disputes within the team. It also gives the media a chance to make things seem worst then what they actually are. If there was controversy within the team, it is most likely worst after this.

"Michael Jordan vs LeBron James: All-Time Greats Go 1-On-1 ... Verbally"

From the Huffington Post

Review by Michael Herndon in SRM 334 (section 1)

Tiger Woods is said to be the best golfer ever, Wayne Gretzky as the best hockey player ever, and Michael Jordan is considered to be the best basketball player ever. As for basketball, LeBron James has, at least, started to come into the picture when talking about best basketball players. In the article that we chose to base our presentation off of, there is some indirect conversation between LeBron James and Michael Jordan. In this paper I want to summarize the article, show how the media has talked about this topic, and describe how I feel about the scenario at hand.

There are multiple articles that try to compare Michael Jordan and LeBron James, but this article shows how they have indirectly been conversing. The main point of the article is that Michael Jordan states that he would rather take Kobe Bryant on his team over LeBron James because of the amount of championships each player has won. A couple days later Lebron James comes back in an interview stating that he doesn’t think the best basketball player should be determined by how many championships a player has won. The second half of the article then goes on to describe how LeBron James has gone on to set a record for most thirty point games, while shooting over sixty percent from the field.

This time of the year is one of the biggest times for basketball fans; Michael Jordan’s birthday week and the NBA all-star weekend. This year there has been another element added to the mix, which is the record LeBron James has now set. The media has loved the timing of this because they are talking about Michael Jordan and LeBron James at the same time for multiple different reasons. It makes it very easy to start to compare the two basketball players, and adding that the two players have made different comments about the topic makes it even better for media. It has been talked about every single day for the past two weeks on ESPN.

This is a tough subject to try and analyze when I’m on the extreme side of Michael Jordan being the best basketball player ever. The one thing that I don’t like about this article, and how the media has been comparing the two players, is that LeBron James is half way through his career, while Michael Jordan’s career is finished. In the article, the number of rings is brought up by both Michael Jordan and LeBron James in some way. I don’t think you should compare the two players until both careers are at an end. Although you could compare the two at a certain point of Michael Jordan’s career, it still doesn’t work because Michael Jordan did so well in the second half of his career, which LeBron has yet to experience for himself.

This is relevant to this course because it is a big social media topic. It has been talked about on ESPN for weeks straight and there has been a blowup on twitter about this topic with different hash-tags, such as: #MichaelJordanvsLebronJames or #MJvsLJ. There are more and more people every day comparing these two basketball players and it’s through multiple different channels of social media. 

This is a social media topic that I think will be talked about forever. LeBron James is only half way through his career and there will be people comparing him and Michael Jordan until someone else comes along that has a chance of being better. I’m very excited to see what happens in the future, whether Lebron James wins more championships or not.
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Review by Cecily Leahy in SRM 334 (section 1)

In this article it discusses the argument between whether or not LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan This debate comes up during the week of Michael Jordan's birthday and was quoted in the Huffington Times saying that LeBron could never complete to Kobe Bryant. The main argument for LeBron being less great was the fact that he has only one championship compared to the five of Bryant. This comparison brings up the question as to how do people compare the achievements and skills of players. The problem that arises with this is that all players have their strength and weaknesses. It is unfair to simply judge a player on championships wins and not how the player is a whole. It’s similar to the cliche of you can not judge a book by its cover.

The article is relevant to this course because it demonstrates how what you cover in the media and the way you present it impacts the viewers reactions. Athletes are never are safe with what they say, whether to press or through social media. The media will take what they say and run with it. It also gives the media the opportunity to shine what was said in the manner they want to it be portrayed. The article proves to a lesson for athletes to makes sure they are careful to what they say and how they respond to what is said about them. Media coverage is not like use how it was back in the day where reporters would not say “we would have to report that if we saw that” mentioned in class referring to Babe Ruth running naked through a train one day. Media wants coverage and are always looking for a story. In the article, Washington Post columnist John Feinstein, mentioned that LeBron should have taken the humble route and not tired to spike another heated argument.

"Does Money Buy Championships?"

From Concordia University St. Paul - Online

Review by Jenny Hansberry in KIN 332 (section 2)

I came across this article and found it to be an interesting topic to bring up in class. Growing up an avid Philadelphia Phillies fan, I certainly had my opinion about the New York Yankees and how they spend their organization’s money. I have always thought that the Yankees “buy their championships”, and it would be ridiculous if they did not win the World Series every year since they buy the top players. However, after this article, I realize that money does not always guarantee a ring at the end of the season. 

One of the most interesting statistics I found from this article was that the MLB has more of a diverse result in championships than any other professional sport. I was surprised because I would think that since there is no salary cap in the MLB and wealthy organizations can get whichever players they want that they would have the same teams winning over and over again. Since this is not the case, it is hard to understand exactly why some teams spend such an immense amount of money every year. From a marketing standpoint, the teams who have more money within the organization for players, coaches, staff, the stadium, fans, etc. are also bringing in more money on a game to game basis. Tradition and history ensure teams such as the Yankees or Phillies to never have to worry about not having the fans behind them to make a profit every season.

Another reason why I thought this article was interesting is because the teams, especially in baseball, that are being focused on as the teams that spend the most are not currently playing anymore. This World Series is the Tigers and Giants, neither are which spoken about in this article. Therefore, it brings up tremendous marketing opportunities to help build up their teams to maybe one day become as historic as some other teams in the league.

"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.

"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.

"For Blake Griffin, Lockout -- and Short-Lived Ping-Pong Career -- Ends Just in Time"

From Marketwire


Review by Kristen Rauch in KIN 435 (section 3)

The NBA lockout was obviously a hot topic in the sports world this season. With no games being played, rookie and veteran players alike had a lot more time on their hands to spend as they pleased. For rookie Blake Griffin, he chose to sign an endorsement deal with Red Bull Energy Drink—and have fun while doing it. The article I reviewed, titled “For Blake Griffin, Lockout -- and Short-Lived Ping-Pong Career -- Ends Just in Time,” discusses Griffin’s recent signing with Red Bull and provides a link to the promotional video of the product. The video, running just under three minutes in length, shows Griffin (sporting Clippers colors and a Red Bull sweatband) playing a ping-pong match against professional player Soo Yeon Lee. Although the whole idea of the basketball superstar ‘aspiring’ to become a professional ping-pong player has a sarcastic undertone, the benefits of this creative and humorous ad are far-reaching. Some may think it is risky to endorse an athlete in a sport that is currently undergoing lockout, but I believe in this case it was a smart move on Red Bull’s part. Who better to pick than a fan-favorite, Slam Dunk champion, and they successfully use Griffin’s popularity and charismatic personality to their advantage to promote the brand. This is also a smart business move on Griffin’s part. Not only is he making money for himself—and being likened to other great athletes who have been sponsored by Red Bull, including Reggie Bush and Rajon Rondo—but he is also helping his team, the Los Angeles Clippers, make money. Fans will be attracted by this humorous marketing video and be more enticed to watch Griffin play, increasing ticket sales for the Clippers. Anytime people see a Red Bull logo they will be reminded of the ad and will think to purchase tickets to Clippers games. The article also states that Red Bull “is now the official energy product of the Los Angeles Clippers,” so it is clear that this NBA franchise will see many sales benefits from selling Red Bull products at the arena. Although Griffin’s ping-pong career was short-lived, his signing with Red Bull will continue to bring in revenue for all that took part in the deal far into the future.

"Nike, top sports brand in China, plans to build new campus in Shanghai"

From OregonLive.com


Review by Michael Seibert in KIN 332 (Section 2)

Nike is arguably the most popular sports brand in the world, spanning more than 130 countries and is home to over 1 million employees. That doesn’t even count the fact that it has one of the most recognizable logos in the world. Nike reaches people from all over the globe, and is constantly looking to broaden their horizons. Starting out in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike has spread to Europe with a headquarters in Hilversum, the Netherlands, and now has its eyes set on China.

Just like any other company, Nike desires new markets to promote their products and jack up their revenue. What better place to do that than China? China is home to more than 1.3 billion people, which looks like an extremely generous market to me. Nike has already grown to more than $2 billion in sales and 7,300 stores in China, and the new Shanghai campus should just help to increase their profits.

The campus is said to be very similar in scope to its world headquarters, which is located in the U.S. Nike has visions of one day generating revenue numbers in China similar to those of the U.S., which pulled in $7.58 billion in North America last year. Plus, with China’s huge population and the popularity of sports such as basketball taking off in China, there is no reason Nike’s profits in China shouldn’t skyrocket. American athletes such as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Kevin Durant are already extremely popular in China, and Nike can use them as a powerful marketing tool.

Overall, the article definitely flexed Nikes true strength within the sporting world. Nike is constantly growing, and making it harder and harder for competitors to keep up. The new campus in Shanghai should do nothing but boosts Nike’s sales even higher than they already are. To me, Nike has an awesome marketing strategy, which helps make it one of the most popular brands in the world. 

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Review by Matt Heinkel in KIN 332 (Section 2)

The Nike brand has always been one of the most innovative and forward thinking companies in the world. They are arguably the world leader when it comes to sports-wear and equipment, as they continue to push into new markets. I would argue nearly every person my age either owns or has owned some type of Nike apparel at one point or another. That may be so for the American market, but Nike has taken their brand globally. The article I found, “Nike, top sports brand in China, plans to build new campus in Shanghai” discussed Nike’s plan to expand their business even more in the Asian market. Already having major campus’s in Washington state and Europe, Nike plans to build their new campus in the populous area in the world. This is the most logical step as Nike’s revenue figures continue to grow. Sales in China have already exceeds $1 Billion dollars and Nike expects to double that figure in the next year. The popularity of Nike can be an attributed to their marketing skills that include the endorsements of some of the world’s greatest athletes. The popularity of Nike products in China was due in large part to the arrival of Yao Ming to the NBA. Now we are seeing more American stars travel across seas as they play in exhibitions and tour the Asian countries, while sporting Nike products.

The announcement of the plan for the new Nike campus comes a few months after the opening of the company’s largest product facility in Jiangsu, China back in February. Another key moment in the success of Nike in China was the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Although Nike had already been operating in China for some time, the Summer Olympics were a crucial time for the company to have their brand is a part of the largest sporting event in the world. As President of Nike Brand, Charlie Denson said, “We were going to do that with leadership from three categories. It was going to be driven by three categories, basketball, running and sportswear. Now, we've been operating in China for almost 30 years. Actually, a little over 30 years. We've been the number one brand for most of that time. But we wanted to end the debate. We wanted to make it very clear.”

No one can be sure what the future will hold for the Nike Brand as they strive to take hold of the global market for sport-wear and apparel, but if their past in any consideration, they will continue to be successful. They may face issues of cultural, economic, and social differences as they work in the varying markets. However, sports tend to have an universal appeal and as long as games are being played and fans enjoying watching their favorite athletes compete with the Nike swoosh on their jersey, they will continue to buy the products.

"Phoenix Suns hiring social media sideline reporter to track hot topics during televised home games"

From the SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Jordan Hunter in KIN 332 (Section 1)

The Phoenix Suns are a very popular NBA team with many fans from across the world. However, as well as any other professional sports team, they desire new methods to increase their fan base. The Suns wanted to get their fans more involved and active during the home games. This caused them to hire a social media sideline reporter.

The Suns never used this strategy before, but they recently thought of it as a major marketing component. In fact, they will be the first NBA team to hire a social media sideline reporter. Also, the Suns are offering a discount on a ticket package for all social media users. The ticket will be valid for five games. This was another first time approach for them as well. Everything that is recorded by the reporter will be shown on Fox Sports Arizona, which broadcasts the Suns home games at the US Airways Center. Another responsibility of the reporter will be to give updates on what people are saying about the Suns on social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or any other website. In addition to a new social media sideline reporter, they have recently started a front-office position for Greg Esposito. He is a columnist for Arizonasports.com that will now be the social media specialist for the Suns.

Sports marketing can be done in a bunch of different ways. Many NBA teams use similar techniques, but some come up with other, creative strategies. This article portrays sports marketing by the hiring of a new member, which caused the fans of the Suns to become more active and involved with the team. Fans are a major aspect of how successful NBA teams become, and they allow the programs to continue to grow. The suns are doing this as a promotion for their team, which seems to be greatly helping their business.

"NBA and Sprint connect for deal"

From the Sports Business Journal

Review by Frank Ramunni in KIN 332 (Section 2)

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

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

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Review by Jeff Wilkins in KIN 332 (Section 2)

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

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

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