"Bobsled and skeleton team hope success attracts new sponsors to fill the void"

From The Canadian Press


Review by James Hemphill in KIN 435 (section 2)

The Canadian bobsled and skeleton teams are going to lose their main corporate sponsor after this season. VISA, which has been their sponsor for twenty years, is looking for other opportunities and will not continue their partnership with the Canadian national team. It is a significant loss to the team because VISA generated roughly $350,000 annually to the team. That is around twenty percent of the program’s annual budget of between $3 million and $4 million. The national organization is also preparing for a budget reduction for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

In order to combat these financial difficulties, two of the top athletes, Melissa Hollingsworth and Jon Montgomery, are considering placing their faces on billboards in order to attempt to sway new sponsors. Hollingsworth is even open to putting a “For Sale” sign on any part of her uniform or her sled. The two athletes have a billboard campaign with the slogan “Give us a push. Gravity will do the rest”. However, this campaign has not been very successful because Olympic marketing is tied into the London Games later this year.

Own the Podium has helped the top athletes in bobsled and skeleton receive $2.3 million, but this does not benefit the younger athletes develop the program through innovation and equipment experimentation. With the lack of sponsorship, developmental programs might be cut and there may be increases in individual fees for athletes. Olympic athletes have to pay both a $336 national team membership fee and a $4,600 fee for bobsled or $3,600 fee for skeleton. The main technique to help keep the program running, membership costs stable, and the acquirement of sponsors is by continuing to win this winter and in the future.

Sponsorships are important in any sport, but especially in Olympic sports such as bobsled and skeleton. Without their VISA sponsorship, the Canadian bobsled and skeleton team simply does not have the funding to continue to finance their international program. Hopefully, once the 2012 Summer Games in London are completed, the team will have the opportunity to gain a major sponsor for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. The key for the Canadian national team is continuing to triumph as they did in the 2010 Winter Games. In Vancouver, they won four Olympic medals including two gold medals. Sponsors want to align themselves with winners because more people tune in to watch the gold medal contending programs and those programs usually sell more merchandise. It is likely that the Canadian team will partner themselves with a sponsor before the 2014 Olympic Games, but that is still to be determined.

"Nationals Fight Invasion of Phillies Fans with Ticket-Sale Restrictions"

From Athletic Business


Review by Tarik Hislop in KIN 435 (section 1)

In the article, “Nationals Fight Invasion of Phillies Fans with Ticket-Sales Restrictions,” National’s Chief Operating Officer Andy Feffer told the Post, "Forget you, Philly. This is our park, this is our town, these are our fans, and it's our time right now." His goal is to prevent the Philly Fans from taking over their ballpark. In doing so, Feffer and the Nationals Organization are selling single-game tickets only to people who live in the DMV area. This is one way of controlling the type of fans that attend the baseball game.

Feffer is really annoyed by Phillies fans, which he expresses in this quote. "We've heard it enough, we've seen it enough, and I don't like it any more than anyone else," he said. "We're trying to build a team here, and nothing irks me personally or the people here more than to see another team's fans - particularly Philly fans - in our ballpark, holding up signs. That's not the way it should be. And I think we've got an opportunity here to do something different." Andy Feffer wants to change the culture of the organization, and turn the Nationals Baseball Team into a winning program, which is very evident in his efforts to attract more of “their” fans.

I believe this strategy will work IF they actually convince fans to come out and support. Hopefully, an increase of fan support will give the Nationals something to play for and improve their record so their fan base can continue to increase. These are all things Andy Feffer and The National’s Organization are working towards.

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Review by Ryan Smith in KIN 435 (section 1)

I chose to read the article “Nationals Fight Invasion of Phillies Fans with Ticket Sales Restrictions." This article discusses how the Washington Nationals are fed up with the Phillies fans taking over their ballpark. The Nationals Chief Operating Officer is even quoted saying “forget you Philly. This is our ballpark, this is our town, these are our fans, and it’s our time right now.” It is easy to see how this problem arises because with the Phillies winning success and their devoted fan base, they don’t have a problem with traveling to see their baseball team play. Not to mention that driving from Philly to Washington isn’t all that bad of a drive.

So in a plan to “Take Back to Park” as the Nationals call it, they have strategized for the first series with the Phillies by only selling single-game tickets to Maryland, Washington, and Virginia residents. This ticket restriction will go on for the next month before opening ticketing sales up for everyone else to purchase. The Phillies organization basically laughed at this plan implemented by the Washington Nationals. They go on to mention that they (Phillies) have never experienced their park being taken over by another ball team because as long as you are winning games, you don’t have to worry about such a problem.

In conclusion, I believe that this plan that the Nationals has come up with is terrible. I think that it’s just a lousy excuse as for why they can’t get fans to come out to the games. Looking at the bigger picture this might be a good idea for the Washington Nationals but the real solution for this problem is simple, just win games and your fan base will naturally increase.

"FILA taps tennis star Jelena Jankovic for endorsement deal"

From Sports Business Digest

Review by Jessica Staten in KIN 435 (section 2)

This article is about FILA’s decision to make an endorsement deal with Jelena Jankovic. She was born and raised inBelgrade, Serbia. Jankovic was the first Serbian player to win a Grand Slam title when she won the Wimbledon mixed doubles. She was ranked Number 1 until 2009 when she was defeated by Serena Williams. Also in 2009, she wasn’t re-signed by Reebok and had a previous contract with ANTA a Chinese-based sportswear company. Her playing style is mostly known for consistency and being able to effectively slide on any surface she plays on.

FILA is a brand that is internationally successful except in the US. Some of their sponsorships include players like Grant Hill, Jerry Stackhouse, and Barry Bonds. These players aren’t as popular as they were in the 80s and 90s, which probably had a huge effect on FILA’s marketing in the United States. All together FILA had, or has 23 tennis athletes as endorsements, but only two are American. This article begs the question that though Jankovic is a good player, what makes her so special that she could influence a lot of people to think about FILA or their products. I haven’t heard about FILA since I was a child, so I had no clue that it still existed. If my favorite player started wearing FILA apparel tomorrow, I can’t honestly say that I would start wearing it, but it would make me think twice before I just put the brand down as a whole.

FILA has reached out to Jankovic because she is a great player with a great attitude about her profession and her life. Currently she is out with an injury, so I wonder how that would damper their plans to market in commercials and during different tournaments. Nevertheless, FILA is continuing its trend of reaching out to athletes of different ethnicities to strengthen its brand as a whole.