"Fans Reactions To Caleb Moore's Death"

From Sports World Report

Review by Heather Holston in SRM 334 (section 3)

The article for my current events is “Fans React to Caleb Moore’s Death”. The article describes how fans are reaching out after the X Games participant’s death. Caleb Moore passed away a week after being involved in a crash during the X Games. He was involved in the snowmobile freestyle portion. After his death, ESPN said they are looking into safety of the X Games and its athletes. His fans have taken to social media to give their condolences and prayers to his family. A Facebook page named “Praying for Caleb” has been created for words of comfort. Many fans also turned to Twitter to express their feelings on the situation. This is relevant to our class because we focus a lot on how social media usage is increasing. We all know that social media is used for marketing and communication in sports. I think even more people, especially fans, are using this to connect to other people when an incident occurs. Pages and Tweets are now created daily for professional athletes and people in the sports industry. I believe that Caleb Moore’s death shows us how that usage is expanding. People now turn to Twitter and Facebook to be heard and connect to athlete’s families. Another group on Facebook was created to sell t-shirts and wristbands to support the Moore family. Without the usage of technology, the fans would have a harder time to give back and connect. I believe that with the increase of technology, this will continue to grown. There are a lot more apps and devices that will allow fans to do so. I feel that also when there is more controversy around an athletes death or life, fans are going to want more of an inlet. I feel that Facebook and especially Twitter are the way for fans to get to that inlet. It helps fans share their own ideas where in the past this was harder. 

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Review by Steven Mashinski in SRM 334 (section 3)

As a fan of snowboarding I have been a viewer of the x games for years. Although I did not know Caleb before this accident, I do know that these athletes put themselves in extreme danger. Caleb Moore was a 25 year old that was competing in the snow mobile freestyle. He was performing a black flip when his accident occurred on January 24th. Moore went off a jump and on his landing the front of his snowmobile skies caught the ground before he was able to rotate fully. This caused him to be ejected face first in to the snow followed by the 450 pound snowmobile rolling over his body. Emergency precautions took place immediately and eventually they allowed him to walk off in his own power. Until they arrived to hospital they had no idea how serious the injuries really were. Moore had blood surrounding his heart and announced by his family he came up with secondary complications to his brain. He passed away on January 29th at a hospital in Colorado. His accident raised questions about how safe this sport really is and how they can fix it, but shockingly enouh he is the first athlete to die in the 18 years of the X-games. This story in relevant to this class due to the attention it received on social media. Seconds after the extreme crash viewers were talking about it on twitter. They did not know the severity of his injuries but they could tell it was not good and proceeded to wish him well and hope he is ok. Moore’s family released a statement saying he is in critical condition and the impact of social media got even stronger with Facebook groups and hash tags on twitter that people could use to raise he attention. Before we had social media this story would have had tons of questions due to how much slower information was distributed and released by the reporters on hand. I think this is extremely interesting because now that I am accustom to how fast news can spread it makes me wonder how I was able to wait and watch Sportscenter to hear if that athlete was okay.

"X Games expands globally"

From ESPN.com

Review by Brandon Jones in KIN 332 (section 2)

The X Games have decided to expand to an international market in the upcoming 2013 through 2015 Summer and Winter games by adding destinations in Barcelona, Spain; Munich, Germany; and Foz do Iguacu, Brazil. ESPN and the X-Games wanted to stimulate their target youth market in these culture hotbeds in order to mainstream action sports across the globe. X Game leaders want to infuse a lifestyle with their brand in order to make their fans feel like a community. The style of sports in these action games also goes against traditional sport boundaries because these athletes are usually competing against the environment, obstacles, and challenges. This change in the “norm” of sports gives action sports an image of rebellion against societal norms.

Action Sports are becoming more marketable with the constant inventions of new thrilling activities. These activities usually push the boundaries of safety and sanity, and can result in the death of the athletes and others. However, this risk has just increased the fan-base of highly skilled athletes like Travis Pastrana, Shaun White, and Tony Hawk. This article discusses the importance of infusing these action sports within the cultures of other countries around the world.

I believe that the X-Games has a distinct advantage over traditional sports because they are limitless in creativity, which means it can evolve with the ever-changing youth of the next generation. If ESPN continues to push these sports into countries these action activities may become the new era of mainstream sports.

"Snowboarder Shaun White a marketing bonanza"

From the BostonHerald.com

Review by Adam Carranza in KIN 435 (section 1)

In the growing world of action sports, there seems to be only one superstar as their icon, Shaun White. He is the poster boy for not only snowboarding and skateboarding, but for the whole action sports industry. No doubt, his amazing success helps him accomplish this, being a two-time Olympic half pipe and 11-time Winter X games winner. But what also attracts him to so many marketers is his laid back style, easy-going fun personality and his humbleness for all of his success. He signed his first sponsorship deal at the age of seven and hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down since then. White is currently signed with big companies such as BFGoodwich, Burton, Hewlett-Packard, Oakley, Target, Ubisoft and a recent million dollar endorsement with Stride gum which includes his very own flavor. There wasn’t any worry when he couldn’t renew his sponsorship with Red Bull, because he’ll probably sign a deal three times as big with either Coca-Cola or Pepsi.

The marketing implications he has are huge and it’s not just within the action sports world. He is considered one of the most polarizing male athlete figures across all professional sports. He has amazing power as a source with his continued victories on the slope and in the skate park, and also has great attractiveness to him with his long red hair look a.k.a The Flying Tomato. But it’s not just his hair that gets marketers salivating over the chance for him to be there sponsor, it’s his attitude toward his accolades and how he seems like a genuine real person accomplishing these great feats, not some stuck up superstar who couldn’t care less. He has the ability to reach so many different markets and is some one young people across the world recognize and are compelled toward whether they participate in these action sports or not.

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Review by Kelly Fraser in KIN 435 (section 1)

According to Boston Herald Sports, professional skateboarder and snowboarder Shaun White is a quite marketable athlete. He’s won numerous X Games Gold Medals and has won a gold medal at the Olympics. Additionally, he continues to push the limits in his extreme sport and raises the bar during every competition he enters. What more can a company looking for a spokesperson or an endorser look? We can understand why White is a “marketing bonanza” by reading Brian Gomez’s article in The Colorado Gazette.

The article is a straightforward read detailing and explaining White’s current sponsorships and how he has continued to use his snowboard to promote himself and other companies at the same time. The article states that White “has 1.8 million fans on Facebook and 756,900 followers on Twitter, and almost any video of him on YouTube is an instant hit - a 2-minute clip of the private halfpipe that Red Bull built for him to use for Olympic training in Silverton has been viewed 3.1 million times”. Quiet frankly, I’m not sure why Shaun doesn’t have more than 5 million fans on Facebook. Seeing as though Facebook now has reached over 500 million fans and the fact that White has become an international extreme athlete sensation over the past five years would make one think that White might increase his followers and fans by now; but, he is only 25 years of age, so he still has many years ahead of him to increase his rock star level status in the U.S. and overseas.

Furthermore, the article correctly explains why Shaun White has become so marketable for top organizations. The author included many necessary facts about his accomplishments in sports and as a spokesman for many firms. It’s easy to understand why Shaun White could potentially be the as big in extreme sports as Michael Jordan or Lance Armstrong were in their sports, respectively. He’s always natural in front of the camera, goes with the flow, and continues to be himself. Companies enjoy athletes that are easily marketable, outgoing, and approachable. “The Flying Tomato” has and will become an instant hit wherever you see him.