From KLAS-TV Las Vegas
Analysis by Samantha O'Brien in SRM 334 (section 2)
Hall of Fame coach of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Jerry Tarkanian passed away last Wednesday, February 11th. He had taken the Runnin’ Rebels to four Final Fours and won the national championship in 1990. Over the course of his coaching career with the Rebels, he had a win-loss ratio of 509-105. His entire coaching career consisted of a 7.90 winning percentage, which is extremely high. He fought and received $2.5 million after a long battle over suing the NCAA for trying to kick him out of college basketball.
After the death of “Tark the Shark,” two Las Vegas locals Tony Cordasco and Scott Gulbransen felt that his life meant much more to Las Vegas than to simply have a public and private funeral. They felt the community, as a whole, should celebrate the life of Coach Jerry Tarkanian. They thought, what better way to do that than to honor him with one of the most noble Las Vegas tributes there is: having the Las Vegas strip dim their lights for a few minutes. This is usually only done for entertainers and Earth Day, but many people believe Coach Tark deserved it too.
The social media, or more specifically, Twitter, blew up once the #DimTheLights4Tark hashtag began trending. Once news spread of his death, it took less than a week for it to take over twitter and actually got most of the hotels and casinos to agree to dim their lights for three minutes in his honor.
Not only was that trending, but there is now also a twitter page called Dim The Lights 4 Tark furthering the campaign. There is now a #PackTheMackInBlack hashtag. This one is to spread the word about the blackout in the gym for the Runnin’ Rebels game this Wednesday (tonight). All players will be wearing black, and they want all of the fans to do it as well, out of respect for Coach Tark. The dimming of the lights will take place a few hours after the game at 10:30 pm PT for three minutes.
This is important to our class because it shows the power of social media. We often see a lot of stories about negative things that athletes, coaches, and administrators do or say, and they spread like wild fire. The same goes for good things too. Two men wanted to do something special for Coach Tark. Less than a week later, they get approval for this tribute, and the news spread through the entire United States. It only took one week for the message to reach all areas of the country, and probably other countries as well. The Internet, social media, is a very powerful tool. When used the right way, we can do great things with it.
Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts
Sunday, February 22, 2015
"Bleacher Report and Snapchat Form Unique New Sports Media Partnership"
From Bleacher Report
Analysis by Andrew Brownlee in SRM 334 (section 2)
From the start of sports being played, people have been trying to figure out the most popular and effective way to cover and report on them. From newspapers and radio, to television and Internet, sports have become both easier to follow and quicker to get results. Two companies have gotten together (Snapchat & Bleacher Report) to form a new way to report live sporting events that might just leave the current media networks in the past.
Snapchat is a photo messaging application that users can take pictures, record short videos, (10 seconds max) then text or drawing and send them to a controlled list of receivers. Bleacher Report is an American digital media company that has the task of covering hundreds of teams and sports all over the globe. These two companies have partnered up to create a new unique method to cover sports.
Bleacher Report and Snapchat plan on expanding their network to the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. By giving a 10 second teasers, fans will be able to get a taste of the sporting events and have access to the full stories on Bleach Reports website. With increasing interest in American sports such as Football and Basketball in Europe, Snapchat will be a great way for people to get an idea of what goes on before, during, and after events. Large Companies such as the NFL and the MLB would love to expand their fan bases globally. By combining these to companies, the world audience will be able to follow sporting events live and feel like they are at the event.
Snapchat and Bleacher Report are not just inventing a new type of media outlet. They are created an innovation that will revolutionize sports media. As future sports managers, our class will be responsible for learning the best new ways to bring news to the public. I believe that the new innovation will compare to radio, television, and Internet in history. By educating the class on this subject, they will be more aware of this topic and be on the forefront of leading this new type of sports media.
Analysis by Andrew Brownlee in SRM 334 (section 2)
From the start of sports being played, people have been trying to figure out the most popular and effective way to cover and report on them. From newspapers and radio, to television and Internet, sports have become both easier to follow and quicker to get results. Two companies have gotten together (Snapchat & Bleacher Report) to form a new way to report live sporting events that might just leave the current media networks in the past.
Snapchat is a photo messaging application that users can take pictures, record short videos, (10 seconds max) then text or drawing and send them to a controlled list of receivers. Bleacher Report is an American digital media company that has the task of covering hundreds of teams and sports all over the globe. These two companies have partnered up to create a new unique method to cover sports.
Bleacher Report and Snapchat plan on expanding their network to the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. By giving a 10 second teasers, fans will be able to get a taste of the sporting events and have access to the full stories on Bleach Reports website. With increasing interest in American sports such as Football and Basketball in Europe, Snapchat will be a great way for people to get an idea of what goes on before, during, and after events. Large Companies such as the NFL and the MLB would love to expand their fan bases globally. By combining these to companies, the world audience will be able to follow sporting events live and feel like they are at the event.
Snapchat and Bleacher Report are not just inventing a new type of media outlet. They are created an innovation that will revolutionize sports media. As future sports managers, our class will be responsible for learning the best new ways to bring news to the public. I believe that the new innovation will compare to radio, television, and Internet in history. By educating the class on this subject, they will be more aware of this topic and be on the forefront of leading this new type of sports media.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Outspoken Athletes
From The Players' Tribune, The Cauldron, David-Wise.com, and Jacob Webster
Analysis by J. Reid Dickerson in SRM 334 (section 2)
Ever changing technology has allowed for significant growths in journalism and news reporting. News journalism has gone from regional reporting to international, from pens and paper to laptops and recording devices, and from newspapers and journals to radio and television then to internet reporting and cellphone news updates. Also with the improvements in technology, there is an increase in the amount of pundits putting forth their opinion on certain topics in the news. Nowadays, anyone can get or give opinions on certain news topics in a number of ways from comments on a news article to phone calls to a television station or radio station. The growing popularity of the public being interested in the opinions of former players and reporters on certain topics has led to many networks such as ESPN, ABC, NBC, and FOX News giving their analysts talk shows to voice their opinions to the tune of fantastic ratings and high listenerships. This occurrence is most popular in the sports reporting world with shows like Mike and Mike, First Take, and The Herd with Colin Cowherd, all on ESPN, featuring reporters giving their opinions on athletes and certain sports. This way of reporting has put the athlete at a disadvantage because it gives the athletes no real way to respond to their critics except in interviews and game news conferences where they have to field questions and can’t always respond the way they want. Because of this, more and more athletes have been writing first person articles to show their perspectives on certain sports topics, giving the fan a completely new way to interact with the athletes of their favorite sports.
When Derek Jeter retired in 2014, he quickly invested himself in life after baseball by starting a website called The Players Tribune, a website that gives current players a voice and a way to share their opinions, ideas and thoughts on their sports and athletics as a whole. Contributing writers and topics that have been tackled have been Derek Jeter on cleaning out his locker, Blake Griffin about Donald Sterling and the teams overall thoughts about the entire situation, and Danica Patrick on racing against her boyfriend. The Players Tribune seems to be the leading outlet for athletes to contribute their ideas and thoughts but is not the only way for athletes to let their voices be heard.
Blog posts and letters also are a way for athletes to give their view and outlook. Recently, Josh Gordon has published a letter he wrote to Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, and other individuals who had criticized him for repeatedly getting suspended from the NFL for marijuana and alcohol related transgressions. In the letter, he describes why he got suspended most recently and why he doesn’t care what Stephen A. Smith or anyone else has to say about him because he has never met them. The article was hard to believe and seemed like a long string of excuses written by a hard-headed person who doesn’t want to stop living the life he is living but perhaps it is really the truth.
Other blog examples have come from the freeskiing community. Before the X Games one week ago, many people in the ski and snowboard community were in an uproar about the double booking of the FIS World Championships and the Winter X Games Aspen on the same weekend, making it nearly impossible for athletes to make both contests. Each contests has its merits. The FIS World Championships is the top competition offered by the FIS and has strong ties to Olympic qualifying. The X Games are the action sports world top contest and the first of its kind. Both David Wise, half pipe skier who is defending champion at both events, and Jacob Wester, who is not competing at either event, published articles describing the unprecedented problem, both with their own points. David Wise explained that the FIS were acting very arrogantly by expecting the top action sports stars in the world to skip the X Games, an event that was literally made for them, and attend the FIS World Championships. The X Games have always been held the weekend before the Super Bowl so as to obtain the greatest viewership and by the FIS scheduling their contest the same dates showed their pompous attitude and uncaring nature towards freestyle events. David Wise explained that he and other athletes tried to get the FIS to move the freeskiing events to the beginning of the contest so the athletes could make both events, to which they refused. The fact that the top 16 (16 riders is a full field) skiers and snowboarders for each discipline were on location in Aspen for X Games shows how much these athletes care about the X Games. In Jacob Wester’s post, he explained how he liked the comradery of the X Games because each athlete is competing for themselves instead of for their country as they are at the FIS World Championships which shows that the athletes are more supportive of each other doing well rather than winning for a country. Overall, the FIS hurt themselves by scheduling their event on top of the X Games because the best athletes were in Aspen and their competition was downgraded in intensity because of the lackluster attendees.
Due to the increase in these first person essays and blog posts written by current athletes who are in the middle of the sport and are most up to date on such topics rather than former athletes working for a news network, it seems that athletes are interested in sharing their opinions. The articles give fans an inside look at an athlete’s life and their feelings without the athlete feeling like they have to write the article or are writing it for someone else as they might feel in interview or news conferences. Hopefully, more athletes across all sports disciplines will join in and contribute their own pieces to continue this positive trend.
Analysis by J. Reid Dickerson in SRM 334 (section 2)
Ever changing technology has allowed for significant growths in journalism and news reporting. News journalism has gone from regional reporting to international, from pens and paper to laptops and recording devices, and from newspapers and journals to radio and television then to internet reporting and cellphone news updates. Also with the improvements in technology, there is an increase in the amount of pundits putting forth their opinion on certain topics in the news. Nowadays, anyone can get or give opinions on certain news topics in a number of ways from comments on a news article to phone calls to a television station or radio station. The growing popularity of the public being interested in the opinions of former players and reporters on certain topics has led to many networks such as ESPN, ABC, NBC, and FOX News giving their analysts talk shows to voice their opinions to the tune of fantastic ratings and high listenerships. This occurrence is most popular in the sports reporting world with shows like Mike and Mike, First Take, and The Herd with Colin Cowherd, all on ESPN, featuring reporters giving their opinions on athletes and certain sports. This way of reporting has put the athlete at a disadvantage because it gives the athletes no real way to respond to their critics except in interviews and game news conferences where they have to field questions and can’t always respond the way they want. Because of this, more and more athletes have been writing first person articles to show their perspectives on certain sports topics, giving the fan a completely new way to interact with the athletes of their favorite sports.
When Derek Jeter retired in 2014, he quickly invested himself in life after baseball by starting a website called The Players Tribune, a website that gives current players a voice and a way to share their opinions, ideas and thoughts on their sports and athletics as a whole. Contributing writers and topics that have been tackled have been Derek Jeter on cleaning out his locker, Blake Griffin about Donald Sterling and the teams overall thoughts about the entire situation, and Danica Patrick on racing against her boyfriend. The Players Tribune seems to be the leading outlet for athletes to contribute their ideas and thoughts but is not the only way for athletes to let their voices be heard.
Blog posts and letters also are a way for athletes to give their view and outlook. Recently, Josh Gordon has published a letter he wrote to Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, and other individuals who had criticized him for repeatedly getting suspended from the NFL for marijuana and alcohol related transgressions. In the letter, he describes why he got suspended most recently and why he doesn’t care what Stephen A. Smith or anyone else has to say about him because he has never met them. The article was hard to believe and seemed like a long string of excuses written by a hard-headed person who doesn’t want to stop living the life he is living but perhaps it is really the truth.
Other blog examples have come from the freeskiing community. Before the X Games one week ago, many people in the ski and snowboard community were in an uproar about the double booking of the FIS World Championships and the Winter X Games Aspen on the same weekend, making it nearly impossible for athletes to make both contests. Each contests has its merits. The FIS World Championships is the top competition offered by the FIS and has strong ties to Olympic qualifying. The X Games are the action sports world top contest and the first of its kind. Both David Wise, half pipe skier who is defending champion at both events, and Jacob Wester, who is not competing at either event, published articles describing the unprecedented problem, both with their own points. David Wise explained that the FIS were acting very arrogantly by expecting the top action sports stars in the world to skip the X Games, an event that was literally made for them, and attend the FIS World Championships. The X Games have always been held the weekend before the Super Bowl so as to obtain the greatest viewership and by the FIS scheduling their contest the same dates showed their pompous attitude and uncaring nature towards freestyle events. David Wise explained that he and other athletes tried to get the FIS to move the freeskiing events to the beginning of the contest so the athletes could make both events, to which they refused. The fact that the top 16 (16 riders is a full field) skiers and snowboarders for each discipline were on location in Aspen for X Games shows how much these athletes care about the X Games. In Jacob Wester’s post, he explained how he liked the comradery of the X Games because each athlete is competing for themselves instead of for their country as they are at the FIS World Championships which shows that the athletes are more supportive of each other doing well rather than winning for a country. Overall, the FIS hurt themselves by scheduling their event on top of the X Games because the best athletes were in Aspen and their competition was downgraded in intensity because of the lackluster attendees.
Due to the increase in these first person essays and blog posts written by current athletes who are in the middle of the sport and are most up to date on such topics rather than former athletes working for a news network, it seems that athletes are interested in sharing their opinions. The articles give fans an inside look at an athlete’s life and their feelings without the athlete feeling like they have to write the article or are writing it for someone else as they might feel in interview or news conferences. Hopefully, more athletes across all sports disciplines will join in and contribute their own pieces to continue this positive trend.
Friday, April 4, 2014
"DeSean Jackson Cut by Eagles Minutes After Report About Possible Gang Ties Is Published"
From The Wire
Analysis by Connor Cunningham in SRM 334
For my current event I chose an article on DeSean Jackson and how he was released from the Eagles for possible gang relations. The article was on the website The Wire, and was written by Eric Levenson. The article discusses how the Eagles released DeSean Jackson mere minutes after a newspaper published a story that linked him to Los Angeles gang members. The story reported that Jackson had connection with L.A’s Crips gang. An associate of Jacksons form his rap label Jaccpot records was arrested for a gang related murder. The man was later acquitted of the murder charge, but this was still cause for concern for many. In 2012 there was another gang related murder near a building that one of Jackson’s family members owned. When police searched the place they found old receipts and gun permits of Jacksons. On top of this DeSean Jackson has been seen in several photos with one of the suspects from that murder, and is said to be flashing the Crips gang sign in these photos. This looks bad, although Jackson was never accused of any criminal wrongdoing. Eagles sources told NJ.com that, “a bad attitude, inconsistent work ethic, and missed meetings were the reason for his release”.
From a media/communications standpoint I believe Jackson was released because of gang ties. The Eagles were trying to trade him before the story went out, and once it was released it was the last straw for the Eagles. In 2013 DeSean Jackson hauled in 82 receptions for 1,332 yards and 9 TD’s. DeSean Jackson was 9th in the NFL in receiving yards in 2013. A guy like that doesn’t just get released over an attitude. There would have to be a team that would have traded for him? This may have been the thought a couple years ago but, ever since the murder by Aaron Hernandez many teams have stayed away from players that have character concerns, especially ones with reported gang ties. The media has had a field day with all of the allegations against DeSean Jackson. Many believe he is a bad teammate and what you would call a “cancer” to a locker-room, while others say he’s a guy who has a fiery attitude and is passionate about the game of football. The Eagles did not want to deal with Jackson, or the media attention that was coming with him.
Since his release DeSean Jackson has signed a contract to stay in the NFC East with the Washington Redskins. To relate it to our course, you have to look at the job the Redskins front office, coaches, and public relations department have ahead of them. How will they go about trying to fix the image many have of Jackson? Will they work at this or simply try to have people focus on his productivity on the field? As a Redskins fan my whole life I am ecstatic with the signing, and eager to see how this scenario plays out.
Analysis by Connor Cunningham in SRM 334
For my current event I chose an article on DeSean Jackson and how he was released from the Eagles for possible gang relations. The article was on the website The Wire, and was written by Eric Levenson. The article discusses how the Eagles released DeSean Jackson mere minutes after a newspaper published a story that linked him to Los Angeles gang members. The story reported that Jackson had connection with L.A’s Crips gang. An associate of Jacksons form his rap label Jaccpot records was arrested for a gang related murder. The man was later acquitted of the murder charge, but this was still cause for concern for many. In 2012 there was another gang related murder near a building that one of Jackson’s family members owned. When police searched the place they found old receipts and gun permits of Jacksons. On top of this DeSean Jackson has been seen in several photos with one of the suspects from that murder, and is said to be flashing the Crips gang sign in these photos. This looks bad, although Jackson was never accused of any criminal wrongdoing. Eagles sources told NJ.com that, “a bad attitude, inconsistent work ethic, and missed meetings were the reason for his release”.
From a media/communications standpoint I believe Jackson was released because of gang ties. The Eagles were trying to trade him before the story went out, and once it was released it was the last straw for the Eagles. In 2013 DeSean Jackson hauled in 82 receptions for 1,332 yards and 9 TD’s. DeSean Jackson was 9th in the NFL in receiving yards in 2013. A guy like that doesn’t just get released over an attitude. There would have to be a team that would have traded for him? This may have been the thought a couple years ago but, ever since the murder by Aaron Hernandez many teams have stayed away from players that have character concerns, especially ones with reported gang ties. The media has had a field day with all of the allegations against DeSean Jackson. Many believe he is a bad teammate and what you would call a “cancer” to a locker-room, while others say he’s a guy who has a fiery attitude and is passionate about the game of football. The Eagles did not want to deal with Jackson, or the media attention that was coming with him.
Since his release DeSean Jackson has signed a contract to stay in the NFC East with the Washington Redskins. To relate it to our course, you have to look at the job the Redskins front office, coaches, and public relations department have ahead of them. How will they go about trying to fix the image many have of Jackson? Will they work at this or simply try to have people focus on his productivity on the field? As a Redskins fan my whole life I am ecstatic with the signing, and eager to see how this scenario plays out.
Monday, March 24, 2014
"Owner of NFL's Indianapolis Colts accused of intoxicated driving"
From Yahoo! Sports
Analysis by Madison McMillen in SRM 334
Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay was arrested on Monday March 17th for driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance. Irsay failed many field-sobriety tests when he was stopped late Sunday night for driving slow, stopping in the middle of the road, and not using his turn signal. When police searched his car they found many prescription drugs that did not match any of the labels they found on the pill bottles. After being processed at the Hamilton County Jail in Camel, Indiana Irsay was able to post bond and be released Monday afternoon. In a later article, Irsay is said to have checked himself in to a health care facility and is ready to get the help and care he needs.
Jim Irsay is said to be worth 1.6 billion dollars and as the Colt’s owner I would say he is a pretty important guy. The news of his arrest is a hot topic but I don’t believe the amount of publicity he’s getting is necessary. The media has given so much attention to Irsay over his negative actions when many people who are not so well known make these same choices and get arrested every day. He also publically announced his admittance into a health care facility which makes me wonder if he really wants to get help for himself or if people have forced him to do this because of how wide spread this news has gotten. While it is human nature for people to be curious over scandals of famous people or people in positions of power I believe a certain degree of restraint should be in place as these individuals are human and have family members who may be impacted by all of the negative media publicity. It is my opinion that personal issues should be left to the individual and their families to resolve on their own.
I think this is an important topic for our class to discuss because in our future jobs we will run into these sorts of issues whether it be an owner, coach, or athlete. By seeing how much media attention is given to an Owner for making a bad decision can help us understand how to handle the situation when something like this become an issue for whichever team we will end up working for. It also is a great example to use and learn from to help educate members of staff and players about having their personal issues being broadcasted because of their decisions.
Analysis by Madison McMillen in SRM 334
Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay was arrested on Monday March 17th for driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance. Irsay failed many field-sobriety tests when he was stopped late Sunday night for driving slow, stopping in the middle of the road, and not using his turn signal. When police searched his car they found many prescription drugs that did not match any of the labels they found on the pill bottles. After being processed at the Hamilton County Jail in Camel, Indiana Irsay was able to post bond and be released Monday afternoon. In a later article, Irsay is said to have checked himself in to a health care facility and is ready to get the help and care he needs.
Jim Irsay is said to be worth 1.6 billion dollars and as the Colt’s owner I would say he is a pretty important guy. The news of his arrest is a hot topic but I don’t believe the amount of publicity he’s getting is necessary. The media has given so much attention to Irsay over his negative actions when many people who are not so well known make these same choices and get arrested every day. He also publically announced his admittance into a health care facility which makes me wonder if he really wants to get help for himself or if people have forced him to do this because of how wide spread this news has gotten. While it is human nature for people to be curious over scandals of famous people or people in positions of power I believe a certain degree of restraint should be in place as these individuals are human and have family members who may be impacted by all of the negative media publicity. It is my opinion that personal issues should be left to the individual and their families to resolve on their own.
I think this is an important topic for our class to discuss because in our future jobs we will run into these sorts of issues whether it be an owner, coach, or athlete. By seeing how much media attention is given to an Owner for making a bad decision can help us understand how to handle the situation when something like this become an issue for whichever team we will end up working for. It also is a great example to use and learn from to help educate members of staff and players about having their personal issues being broadcasted because of their decisions.
"March Madness Twitter Ads Tip Off After Buzzer-Beater"
From Advertising Age
Analysis by Kelsey Holmes in KIN 501
With each new year of March Madness comes new sports marketing plans. The 3–Week long NCAA tournament is attracting businesses to put forth their very best social media marketing plans. All these companies have goals to be the most creative, wittiest, and fastest to tweet. The ad-revenue of March Madness continues to grow year by year and is steadily catching up to major events such as the Super Bowl. Marketers are debuting new ad campaigns and doing everything they can to get their name in the mix.
This year’s biggest trend will be “Real-Time” marketing. “From now through the NCAA's Final Four weekend in early April, brands will attempt to score marketing points after nail-biting games and general basketball-related social media activity.” While some efforts will be real-time reactions to game events others will be pre-planned. All types of brands; food, insurance, and even hotels are all buying in to get a piece of March Madness on Twitter.
There are 4 types of tweets taking place.
Real-Time: As soon as games end, brands are reacting with witty sayings and tweets to become part of the frenzy.
Prepared: Multiple tweets prepared before games and then used based on what’s happening
Promoted: Advertisement on users Timeline promoting a particular brand.
Intentionally Confusing: Tweets about sports and the brand but not necessarily basketball.
Using March Madness to advertise is a smart and efficient move for these companies. A major attractor is the variety of fans that watch march madness. March Madness attracts fans of all ages and sexes as well as the dedicated and leisure fan. Along with variety of fans come a variety of platforms. March Madness can be watched on television, the computer, tablets, and mobile devices. That means there are 4 channels on TV plus their websites and the March Madness website and mobile apps. This is extremely useful because consumers can be reached anywhere and multiple times a day.
This marketing strategy is extremely relevant and useful to this course. Real-Time marketing is an example of how marketers must evolve to stay relevant to the consumer. Companies must continue to adapt to “stay ahead of the game”. The importance of staying relevant is realer now than ever and the window to react is now slimmer than ever. Companies must now hire professionals specifically for Twitter. This person must be creative and witty and always have a pulse on their audience. Because of this need companies now have to rethink their hiring and the experience of their employees. Also, professionals looking for jobs will find it beneficial to have social media experience. Overall, I think that Real-Time marketing will become more common practice and expand outside of sporting events.
With each new year of March Madness comes new sports marketing plans. The 3–Week long NCAA tournament is attracting businesses to put forth their very best social media marketing plans. All these companies have goals to be the most creative, wittiest, and fastest to tweet. The ad-revenue of March Madness continues to grow year by year and is steadily catching up to major events such as the Super Bowl. Marketers are debuting new ad campaigns and doing everything they can to get their name in the mix.
This year’s biggest trend will be “Real-Time” marketing. “From now through the NCAA's Final Four weekend in early April, brands will attempt to score marketing points after nail-biting games and general basketball-related social media activity.” While some efforts will be real-time reactions to game events others will be pre-planned. All types of brands; food, insurance, and even hotels are all buying in to get a piece of March Madness on Twitter.
There are 4 types of tweets taking place.
Real-Time: As soon as games end, brands are reacting with witty sayings and tweets to become part of the frenzy.
Prepared: Multiple tweets prepared before games and then used based on what’s happening
Promoted: Advertisement on users Timeline promoting a particular brand.
Intentionally Confusing: Tweets about sports and the brand but not necessarily basketball.
Using March Madness to advertise is a smart and efficient move for these companies. A major attractor is the variety of fans that watch march madness. March Madness attracts fans of all ages and sexes as well as the dedicated and leisure fan. Along with variety of fans come a variety of platforms. March Madness can be watched on television, the computer, tablets, and mobile devices. That means there are 4 channels on TV plus their websites and the March Madness website and mobile apps. This is extremely useful because consumers can be reached anywhere and multiple times a day.
This marketing strategy is extremely relevant and useful to this course. Real-Time marketing is an example of how marketers must evolve to stay relevant to the consumer. Companies must continue to adapt to “stay ahead of the game”. The importance of staying relevant is realer now than ever and the window to react is now slimmer than ever. Companies must now hire professionals specifically for Twitter. This person must be creative and witty and always have a pulse on their audience. Because of this need companies now have to rethink their hiring and the experience of their employees. Also, professionals looking for jobs will find it beneficial to have social media experience. Overall, I think that Real-Time marketing will become more common practice and expand outside of sporting events.
"Beyond the Selfie: Is Snapchat the Next Frontier for Sports Franchises?"
From SportTechie
Analysis by Danielle Colassard in SRM 435 (section 2)
Snapchat is a photograph application that was created in July 2011. This application was created so people could not upload pictures they have already taken, but must take pictures of where they currently are. There are approximately 400,000,000 messages sent a day by its 30,000,000 users. However only 55 percent of those users use Snapchat daily. Snapchat became popular among teenagers and young adults within the past year or two, and now brands and franchises are using that information to their advantage. Knowing that teenagers and young adults use social media almost daily, brands and franchises have joined in and made those same social media accounts to get connected with the younger generation. The New Orleans Saints were the first sports franchise to join Snapchat. In December, the Saints had over 17,000 followers. In order to push content via Snapchat, sports franchises and brands must take a picture and post to what Snapchat calls “a story.” The picture they post to their “story” is only visible to their followers for 24 hours before it disappears. After they got their account, it was all word of mouth promotion for the New Orleans Saints. Snapchat does not have a direct link the Saints could post for their fans to see and follow, forcing fans to have to search for the Saints by themselves in order to actually be able to see the content the Saints send via Snapchat.
Sports teams are beginning to utilize Snapchat to appeal to their younger fans. Some teams are using the application to offer discount codes for game day tickets as well as team merchandise. Other teams are using it to announce a big reveal is coming from the team soon. Some teams are using Snapchat to have a new twist on scavenger hunts, or use it as a fun way to involve their team mascot. Where as others are using it to show content that fans would not get to see otherwise.
Using Snapchat to connect with their younger fans is a brilliant idea. With Snapchat being such a big hit with the younger generation, it is a great idea to use the social media younger fans are using. Using Snapchat for discount codes can be rewarding but also risky. As mentioned in class, giving discounts or gifts away may upset season ticket holders, as well as dilute the value of the product. Since Snapchat “stories” are only visible for 24 hours, the code should only be visible to the fans that look at the content daily. For professional teams it may be a little more risky than for a minor league team who are just trying to get fans to attend their games. Having a discount code for a Monday night game may benefit minor league teams in college towns or a town where minor league is the only team around.
Teams using snapchat to announce a big reveal coming soon, will get their fans looking at their content multiple times per day to see what is going to happen with the team. Using Snapchat for that purpose is smart because the team will have a lot of traffic going through their website as well as all of their social media accounts, promoting their name.
Franchises using Snapchat to show behind the scenes content that fans would not normally get to see is also a great idea. Fans love to see their favorite player in the locker room or some place they do not have access to see them. Fans also enjoy seeing their favorite players at the events they were not able to attend because they were stuck at work, college, or were not of age to attend the event. Using Snapchat can show those fans all of what they were missing.
Brands and franchises using Snapchat is relevant to this course because teams are marketing and selling their brand by using this application. They are sending content to their fans via Snapchat, a type of social media that not everyone has. It is a benefit to those that have the application on their phone. The content posted to the Snapchat Story is only available to those with a smartphone that allows them to download Snapchat. This benefits the younger generation because almost everyone has a smartphone, iPod, iPad with Snapchat access. Depending on what the team chooses to send out, they may gain interest of teenagers and young adults to want to work in the sport industry, helping it to grow. If a team sends out pictures or videos of event level of different stadiums or arenas, it may gain interest of students wanting to work in facilities. Snapchat can also be used as a promotional tool, providing contests for fans, giving incentives, as well as showing them when and where they can help with community projects or visit players for autograph sessions. Snapchat also shows what game days are like as well as the game themselves, getting fans to want to come back to the stadium to witness the atmosphere in person. Following other teams that are not necessarily a fan favorite, can show people how other stadiums are and what other teams are like behind the scenes.
As mentioned above, Snapchat is a great tool for marketing and promoting sports brands. Showing fans content they would not normally get to see is priceless. Seeing pictures or videos of their favorite player encourages them to come to games, buy merchandise or keep checking back for more.
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Analysis by Chelsea Weber in SRM 435 (section 2)
News about sports used to be limited to newspapers and television, but with social media taking the world by storm, there are unlimited outlets for fans to gain access to information about their favorite teams and players. The most recent social media to catch teams and fans attention is Snapchat. The first team to try out the app was the New Orleans Saints and both the fans and the team have found it quite successful. Snapchat is different than most apps in that the picture or video only lasts up to 24 hours. It is a more personal app than most in that the fans get a direct message from the team and only they can see the picture or video, unlike Twitter or Instagram where the text and pictures last forever and can be seen by anyone. Snapchat gives fans an inside and behind the scenes look at the team and players. This could potentially be a very positive and successful marketing tool if the teams use it correctly. Knowing that the app is used primarily by the younger generations, the organizations need to post things that appeal to that age group. Showing locker rooms, pre-game routines, off the field appearances, individual players, bloopers , etc., could gain the attention of potential fans, while keeping the existing fans. Teams can use Snapchat to promote team events, share team news, and even create challenges for the fans to take part in. All in all, Snapchat is another tool for teams and organizations to get their name out there and create more noise about the organization. It is a great way to market the team and could also create more sales, whether it be merchandise or ticket sales. Whether or not Snapchat is going to work or how long it’s going to last, teams should try it out and see what kind of response they get.
Snapchat is a photograph application that was created in July 2011. This application was created so people could not upload pictures they have already taken, but must take pictures of where they currently are. There are approximately 400,000,000 messages sent a day by its 30,000,000 users. However only 55 percent of those users use Snapchat daily. Snapchat became popular among teenagers and young adults within the past year or two, and now brands and franchises are using that information to their advantage. Knowing that teenagers and young adults use social media almost daily, brands and franchises have joined in and made those same social media accounts to get connected with the younger generation. The New Orleans Saints were the first sports franchise to join Snapchat. In December, the Saints had over 17,000 followers. In order to push content via Snapchat, sports franchises and brands must take a picture and post to what Snapchat calls “a story.” The picture they post to their “story” is only visible to their followers for 24 hours before it disappears. After they got their account, it was all word of mouth promotion for the New Orleans Saints. Snapchat does not have a direct link the Saints could post for their fans to see and follow, forcing fans to have to search for the Saints by themselves in order to actually be able to see the content the Saints send via Snapchat.
Sports teams are beginning to utilize Snapchat to appeal to their younger fans. Some teams are using the application to offer discount codes for game day tickets as well as team merchandise. Other teams are using it to announce a big reveal is coming from the team soon. Some teams are using Snapchat to have a new twist on scavenger hunts, or use it as a fun way to involve their team mascot. Where as others are using it to show content that fans would not get to see otherwise.
Using Snapchat to connect with their younger fans is a brilliant idea. With Snapchat being such a big hit with the younger generation, it is a great idea to use the social media younger fans are using. Using Snapchat for discount codes can be rewarding but also risky. As mentioned in class, giving discounts or gifts away may upset season ticket holders, as well as dilute the value of the product. Since Snapchat “stories” are only visible for 24 hours, the code should only be visible to the fans that look at the content daily. For professional teams it may be a little more risky than for a minor league team who are just trying to get fans to attend their games. Having a discount code for a Monday night game may benefit minor league teams in college towns or a town where minor league is the only team around.
Teams using snapchat to announce a big reveal coming soon, will get their fans looking at their content multiple times per day to see what is going to happen with the team. Using Snapchat for that purpose is smart because the team will have a lot of traffic going through their website as well as all of their social media accounts, promoting their name.
Franchises using Snapchat to show behind the scenes content that fans would not normally get to see is also a great idea. Fans love to see their favorite player in the locker room or some place they do not have access to see them. Fans also enjoy seeing their favorite players at the events they were not able to attend because they were stuck at work, college, or were not of age to attend the event. Using Snapchat can show those fans all of what they were missing.
Brands and franchises using Snapchat is relevant to this course because teams are marketing and selling their brand by using this application. They are sending content to their fans via Snapchat, a type of social media that not everyone has. It is a benefit to those that have the application on their phone. The content posted to the Snapchat Story is only available to those with a smartphone that allows them to download Snapchat. This benefits the younger generation because almost everyone has a smartphone, iPod, iPad with Snapchat access. Depending on what the team chooses to send out, they may gain interest of teenagers and young adults to want to work in the sport industry, helping it to grow. If a team sends out pictures or videos of event level of different stadiums or arenas, it may gain interest of students wanting to work in facilities. Snapchat can also be used as a promotional tool, providing contests for fans, giving incentives, as well as showing them when and where they can help with community projects or visit players for autograph sessions. Snapchat also shows what game days are like as well as the game themselves, getting fans to want to come back to the stadium to witness the atmosphere in person. Following other teams that are not necessarily a fan favorite, can show people how other stadiums are and what other teams are like behind the scenes.
As mentioned above, Snapchat is a great tool for marketing and promoting sports brands. Showing fans content they would not normally get to see is priceless. Seeing pictures or videos of their favorite player encourages them to come to games, buy merchandise or keep checking back for more.
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Analysis by Chelsea Weber in SRM 435 (section 2)
News about sports used to be limited to newspapers and television, but with social media taking the world by storm, there are unlimited outlets for fans to gain access to information about their favorite teams and players. The most recent social media to catch teams and fans attention is Snapchat. The first team to try out the app was the New Orleans Saints and both the fans and the team have found it quite successful. Snapchat is different than most apps in that the picture or video only lasts up to 24 hours. It is a more personal app than most in that the fans get a direct message from the team and only they can see the picture or video, unlike Twitter or Instagram where the text and pictures last forever and can be seen by anyone. Snapchat gives fans an inside and behind the scenes look at the team and players. This could potentially be a very positive and successful marketing tool if the teams use it correctly. Knowing that the app is used primarily by the younger generations, the organizations need to post things that appeal to that age group. Showing locker rooms, pre-game routines, off the field appearances, individual players, bloopers , etc., could gain the attention of potential fans, while keeping the existing fans. Teams can use Snapchat to promote team events, share team news, and even create challenges for the fans to take part in. All in all, Snapchat is another tool for teams and organizations to get their name out there and create more noise about the organization. It is a great way to market the team and could also create more sales, whether it be merchandise or ticket sales. Whether or not Snapchat is going to work or how long it’s going to last, teams should try it out and see what kind of response they get.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
"'Boston Strong' emerges as rallying cry, from stadiums to tweets"
From MLB.com, ESPN.com and NBC News
Warning: the following video is not edited and contains inappropriate language
Analysis by Kelly Johanson in SRM 334 (section 1)
After the horrific bombings at the Boston Marathon in April, it’s like a fairy tale ending that the Red Sox won the World Series. Just like New York in 2001, sports in Boston have provided an escape and a safe haven for the fans. People in Boston have been waiting for something to cheer them up and they finally got it. In one of the articles we read it talked about the victory parade and how the duck boats stopped at the marathon finish line. Jonny Gomes got off his boat and put the trophy on the finish line and it was closure to something that had been devastating for that city. Every article we read revolved around the phrase “Boston Strong”. These two words drove the city to recover and gave them something to rally behind. Victims of the bombings were welcomed to games and many of them threw out the first pitch at different games. The Red Sox players showed their support off the field as well. They went to visit five different hospitals and didn’t want anyone to plan it for them; they wanted to go in small groups.
The phrase and hash tag ‘BostonStrong’ has gained much more popularity than people thought it ever would. It first gained popularity on twitter, especially when 3rd baseman Will Middlebrooks shared it on twitter. It was trending on twitter almost every time the Red Sox played. Now the phrase is on clothing, it’s used during news reports, on the radio and is recognizable around the world. What makes this phrase so popular is that it is short, you can say it pretty much along any lines and it will fit in any situation that surrounds Boston. It clearly describes Boston as being a resilient city that can make it through anything and that has been transferred to all of Boston’s sports. At the very end of the Bruins season they said it for them but it really has been the Red Sox’ mantra for the last 7 months. The marathon bombings and all the people injured have really given the Red Sox a chance to get major media attention. Whether the players wanted the attention for visiting victims in the hospitals or not, they got it. Everything that this team has done has been under the microscope and the people of Boston are looking at them for what they should do. People use sports to rally and that’s definitely what happened in Boston. The media made the Red Sox into the heroes of Boston. I think that the media created so much sympathy for the team that even people who would never root for the Red Sox began to cheer for them. As a Yankee fan I’ve always been against the Red Sox but when the World Series started I found myself hoping that the Red Sox to win. People wanted them to win because of everything they’ve dealt with over the last several months and so that this story had a happy ending. The media definitely portrayed all of this and it has made an incredible story for them to write about.
This all relates to our class because one of the biggest themes we’ve talked about on our class is social media and the popularity of twitter. The use of twitter during the marathon bombings and ever since has been getting bigger and bigger. Twitter breaks so many stories and is the first place most people learn about the news. We’ve also talked about the influence that the media can have on our perceptions. Everyone feels sympathy for Boston and everything that happened to them but the media has definitely built a huge story about overcoming hardships. These elaborate stories and seeing the victims has made non-Red Sox fans want to cheer for this team.
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Analysis by Megan Verpent in SRM 334 (section 1)
The Boston Red Sox are not typically referred to as “America’s team” in fact, many still reference them as the most racist team in Major League Baseball; not only were the last team to break the race barrier and sign an African American player, but “the image of black athletes experiencing racism, especially on the Red Sox, lingers.”(Montville, 1991). Despite the external critiques and the looming curses Boston had previously faced, this year the Red Sox became America’s team. This is in large part due the media’s portrayal of the organization and its players as not only as baseball players, but hometown heroes based on the way they responded to the Boston Marathon bombings which occurred at the beginning out the 2013 season in April.
Though our presentation focused on the post-World-Series champion Red Sox, we examined an article which was published by ESPN prior to the conclusion of the World-Series. It already depicted Boston as America’s baseball team. This article about the events of marathon bombings as well as the Red Sox regular season. However, the article did not just include the recorded wins and losses by the Red Sox, it also included personal stories of people who survived the bombing. The article featured Heather Abbott’s backstory. She survived the bombing, but lost a portion of her leg and was forced to relearn hot to walk. She threw out the first pitch of one of Boston’s home games at Fenway Park. The article concludes with how the Red Sox organization has helped in the recovery of the individuals affected by the marathon bombings as well as Boston as a community.
Most articles which are featured on ESPN.com and in ESPN the Magazine focus on sport. However, this article, “'Boston Strong' ... Sox have lived it” the game of baseball is a backstory. The victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and the way the Red Sox organization responded was the focal point. David Ortiz was no longer a designated hitter, the media solidified him as a symbol of the reuniting of Boston. The timing of this article’s publication, pre-championship, conveys the message that the media wanted America to understand which was, root for the Red Sox because a World-Series win would be bigger than baseball. There was no mention of the St. Louis Cardinals or the playoffs during this article which explains once again that the 2013 World-Series was not about baseball. ESPN, as well as other media outlets, focused on the victims recovering from injuries suffered in the attacks and the players of the Red Sox visiting or helping them. This was a way to garner non-baseball fans and engage them in the baseball season. Essentially, they used this angle to sympathize with the city of Boston and the victims to gain more viewers and fans.
Sport is directly linked to our everyday lives. Often when there is a tragedy, such as September 11, 2001, or the Boston Marathon bombing, people use sports as a way to escape. This is an example of how sport media outlets, including this article by ESPN reached beyond the average fan. Sport media does not only affect the way in which we watch sports, but also in the way which we relate to events in everyday life.
Warning: the following video is not edited and contains inappropriate language
Analysis by Kelly Johanson in SRM 334 (section 1)
After the horrific bombings at the Boston Marathon in April, it’s like a fairy tale ending that the Red Sox won the World Series. Just like New York in 2001, sports in Boston have provided an escape and a safe haven for the fans. People in Boston have been waiting for something to cheer them up and they finally got it. In one of the articles we read it talked about the victory parade and how the duck boats stopped at the marathon finish line. Jonny Gomes got off his boat and put the trophy on the finish line and it was closure to something that had been devastating for that city. Every article we read revolved around the phrase “Boston Strong”. These two words drove the city to recover and gave them something to rally behind. Victims of the bombings were welcomed to games and many of them threw out the first pitch at different games. The Red Sox players showed their support off the field as well. They went to visit five different hospitals and didn’t want anyone to plan it for them; they wanted to go in small groups.
The phrase and hash tag ‘BostonStrong’ has gained much more popularity than people thought it ever would. It first gained popularity on twitter, especially when 3rd baseman Will Middlebrooks shared it on twitter. It was trending on twitter almost every time the Red Sox played. Now the phrase is on clothing, it’s used during news reports, on the radio and is recognizable around the world. What makes this phrase so popular is that it is short, you can say it pretty much along any lines and it will fit in any situation that surrounds Boston. It clearly describes Boston as being a resilient city that can make it through anything and that has been transferred to all of Boston’s sports. At the very end of the Bruins season they said it for them but it really has been the Red Sox’ mantra for the last 7 months. The marathon bombings and all the people injured have really given the Red Sox a chance to get major media attention. Whether the players wanted the attention for visiting victims in the hospitals or not, they got it. Everything that this team has done has been under the microscope and the people of Boston are looking at them for what they should do. People use sports to rally and that’s definitely what happened in Boston. The media made the Red Sox into the heroes of Boston. I think that the media created so much sympathy for the team that even people who would never root for the Red Sox began to cheer for them. As a Yankee fan I’ve always been against the Red Sox but when the World Series started I found myself hoping that the Red Sox to win. People wanted them to win because of everything they’ve dealt with over the last several months and so that this story had a happy ending. The media definitely portrayed all of this and it has made an incredible story for them to write about.
This all relates to our class because one of the biggest themes we’ve talked about on our class is social media and the popularity of twitter. The use of twitter during the marathon bombings and ever since has been getting bigger and bigger. Twitter breaks so many stories and is the first place most people learn about the news. We’ve also talked about the influence that the media can have on our perceptions. Everyone feels sympathy for Boston and everything that happened to them but the media has definitely built a huge story about overcoming hardships. These elaborate stories and seeing the victims has made non-Red Sox fans want to cheer for this team.
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Analysis by Megan Verpent in SRM 334 (section 1)
The Boston Red Sox are not typically referred to as “America’s team” in fact, many still reference them as the most racist team in Major League Baseball; not only were the last team to break the race barrier and sign an African American player, but “the image of black athletes experiencing racism, especially on the Red Sox, lingers.”(Montville, 1991). Despite the external critiques and the looming curses Boston had previously faced, this year the Red Sox became America’s team. This is in large part due the media’s portrayal of the organization and its players as not only as baseball players, but hometown heroes based on the way they responded to the Boston Marathon bombings which occurred at the beginning out the 2013 season in April.
Though our presentation focused on the post-World-Series champion Red Sox, we examined an article which was published by ESPN prior to the conclusion of the World-Series. It already depicted Boston as America’s baseball team. This article about the events of marathon bombings as well as the Red Sox regular season. However, the article did not just include the recorded wins and losses by the Red Sox, it also included personal stories of people who survived the bombing. The article featured Heather Abbott’s backstory. She survived the bombing, but lost a portion of her leg and was forced to relearn hot to walk. She threw out the first pitch of one of Boston’s home games at Fenway Park. The article concludes with how the Red Sox organization has helped in the recovery of the individuals affected by the marathon bombings as well as Boston as a community.
Most articles which are featured on ESPN.com and in ESPN the Magazine focus on sport. However, this article, “'Boston Strong' ... Sox have lived it” the game of baseball is a backstory. The victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and the way the Red Sox organization responded was the focal point. David Ortiz was no longer a designated hitter, the media solidified him as a symbol of the reuniting of Boston. The timing of this article’s publication, pre-championship, conveys the message that the media wanted America to understand which was, root for the Red Sox because a World-Series win would be bigger than baseball. There was no mention of the St. Louis Cardinals or the playoffs during this article which explains once again that the 2013 World-Series was not about baseball. ESPN, as well as other media outlets, focused on the victims recovering from injuries suffered in the attacks and the players of the Red Sox visiting or helping them. This was a way to garner non-baseball fans and engage them in the baseball season. Essentially, they used this angle to sympathize with the city of Boston and the victims to gain more viewers and fans.
Sport is directly linked to our everyday lives. Often when there is a tragedy, such as September 11, 2001, or the Boston Marathon bombing, people use sports as a way to escape. This is an example of how sport media outlets, including this article by ESPN reached beyond the average fan. Sport media does not only affect the way in which we watch sports, but also in the way which we relate to events in everyday life.
Monday, October 28, 2013
"England manager Roy Hodgson apologizes for monkey joke"
From Sports Illustrated
Analysis by Alexandra Sullivan in SRM 334 (section 2)
On Thursday October 17th CNN Sports Illustrated posted an article about England’s soccer team manager Roy Hodgson. England played Poland on Tuesday October 15th, which was a big game because the winner would advance to the World Cup. England ended up winning 2-0 against Poland. The article focuses on a greater issue rather than writing about England celebrating the win to advance to the world cup. During half time, Roy Hodgson compared player Andros Townsend to a space monkey. Hodgson meant the comparison as a compliment and did not think about a monkey being a racial slur. The media blew this story out of proportion because Townsend is half black, which means a monkey comment towards him could be taken offensively. Hodgson realized what he had said and apologized to Townsend, the team, and the FA (Football Association). Townsend and other teammates took to twitter to defend Hodgson. Townsend assured the FA and Hodgson that he did not take any offense to the monkey comment, he understood the point the coach was trying to make. Hodgson used the space monkey joke as a generation joke. Space monkeys were used by NASA in the 1960s and 70s and the monkeys were known to be intelligent animals that contributed to success in space flights. Townsend knew Hodgson used this comparison as a good thing. Anti-racism group Kick It Out and anti-discrimination group FARE are demanding an investigation to the story. These groups wanted to publicize this comment to make people aware that the words they are use can be taken offensively. Kick It Out and FARE took to twitter to comment about this story. These groups tweeted that Hodgson knew what he was saying and needs to be aware that he is in a diverse environment and should not be using those kinds of words. The chairman of the FA is backing up Hodgson saying he is an honorable man who is doing a great job coaching the England soccer team. The FA and team stand by Hodgson.
Hodgson is bringing in negative media attention to the team in a time of happiness and celebration. If it were not for social media this story would not have gotten as much attention as it is getting. Now-a-days people are able to freely express their thoughts for everyone to see. Kick It Out and FARE are able to reach more people through social media and get their thoughts to the public faster. Stories spread like wild fire on social media. It is easy for people to share stories to one another and give their opinions. In this case social media blew up the story more than it should have because Hodgson immediately apologizes and no one took offense to the comment. Even with no offense taken from the players, some people still had a problem with the words used and expressed their thoughts through the use of twitter.This issue is relevant to SRM 334 because it proves that everyone contributes to news stories. People can use blogs, facebook, twitter, and other social media outlets to quickly get information out or get their word out. Not everyone has to be a certified journalist or news reporter to get a story out into the public. It is easier for people to stay updated on breaking stories or access information on an issue through the use of social media. Twitter was used positively and negatively in this article. Townsend and teammates were able to assure the public that they still support their coach and this comment was an innocent mistake. On the other hand Kick It Out and FARE were able to use twitter to inform people that comments like that are not acceptable and people need to be aware of their surrounding and the words they use.
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On October 16th 2013, Manager Roy Hodgson apologized for making a monkey joke during halftime of the England vs. Poland match, the day prior. Someone from Hodgson’s team leaked information to The Sun newspaper, that during halftime he made a joke about space monkeys in the England Locker room as he was trying to explain to his players that they needed to pass the ball to Andros Townsend. Townsend is African American and the word “monkey” has been used in the past in racial context.
The monkey joke that Hodgson used was referring to space monkeys that NASA sent into space in the 1960s and 70s. In the statement that Hodgson released Wednesday night, he mentioned that he did not mean the comment in an inappropriate way and made that clear to Andros as soon as it happened. He talked with Andros again the next day to make sure Andros understood the way he meant the comment. Andros understood what he really meant with the comment and assured Hodgson and the Football Association that he took no offense to it.
Andros and many other England players took to twitter to defend Hodgson. None of the players thought it was meant in a racist way and think it is ridiculous that it is being reported on. Greg Dyke, the Football Association chairman, also defended and supported Hodgson. However Kick It Out, an anti-racism organization, does not want a similar situation to happen again, so they are demanding an investigation. Piara Power, the executive director of FARE an anti-discrimination organization, also took to twitter mentioning that Hodgson should have known better and it was silly of him to use that term.
If this information had not been leaked to the media and then published, this situation could have been completely avoided. The media took this and ran with it. Not a single player was offended by the comment made and Hodgson did not mean it to be offensive in any way. He explains in this article that it is more of a generational joke. So therefore, anyone who knows of the monkey joke that took place in the 1960-70’s would be able to realize what he truly meant with this comment.
When the media publishes something that should have never been published, people are going to get frustrated and turn to social media to take out their opinions. This is exactly what happened in this situation. Twitter became an outlet for players and other people to comment on this issue. This information being leaked to the media and then published on the front page of The Sun newspaper also took away from the fact that England qualified for the World Cup by beating Poland. Instead of shedding positive light on the England team, the media is shed negative light on Hodgson, which took away from this great achievement. This article is very relevant to this course because this course is about sports media. This article is covering sports and it has to do with the media making this situation a much bigger issue than it should have been. The media is known to take negative issues and report on them because of the drama it creates. The media has certainly done this with this particular incident and it has not given the proper credit to a team that deserves huge recognition.
On Thursday October 17th CNN Sports Illustrated posted an article about England’s soccer team manager Roy Hodgson. England played Poland on Tuesday October 15th, which was a big game because the winner would advance to the World Cup. England ended up winning 2-0 against Poland. The article focuses on a greater issue rather than writing about England celebrating the win to advance to the world cup. During half time, Roy Hodgson compared player Andros Townsend to a space monkey. Hodgson meant the comparison as a compliment and did not think about a monkey being a racial slur. The media blew this story out of proportion because Townsend is half black, which means a monkey comment towards him could be taken offensively. Hodgson realized what he had said and apologized to Townsend, the team, and the FA (Football Association). Townsend and other teammates took to twitter to defend Hodgson. Townsend assured the FA and Hodgson that he did not take any offense to the monkey comment, he understood the point the coach was trying to make. Hodgson used the space monkey joke as a generation joke. Space monkeys were used by NASA in the 1960s and 70s and the monkeys were known to be intelligent animals that contributed to success in space flights. Townsend knew Hodgson used this comparison as a good thing. Anti-racism group Kick It Out and anti-discrimination group FARE are demanding an investigation to the story. These groups wanted to publicize this comment to make people aware that the words they are use can be taken offensively. Kick It Out and FARE took to twitter to comment about this story. These groups tweeted that Hodgson knew what he was saying and needs to be aware that he is in a diverse environment and should not be using those kinds of words. The chairman of the FA is backing up Hodgson saying he is an honorable man who is doing a great job coaching the England soccer team. The FA and team stand by Hodgson.
Hodgson is bringing in negative media attention to the team in a time of happiness and celebration. If it were not for social media this story would not have gotten as much attention as it is getting. Now-a-days people are able to freely express their thoughts for everyone to see. Kick It Out and FARE are able to reach more people through social media and get their thoughts to the public faster. Stories spread like wild fire on social media. It is easy for people to share stories to one another and give their opinions. In this case social media blew up the story more than it should have because Hodgson immediately apologizes and no one took offense to the comment. Even with no offense taken from the players, some people still had a problem with the words used and expressed their thoughts through the use of twitter.This issue is relevant to SRM 334 because it proves that everyone contributes to news stories. People can use blogs, facebook, twitter, and other social media outlets to quickly get information out or get their word out. Not everyone has to be a certified journalist or news reporter to get a story out into the public. It is easier for people to stay updated on breaking stories or access information on an issue through the use of social media. Twitter was used positively and negatively in this article. Townsend and teammates were able to assure the public that they still support their coach and this comment was an innocent mistake. On the other hand Kick It Out and FARE were able to use twitter to inform people that comments like that are not acceptable and people need to be aware of their surrounding and the words they use.
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Analysis by Samantha Mitchell in SRM 334 (section 2)
On October 16th 2013, Manager Roy Hodgson apologized for making a monkey joke during halftime of the England vs. Poland match, the day prior. Someone from Hodgson’s team leaked information to The Sun newspaper, that during halftime he made a joke about space monkeys in the England Locker room as he was trying to explain to his players that they needed to pass the ball to Andros Townsend. Townsend is African American and the word “monkey” has been used in the past in racial context.
The monkey joke that Hodgson used was referring to space monkeys that NASA sent into space in the 1960s and 70s. In the statement that Hodgson released Wednesday night, he mentioned that he did not mean the comment in an inappropriate way and made that clear to Andros as soon as it happened. He talked with Andros again the next day to make sure Andros understood the way he meant the comment. Andros understood what he really meant with the comment and assured Hodgson and the Football Association that he took no offense to it.
Andros and many other England players took to twitter to defend Hodgson. None of the players thought it was meant in a racist way and think it is ridiculous that it is being reported on. Greg Dyke, the Football Association chairman, also defended and supported Hodgson. However Kick It Out, an anti-racism organization, does not want a similar situation to happen again, so they are demanding an investigation. Piara Power, the executive director of FARE an anti-discrimination organization, also took to twitter mentioning that Hodgson should have known better and it was silly of him to use that term.
If this information had not been leaked to the media and then published, this situation could have been completely avoided. The media took this and ran with it. Not a single player was offended by the comment made and Hodgson did not mean it to be offensive in any way. He explains in this article that it is more of a generational joke. So therefore, anyone who knows of the monkey joke that took place in the 1960-70’s would be able to realize what he truly meant with this comment.
When the media publishes something that should have never been published, people are going to get frustrated and turn to social media to take out their opinions. This is exactly what happened in this situation. Twitter became an outlet for players and other people to comment on this issue. This information being leaked to the media and then published on the front page of The Sun newspaper also took away from the fact that England qualified for the World Cup by beating Poland. Instead of shedding positive light on the England team, the media is shed negative light on Hodgson, which took away from this great achievement. This article is very relevant to this course because this course is about sports media. This article is covering sports and it has to do with the media making this situation a much bigger issue than it should have been. The media is known to take negative issues and report on them because of the drama it creates. The media has certainly done this with this particular incident and it has not given the proper credit to a team that deserves huge recognition.
Friday, October 25, 2013
"Twitter Strikes Deal With NFL"
From the Wall Street Journal
Analysis by Allison Straley in SRM 435 (section 2)
The article “Twitter Strikes Deal With NFL” is an overview on the new relationship that has formed between Twitter and the NFL. This deal allows the NFL to tweet out news, analysis of games and players, as well as in-game highlights from the games on Thursday night and Sundays from the NFL Network as well as other programs such as CBS and Fox.
Adding the NFL highlights to Twitter is part of Twitter’s Amplify program. This is a revenue-generating program that lets organizations, such as the NFL, sponsor tweets that come up in users’ Twitter feeds. In every clip that the NFL puts out, there is a short ad embedded before the clip starts. The revenue generated from these ads is split between both companies. Coming from a marketing and promotion standpoint, I feel that there are positives and negatives to this new relationship. The main positive being that the NFL and Twitter both have such a huge following that what they are trying to accomplish will occur. With these tweets being ‘officially sponsored’ they automatically come up in a users’ Twitter feed so they are easily accessible during the game to see these highlights. However, and here is when the negatives arise, if for some reason a user is not going through Twitter during a game, when they go to check the next day they may have to scroll through multiple tweets before finding the clips. Being in a fast-paced society where consumers want things the quickest way possible, they might give up on finding the clips when they can possibly just YouTube them; especially having the ads play before.
This deal is relevant to the course because promotion is a main component of the marketing mix. Within promotion itself there are also components, two being publicity and licensing. These mixes are the basis of marketing and without them marketing would not exist. The NFL is using the licensing from Twitter to promote their in-game highlights on users’ feeds and they are giving these companies the publicity by playing the short ads before the clips to help generate revenue.
The President of Twitter’s Global Revenue, Adam Bain said, “putting the NFL's "highly coveted content" on Twitter "will not only offer our users a unique programming schedule which will deepen their engagement with our platform but will also provide our sponsors with a value proposition that few other partners can bring to the table” (Sharma, 2013).
This deal is one that other major programs should consider looking into. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to get information across, and with Twitter having millions of followers the NFL’s new platform is definitely going to take off.
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Analysis by Katherine Lampa in SRM 435 (section 2)
In our article “Twitter Strikes Deal With NFL”, the specifics of the deal between the two companies are discussed. It will be a twenty-four- seven service as the NFL plans to have a team “dedicated to producing programming for Twitter users seven days a week”(Sharma, 2013). Games that are aired on the NFL Network will be featured on Twitter during the game, while other highlights from other networks will come later. Every video tweeted will have a short advertisement before the start of the video and the NFL and whichever company is producing the ad will share the revenue. Verizon will be a main sponsor throughout the entire season including the Super Bowl as they will be the “exclusive Twitter advertiser”. They will be paying one billion dollars over the next four years to expand their “rights to air NFL games on cellphones through an NFL Mobile app”(Sharma, 2013). During Monday Night Football the NFL will be the only account tweeting out highlights as ESPN has not been awarded those rights.
The usage of Twitter will help actually get the ads in the face of consumers because they are short and you cannot skip by them like you may be able to do on television. Twitter has billions of users that are checking in all day every day so promoting the relationship between the NFL and Twitter will not be a problem. I think the deal creates great opportunities for both parties as Twitter continues to grow as the most widely used social media network and the NFL continues to dominate the sports world. As more people find out that clips are in- game highlights I think that more people will join Twitter to consequently follow the NFL. Marketing will pretty much take care of itself because Twitter is so easy to use. Twitter makes for a great promotions platform for the NFL because so many people can view these clips from all over the world. The publicity both the NFL and Twitter are going to get from this deal is going to be huge as they will promote each other constantly.
This relates to our class in a few ways, but mostly because it is a perfect example of social media taking over the sports world as a main promoter. While there is no person to person contact to reinforce the advertisements general users can still communicate with people in charge much easier than ever before. The use of Twitter to promote sports creates many more opportunities for great customer relations and community relations as fans can come together over Twitter. Overall, I am surprised it took this long for the two to sign an official deal and it will be interesting to see how it plays out and how popular it becomes.
Adding the NFL highlights to Twitter is part of Twitter’s Amplify program. This is a revenue-generating program that lets organizations, such as the NFL, sponsor tweets that come up in users’ Twitter feeds. In every clip that the NFL puts out, there is a short ad embedded before the clip starts. The revenue generated from these ads is split between both companies. Coming from a marketing and promotion standpoint, I feel that there are positives and negatives to this new relationship. The main positive being that the NFL and Twitter both have such a huge following that what they are trying to accomplish will occur. With these tweets being ‘officially sponsored’ they automatically come up in a users’ Twitter feed so they are easily accessible during the game to see these highlights. However, and here is when the negatives arise, if for some reason a user is not going through Twitter during a game, when they go to check the next day they may have to scroll through multiple tweets before finding the clips. Being in a fast-paced society where consumers want things the quickest way possible, they might give up on finding the clips when they can possibly just YouTube them; especially having the ads play before.
This deal is relevant to the course because promotion is a main component of the marketing mix. Within promotion itself there are also components, two being publicity and licensing. These mixes are the basis of marketing and without them marketing would not exist. The NFL is using the licensing from Twitter to promote their in-game highlights on users’ feeds and they are giving these companies the publicity by playing the short ads before the clips to help generate revenue.
The President of Twitter’s Global Revenue, Adam Bain said, “putting the NFL's "highly coveted content" on Twitter "will not only offer our users a unique programming schedule which will deepen their engagement with our platform but will also provide our sponsors with a value proposition that few other partners can bring to the table” (Sharma, 2013).
This deal is one that other major programs should consider looking into. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to get information across, and with Twitter having millions of followers the NFL’s new platform is definitely going to take off.
Analysis by Katherine Lampa in SRM 435 (section 2)
In our article “Twitter Strikes Deal With NFL”, the specifics of the deal between the two companies are discussed. It will be a twenty-four- seven service as the NFL plans to have a team “dedicated to producing programming for Twitter users seven days a week”(Sharma, 2013). Games that are aired on the NFL Network will be featured on Twitter during the game, while other highlights from other networks will come later. Every video tweeted will have a short advertisement before the start of the video and the NFL and whichever company is producing the ad will share the revenue. Verizon will be a main sponsor throughout the entire season including the Super Bowl as they will be the “exclusive Twitter advertiser”. They will be paying one billion dollars over the next four years to expand their “rights to air NFL games on cellphones through an NFL Mobile app”(Sharma, 2013). During Monday Night Football the NFL will be the only account tweeting out highlights as ESPN has not been awarded those rights.
The usage of Twitter will help actually get the ads in the face of consumers because they are short and you cannot skip by them like you may be able to do on television. Twitter has billions of users that are checking in all day every day so promoting the relationship between the NFL and Twitter will not be a problem. I think the deal creates great opportunities for both parties as Twitter continues to grow as the most widely used social media network and the NFL continues to dominate the sports world. As more people find out that clips are in- game highlights I think that more people will join Twitter to consequently follow the NFL. Marketing will pretty much take care of itself because Twitter is so easy to use. Twitter makes for a great promotions platform for the NFL because so many people can view these clips from all over the world. The publicity both the NFL and Twitter are going to get from this deal is going to be huge as they will promote each other constantly.
This relates to our class in a few ways, but mostly because it is a perfect example of social media taking over the sports world as a main promoter. While there is no person to person contact to reinforce the advertisements general users can still communicate with people in charge much easier than ever before. The use of Twitter to promote sports creates many more opportunities for great customer relations and community relations as fans can come together over Twitter. Overall, I am surprised it took this long for the two to sign an official deal and it will be interesting to see how it plays out and how popular it becomes.
"Leagues embrace Twitter, with eye on future revenue"
From SportBusiness Journal
Analysis by Alex Willner in SRM 435 (section 1)
Twitter has developed into an intriguing platform where sporting agencies can capitalize on consumer engagement and consumption. Many sports have recognized that twitter is a cheap and easy way to interact with fans and possible customers. The article “Leagues Embrace Twitter, With Eye on Future Revenue” explains how various sports view twitter as a powerful means to connect with fans on and off the field.
From a marketing standpoint, twitter is a perfect way for fans to stay tuned-in with team or player interest stories. At this point, twitter is not looked upon as such a way to maximize profits, but more of a menas for fans to stay connected with teams. Leagues believe twitter will drive profits in the long run but in the mean time, it is a great way to stay connected. During major sporting events such as the World Series, Final Four, and Super Bowl, sports can make up about 90 percent of all TV-related tweets. In the last month, the NFL and twitter signed a large-scale deal worth and undisclosed amount in the low eight figures. The deal includes football highlights, fantasy material and other content posted on the micro blogging site. In addition, the deal allows the league to partner with Twitter’s new Amplify advertising platform.
Twitter utilized the Nielson study as of August, which found 29 percent of 221 broadcast shows from across various genres, saw a significant increase in their live ratings from heightened Twitter activity. This not only is a sign that people closely follow Twitter feeds, but also and indication that people took action based off of tweets. An increase in viewership not only means greater exposure for teams, but also opens an intriguing opportunity for sponsors to become integrated. Existing NFL sponsors such as McDonalds and Verizon have signed on as advertisers in the venture. Both of these corporate partners have a shown their values and goals align closely with the NFL and feel they can mutually benefit from an opportunity such as this. Through extensive efforts between Twitter and leagues, there can be mutual benefits to maximize profits.
---Analysis by Schuyler LaClair in SRM 435 (section 1)
The past five to seven years nothing has grown quicker and more vastly than social media. Twitter is one of the top dogs when it comes to the social media industry. Twitter is so widely used now it’s starting to turn into an untapped marketing tool, especially to sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB. As John Ourand and Eric Fisher write in an article in Sports Business Journal, leagues are starting to embrace twitter as a possible tactic to increase their revenue stream.
Two main events that saw increased TV views along with high twitter activity were Sunday Night Football with the Cowboys versus the Redskins and Game 2 of the American League Championship Series with the Red Sox versus the Tigers on October 13th, 2013. Both games had a combined 1.1 million tweets along with increased viewership, SNF getting over 22 million viewers and the ALCS Game 2 around 8 million. Leagues are starting to see the connection between high twitter activity and TV viewership and ratings. The NFL is one league that is trying to partner with Twitter and harness the tools that Twitter offers tweeting game highlights and stats along with fantasy stats. They recently signed a one-year deal around eight figures to “test the waters” and other leagues are watching closely to see how it goes.
This relates to marketing to the point where this is just the start of a whole new type of marketing strategy. Even with leagues having high interest in possibly partnering up with Twitter they are still nervous about the risks of possible flopping if money were to be put into the idea. Over the next one to two years the NBA, MLB, and NHL will be watching closely to see not only what happens with the NFL but to gain more knowledge and find a link between Twitter activity and increased revenue. If successful, who knows where the marketing industry will be after social media tactics are introduced.
Analysis by Alex Willner in SRM 435 (section 1)
Twitter has developed into an intriguing platform where sporting agencies can capitalize on consumer engagement and consumption. Many sports have recognized that twitter is a cheap and easy way to interact with fans and possible customers. The article “Leagues Embrace Twitter, With Eye on Future Revenue” explains how various sports view twitter as a powerful means to connect with fans on and off the field.
From a marketing standpoint, twitter is a perfect way for fans to stay tuned-in with team or player interest stories. At this point, twitter is not looked upon as such a way to maximize profits, but more of a menas for fans to stay connected with teams. Leagues believe twitter will drive profits in the long run but in the mean time, it is a great way to stay connected. During major sporting events such as the World Series, Final Four, and Super Bowl, sports can make up about 90 percent of all TV-related tweets. In the last month, the NFL and twitter signed a large-scale deal worth and undisclosed amount in the low eight figures. The deal includes football highlights, fantasy material and other content posted on the micro blogging site. In addition, the deal allows the league to partner with Twitter’s new Amplify advertising platform.
Twitter utilized the Nielson study as of August, which found 29 percent of 221 broadcast shows from across various genres, saw a significant increase in their live ratings from heightened Twitter activity. This not only is a sign that people closely follow Twitter feeds, but also and indication that people took action based off of tweets. An increase in viewership not only means greater exposure for teams, but also opens an intriguing opportunity for sponsors to become integrated. Existing NFL sponsors such as McDonalds and Verizon have signed on as advertisers in the venture. Both of these corporate partners have a shown their values and goals align closely with the NFL and feel they can mutually benefit from an opportunity such as this. Through extensive efforts between Twitter and leagues, there can be mutual benefits to maximize profits.
---Analysis by Schuyler LaClair in SRM 435 (section 1)
The past five to seven years nothing has grown quicker and more vastly than social media. Twitter is one of the top dogs when it comes to the social media industry. Twitter is so widely used now it’s starting to turn into an untapped marketing tool, especially to sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB. As John Ourand and Eric Fisher write in an article in Sports Business Journal, leagues are starting to embrace twitter as a possible tactic to increase their revenue stream.
Two main events that saw increased TV views along with high twitter activity were Sunday Night Football with the Cowboys versus the Redskins and Game 2 of the American League Championship Series with the Red Sox versus the Tigers on October 13th, 2013. Both games had a combined 1.1 million tweets along with increased viewership, SNF getting over 22 million viewers and the ALCS Game 2 around 8 million. Leagues are starting to see the connection between high twitter activity and TV viewership and ratings. The NFL is one league that is trying to partner with Twitter and harness the tools that Twitter offers tweeting game highlights and stats along with fantasy stats. They recently signed a one-year deal around eight figures to “test the waters” and other leagues are watching closely to see how it goes.
This relates to marketing to the point where this is just the start of a whole new type of marketing strategy. Even with leagues having high interest in possibly partnering up with Twitter they are still nervous about the risks of possible flopping if money were to be put into the idea. Over the next one to two years the NBA, MLB, and NHL will be watching closely to see not only what happens with the NFL but to gain more knowledge and find a link between Twitter activity and increased revenue. If successful, who knows where the marketing industry will be after social media tactics are introduced.
Monday, October 21, 2013
David Price realized Twitter rant was a mistake
From USA Today
Analysis by Courtney Wright in SRM 334 (section 1)
After the frustrating game 2 of the ALDS, David Price took to twitter to let his followers be aware of how he felt. His frustrations stemmed from the TBS commentator’s comments on air and David Ortiz’s reaction to his two homeruns. On national television, TBS commentators Dirk Hayhurst and Tom Verducci said, “This is the playoffs, you can’t take any chances. He was out there past his prime. He should have come out sooner”. Price reacted to the commentators by insulting them and calling them nerds while implying they had never played sports at a higher level.
After the media took such notice to Price’s rant, he decided to send out an apology to all those who were offended by his words and disappointed with what he said. Along with tweeting an apology, Price reached out in person to the media and to David Ortiz. Ortiz replied with saying how they respect one another as players and that is was “no big deal”. The media made it seem like Price had it out for Ortiz and vice versa, when in reality it was just post-season competition, there were no personal vendettas against each other.
In light of the media coverage of Price’s twitter rampage, Rays’ GM, Joe Maddon, chimed in with his opinion of setting social media restrictions by stating, “I really hate to try to legislate behavior when it comes to these kinds of moments…David did the right thing after he did the wrong thing”. He does not think it is his place to make such decisions for his athletes and that they must learn from their mistakes and to respect the media. As we have discussed in class, respecting the media is important behavior by professional athletes in our modern day society. Price made it known how sorry he was for his actions and has learned a lesson he will most likely not make again any time soon.
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Analysis by Monica Paolicelli in SRM 334 (section 1)
After David Ortiz, of the Boston Red Sox, hit a homerun and watched it intently from home plate, David Price was furious with his performance throughout the night with a 7-4 loss. He called it a “dark spot in his career” and the TBS commentators could not agree more. Dirk Hayhurst and Tom Verducci commentated this ALDS game 2 and Hayhurst said “Price should have been pulled from the game earlier, you can’t take any chances. He was out there past his prime. He should’ve come out sooner.” Price was extremely embarrassed by this and criticized the TBS broadcast crew as being nerds and water boys during their sports careers. He took to Twitter with this tweet after the game, “Dirk Hayhurst … COULDN'T hack it … Tom Verducci wasn't even a water boy in high school … but they can still bash a player … SAVE IT NERDS” -@DAVIDprice14. Price’s criticisms proved nonsense as Verducci has covered the sport of baseball for decades and Hayhurst made the majors. David Price is saying that only those at or above his talent and accomplishment level have the right to criticize his performance. Do commentators, for any sport, have the right to criticize performance when a professional player is playing badly? I believe that they do have this right to inform the public audience with who is having a record-breaking game and who is having a bad performance that night. Athletes like David Price need to be aware that they are on television with a wide audience and will likely be criticized for performance. The media has the right to produce stories based on performances, even though they have never played professional baseball. This current event is all about respecting social media as well as professional commentators. David Price was angry, took to Twitter, and he definitely learned his lesson. He sent out an apology tweet shortly after explaining how he embarrassed himself, his family, and his organization. General Manager, Joe Maddon commented about installing social media policies throughout the organization with, “I really hate to try to legislate behavior when it comes to these kinds of moments … David did the right thing after he did the wrong thing.” Respecting all the constituents involved in sports media as well as coaches and other players takes a lot of self-control and humbleness. This is rare to find in professional sports where all athletes have stellar backgrounds and multiple honors.
Analysis by Courtney Wright in SRM 334 (section 1)
After the frustrating game 2 of the ALDS, David Price took to twitter to let his followers be aware of how he felt. His frustrations stemmed from the TBS commentator’s comments on air and David Ortiz’s reaction to his two homeruns. On national television, TBS commentators Dirk Hayhurst and Tom Verducci said, “This is the playoffs, you can’t take any chances. He was out there past his prime. He should have come out sooner”. Price reacted to the commentators by insulting them and calling them nerds while implying they had never played sports at a higher level.
After the media took such notice to Price’s rant, he decided to send out an apology to all those who were offended by his words and disappointed with what he said. Along with tweeting an apology, Price reached out in person to the media and to David Ortiz. Ortiz replied with saying how they respect one another as players and that is was “no big deal”. The media made it seem like Price had it out for Ortiz and vice versa, when in reality it was just post-season competition, there were no personal vendettas against each other.
In light of the media coverage of Price’s twitter rampage, Rays’ GM, Joe Maddon, chimed in with his opinion of setting social media restrictions by stating, “I really hate to try to legislate behavior when it comes to these kinds of moments…David did the right thing after he did the wrong thing”. He does not think it is his place to make such decisions for his athletes and that they must learn from their mistakes and to respect the media. As we have discussed in class, respecting the media is important behavior by professional athletes in our modern day society. Price made it known how sorry he was for his actions and has learned a lesson he will most likely not make again any time soon.
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Analysis by Monica Paolicelli in SRM 334 (section 1)
After David Ortiz, of the Boston Red Sox, hit a homerun and watched it intently from home plate, David Price was furious with his performance throughout the night with a 7-4 loss. He called it a “dark spot in his career” and the TBS commentators could not agree more. Dirk Hayhurst and Tom Verducci commentated this ALDS game 2 and Hayhurst said “Price should have been pulled from the game earlier, you can’t take any chances. He was out there past his prime. He should’ve come out sooner.” Price was extremely embarrassed by this and criticized the TBS broadcast crew as being nerds and water boys during their sports careers. He took to Twitter with this tweet after the game, “Dirk Hayhurst … COULDN'T hack it … Tom Verducci wasn't even a water boy in high school … but they can still bash a player … SAVE IT NERDS” -@DAVIDprice14. Price’s criticisms proved nonsense as Verducci has covered the sport of baseball for decades and Hayhurst made the majors. David Price is saying that only those at or above his talent and accomplishment level have the right to criticize his performance. Do commentators, for any sport, have the right to criticize performance when a professional player is playing badly? I believe that they do have this right to inform the public audience with who is having a record-breaking game and who is having a bad performance that night. Athletes like David Price need to be aware that they are on television with a wide audience and will likely be criticized for performance. The media has the right to produce stories based on performances, even though they have never played professional baseball. This current event is all about respecting social media as well as professional commentators. David Price was angry, took to Twitter, and he definitely learned his lesson. He sent out an apology tweet shortly after explaining how he embarrassed himself, his family, and his organization. General Manager, Joe Maddon commented about installing social media policies throughout the organization with, “I really hate to try to legislate behavior when it comes to these kinds of moments … David did the right thing after he did the wrong thing.” Respecting all the constituents involved in sports media as well as coaches and other players takes a lot of self-control and humbleness. This is rare to find in professional sports where all athletes have stellar backgrounds and multiple honors.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
"YouTube, Fox Sports Team Up for Online Video Ad Sales"
From Ad Age
Analysis by Melissa Kniceley in SRM 435 (section 2)
The prevalence of social media and ease of information searching has made the internet more relevant than ever before. Each year, advertising tactics and ways to reach the consumer are becoming more and more creative. Marketers are constantly looking for new ways to make their company stand out from the overflow of advertisements individuals are presented on every site.
Burger King has found a unique way to target their customers that could pave the way for future companies. Burger King has teamed up with Fox Sports to be the sole sponsor of their “Inside Fantasy” section on their YouTube channel. The branding opportunities for Burger King are virtually limitless- they are featured on the channel’s banners, advertisement videos that pop-up before the videos, and finally within the video itself. This channel of advertising has not been utilized before and will likely become more popular in the coming year because of the immense traffic YouTube’s site gets each day.
Many of the exact details of the deal between Burger King, Fox Sports, and YouTube are not disclosed. What is public knowledge is that Burger King “made an upfront spending commitment in exchange for a guaranteed number of video views and ad impressions.” The number of video views and ad impressions Burger King is guaranteed from the deal is unclear. The ad revenue split between YouTube and Fox Sports was also never disclosed. Typically, YouTube takes 45% of the ad revenue but they have been known to work out smaller percentages with some companies.
From a marketing standpoint, utilizing YouTube as a promotional tool to increase brand awareness is very smart. The number of site visits and video views YouTube gets each day are exponentially increasing so it is beneficial for any company to piggyback on their traffic. Being able to partner with specific channels makes marketing on YouTube ideal because companies can more efficiently reach their target market. The guaranteed number of video views and ad impressions is also a plus that other forms of advertising cannot offer. For example, a company may choose to send out an email to their database but the majority of bulk emails sent out are never opened because they are not sought after; in comparison, placing a video advertisement before a video that the individual clearly wants to view requires them to spend time acknowledging the brand whether they want to or not.
In conclusion, internet marketing as a whole is on the rise so it was smart for Burger King to utilize a new channel to reach their target market. The amount of branding they are getting out of their deal with Fox Sports is enormous and has the potential to increase their sales drastically. Because the campaign just recently launched there has not been any concrete results as to whether they will see a return on their investment or not, but I personally can envision a great return for the company.
Analysis by Matt Dumblauskas in SRM 435 (section 2)
The focus of the article concentrates on Fox Sports and YouTube partnering to sell advertisements on Fox Sports’ YouTube channel in which Burger King has been chosen to be the initial sponsor. This campaign is being used throughout Fox Sports’ “Inside Fantasy” segment on their YouTube channel. A Burger King advertisement can be found throughout the channel and the logo is even found during in the actual videos. Although the Fox Sports YouTube channel does not have nearly as many subscribers as the sport media industry giants, it still receives a good amount of internet traffic and is continuing to grow. The specific amount of money that Burger King is spending is undisclosed.
Fox Sports is one of the first sport media channels to jointly sell ads with YouTube. This theory of sponsoring YouTube channels is fairly new and I believe it is a trend that will continue to grow. From a promotional standpoint, it is smart to pair this advertising with the “Inside Fantasy” segment because the show will bring repeat viewers to the channel. It is also a good idea for them to use Burger King as their preroll advertisements on the actual videos because I am unsure how many people watch videos by going to the actual channel rather than searching for the single video they want to see. Having a different look and feel than other YouTube channels is a good way for the Fox Sports channel to attract extra attention. Aesthetics are an important factor in gaining and retaining the consumer’s attention. In the future, I can see companies related to sports take a similar approach and advertise on different YouTube channels that coincide with their mission and have the same idea as them.
This is relevant to this course because the sports industry is always looking for new ways to market and advertise to their customers. This is a great example of how marketing strategies change and adapt to the consumer. With the increase of social media, more and more companies are finding different ways to tap into the market. This also shows how a brand that has nothing to do with sports uses sports as a platform to advertise because of the sheer numbers that it appeals to.
The prevalence of social media and ease of information searching has made the internet more relevant than ever before. Each year, advertising tactics and ways to reach the consumer are becoming more and more creative. Marketers are constantly looking for new ways to make their company stand out from the overflow of advertisements individuals are presented on every site.
Burger King has found a unique way to target their customers that could pave the way for future companies. Burger King has teamed up with Fox Sports to be the sole sponsor of their “Inside Fantasy” section on their YouTube channel. The branding opportunities for Burger King are virtually limitless- they are featured on the channel’s banners, advertisement videos that pop-up before the videos, and finally within the video itself. This channel of advertising has not been utilized before and will likely become more popular in the coming year because of the immense traffic YouTube’s site gets each day.
Many of the exact details of the deal between Burger King, Fox Sports, and YouTube are not disclosed. What is public knowledge is that Burger King “made an upfront spending commitment in exchange for a guaranteed number of video views and ad impressions.” The number of video views and ad impressions Burger King is guaranteed from the deal is unclear. The ad revenue split between YouTube and Fox Sports was also never disclosed. Typically, YouTube takes 45% of the ad revenue but they have been known to work out smaller percentages with some companies.
From a marketing standpoint, utilizing YouTube as a promotional tool to increase brand awareness is very smart. The number of site visits and video views YouTube gets each day are exponentially increasing so it is beneficial for any company to piggyback on their traffic. Being able to partner with specific channels makes marketing on YouTube ideal because companies can more efficiently reach their target market. The guaranteed number of video views and ad impressions is also a plus that other forms of advertising cannot offer. For example, a company may choose to send out an email to their database but the majority of bulk emails sent out are never opened because they are not sought after; in comparison, placing a video advertisement before a video that the individual clearly wants to view requires them to spend time acknowledging the brand whether they want to or not.
In conclusion, internet marketing as a whole is on the rise so it was smart for Burger King to utilize a new channel to reach their target market. The amount of branding they are getting out of their deal with Fox Sports is enormous and has the potential to increase their sales drastically. Because the campaign just recently launched there has not been any concrete results as to whether they will see a return on their investment or not, but I personally can envision a great return for the company.
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The focus of the article concentrates on Fox Sports and YouTube partnering to sell advertisements on Fox Sports’ YouTube channel in which Burger King has been chosen to be the initial sponsor. This campaign is being used throughout Fox Sports’ “Inside Fantasy” segment on their YouTube channel. A Burger King advertisement can be found throughout the channel and the logo is even found during in the actual videos. Although the Fox Sports YouTube channel does not have nearly as many subscribers as the sport media industry giants, it still receives a good amount of internet traffic and is continuing to grow. The specific amount of money that Burger King is spending is undisclosed.
Fox Sports is one of the first sport media channels to jointly sell ads with YouTube. This theory of sponsoring YouTube channels is fairly new and I believe it is a trend that will continue to grow. From a promotional standpoint, it is smart to pair this advertising with the “Inside Fantasy” segment because the show will bring repeat viewers to the channel. It is also a good idea for them to use Burger King as their preroll advertisements on the actual videos because I am unsure how many people watch videos by going to the actual channel rather than searching for the single video they want to see. Having a different look and feel than other YouTube channels is a good way for the Fox Sports channel to attract extra attention. Aesthetics are an important factor in gaining and retaining the consumer’s attention. In the future, I can see companies related to sports take a similar approach and advertise on different YouTube channels that coincide with their mission and have the same idea as them.
This is relevant to this course because the sports industry is always looking for new ways to market and advertise to their customers. This is a great example of how marketing strategies change and adapt to the consumer. With the increase of social media, more and more companies are finding different ways to tap into the market. This also shows how a brand that has nothing to do with sports uses sports as a platform to advertise because of the sheer numbers that it appeals to.
Monday, September 30, 2013
"NFL Strikes Large-Scale Deal With Twitter To Share Highlights, Other Material"
From SportsBusiness Journal
Analysis by Brad Taake in SRM 334 (section 2)
The article we chose for our current event was about the National Football League and the well known social media site Twitter striking a deal to share highlights and other game material and statistics. The new found deal was helped to be put in place by a company that specializes in digital technology and learning technology, Amplify. Some advantages that the Twitter-verse will see is video clips from the game on Thursday nights, and as far as the Sunday and Monday games go you will still get the same amount of coverage but it will not be “live” tweeting, the highlights will be shown after the telecast is finished. Information will be concentrated primarily to Sundays, looking at fantasy football tips and other up to kickoff statistics and information.
I think what the NFL is trying to do to get media to everyone is a great idea, especially for those that cannot either go to or watch the games; however, other than the Thursday game I am not sure that fans are going to want to wait until after the telecast is over to consume all the game information. Other websites, such as ESPN or NFL, and social media might be quicker providing scores and statistics that we as the consumers are looking for right away, not until after the game is already over. Having said that, being provided with in game video clips to see the play to go along with the text in a tweet is going to be a great new way to begin staying connected to your team wherever you are. Sponsorship and ad revenues will surely see a spike within the NFL seeing as how the NFL’s twitter handle already has over 5 million followers so now companies and business will be able to reach out to these fans in a variety of ways. The NFL stated that this extra revenue was not the main factor in getting this deal done, but more so for the fans to view NFL content on their mobile phones in a completely new way.
Since social media is one of the main focus points of class it was obvious to me how this topic fits hand in hand with class. So far this article would tie in with multiple days of the lecture topics such as, Introduction to media and sport, Broadcast media, and other class discussions. Sharing the subject of Twitter and the NFL made this article fun and easy to read while also providing and innovative and potentially completely new way we consume football on the weekends.
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Analysis by Ryan Watson in SRM 334 (section 2)
The article that we are using for our class discussion is about Twitter striking a deal with the National Football League. The main details of this deal are: Twitter has gained rights to “tweet” clips from games. They are not allowed to tweet these videos until after the games have aired on Sunday, but on Thursdays they can post the videos while the game is being played. Other than highlights, there will also be videos with fantasy tips to help fellow fantasy footballers manage their teams. Monday night football is still off limits because this is a big viewing night for the NFL. This deal is significant because the National Football League is known to be very strict about who they let have rights to their content. Twitter will most likely be putting up highlights and big plays of games so fans can easily view them at their convenience without having to deal with commercials on TV. The only thing you need to have access to these videos is a twitter account.
This deal is mutually beneficial because Twitter now gets to put videos up and the NFL can reach a bigger audience of fans with mobile phones. Twitter can also use these videos to put ads on them to generate ad revenue. Verizon is sponsoring these videos in hopes of getting more customers. At the beginning of the videos there will be a quick commercial from Verizon that is probably around eight-seconds. These quick commercials are very common on websites like YouTube and any other video sharing websites. The ad revenue will be split between Twitter and the NFL (does not give a percentage of how the revenues will be split precisely). The big benefit to the NFL is the amount of fans this is enabling to watch the videos mobile. In our world of quickly growing technology people are starting to have access to videos anywhere and everywhere. This new deal gives fans the chance to watch football highlights and fantasy tip videos on current games/players that have happened/are happening that day without having to be at home on the television. From a media/communications standpoint this is huge. In class we have constantly talked about social media and how it has helped open a new world to collaborating and giving people immediate information on breaking news. Twitter in particular gives people the chance to follow sport celebrities and famous organizations that allow them to be up to date on information. I think that we are heading towards a direction where people are going to be able to watch TV shows and other events from Twitter. We probably won’t get to watch a lot of stuff live to start out with, but if Twitter keeps heading down the path of buying rights to content, then who knows what will happen. I personally think this is really smart for Twitter because you can basically watch Football plays in real time without dealing with long commercial breaks on TV. This is also smart for Twitter because companies are having harder times reaching consumers on TV because a lot of people are using DVR to record shows, games etc. and fast forward through any commercial ads, or just going online to stream videos. With this video streaming on Twitter, people are forced to watch a short commercial before they can watch the highlight, which creates a market that companies like Verizon are jumping on. Over a four-year period Verizon is paying one billion dollars to be the exclusive “Twitter super bowl advertiser” so obviously the market for Twitter ad revenue is remarkable.
Analysis by Brad Taake in SRM 334 (section 2)
The article we chose for our current event was about the National Football League and the well known social media site Twitter striking a deal to share highlights and other game material and statistics. The new found deal was helped to be put in place by a company that specializes in digital technology and learning technology, Amplify. Some advantages that the Twitter-verse will see is video clips from the game on Thursday nights, and as far as the Sunday and Monday games go you will still get the same amount of coverage but it will not be “live” tweeting, the highlights will be shown after the telecast is finished. Information will be concentrated primarily to Sundays, looking at fantasy football tips and other up to kickoff statistics and information.
I think what the NFL is trying to do to get media to everyone is a great idea, especially for those that cannot either go to or watch the games; however, other than the Thursday game I am not sure that fans are going to want to wait until after the telecast is over to consume all the game information. Other websites, such as ESPN or NFL, and social media might be quicker providing scores and statistics that we as the consumers are looking for right away, not until after the game is already over. Having said that, being provided with in game video clips to see the play to go along with the text in a tweet is going to be a great new way to begin staying connected to your team wherever you are. Sponsorship and ad revenues will surely see a spike within the NFL seeing as how the NFL’s twitter handle already has over 5 million followers so now companies and business will be able to reach out to these fans in a variety of ways. The NFL stated that this extra revenue was not the main factor in getting this deal done, but more so for the fans to view NFL content on their mobile phones in a completely new way.
Since social media is one of the main focus points of class it was obvious to me how this topic fits hand in hand with class. So far this article would tie in with multiple days of the lecture topics such as, Introduction to media and sport, Broadcast media, and other class discussions. Sharing the subject of Twitter and the NFL made this article fun and easy to read while also providing and innovative and potentially completely new way we consume football on the weekends.
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Analysis by Ryan Watson in SRM 334 (section 2)
The article that we are using for our class discussion is about Twitter striking a deal with the National Football League. The main details of this deal are: Twitter has gained rights to “tweet” clips from games. They are not allowed to tweet these videos until after the games have aired on Sunday, but on Thursdays they can post the videos while the game is being played. Other than highlights, there will also be videos with fantasy tips to help fellow fantasy footballers manage their teams. Monday night football is still off limits because this is a big viewing night for the NFL. This deal is significant because the National Football League is known to be very strict about who they let have rights to their content. Twitter will most likely be putting up highlights and big plays of games so fans can easily view them at their convenience without having to deal with commercials on TV. The only thing you need to have access to these videos is a twitter account.
This deal is mutually beneficial because Twitter now gets to put videos up and the NFL can reach a bigger audience of fans with mobile phones. Twitter can also use these videos to put ads on them to generate ad revenue. Verizon is sponsoring these videos in hopes of getting more customers. At the beginning of the videos there will be a quick commercial from Verizon that is probably around eight-seconds. These quick commercials are very common on websites like YouTube and any other video sharing websites. The ad revenue will be split between Twitter and the NFL (does not give a percentage of how the revenues will be split precisely). The big benefit to the NFL is the amount of fans this is enabling to watch the videos mobile. In our world of quickly growing technology people are starting to have access to videos anywhere and everywhere. This new deal gives fans the chance to watch football highlights and fantasy tip videos on current games/players that have happened/are happening that day without having to be at home on the television. From a media/communications standpoint this is huge. In class we have constantly talked about social media and how it has helped open a new world to collaborating and giving people immediate information on breaking news. Twitter in particular gives people the chance to follow sport celebrities and famous organizations that allow them to be up to date on information. I think that we are heading towards a direction where people are going to be able to watch TV shows and other events from Twitter. We probably won’t get to watch a lot of stuff live to start out with, but if Twitter keeps heading down the path of buying rights to content, then who knows what will happen. I personally think this is really smart for Twitter because you can basically watch Football plays in real time without dealing with long commercial breaks on TV. This is also smart for Twitter because companies are having harder times reaching consumers on TV because a lot of people are using DVR to record shows, games etc. and fast forward through any commercial ads, or just going online to stream videos. With this video streaming on Twitter, people are forced to watch a short commercial before they can watch the highlight, which creates a market that companies like Verizon are jumping on. Over a four-year period Verizon is paying one billion dollars to be the exclusive “Twitter super bowl advertiser” so obviously the market for Twitter ad revenue is remarkable.
Monday, September 23, 2013
"How Twitter Amplify May Change Sports And Social Media As We Know It"
From SportsBusiness Journal, USA Today, and Forbes
Analysis by Griffin Waugh in SRM 334 (section 1)
Recently, Twitter hired former Professional Bowlers Association CEO Geoff Reiss to be the head of sports partnership. This comes at the same time as Twitter filling its initial public offering. As a publicly tradable company, Twitter is estimated to be worth $12 Billion and wants continue grow its connections with other entities. Reiss will now help Twitter to gain a larger hold on various media companies. They already have deals with media outlets like ESPN and Fox Sports. Reiss has an experienced background with creating major sporting deals, such as when he convinced ESPN to extend its contract with the PBA as well as to show more bowling telecasts on the ESPN family of networks throughout the year.
The second article I read dealt with how Twitter has set itself up for success. Twitter has based its profitability off of its advertising revenue and its connections with other entities. So far Twitter has already begun partnering with content providers like ESPN, Turner Sports, MLB Advanced Media and many more. By creating this partnership with these companies, Twitter can then help to readjust the way these providers deliver their material. We have seen this already with ESPN on college football game days. Instead of just posting game casts, drive summaries and stats on their main website. They now post short clips of all the big plays going in the football games on that particular day.
This growth of Twitter has changed the media and the way we receive content forever. We now live in an information driven society that constantly is looking for the fastest and easiest to get what we want. These two articles provide us with another example of just that. As Twitter continues to grow and partner with content providers they will help change the way we receive this information. Geoff Reiss may be a key cog in helping to create this shift in the way content providers get their information out quickly and in short bits. This is similar to what we have seen in class with other forms of media. Radio at one time was the primary way in which people heard about sports. That slowly changed with the rise of the television and society becoming more image driven. As Twitter continues to grow its capabilities and connections, we should see a change in the way media provide their content. Not to different from a short 140 character tweet, the information we receive on sports will become shorter and more highlight driven. In order to satisfy the needs of sports fans.
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Analysis by David Hoye in SRM 334 (section 1)
Twitter has become one of the most popular websites visited today, with over 550 million users. In the sports world, millions of fans follow their favorite athletes, coaches and reporters, to receive up to date information and entertainment throughout the day. Just like any social media site, not all good comes from using the account. Many athletes, college specifically, have gotten into trouble with their tweets. Dealing with criticism has been difficult as student-athletes receive more recognition and stardom. Any fan can tweet at these college athletes, expressing brutal opinions on their performance.
An article in USA Today focuses on Willie Cauley-Stein, a University of Kentucky basketball star that ended up deleting his twitter account, resulting from the negative tweets directed towards him during an underachieving freshman season (Auerbach). This happens all the time in college athletics. Some coaches at major programs don’t even allow players to tweet during season. This is done in a way to protect them from any distraction or emotional and mental harm they’d receive from fans. Assistant Professor Blair Browning from Baylor said, “(Twitter) can be a really constructive, positive tool but we need to train and educate our student-athletes instead of putting all this money toward being watchdogs."
This really questions the fact if athletes should have Twitter at all. It can bring a lot of negativity to a player, team, and even university with the things that are said on timelines across the globe. It will be interesting to see if Twitter will be used continuously in the future if such controversy keeps occurring.
Monday, September 16, 2013
NFL hopefuls try to gain attention of league via YouTube
From Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports
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.
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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.
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.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
"Social media communication has changed baseball -- but not for better"
From the San Jose Mercury News
Review by Justin Graves in SRM 334 (section 2)
After the Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers in a game of small ball, Rangers starting pitcher Matt Garza went on a Twitter tirade, even calling out the wife of one of Oakland’s players. Throughout the game, A’s infielder Eric Sogard and others laid down bunts that Garza is known having trouble fielding. Apparently at some point, Sogard’s wife said something to get under Garza’s skin, and he lashed out on Twitter, using severely sexist and even misogynistic terminology. Garza has since made his Twitter account private and “apologized” for his inappropriate actions.
The article goes on to talk about how social media is changing the way players communicate in baseball, but not for the better; at least in this case. Before the game (ironically), Rangers manager Ron Washington was interviewed about the whole concept of Twitter. Washington admitted to not even knowing what Twitter was, which can potentially be a major problem for his players’ sake.
Looking at this issue, it could not apply more directly to this class and what we are learning about. Matt Garza provided a prime example of exactly what not to do with social media. By now, we are all following our favorite athletes on Twitter, Vine, Instagram, and every other possible social media platform. We use these platforms to feel a part of these athletes’ lives, and they use it to interact with their fans and each other. This can be a risky platform because, as Garza so wonderfully demonstrated, athletes can get caught up in the moment and say things they don’t mean. Or maybe they mean exactly what they mean, but it isn’t meant for the public to hear or see.
A’s manager Bob Melvin was also interviewed before the game about Twitter, and he unintentionally pointed out the pivotal downfall in players using Twitter so avidly; once you write a post, there is no going back. Sure, you can delete it later, but you’ve already sent that tweet out for thousands of fans to read, and take screen shots of. You can make your account private, but people have already seen, and taken screen shots of those tweets you sent. Matt Garza both deleted the tweets and made his account private, which really didn’t change anything. I was able to search Google Images and within seconds I had thousands of pictures of the tweets that Garza sent out. Other than the fact that the tweets were mildly disturbing, they were immature, inappropriate, and childish.
The problem with athletes using social media, specifically Twitter, is that they get frustrated, grab their phone, send an angry tweet and five minutes later they immediately regret what they just did. However, as was just mentioned, there is no turning back from what is now available for the entire Twitter universe to see. The other problem is that baseball managers have no way of controlling their players from doing so; they are too old to even understand what Twitter is or how to use it. Baseball is one of many sports that is adjusting to the online world, but they have yet to figure out a way to lay down a sort of “code” on the etiquette players should take on to the social media world. In fact, this isn’t the first time that Garza has gotten “in trouble” for his tweets. Earlier this year Garza went to Twitter calling out Cubs (who he was playing for at the time) fans being “fake” and being excessively negative. While Matt Garza may be somewhat of an extreme case, it seems as though the MLB needs to try to pull in the reigns a little on their players and what they post on their social media accounts. However on the other hand, they are simply humans that have strong emotions as the rest of us, but they have much more of a spotlight on them. Maybe Matt Garza just needs some anger management courses.
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Review by Kenta Kuroki in SRM 334 (section 2)
As we talked about the class for the print media, we have been seeing tremendous changes in providing contents from a paper to a screen in the web. Because of the progress of technology, everybody could be a part of media, which is good. Of course, players could say everything if they want to do. But, at the same time, it becomes more difficult to keep their privacy. Here is an example of bad case for using social media as celebrities.
Texas starter Matt Garza insulted A’s infielder Eric Sogard and his wife by using the Twitter on the weekend after the game. He tweeted badly because Sogard did a bunt to score knowing that Garza has a trouble with his fielding. Garza said that “It’s a man’s game so keep you trap shut!” apparently to Sogard’s wife. After a while, he seemed that he deleted his tweets, but that was too late. Followers, reporters, and fans knew what he did it.
The article also talks about some problems related to sports communication in baseball by using the current technology. The manager Ron Washington in Texas Rangers did not what the Twitter was before the scandal happened. I think this could be really problematic because the boss should know what is happening in this world as a responsibility of their work. Moreover, the article says the bosses in the sport team might have lack of knowledge how to treat with the Internet things for players, which they should fix that as soon as possible. As another problem with the social communication including the Twitter, the article says “Once you write or say something and post it, there’s not going back.” As I mentioned about the Garza’s case, it is really right. As I found his tweets on the Google images, possibly every baseball fan might know what he has done even if he deleted his stuffs. As a last problem, baseball has many games and more games than other sports have, and that makes baseball get troubles to talk about a lot of things related to games according to the article.
Before going to the conclusion of this paper, I need to mention that other sports players besides baseball do the same thing like the Garza’s case, and actually put the video into our Powerpoint. I found interesting because athletes says something which is not appropriate to speak up as their life standpoint. I mean that celebrities have less privacy and more limitation, so they should be careful on the statement.
This article is relevant to our course because we should know what is happening around us, even if it is a basic level just saying that be careful to use social media as athletes. Lastly, to avoid the Graza’s case, we need to educate players as well as possibly coaches, managers, and maybe everybody related to sports industry. For Garza’s case, he should not use social media as my opinion because he cannot draw the line whether it is ok or not.
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