NFL hopefuls try to gain attention of league via YouTube

From Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports

Analysis by Cory McCagh in SRM 334 (section 2)

Last year there were 254 collegiate athletes selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. After their college season ends, some players are invited to participate in front of NFL scouts at combines and camp workouts. For under the radar players trying to make their way into the NFL, players have started using social media sources such as Youtube to gain the attention of scouts. Rather than work out for scouts in person, displaying their overall skills, players have started using Youtube to market a particular skill. Youtube has developed a way for players to go from being completely unknown to Youtube celebrities in a span of a few weeks. Youtube is one of the most popular websites on the Internet, reaching over one billion users a month and it is a great spotlight for unknown players to get their name out to NFL scouts.

Essentially these players are relying on Youtube users to view their video until it becomes popular enough to be seen by NFL teams. Alex Tanney had just finished his senior season at Monmouth, a Division III school, and was not invited to the NFL combine or expected to be drafted by any teams. Tanney, along with a few friends, made a five minute video composed of the D-III quarterback making spectacular trick shots. After quickly becoming Youtube famous with now over 3 million views, the video made it around the league and Tanney was invited to attend the rookie minicamps of multiple teams. Norwegian player, Harvard Rugland, put together an impressive enough kicking video to convince NFL scouts to invite someone for a tryout who had never even played a real football game in their life. Youtube has presented low profile players with a way to make NFL teams more interested in them in a matter of a few minutes than they were throughout their entire season.

---

Analysis by Cody Fazenbaker in SRM 334 (section 2)

Havard Rugland, a 28-year old from Norway, has recently become an internet sensation with a video he posted on YouTube. Having never played a game of football before, he was able to catch the attention of NFL scouts and coaches in a video displaying a wide variety of kicking skills that Rugland possesses. After seeing the video, the Detroit Lions contacted Rugland and offered him a try-out.

From a media and communications standpoint, this was a very smart and successful move from Rugland. He had never played football before and knows nearly nothing about the rules and yet was contacted by multiple NFL teams. Without using social media like YouTube, his skills and ability would have gone unnoticed. By placing the video online, it was able to spread quickly to millions of people. As the 4-minute video gained popularity, it started to reach members of different NFL teams who immediately took an interest in Rugland. The media also became aware of the video, and Rugland earned himself an interview on Good Morning America and a long article in the New York Times.Without the use of YouTube and other social media sites, Havard Rugland would not be who he is today. He would not have had these opportunities presented to him. This article is relevant to this Sports Media course because Havard used the media to get exposure and become recognized globally. In this digital era, he was able to use technology to his advantage and become successful. If he wasn’t able to put this video online, it’s safe to say that not nearly this many people would recognize his name.

"Dunkin' Donuts Is Launching the First TV Ad Made Entirely From Vine"

From Adweek

Analysis by Ryan Dunn in SRM 435 (section 1)

Dunkin’ Donuts will have the first TV ad made completely from Vine. This ad will debut during the first Monday Night Football game of the 2013 season between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins. The Vine video will be on an electronic billboard that appears between segments of ESPN’s programs. There are four versions of the Dunkin’ Donuts Vine Ads. This week’s ad will be a representation of an opening coin flip using lattes instead of players and referees.

Dunkin’ Donuts thinks this short visual add is more “engaging” than a traditional still billboard that are typically seen in stadiums. Other than this pregame billboard Dunkin’ Donuts will also take one key play from the first half and remake it using their products and post it on Twitter using the #DunkinReplay. To promote this and try and get the word out more Dunkin’ Donuts plans on purchasing promotion Tweets where they will target the people who are watching the Monday Night Football game. Dunkin’ Donuts is trying to connect with the highly social fans of sports and more specifically football.

Other brands have started using Vine to appeal to a younger generation as well. One of the companies listed in the article is Virgin Mobile who ran a spot on MTV and Comedy Central to try to reach the young demographic that tends to use Vine.

Dunkin’ Donuts is trying to appeal to the new age of social media where everything is connected. I think that using popular social media forums is a good way for the younger generation to see the ads. When a company is able to keep up to the popular technology of the day it allows them to more successfully access a different group of people then the companies that don’t take advantage of the same technology.Using Monday Night Football to promote a product will get a lot of viewership for the ad. The most intriguing part is the recreating of a play that has happened in the game and posting it during the game. Advertising eventually becomes a part of most things that are popular. Vine will be no different. I think that Dunkin’ Donuts has a great idea and are going to start a trend. Using their products to promote itself in a new unique way is always a good marketing idea.
---

Analysis by Val Southall in SRM 435 (section 1)

During the Monday Night Football game on September 9th, between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins, Dunkin Donuts ran the first TV ad in history made entirely from a single Vine, the new popular 6 second video social media platform. Dunkin donuts will use a 5 second billboard ad unit, which appears full screen between segments during ESPN programs for the remainder of the season. “We think a billboard using Vine is dramatically more engaging than a standard billboard with a corporate logo on it,” said Scott Hudler, Vice President of global consumer engagement, Dunkin’ Brands. “Everyone is multitasking while watching TV with their phone, tablet or laptop. A lot of times, the content on their mobile device is not related to their TV shows. We want to make sure we’re supporting our TV investment with social media that’s relevant. It’s our job to make sure that it’s tied together to drive consumer engagement.” In addition to the 5 second billboard ad,ESPN will promote a Vine the retailer tweets out in the final quarter of each game using the #dunkinreplay hashtag. This will include a memorable play from the first half, recreated virtually using dunkin donuts products. 

Essentially, Dunkin Donuts is using Vine to appeal to a younger audience and keep them engaged throughout the game, even during breaks in the action. They realize watching a football game has always been somewhat of a social event. “We’ll buy Promoted Tweets on Twitter and target people who are already watching the game, so they know that this fun content is available,” explained Stacey Shepatin, Senior Vice President at Hill Holliday. “Sports have always been one of the most social environments—especially football. So we’ll get good intel on whether people want to participate in this way.” The use of Vine and #dunkinreplay lets fans interact with each other and provides an innovative way to market Dunkin Donuts and promote Monday Night Football. In addition, its helping pave the way for more Vine based ads, Nissan is planning to use Vine for future ads and Virgin Mobile has already used a 30 second ad comprised solely of vine compilations.The use of vine for advertisements is somewhat uncharted water for businesses. Dunkin Donut’s use of Vine sets a precedent in funding and preparation for ads, while a typical NFL ad is costly in both time and money, a vine can be made almost instantly and without any funding.

"Joe Flacco banners annoy fans"

From ESPN.com

Review by Ethan Miller in SRM 435 (section 2)

The NFL is one of the biggest organizations in America; along with have one of the most loyal fan bases to go along with it. However, are those fans actually loyal to the NFL or loyal to the NFL team themselves? This article answers that question, by proving that fans are more loyal to the team itself rather than the organization that created them.

Throughout the years the NFL has grown to become almost unrecognizable compared to the league that existed 50 years ago. The game on the field is part of the changes that have gone on, but what has changed the most is the fans’ experience. Now more than ever the fan experience at a NFL game is one of the greatest in all of sports. This has helped them develop the loyal and vast fan base that they’ve become known for. This same fan base is quick to turn though as shown by the banner that they posted at Mile High stadium of Joe Flacco. The NFL posted to banners next to each other, one of the Denver Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning and the other of the Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco. The NFL said that they were simply promoting the opening night of the season and there was no harm meant. Needless to say, the whole city of Denver was outraged and began defacing some of the NFL promotions as a form of protest against the advertisements.

Was this the right move by the NFL? It’s tough to tell. The NFL Kickoff game is one of the most important games during the season. In 2010, the Kickoff game brought in 27.485 million viewers to the game. Other than the Superbowl, this is the largest viewership the NFL has during the season. Another factor that went into the banner placement was the fact that ever since 2004 the Kickoff game has been played at the defending Superbowl champion’s stadium. However, due to scheduling conflicts, the NFL was forced to schedule the Kickoff game in Denver and forced the Baltimore Ravens to be the away team. This put the NFL in a huge bind because they were forced to advertise the Kickoff game as the big event that it is for the league, but were advertising the Broncos’ opposing QB on their stadium. (Not to mention it was the same QB that knocked them out of the playoffs the previous year).

The intention of the banner and smaller ads was to promote the NFL as a whole. They were trying to promote the brand and organization. However, the NFL failed to realize that by doing this they were alienating the Denver fans. Ultimately this promotion actually hurt the NFL because the people they were advertising to (the city of Denver) were the people who hated the ad the most. If anything this made the city of Denver lose brand loyalty to the NFL, and instead be loyal to the Denver Broncos instead.This article relates to this class because the NFL is always trying to expand their brand and fan base. They often are very successful in including the fans and increasing the fan experience, but when they misfire they misfire bad and causes a city to cause uproar like in Denver.

---

Review by Chase Warren in SRM 435 (section 2)

Opening kickoff for the NFL season holds almost as much prestige as Super Bowl Sunday Kickoff. This years season opener featured the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens visiting the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority at Mile High. In the article “Joe Flacco understands fans’ ire”, Jeff Legwold expresses to us the way that Joe Flacco felt about the fact that he, along with Peyton Manning, would be featured on large banners outside of Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Obviously, Denver fans were not happy with the fact that Flacco’s banner was hanging on their stadium alongside the beloved Manning. When Flacco heard that this was going to be happening he was very surprised and actually agreed with the Denver fans. He exclaimed, “ I think it’s all deserved, I don’t know if it’s deserved towards me, I happen to be the guy they put up there. But I don’t think here or anybody in our city would be too happy if we had somebody else from a different team on our stadium. I wouldn’t expect anything different than all of the people in Denver to be pretty upset by it.” Again, Flacco understood the fans dismay, and he made a good point that any other city in the league would feel the exact same way if that was happening in their stadium.
From a marketing standpoint, there is no one to blame besides the NFL itself. It was not the Denver Broncos or the Baltimore Ravens that were to blame for all of this controversy. The “NFL Kickoff Special” is nothing but an NFL promotion. The NFL decided that they would feature both teams because they were coming from a neutral standpoint, trying to promote the game to all NFL fans, rather than just one team. NFL vice president Brian McCarthy called it a “celebration” of the NFL season, not just the Denver Bronco’s season. This makes perfect sense from a marketing standpoint. It is much important to appeal to the entire league as a whole. Fans that have a neutral standpoint on the game do not want to see any favoritism towards a certain team during the first game of the 2013 NFL season. As stated before, it is a “celebration” of a new season for everyone, not a promotion for the Denver Broncos. This article is relevant to the course because it touches on how it is important to target the right audience in order to maximize fan potential. This article was very interesting and was a perfect example of sports marketing in a certain industry. There is a lot more to simple marketing strategies than what shows on the surface.

"Listen up: NFL moving to mike players"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Jacob Nicely in SRM 334 (section 2)

The National Football League, commonly referred to as the NFL, is one of the most watched and largest revenue generating sports leagues in North America as well as the world. Every Sunday afternoon and Monday night during the fall you can cut on your television and catch an NFL game being broadcasted live with extensive in-game analysis, statistics, fantasy football analysis, and almost every fact you could ever want to know about the players and the teams that are involved in the game. Professional football is one of America’s past-times and it still draws massive amounts of attention but, just like any other business, the NFL is always looking to improve and make the experience better for the fans. One of the newest ideas that owners and the league are pushing for is the idea of placing microphones on players and making the content available for fans live during the game instead of having to wait until afterwards to hear what their favorite players and coaches are saying. This could be a potential smash hit and the next big thing for the NFL but not before it is looked at more in-depth.

Placing a microphone on players and making the content available as a live feature during games is a great attention getter for the NFL and has sparked quite the buzz in the sports world. Even though the talks are just in the beginning stages, the sheer idea of the concept has drawn plenty of attention. With already having such a great product, the NFL needed to come up with more ways to get fans involved in the experience thus generating more money as well as an increased fan experience. This could be a complete game changer for the media world and possibly not in a good way for the NFL or the players. In today’s world everyone already has so much access to the players and coaches through social media and in-depth coverage by the media. Nowadays, players do not have to be interviewed by a reporter or have a press conference to release information when they can just simply send out a 140 character tweet or post a Facebook status and instantly have the world see it and have people directly communicate with them. This has already caused some problems with players not appropriately tweeting or interacting with fans on twitter as well as players tweeting live during the games. Once players are mic’d up, fans will be able to hear everything that they say, and most of it will not be tasteful or be appropriate for a younger audience. This could be a big issue with Commissioner Roger Goodell’s already disciplined player conduct policies and low tolerance for misbehavior. However, per usual, this move is more about generating revenue and media attention for the league than the concern for player’s reputations.

We hear all the time in today’s world about all the negative things that athletes do in their daily lives. As we have discussed in class, negativity sells and if that is what sells then that is what the media is going to cover. You can turn on ESPN and see what Chad Johnson tweeted that was inappropriate or what offensive comment Kevin Garnett made during the basketball game that night or see what just about any athlete did wrong. In athletic competition, athletes are in the heat of the moment and trying to get in their opponent’s heads the entire game. What comes out of athlete’s mouths during games is more than likely fine worthy and will cause fans to look at their favorite athletes differently. Also, with all this unedited, instant access to players and coaches the media will be able to report and comment on it before the game is over and before the team or player can begin damage control. With all the ways we have discussed that sports news can be released, from professional writers to fan’s blogs and anyone being able to discuss in-game conversations that wants to, this could potentially result in being a huge nightmare for the NFL, the owners, the coaches, and the players. On the other hand though, the potential revenue stream could blind owners from seeing the possible negative outcomes.

With a few small-market NFL teams struggling to sell tickets in conjunction with an unfriendly economy, the NFL is looking to increase fans desire to attend games and purchase tickets as opposed to watching their favorite teams from home. This is more so a move on the owner’s part to have it as only an in-game option but nevertheless it is aimed at generating untapped revenue. An increased involvement in the in-game experience would allow fans to get into the game without physically being on the field. This is a brilliant idea from the viewpoint of an NFL fan and probably a dream come true for many fans being able to listen in on their favorite teams and coaches. With the NFL already having “Red-Zone Coverage” of all NFL games, numerous apps, instant score updates, fantasy football, and countless other technological advances it only makes sense to let fans get even more involved in the game experience. Fans of NASCAR can go to a race and listen in on their favorite driver communicating with their spotter and crew chief so it only makes sense for the same option for NFL fans. The revenue from this potential option would more than likely be greater as an in-home option on television due to the increased ad-revenue, subscription fees for the service, and just simply a much larger audience than the number fans at the game. If implemented as an in-game only service, it will only increase ticket sales to games that would not already be sold out, increasing revenue by a much smaller number. Also, if implemented as an in-game option it will eventually be phased out to include an at-home feature in due time because the NFL will not miss out on that large of a potential money making opportunity.

All in all, the plan to mike up players is still in its early stages and probably will not be an available option for a couple more years. With this news release, it garners the media and fans attention and gets them stirred up and discussing this option before it is ever put into effect. Placing microphones on players could very well be the next big money maker that the NFL is looking for but it may come with the cost of NFL player’s unhappiness and their reputations on the line due to the nature of in-game conversations. This new idea would also give the media, as well as fans, instant access to report on players behaviors and actions as well as fans being able to live tweet, blog, or use other outlets to also release news and discuss events before the players and teams ever have a chance to explain or begin damage control. Whether this idea will be good for the league and it’s players has yet to be seen but one thing that is for certain is that this will generate more money for the NFL and as a business they are always looking for new ways to do so.
---

Review by Marshall Cohen in SRM 334 (section 2)

The National Football League is always looking to bolster attendance and improve the fans’ in-stadium experience, and miking up players during games appears to be their next move. There is no timetable for beginning this process, but it is apparently becoming a matter of when they adopt the new feature as opposed to if they will adopt it. Stephen Jones, the Dallas Cowboys Chief Operating Officer, has emphasized that there is a level of urgency on all projects designed to increase fan attendance. After player health and safety, ensuring that stadiums are full is the league’s top priority.

There seems to be little controversy on the subject, as NASCAR has shown how easy it is to broadcast interactions between spotters and drivers during their races. However, some competitive issues were raised by players and coaches when talks of miking up players began back in 2011. Audio from players and coaches during games is currently used by NFL Films, but is not available to anyone during the games. There are talks of using the player audio exclusively in-stadium, as an added benefit for fans to attend the game. Making the audio available to broadcasters is another option, which would only increase the experience of watching a game from your couch.

It seems like the most likely path for the NFL to take is to make the player audio available to broadcasters and to find some way to incorporate it into each game on television. Their goal might be to make the in-stadium experience better, yet with better technology the only thing really happening is the improvement of the home broadcast experience. Despite being a cool feature and an interesting concept to improve fan attendance, having the player audio exclusively available in the stadium just does not seem like a huge draw. The more likely outcome would be a slight increase in television ratings, which could possibly lead to an increase in rights deals that companies sign with the league.

There are still a few questions that remain concerning the logistics of having the players miked up at all times. Having the audio available in the stadium might not be the best idea; there is an extreme amount of cursing and trash talking that goes on during NFL games (and almost all other sports for that matter). Another question that comes up is whether or not players would be suspended or fined for cursing or excessive trash talking. The NFL has pretty strict conduct policies, and having the players miked up all the time creates a difficult scenario for the league, forcing them to monitor and deal with players talking during the games. Making the audio available to broadcasters would be much simpler since they would be able to edit and/or bleep out anything that would not be fit for a national audience. However, if it was available during the game in the stadium, it seems as if there would be no way to filter the audio.
From a fan and media point of view, miking up the players and having the audio available somewhere seems like a great idea. It would benefit in getting to know the players and their personalities, which is sometimes difficult during the games as they seen more with their helmets on than off. If the league can work out some logistical issues with having the audio available in the stadium or on television, miking players might just be the next big thing in the NFL.

Robert Grififn III keep delivering headline-driving news

From Redskins.com

Review by John Sullivan in SRM 334 (section 1)

The article I chose to write on for my current event paper was Griffin III: ‘My Eyes Are Set On Philly’’ from Redskins.com. This article was written on August 22, 2013 by lead writer and editor Brain Tinsman. The article is about the Redskins 2nd year quarterback RGIII (more formally know as Robert Griffin the 3rd. ) It talks about RGIII’s healing process and how the media has used it to write stories for the past couple of months. The article also talks about RGIII’s feelings behind the matter of multimedia twisting his words.

From a media standpoint the purpose for writing this article is to give team fans and newsreaders something to read about the Redskins before their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, September 9th . The article essentially encapsulates RGIII’s responses to his own healing progress throughout his rehabilitation process. Brian Tinsman is trying to show in this article that RGIII always tells the media ‘how it is’. He tries to tell the readers that the media has been taking RGIII’s words and twist them against him since the beginning of his rehabilitation. RGIII goes on to say in the article “Do I stop being who I am, stop being honest with you guys and giving you guys ammunition to turn against this team? Or do I just go into a shell and ‘Bill Belichick it’ all week?” – Griffin III Everything he says gets turned and used against the Redskins as if they would not survive without him on the team.This article is a perfect example of the communication model. It can be more closely related to the modern model of sports media than that of the historic model. This article can easily be seen and reached by the masses but it is targeted at a niche group of people. The article itself is directly from the official site of the Washington Redskins. It is a perfect example of how mass media can target a niche audience. The article contains video and other multi-medias making it easily available through many social medias. The page has built in Twitter and Facebook links so the article can be easily shared with friends and other people. Because this article is so easily accessible by all, it makes the spreading of this twisted information that much more believable by the un-informed reader. This article follows the modern model of sports media because it can literally be sent, read, liked, shared by anyone to anyone.

---

Reivew by Tori Lugar in SRM 334 (section 1)

The article we chose talks about the injury that Robert Griffin III suffered last season. It describes the past four months of the off season and each press conference within those months. Each month was a different update: in May, he could run, June he could sprint, July RGIII could practice a little bit, and then finally in August he was cleared to do full practice with the team. With an update every month, all eyes have been on RGIII and his recovery and fans are expecting a lot.

The media has played a huge role in the whole recovery and comeback of RGIII. From documentaries of his rehabilitation of his ACL, to constant coverage on SportsCenter on ESPN, the RGIII story has been the subject of many conversations, not only within the DC area, but nationwide. Besides Gatorade’s documentary, Adidas has also created the “All in for Week 1” campaign that focuses on RGIII’s preparation for week 1 of the regular season. Although RGIII is now cleared to play, when this campaign began, there was no guarantee the Redskins quarterback would be back and ready to go for the first game. The media took a story of his recovery and made it seem like he would for sure be 100% ready for the season opener. After this was created, RGIII tweeted that it was not a given that he would be back, but he would work hard to try and accomplish the goal. The media took this opportunity and stretched it to try and make a story of it. The media has analyzed the road to recovery of Robert Griffin III in every way possible and has blown up a situation that is so common in the NFL. This is relevant to this course because it shows how social media such as Twitter and various TV commercials have blown up such a common situation. Many players have torn ACLs or have experienced many other injuries, and yet the public does not hear about half of them. The media has taken every little detail of RGIII’s recovery in the off-season and made a big deal about it, often twisting the truth and scrutinizing the young quarterback. This situation can also show how the new communication model works, with mass media and the publicity that the Redskins quarterback is getting, because of a torn ACL. From numerous press conferences, to documentaries, to ad campaigns, RGIII’s injury is well known across America.

"Takeaways from how the media covered and reacted to Aaron Hernandez's arrest"

From Awful Announcing and Rolling Stone

Review by Zach Lantz in SRM 334 (section 1)

Today, the public has the ability to know about everything going on in a professional or college athlete’s life. This is because the media has access to everything surrounding the athlete’s life. A good example of this is the Rolling Stone’s article about the murder of Odin Lloyd, Aaron Hernandez has been charged for a few months ago. The article describes every little detail of Aaron, including how Aaron and Lloyd “kicked it” at a club called Rumor and “smoked that super-duper and Aaron dropped 10 G’s like it was nothing.” Rolling Stone went personal with Aaron Hernandez by having exclusive interviews with family friends. Friends revealed that Aaron was not only smoking marijuana, but he was also using the drug “angel dust’, typically known as PCP. The article explains how Hernandez and Lloyd were in the club when Odin talked to people that Hernandez was not fond of. All of this leading to the murder. 

In my opinion, the media does a great job at covering events like these days. Is it right, that the media has so much access to the lives of celebrities and athletes? One could feel as though it is not morally right, even in situations like these. News is broadcasted faster than it ever has been before and social media websites such as Twitter makes that possible. People can now get texts to their phone with breaking news or with just a quick Google search they can find thousands of articles with news on what they’re looking for. Today, the media is much more close and personal with athletes and it is making their home life much more public.

This article is related to this class because it is a current event and gives a perfect example on how sporting news can be communicated to people. The Aaron Hernandez story was wrote about on a Rolling Stones website where sports are not usually talked about. It also shows a perfect example on how the New England Patriots dealt with a crisis. As soon as Hernandez was arrested for the murder on Odin Lloyd, the Patriots released him and also allowed their fans to exchange their Hernandez jersey for another Patriots player. This article has related to many aspects of this class and made it very easy for me to relate to things that I will learn about.

---

Review by Dustin Taylor in SRM 334 (section 1)

Most people who love sports know just about everything that’s going on in the sports world if they choose to do so. The reason is that content providers in sports media are always working, 24/7, to uncover the next big story. They may even be continuing to cover an ongoing story. This summer, Patriots Tight End, Aaron Hernandez was arrested on murder charges. Many media content providers jumped at the chance to cover this story including rolling stones, ESPN, and NFL Network.

Rolling stones just recently released an article detailing a lot about this whole situation. They gave information on Hernandez’s parents, siblings, uncles, friends, coaches, and anyone else that had an effect on his life. Hernandez was bred to be great. His father put a gym with successful quotes on the walls in their family’s home, and drove his two sons (Aaron and his older brother DJ) to greatness. Aaron, however, far exceeded his father and brother in terms of success. He was the greatest athlete his town had ever produced. He went on to college at Florida University, where it is believe Urban Meyer covered for Hernandez on multiple drug test. Following his father’s death Aaron continued to fall out of control. He threated Patriots Wide Receiver Wes Welker soon after being drafted into the NFL. Then this offseason he became addicted to angel dust, started skipping workouts, and was on screw up away from being cut from the team. Bigger things then skipping practice would come before his departure from the team. Hernandez would be indicted on murder charges of his good friend Odin Lloyd. The sports media world would have plenty of coverage to go along with this story as it progressed.

ESPN had live footage of Hernandez getting arrested, and they covered this story pretty constant as Adam Schefter and other sports writers constantly took to Twitter to give sports gurus the news they were after. This is a huge example of how times have changed. Just 13 years ago Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis was also indicted on charges of murder. While it gained some attention, the coverage was nothing like the Aaron Hernandez case. Twitter, and Facebook were not around. If you go back just a little further in NFL history to the O.J. Simpson case there was an even bigger drop off in regards to media coverage. Newspapers printed the story, and news channels covered it, but no one was there to give real time updates. Hernandez’s case has up to the minute updates as someone in the courtroom with him tweets during his hearing to keep everyone up to speed. In awfulannouncing.com’s article written by Brad Gagnon he criticizes how ESPN left the live coverage of Hernandez’s hearing to speak to their own “experts”. With a story as big as this one there was plenty of time to bring them in once the hearing was done.

NFL Network had a rough job. They had to cover the story since that’s what this day and age calls for. At the same time this story was bad Public Relations for the NFL. They had to walk a fine line, and continue to update the people on what actions the Patriots and NFL would take toward Hernandez to try to help their perception as a league. The NFL, and the Patriots would’ve had plenty of time to come up with a response about 15-20 years ago. Now they have to be on their toes, and immediately taking action to keep the positive model of the league in tack.

This story has many relevant issues that go along with our class. With similar cases in the past this story can show how much times, and technology has changed in regards to sports media. People expect updates, and stories the minute they happen. The next morning paper is out of date. It also displays the pressure put on organizations to have someone good with the media always ready to speak on their behalf.

"Manti Te'o Gay? NFL Teams Want To Know About Linebacker's Sexuality, Says Mike Florio"

From the Huffington Post

Review by Sylvia Lee in SRM 334 (section 1)

The article, Manti Te'o Gay? NFL Teams Want To Know About Linebacker's Sexuality, Says Mike Florio, discusses how after the Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax, NFL teams are questioning his sexuality. Teams are wondering if this hoax was Te’o’s way of trying to hide the fact that he is gay. Their reason for questioning his sexuality is the concern of whether or not having an openly gay teammate would affect the locker room. During Te’os interview with Katie Couric, he said that he was not gay, but this did not solve the problem. Teams want to directly ask him, but are worried about any backlash this would bring. Due to this, other players are being asked more personal questions than ever before.

My personal view of this is that it should not matter whether a player is gay or not. But as a coach or a general manager, it would be something that would need to be discussed. Although it is not right, having an openly gay teammate could potentially affect the team negatively. In the locker room, other teammates might not be accepting of this and the chemistry of the team would be lost. Outside of the locker room, there are going to be a lot of negativity from fans and other people who are against gay rights, and may protest. Personally, I do not have anything against gays and/or lesbians, but as someone who is directly working with a team, it is something to be considered.

The way some NFL teams are going about the situation I believe is done incorrectly. I think that they should not be allowed to ask these questions. If the questions are not asked, then no one could really know and it will not be as much of an issue; ignorance is bliss. Therefore, other players should not be asked such personal questions, because then it is one less situation that has to be dealt with.

This article is relevant to our course because it is on the media; twitter, television, etc. It also affects the questions being asked to other players, and is a personal subject matter to some NFL fans.
---

Review by Ryan Murakami in SRM 334 (section 1)

With the NFL draft coming up in about a month, Manti Te’o’s personal life has been a main topic in the sports world. In this article, the author discusses how Te’o’s draft stock might be on the decline due to his girlfriend hoax. During an interview a couple months ago with Katie Couri, Couric asked if Te’o is gay. Teo’s claimed he was “…far from it, far from it…” This has lead many teams to speculate about Te’o and his sexuality. According to some sources many teams have asked him in private interviews about his sexuality and have tried to dig through his past. Teams are afraid of the possible backlash if the media finds out they have been asking these questions but are really interested in knowing the answer. 

Social media has plays an important role in the entire Manti Te’o situation including the most recent debates about him. Teams are using social media to discover more about draft candidates to learn about their past. With any job, looking through Twitter and Facebook is a possibility for employers. Teams are afraid of how they will be perceived if they are looking for information about a player’s sexuality. Some members of the media think it is inappropriate to question someone’s sexuality, as it has nothing to do with the player’s ability on the field. Other players are also tweeting about how it is inappropriate for teams to ask about player’s sexuality, for example Shawne Merriman tweeted “Can't believe they're asking Manti Te'o abt. his sexuality…” . Other players might be afraid to voice their opinion because of possibly backlash from the media.

In class, social media has been discussed a lot and how quickly news spreads, how anyone can comment on any story and how anyone can voice their opinion via Twitter or Facebook. Once one player or reporters writes a story everyone hears about it and voices their own opinion.

Teams should have the right to look through the past about potential players to get a judge of their character but searching for their sexuality is another story. Searching for that information says nothing about their character or who they are as a person.

"NFL Crown-of-the-Helmet Rule: The End of Football as We Know It?"

From Bleacher Report

Review by Chris Lee in SRM 334 (section 1)

For the current event presentation we chose to discuss the new NFL rule changes being made in the 2013 off season. Along with the decision to eliminate the infamous tuck rule, NFL owners also voted to enforce the “crown of helmet rule” in their annual winter meeting held in Phoenix, Arizona on March 20, 2013. The crown of helmet rule basically states that ball carriers are no longer to initiate contact with the crown of their helmets outside the tackle box. There will be a 15 yard penalty for this infraction and incidental contact will be excused by the referees.

The reasoning behind the recent helmet rule change was to reduce concussions, neck damage, and head trauma in an effort to make the game safer. Since the rule has passed, plenty of controversy has surrounded it within the media and many players, coaches, and league affiliates have shown varying opinions about the issue. People like St. Louis Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher agree with the rule and think that it will have a positive impact on player safety. When asked about the new rule he responded, “We're bringing the shoulder back to the game. The helmet is a protective device, but it's not being used as that as of late. This is to protect the players.”

While there has been some support for the rule change many players, mainly current and former running backs, have been upset with the idea that the league is becoming too soft. Many of these people have turned to social media devices such as twitter to express their dissatisfaction. Marshall Faulk, a football analyst for the NFL network and legendary running back, is among these people and recently tweeted, “The new RB rule is a joke.” Emmitt Smith, Matt Forte, Justin Forsett, and many others have also publicly disagreed with the crown of helmet rule.

This topic is relevant to the class because it deals with sports media outlets such as ESPN and how they have heavily covered mainly the negative reactions to the rule change. Personally I have heard very few analysts stick up for the rule change, and most of Sportscenter’s coverage broadcasts the negative views about how the game will never be the same and how the NFL is turning into “two hand touch football.” Overall I think that it is important for the media to share both sides of the story in order to not come off as being biased about a particular issue.
---

Review by Donnie Carroll in SRM 334 (section 1)
The NFL recently passed several rule changes to take effect in the upcoming season. Most of which were necessary and improved the game, but the one that stirred up a lot of negative attention was the “crown of the helmet rule.” This rule states that a ballcarrier three or more yards downfield cannot initiate contact leading with the crown of his helmet. Many believe that the passing of this rule has to do with the former NFL player plaintiffs in the concussion related lawsuits toward the NFL not protecting the players enough. 

Twitter absolutely blew up with outrage once this rule was passed, with former and current NFL players in opposition to the rule. All of this negative attention towards this rule caused fans to also express their opinions on the rule and believe that the NFL is taking the protection issue way too far. ESPN has conducted several interviews with players who oppose the new rule on Sportscenter. It seems as if both media and social media have accomplished associating a negative connotation with the new rule change. A few coaches and former players have stressed the “safety first,” aspect but not much positive attention has come with this new rule. If only negativity is coming from all angles of the media, the fans will react the same was as the players who are expressing their opinions through the different channels of media.

The media has a reputation for putting a negative spin on stories, but it seems a bit too much when regarding entertainment purposes being more important that players’ safety. It is evident that the fans will follow the players’ reactions but it does not help that the media is not giving an ample amount of coverage to the other side of the story.

"EA and ESPN Kick Off Madden NFL 25 Cover Vote"

From ESPN

Review by Austin Davidson in SRM 334 (section 3)
On August 27, 2013, EA Sports’ Madden video game franchise will release its 25th anniversary edition installment. Since 2011, EA Sports has tried to find ways to get the fans more involved in the process of how each player deemed worthy to grace the cover, every year, is selected. Befitting such a monumental anniversary, this year has taken it above and beyond any previous year’s aspirations. The usage of ESPN television shows, social media (esp. Twitter), and many internet web destinations, has created an unprecedented buzz around the game, almost six months before its release. 

The way the voting for the cover player is a familiar concept to many sports fans. One word; brackets! It has been narrowed down to 64 players, half of which are NFL legends, and the other half are up-and-coming stars in the National Football League. The fans can vote by going to the ESPN website, and some live-tweet voting on Twitter is carried out during ESPN’s SportsNation television show. After each round of voting, the results are revealed on the show, with the overall winner being revealed on April 24, 2013.

I find this to be tremendous marketing strategy for everyone involved in the process. This idea has brought the internet and social media, and television into an incredibly effective and interactive relationship. The companies have found more ways to connect with their demographics and even got the rising hip hop star, Kendrick Lamar, to perform on the SportsNation Madden Cover Vote kickoff show. It has created a buzz most video game companies would die for, this early before release. I am fairly certain we’ll be seeing more of this type of collaborative efforts between EA Sports, and ESPN to milk this newly found cash-cow as much as possible.
---

Review by Allison Straley in SRM 334 (section 3)
The Madden NFL Cover Vote is in the middle of their second time having fans vote what player should appear on the cover of the popular EA Sports game, Madden NFL. 

Each week fans have the opportunity to vote in two brackets, old-school, which consists of former players, and new-school, which consists of current players. They players “face off” each week in hopes of advancing and gaining that spot on the cover of the game. Fans are able to vote through the ESPN website as well as Twitter.

The program SportsNation, which airs on ESPN2, has weekly updates for fans on which former and current players have advanced. They also bring some of the players on the show where they can plead their case on why they should receive votes. The winner will be announced April 24th, and the game will be released August 27th. 

Having fans vote on who should be the cover player is a great way for everyone across the nation to get involved in something that is extremely popular. ESPN and EA Sports are using media outlets that have a lot of viewers/usage, such as SportsNation and Twitter. This topic is relevant to the course because media is being used in multiple aspects to get an event known to the public. The different aspects of media, such as advertising, public relations and strategy are presented in this topic. The advertising is through the ESPN website and on the show and Twitter. Public relations was big at the launch party for the competition for the cover. Finally, the strategy is to get as many people to vote and that is occurring by using popular media outlets. The game is very popular and giving the consumers a say in what the game with look like, gives it the potential for even more success.

"Richard Sherman To Skip Bayless: 'I'm Better At Life Than You'"

From the Huffington Post

Review by Schuyler LaClair in SRM 334 (section 2)

Professional athletes have many different ways and strategies to get their name known through out the sports world, which also grabs the attention of the media. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has done just that in a matter of months starting from controversies in just a couple games during the 2012 season. Not only did the spot light shine on Sherman during the season but also after the season was over he has multiple occasions of venting through social media and expressing how he felt in open interviews on television.

During the 2012 season Richard Sherman talked trash before and during games. One game that stood out was when the Seahawks upset the Patriots 24 – 23. After the game Sherman went up to New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady screaming “You mad bro?” Two weeks later Sherman predicted that he would shut down Detroit Lions all pro wide receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson and gave himself the nickname of “Optimus Prime.”

When the 2012 offseason started, Sherman got into a heated twitter battle with New York Jets cornerback Derrelle Revis about who was the best cornerback in the National Football League. Then Richard Sherman was a guest on ESPN’s “First Take.” While interviewed by Skip Bayless, Sherman blew up on Skip and just expressed how he felt towards him. While on national television, Sherman showed no respect to the show’s host.

Richard Sherman and the events he’s been involved in recently is related to sports media by how athletes decide to act off the field. When an athlete goes on a rant over social media or television, the media loves giving the athlete the attention they basically asked for. Anytime an athlete goes outside the boundary lines of generalized answers during an interview, it gains the attention of every media outlet in the sports industry. Richard Sherman knows what he has done and hasn’t slowed down since then. His name will known in every household if he keeps going on this path.
---

Review by Cameron McKinley in SRM 334 (section 2)

In today sports world, athletes have been known to use various media outlets as a way to vent frustrations or to promote their own brand, whether through traditional media sources, such as television or print media, or newer forms of media, i.e. social media. Richard Sherman has not been on the scene for very long, but he has certainly made use of these forms of media for both purposes. Following his Twitter feud with fellow cornerback Darelle Revis, Sherman took to TV and radio to try to promote his off-season charitable cause, Students with a Goal. While making the rounds for this, he came on to ESPN’s “First Take” and immediately began personally attacking co-host Skip Bayless.

With athletes continually being brought on media programs, whether TV or radio or social media, they are now subjecting themselves to more scrutiny than ever before. They way an athlete handles himself or herself in the media can greatly affect how they are seen as a player. Take Derek Jeter for example. He has always handled himself very well when dealing with aspects of the media, and his on the field accomplishments are magnified and are able to speak for themselves. But with a young, relatively unknown player such as Sherman, such a portrayal in the media can be detrimental to his image and can make people look past his on the field statistics or success when all they know about him is how he handles himself in the media.

Being that this is a class based upon sports media, in the past we have focused on such media outlets and the evolution of the Sports Communication Model. In the past, it would not have been possible for a player such as Sherman to take to all the media outlets to promote himself and his causes, nor to have his feud with Revis and Bayless. He was able to reach the wider sports audiences through his TV rounds, as well as to reach more niche, local markets through radio and Twitter. This is also a two-way street with fans being able to show their reaction directly to him by being able to call in to radio shows he was on or to tweet at him following everything that has happened in the off-season.

"Manti Te'o causing NFL teams to mine social media more"

From USA Today

Review by Connor Massei in SRM 334 (section 3)

The article from USA Today.com explains that NFL General Managers and Coaches are focusing more on draft prospect involvement on social media than ever before. This focus is greatly due to the highly publicized Manti Te’o hoax, in which one of the NFL’s highest rated prospects was involved in a false relationship with an imaginary girlfriend. Te’o communicated with whom he believed to be his girlfriend strictly through phone calls and the social networks, namely twitter. NFL organizations, more often than ever before, have personnel that monitor prospects tendencies on twitter and Facebook. These tendencies and posts are closely analyzed and sometimes play an effect on players draft stocks. Personally, Te’o now has more pressure to perform on pre-draft interviews due to his involvement in the hoax and poor judgment that could be seen on social media. 

This article helps its audience to understand that NFL GMs and Coaches care more about prospects than their physical talents shown on the field. It is important to them that their players show character, and an efficient way to get to know a prospect indirectly is through monitoring of their twitter and Facebook pages. I think it is interesting how much of an impact the tendencies of prospects on social networks can affect their draft stock, or even prevent them from being drafted at all. This new practice by NFL organizations is just one more dimension for NFL hopefuls to be aware of throughout college and during the pre-draft process. The article is relevant to this course because as we have discussed in class, the social media plays an important role in sports these days. The fact that NFL teams monitor player’s twitters and Facebook pages demonstrates the ability for social media to potentially spark, dampen, or even ruin the career of potential professional athletes. Sports media greatly utilizes social networks, and this article is a prime example of why they are so often used.
---

Review by Michael Civiello in SRM 334 (section 3)

In summary, this article goes over how the so called “hoax” of Manti Te’o is now making NFL teams and their executives re-evaluate their own ways on how they will evaluate college prospects prior to the NFL draft. It has quotes from two NFL general managers: Rick Spielman of the Minnesota Vikings and John Schneider of the Seattle Seahawks. Spielman is quoted as calling the evaluated players “social media players” nowadays. He talks about how teams are now digging more in depth into players’ social media pages. John Schneider of the Seahawks said the team has a security staff assigned to monitor social media pages of potential prospects the team is scouting.

Spielman and head coach Greg Schiano of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers both emphasized the importance of the interview process that teams get with players at the combine. They both said that the fifteen minutes they get with prospects, especially a player such as Te’o, will be very crucial in determining the player’s football smarts but also their character.

Social media is so relevant in today’s world, especially with the national media outlets. Many players do not have private pages and that makes them susceptible to getting looked at by teams that will monitor their pages. These players definitely have to be more careful because posting inappropriate tweets or pictures can cost players lots of money because they fall far down draft boards and potentially undrafted. It is dream to many of the prospects to play in the NFL and its sometimes unthinkable that something as small as a post on twitter can potentially ruin that dream.

"97% Of NFL Players With History Of Head Trauma Show Signs Of Brain Disease"

From Business Insider and the Daily Mail

Review by Josh Revitch in SRM 334 (section 3)

Head injuries have always been a concerning topic in the NFL. After Junior Seau’s death last May by committing suicide, talk about the correlation of traumatic brain injuries and death skyrocketed. After this event, many former players sued the NFL due to the lack of information given to players about the long-term effects of head injuries and concussions. In early January this year, the autopsy of Junior Seau showed that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disease caused by multiple and continuous blows to the head. From this discovery, researchers examined the brains of deceased, former NFL players. Scientists discovered that 31 out of the 34 brains they looked at had stage three or four CTE including players such as Dave Duerson, Cookie Gilchrist and John Mackey.

Social media allows for people to ask questions, give advice, and speak their mind about this topic. There are signs of concern about this topic as many parents have children playing football. The NFL is going to contribute money to researchers to discover how to prevent these types of head injuries. Teams are also going to have neurological specialists on their sidelines to give evaluations of players that get concussions during games. Hopefully the rule for allowing athletes to play post-concussion gets stricter as research shows detrimental, long-term side effects of head injuries and concussions.

---

Review by Matt Dumblauskas in SRM 334 (section 3)


Concussions have emerged as a major safety issue in football during the past couple of years. This article addresses some of the steps that the NFL is taking and has taken in the past to help prevent or reduce the number of concussions. Recently the NFL has partnered with Boston University and is willing to give $1 million or more to fund independent research projects to help find a solution to this concussion problem. The article also mentions that NFL alumni association is encouraging players to donate their brains to help with the research process. The NFL is also is investing in independent research that can give insight into how helmets can be more protective. This includes how the helmet is worn and used, along with the make of the helmet.

In the past the league has been cautious about concussions, but has not looked into fixing the problem to this extent. When a player used to get a concussion, the team waited for symptoms to decrease and then that player was eligible to play. Now that all of this research shows a lasting effect of head trauma, I think that the game will change. I do not think that players will necessarily play the game differently because playing the game to their top potential is number one on the list of priorities for most players. That being said I do believe that the style of play will be taught differently at a young age. I also feel that these new steps are going to cause more parents to not let their kids play the game. The media aspect of this topic allows the spread of concussion awareness and is helping to spark a change. With the recent death of Junior Seau and the fact that his brain had CTE, the public is starting to look for answers. We as viewers do love to see big hits, but we do not want to see our favorite players being severely injured or even dying due to head trauma complications. Fans are now using social media to ask questions and show concern.

"Bernard Pollard: NFL's future bleak"

From ESPN.com

Review by Amy Spring in SRM 334 (section 1)

The Future of the NFL has been a topic surfacing, especially now that it is the end of the football season. The issue was recently brought up by Baltimore Ravens’ safety, Bernard Pollard, who made many comments about the safety of the NFL. During a Ravens vs. Patriots game, quarterback Tom Brady slid with his leg up, barely missing Ravens defensive player, Ed Reed. Very often, players are being taken off the field for concussions, blown-out knees, and other very serious injuries. Pollard, a hard-hitting player, who he himself has been fined for unnecessary roughness, was quoted saying, “Thirty years from now, I don't think it will be in existence. I could be wrong. It's just my opinion, but I think with the direction things are going -- where [NFL rules makers] want to lighten up, and they're throwing flags and everything else -- there's going to come a point where fans are going to get fed up with it.” Like Pollard, President Barack Obama also has strong opinions about the safety of football; President Obama has discussed with a magazine that if he had a son he would think long and hard before letting him play football. Ex-professional player Junior Seau committed suicide after suffering many concussions, leading to depression and then death. Junior’s family is suing the NFL so they could possibly be more aware of the risks of the game. Lastly, we touched on the financial aspect, that even though it is mostly about safety of the players, without the NFL, we would be out millions of jobs and billions of dollars.

Personally I feel that Pollard and Obama are correct, the game is becoming a danger to many and there needs to be something done about it. However, I don’t think the NFL will go under; I think there will need to be changes and stronger enforced rules if injuries keep getting worse and more frequent. The NFL brings in a wide range of interest and have many people deeply invested; it is an American past-time and a top favorite event to attend or to watch and to take that away would be a severe loss financially, as well as the millions of fans out there.

This topic is something that can be portrayed in a positive or negative light by the media. If the media supports those who think it is dangerous, and can interview people on their injuries post playing professional football, then they can show the public who are unaware of injuries. Instead of ESPN and other sports broadcasters and radio shows talking about and showing the hard hits and violent plays, they could focus on the positive offensive plays and good things that are going on. Even though the public often looks for the negative, it is up to the media to put a positive spin on it. Social media could be an even bigger factor if people suggested how to make football safe but still interesting and fun; as well as showing support of those injured. Something needs to be done in the NFL before there are more serious injuries.

---

Review by Katherine Lampa in SRM 334 (section 1)

The future of the National Football League is bleak according to some current football players, such as Bernard Pollard and some ESPN commentators. After the second week of NFL playoffs Pollard announced his thoughts on the future of the League and stated he did not think it would exist in thirty short years. Many have been questioning this because of the safety of the game as more and more serious injuries and consequences are occurring. Rules are constantly changing to try to keep the game safe, but the players continue to get more aggressive and powerful leading to injuries that previously had not been considered. Players are getting fined for moves that may have not injured someone at the time, but could in the future if they continue to play that way. All of these steps are moves to make the game safer, but some people believe it is becoming too safe and less interesting to watch or participate in.

This topic is relevant to this course because it has been all over the internet since it was brought up back in week two of the playoffs. There have been many interviews with players such as Pollard and other players that have actually been fined. Twitter has been blowing up with peoples reactions to his statement about the future and many people have been commenting on articles on ESPN and other news articles. People are easily able to make their opinions known about the topic because of the increase in media coverage and the opportunities to locate it online and converse with others who also have strong opinions. It is not often that players or people within the League get involved in these conversations, but it does give people an outlet for frustrations and changes that they think would make the NFL a continuing success.

"Ray Lewis denies using antler spray"

From ESPN.com

Review by Eric Brent in SRM 334 (section 3)

In ESPN’s article “Ray Lewis denies using antler spray,” the author discusses accusations made against Ray Lewis regarding his use of deer antler spray to help repair his tricep injury. The deer antler spray contains the substance IGF-1 which is banned by the NFL. Mitch Ross, the co-owner of Sports With Alternatives to Steroids (SWATS), has openly said that Lewis has used every product the company produces. Lewis denied the reports immediately when they were brought to surface, but the Ravens organization wanted Lewis to issue a stronger denial on Super Bowl media day. Dr. Salvatori, from John Hopkins University, told Baltimore Sun SWAT’s claims can simply not be true. He goes on to explain there is simply no scientific way that the substance IGF-1 can be taken orally, so it is not possible to come from a spray.

In the mist of Super Bowl week, I feel that Mitch Ross made these statements only to gain attention to not only him but the SWAT company as a whole. Ross knew this would be the most opportune time because not only was it Super Bowl week, but the spotlight was also on Ray Lewis due to his retirement announcement earlier in the season. Ray Lewis reacted to the allegations like a true professional, which allowed for him to focus on the real reason he was in New Orleans. The story could have easily become a distraction to the organization, but because Lewis was not selfish and instead thought about the betterment of the team.

The article relates to this course due to the fact of how the media took these accusations knowing it would gain a lot of attention. The timing of the accusations caused the media to go into a frenzy because the story would get extra media attention because of the Super Bowl. The announcement of Lewis’s retirement also played a role on how quickly reporters wanted to get the story out given the circumstances.
---

Review by Jack Dennehy in SRM (section 3)

The article that we chose to use was “Ray Lewis Denies Using Antler Spray.” We chose this because it is very relevant for our class. Not only is it a current event, it is a very important current event due to the timing of the release and also Ray is one of the best football players in history. The article discusses how a magazine article accused him of using a banned substance for him to have a faster recovery from his torn triceps injury that happened in week seven of the season. Ray ended up missing the last ten games of the regular season. The spray was to enter the body via the mouth. The organization that is credited for making the spray product is SWATS(Sports with Alternatives to Steroids) His response to the articles release was not as serious as people would have thought. He said he was not angry but he was “agitated.” So when he addressed the press he was almost laughing over the matter saying it was ridiculous and uncalled for. He even went to say that “this guy has no credibility.” Coach Harbaugh was very confident in Ray and him telling the truth. Coach Harbaugh is one of the most highly respected coaches in the league. The article did mention that the Owner of the Ravens was not thrilled with the way Ray addressed the issue. He wanted him to be more assertive and aggressive towards the subject. The article talks about something very interesting, A professor at Johns Hopkins University claims that it is impossible for the spray to be affective orally. So once this is thrown out in the public it makes the claims irrelevant. This article is relevant to the course because it is a controversial subject that was entered into the press without much thought. We talk about subjects exactly like this one in class. The time at which it was released, a week before the biggest game of the year, the super bowl, and also it being the last game of Ray Lewis’s career draws a lot of attention. When you accuse someone of cheating or using performance enhancing substances, it can potentially ruin their entire career. It is a very sensitive subject to throw out there when you are not one hundred percent whether it is certain.

"Ray Lewis more focused on 49ers than retirement"

From Fox Sports

Review by Luke Drayer in SRM 334 (section 2)

Now in his 17th season with the Baltimore Ravens, Ray Lewis has finally decided to call it quits. After announcing his retirement on January 2, Lewis told his teammates that this would be his “last ride” as the team’s captain and leader. Regardless of when the season ended, Lewis said he would be hanging up the cleats. However, after beating the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots in post-season play, the Ravens have now found themselves competing in New Orleans for the Super Bowl. Even with one game left in his playing career, Lewis is adamant that he isn’t thinking about his retirement, but instead about taking on the San Francisco 49ers and winning the Super Bowl. Lewis has had a Hall of Fame career, but his impact on the Raven’s over the years has gone beyond his play. Ray is known amongst players and fans of the NFL as being one of the best motivational and inspirational leaders in all of sports. He has a certain presence about him that makes his teammates rally around him and want to play with the same passion that he has. Regardless of whether or not the Ravens take home the Super Bowl trophy, Lewis will be regarded as one of the best, if not the best, defensive players to ever play the game of football. I feel that this article relates to this class because ever since announcing his retirement, there has been nonstop talk on twitter and news networks like SportsCenter about what his legacy will be and whether he will be able to walk away from the game with a Super Bowl trophy or not. It has been a huge story for the past month and I feel it has actually played a part in the Ravens post–season run. I think the Ravens feel they have something to play for, almost like they owe it to Ray to have him leave the game with a Super Bowl win. While I like both teams, I am personally rooting for the Ravens as I think it would be awesome to see Ray Lewis go out with a bang.

---

Review by Kolbie Owens in SRM 334 (section 2)

Ray Lewis is a linebacker on the Baltimore Ravens. Lewis has been referring to this postseason run as the “Last Ride” because he is going to retire after this Super Bowl game. Ray Lewis is very wise in his game playing because of his long 17-year career in the NFL. In this article he states how his focus is not on his retirement, it is on this game. He is doing this for him and his team NOT just himself and wants to stay as focused as possible.

Ray Lewis is in the media for many things. One is his age, he is 37 years old and arguable the best defensive player in the NFL. Two, he is a motivational speaker as well as a successful leader. Lewis gives pep talks to his team as well as colleges. He is an inspirational speaker and is known for that because of how motivational he is. This leads to the next thing the media loves about Ray Lewis, he pregame dance. This is very familiar to Ravens fans as well as other football fans.

The dance, his age, and his motivational speeches are all good media on Ray Lewis, now here is the bad. In 2000 he was accused of a murder of his two friends. This caused a lot of drama and press on Lewis. In the end he was not found guilty for the murder, however he was guilty for obstruction of justice. Currently he has a performance enhancing drug allegation with Deer-antler velvet spray, which causes a more recent bad image for him.

This is relevant to this class because it shows how much the media represents the image of an athlete, and Ray Lewis has had many incidents that reflect good and bad behavior. He is under the spotlight for everything he does good and bad and for Lewis that seems to not have any bad effect on him because he is still an extremely talented athlete.

"How branded merch, affinity clubs help teams court female fans"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Sean McGough in KIN 332

As women now account for 45 percent of the NFL’s fan base, according to league officials, marketers are aiming to develop a long lasting and lucrative connection by targeting them. The NFL had never licensed women’s apparel until only two years ago. The attraction of the female fan skyrocketed immediately after. Campaigns such as the “It’s My Team” campaign featured women from former Secretary of State, Condaleezza Rice, Serena Williams, and sportscaster Melissa Stark. Clothing brands jumped on this ship almost instantaneously with brands such as, Nike, 5th and Ocean, and Little Earth. Now all of a sudden NFL women’s apparel is fashionable on any day of the week.

From a marketing perspective, this is an extremely powerful move that could have its failures or its very high success. Affinity clubs for women have sprung up across the league to engage the female in an even more interactive way. First it was just using merchandise such as nail polish the color of “her” favorite team to jewelry and sunglasses. Now in these Women affinity clubs, incentives are given; VIP events are set up along with viewing parties and free merchandise.

While there are many positives to this marketing scheme, it also has its negatives. It can be considered a risk to allot such a large amount of money towards a marketing program that may fail. However, after reading this article I believe that the marketing research was done very effectively and with their focus groups, they found the right target markets to start these Women Affinity Clubs. Right now there are only seven cities that offer this and they are: Baltimore, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington. Each team has their own name for their female fans to give them a sense of identity within that fan base.

I do agree with this article when it says, “the potential for this growth is unmistakable”. The facts are that some memberships, such as Washington and Baltimore have more than 25,000 members while others have sponsors. The Houston Texans affinity club secured State Farm as a presenting sponsor. Starting in only a few cities seems like a “test” in a sense, but I do believe these affinity clubs will grow as the marketing research continues and more awareness of this opportunity.

"Tattoos but a fraction of Colin Kaepernick's story"

From Detroit Free Press

Review by Ryan Hourigan in SRM 334 (section 2)

USA Today’s article titled, “Tattoos but a fraction of Colin Kaepernick’s story” explains his life from adoption all the way up until his time as an NFL starter on the way to the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is a player to admire. I absolutely believe that there are media sources in sports that are trying to tarnish Kaepernick’s image. This particular article written by USA Today portrays Kaepernick in a good light.

Kaepernick was adopted at five weeks old and grew up in Milwaukee, WI. He attended and played football for the Nevada Wolf Pack and became the only FBS player to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000 yards in a career. This ultimately led to the 49ers selecting Kaepernick 36th overall in the 2011 NFL draft. Kaepernick was also selected in the 43rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs as a right-handed pitcher.

The media has brought up personal information about Kaepernick including his family and tattoos. I personally believe this is not the place for sports media to get involved and believe that those things are to be left alone. This particular article allows fans to see how great of an athlete and person Colin Kaepernick is. The tattoos on his body and his family background should not hinder the perception of a fan because social media says it should. Sports media rules our society and it is refreshing to see an article promote a successful athlete and show his path to the Super Bowl.
---

Review by Brad Burgess in SRM 334 (section 2)

Colin Kaepernick is the current starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. A player picked in the 2011 NFL Draft 36th overall. After veteran quarterback Alex Smith suffered a concussion in week 10 Colin had an opening. The buzz around the 49ers was whether or not Smith would play in their next week’s game. When Monday came it was Kaepernick who got the start. He shocked the world and displayed his ability with a big win over the Bears 32-7. Kaepernick would be the new starter. 

However, with Kaepernick’s rapid rise to fame came the media frenzy finding out who this guy was under the helmet. Reports started pumping out articles on this kid. He is a half white, half African American, who was adopted by the Kaepernick’s, a white family from Wisconsin. The only college to offer him a football scholarship was the University of Nevada. He went on to be the only FBS quarterback to throw for more than 10,000 yards and rush for more than 4,000. One of the biggest controversy’s that has been discussed in articles has been his tattoos. He is tatted up all over his upper body. In one article it was said that Kaepernick looks like a thug out of prison. Colin doesn’t listen to the media and says that he loves his tattoos, and he gets them because he wants to and no other reason.

The way this relates to this class is the question of how the media can shape a fans opinion on an athlete. Before Colin was the starter there was little talk about him. Now he is a household name and is taking his team to the Super Bowl. There are reports arguing his tattoos, talking about him being adopted, and asking him about how he got to this point. If you read some articles you end up loving Colin’s story and become a big fan. Other articles you perceive him as a thug with a lot of swagger. Without the media we would not know about this stud from the University of Nevada. The media controls athlete’s fame. They control the emotions of a fan. The media today has changed the way we look at players and their backgrounds.

"Roger Goodell Think HDTV Is Killing NFL Ticket Sales"

From FanSided.com and SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Nate Wise in SRM 334 (section 3)

The article that we chose for our current event presentation discusses the possibility that the at-home experience of watching NFL games is causing a decline of ticket sales to see the games in person. The article references the common notion, shared even by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, that HDTV is the main reason why ticket sales have reached a 13-year low. According to the article, TV ratings have increased 12 percent over the last five years and ticket sales have decreased four percent in the same time period. Some in the organization feel the ticket sales numbers are still very strong and others have been brainstorming ideas on how to bring fans back to the stadium i.e. adding Wi-Fi to stadiums.

While HDTV is definitely one of the reasons ticket sales are declining, I believe there are plenty of other reasons as well. Traffic on game days, high ticket prices, a struggling economy, and the addition of channels such as NFL Network and NFL Redzone are easily just as responsible for low sales. Lowering ticket and food prices as well as investing more in the game day experience may help to get fans off the couch and into seats but it’s a difficult balance when the organizations need to make a profit.

This topic/issue is relevant to this course because television is a major component of how we consume sport media. Technology is constantly evolving and with additional ways that fans can view the sporting events they want to view, the sport industry as a whole must evolve as well. It’s important for us to look at in class so we are prepared when we become members of the sport industry ourselves.

---

Review by Stephanie Nielsen in SRM 334 (section 3)

Sports Business Daily wrote an article on how NFL fans prefer the at-home experience to attending games. According to ESPN’s Bob Ley, many NFL ticket buyers feel that the stadium experience is not what it used to be. Eric Grubman, Executive VP/Business Ventures, stated that the at-home experience from the fans point of view has gotten much better and has gotten cheaper. Stadiums have become increasingly empty. Although television channels are watering down the “blackout rule,” which restricts games local broadcasts for games that aren’t sellouts is helping somewhat to have stadiums fill their seats.

There are three factors that are affecting the attendance at NFL stadiums: cost, convience, and comfort. Between the price of tickets, cost of eating out at games, the inconvenience of waiting in ridiculous lines, fans are choosing to not go to the games like they use to. There is no better atmosphere than the energy of a loud crowd but it is certainly more convenient to stay at home with the family and enjoy a football game. Personally, I enjoy the comfort of my home and being with my family when I’m watching my Giants play but if someone offered me tickets I wouldn’t pass them up.

The Sports Business Daily article is relevant to our class since many of us want to go work in professional sports. It is important to have fans continue to go to games and watch their favorite teams. As sports professionals we will need to market and attract fans to continue to go out and buy tickets. We also need to understand what attracts fans to go out to games and buy tickets along with making it convenient and easy for them to attend.

---
Review by Natalie Bernstein in SRM 334 (section 3)
The article that was chosen from Sports Business Daily is about the main reason behind a decline in NFL ticket sales. That reason being the increasingly popular HDTV home viewing of NFL games. According to the article, NFL ticket sales have been declining by four percent annually while television ratings are up twelve percent. To help regain interest, the NFL is working on improving the product, which in this case is the stadium experience. In order for fans to have a more enjoyable time at the games, teams are rebuilding arenas to improve customer satisfaction. ESPN’s Darren Rovell discusses one major improvement in the works, Wi-Fi availability. This expensive addition to stadiums costs at least $8 million to set up the network from scratch. The NFL team owners and managers feel that this is a crucial step in improving the game day experience for fans. 

I feel that the NFL is making the right choice by trying to improve the quality of the fan experience. Watching televised games has become increasingly more appealing in the last decade. It’s convenient, cheap, and delivers an unbeatable close-up of every play. Each fan can feel as if they’re on the field with the players while watching the game from the comfort of their own couch. The alternative is an expensive ticket that offers the fan a crammed and overcrowded arena with unpredictable weather, and often a terrible view of the game. I was surprised to see that in this article they didn’t mention lowering ticket prices as a way to entice viewers. However, the main issue is the experience the fans get at the game, so improving quality of their stay is the best way to gain happy fans and filled stadiums. This issue is relevant to the course because the article represents the sometimes negative effects of sports media. In this case, as stadiums become harder to fill, the NFL teams and owners suffer.