From Athletic Business
Review by Donna Jones in KIN 501
In today’s day in age you have to stay up-to- date with the times. Michael Popke’s article in the Athletic Business Journal, titled “Sponsor-Supported Video Boards Make Impact at High School Level focused on that up and coming phenomenon. The article focuses on the positive views of a few high school athletic directors regarding video boards. This concept of video boards on the high school is not new, however, this article looks at a few schools in Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Minnesota who are paying for these video boards primarily with the help of outside funding such as private donations.
The world’s largest video board, in the Cowboys Stadium is 11,520 square feet per side. Within many professional and collegiate stadiums, many teams have large video boards to display instant replays, statistics, news, etc. Does this concept of a large video board need to trickle down to the high school level? Mike Gosz, one of the high school athletic directors in the article, believes that installing large video boards makes strong fiscal sense. For a prosperous business, $5,000 for five years may not seem too strenuous. After all, they are receiving exposure to a crowd that may be unfamiliar with their product and service. This exposure may lead to increased business for that company.
At Gosz’s high school in Wisconsin, they have a nine-by-fourteen- foot video board for their football stadium, as well as a six-by-eight-foot video board in the gymnasium. These video boards provide 10-15 seconds of advertising for their sponsors. The more money the sponsor pays, the more exposure they receive. A long term goal of Gosz’s is for the advertising dollars to eventually support part of the school district’s budget. For some of these athletic directors they were simply testing the waters, they never felt like a video board was something they needed to have. They have been fortunate to have supportive people behind them to make this happen.
Administrators in favor of these boards realize that the money could be going elsewhere, but businesses are less likely to sponsor the construction of other areas around a school like a bathroom. They want to support something where they will get a bang for their buck. The athletic directors that have already implemented these video boards mention they sought out businesses in which athletics already had relationships with. They guaranteed their sponsors an “enhanced image and increased foot traffic.”
These video boards come with a few stipulations. This process was not easy for Gosz, in his district they were prohibited by the school board to advertise on anything but posters and in programs. Since the change, advertisers must abide by the “educational-friendly” messages parameters set. The example used in the article, a sponsor named “Bub’s Bar and Girl” would be mentioned on the video board as “Bub’s Grill.” In another district, there are restrictions on signage unattached to buildings. For example, a sponsor would not be able to advertise any specials on the video board. To allow schools to go beyond the initial regulations, asking them to censor who their sponsors are is not too much to ask.
Besides highlighting the sponsors, the video boards will be used for the starting lineups, opening kickoff, and special segments like “fan of the game.” At one school they plan to incorporate live-action footage courtesy of student-operated cameras. This would be a great experience for their TV production class. They would also want to highlight nonathletic events and non-stadium events. They also plan to involve their graphics department students to help companies who may not have the advertising budget to create a digital ad. This interaction gives the involved students real-life experience with clients.
Gosz’s school district offered two-and three-year payment plans to their sponsors and they also have a low-interest loan through a bank to cover some of the upfront costs. Another high school in that district loaned money from the school district for the installation of the board as well as other stadium improvements. Gosz felt as if “this is something that will eventually become the norm.” Because the video boards will be used to advertise/ promote other home events it seems like a good idea to expose the large crowd to an event they may not have previously been aware of. Yes, these boards are costly but as long as the schools are getting their revenue from private donations and sponsors I do not see an issue. Involving others, such as a TV production class makes this to be a learning opportunity. The sponsors are getting exposure and supporting the athletics program which makes both sides happy. I am interested in seeing where things will go from here on the high school level.
Monday, October 22, 2012
"Is Lacrosse on the Cusp of a Division I Sponsorship Explosion?"
From Athletic Business
Review by Meryssa Wacholder in KIN 501
Could men’s college lacrosse ever be on the same page as college football or college basketball? Is men’s lacrosse going to be the next big thing for Division I college athletic departments? The University of Michigan has realized the potential impact men’s lacrosse can have and has added a men’s Division I varsity lacrosse program to their athletic department. The article, “Is lacrosse on the Cusp of a Division I Sponsorship Explosion?”, discusses the University of Michigan’s decision to add a Division I men’s lacrosse program last year and what this decision will mean in terms of sponsorship for both the university and the sport.
Men’s lacrosse is by no means a new concept for the University of Michigan. The wolverines have had a very successful men’s club lacrosse team for several years. In fact, the club team was considered by many to be the best in the nation, winning three consecutive club national championships since 2008. By making this jump from a club program to a Division I program, Michigan became the first BCS school to add a varsity program in 31 years. The last school to make this addition was Notre Dame in 1981. Although Michigan only won one game in their first season as a Division I team, the impact it has had on the school and the sport itself has not gone unnoticed. The article discusses how the University of Michigan is a high profile school athletically and by them making this addition, it may spark other BCS schools to do the same (Steinbach, 2012). By having such a well-known name or brand associated with men’s lacrosse, it helps promote the sport and likely help increase its popularity. Unlike football or basketball, college lacrosse is the highest level of play for a lacrosse player. The MLL (Major League Lacrosse) and the PLL (Professional Lacrosse League), the two professional leagues for lacrosse, lack the attention and popularity the collegiate game receives. Since 2003, the Division I men’s championship game has averaged an attendance of 40,000, ranking it in the top three for NCAA championship games in terms of attendance. The article stated that lacrosse is the NCAA’s fastest growing sport with participation numbers up 7,278 between 2006 and 2011 (Steinbach, 2012). This is huge for college athletic departments because as the sport continues to grow in popularity and becomes more of a demand, lacrosse is something athletic departments are going to have to consider adding if they have not already.
Men’s lacrosse has the power to change a school’s profile. This has been proven successful at the Division III level. Baldwin-Wallace College was mentioned in the article for this exact reason. They plan to add both a men’s and a women’s program in 2014. The school’s athletic spokesperson stated, “It is natural for us, not only from the standpoint of diversifying the options for students, but as a trend for growing admission.” (Steinbach, 2012). For schools like Baldwin-Wallace who may be hurting for students in the local geographic area, having these new options helps greatly, they are able to reach other areas of the country where lacrosse is well known and established. As far as large DI schools are concerned, lacrosse has the opportunity to change their image drastically especially if they do not have a BCS football team. School’s with a BCS football team may not need a new profile because they are already well established and recognized, their brand is already out there. However for big schools without football, having a men’s Division I lacrosse program can help the school reach a new demographic, play big-name schools like Ohio State or Notre Dame who they would not normally get to play, and possibly get the chance to have their school and team televised on national television. This is all huge in terms of promoting your school and your athletic department.
Men’s lacrosse at the Division I level is something that could take effect in the near future. With Syracuse leaving the Big East Conference and joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, the ACC has expanded its four-team dominant program. This creates the opportunity to establish a six-team ACC lacrosse conference, allowing for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. This provides a great opportunity for a Virginia Tech or a Florida State to seriously consider adding a program; they would be part of a conference with some of the best lacrosse schools in the country all of whom would be visiting their campus. Expansion in the West is also a high probability according to the article (Steinbach, 2012). The women’s game is very popular there already. For the University of Michigan, adding a men’s lacrosse program seemed to be a no brainer for their athletic department. The school’s athletic director claims, “The sport will afford us the ability to travel to places the maize and blue have not typically gone.” He believes it will help their brand (Steinbach, 2012).
I really liked the article and thought it did a good job of identifying the potential benefits a school could gain by adding a Division I men’s lacrosse program. I could relate to the article because in the Northeast lacrosse is very big and it was very popular at my college, so I was shocked to learn so few BCS schools had a Division I team. I found this article to be very applicable to my field of interest, college athletic administration, because this could be a situation I am faced with in the future. The only thing I wish the article addressed more was the actual sponsorship opportunities that were being created or established with the University of Michigan and their new program. Are they going to use the same sponsors as their football program and if not, how are they going to market their new program to gain sponsors? I felt like the article talked more about how Michigan was being a sponsor for the sport. All in all, I felt it was a very interesting and well-written article and a must read for anyone interested in working in college athletics.
Review by Meryssa Wacholder in KIN 501
Could men’s college lacrosse ever be on the same page as college football or college basketball? Is men’s lacrosse going to be the next big thing for Division I college athletic departments? The University of Michigan has realized the potential impact men’s lacrosse can have and has added a men’s Division I varsity lacrosse program to their athletic department. The article, “Is lacrosse on the Cusp of a Division I Sponsorship Explosion?”, discusses the University of Michigan’s decision to add a Division I men’s lacrosse program last year and what this decision will mean in terms of sponsorship for both the university and the sport.
Men’s lacrosse is by no means a new concept for the University of Michigan. The wolverines have had a very successful men’s club lacrosse team for several years. In fact, the club team was considered by many to be the best in the nation, winning three consecutive club national championships since 2008. By making this jump from a club program to a Division I program, Michigan became the first BCS school to add a varsity program in 31 years. The last school to make this addition was Notre Dame in 1981. Although Michigan only won one game in their first season as a Division I team, the impact it has had on the school and the sport itself has not gone unnoticed. The article discusses how the University of Michigan is a high profile school athletically and by them making this addition, it may spark other BCS schools to do the same (Steinbach, 2012). By having such a well-known name or brand associated with men’s lacrosse, it helps promote the sport and likely help increase its popularity. Unlike football or basketball, college lacrosse is the highest level of play for a lacrosse player. The MLL (Major League Lacrosse) and the PLL (Professional Lacrosse League), the two professional leagues for lacrosse, lack the attention and popularity the collegiate game receives. Since 2003, the Division I men’s championship game has averaged an attendance of 40,000, ranking it in the top three for NCAA championship games in terms of attendance. The article stated that lacrosse is the NCAA’s fastest growing sport with participation numbers up 7,278 between 2006 and 2011 (Steinbach, 2012). This is huge for college athletic departments because as the sport continues to grow in popularity and becomes more of a demand, lacrosse is something athletic departments are going to have to consider adding if they have not already.
Men’s lacrosse has the power to change a school’s profile. This has been proven successful at the Division III level. Baldwin-Wallace College was mentioned in the article for this exact reason. They plan to add both a men’s and a women’s program in 2014. The school’s athletic spokesperson stated, “It is natural for us, not only from the standpoint of diversifying the options for students, but as a trend for growing admission.” (Steinbach, 2012). For schools like Baldwin-Wallace who may be hurting for students in the local geographic area, having these new options helps greatly, they are able to reach other areas of the country where lacrosse is well known and established. As far as large DI schools are concerned, lacrosse has the opportunity to change their image drastically especially if they do not have a BCS football team. School’s with a BCS football team may not need a new profile because they are already well established and recognized, their brand is already out there. However for big schools without football, having a men’s Division I lacrosse program can help the school reach a new demographic, play big-name schools like Ohio State or Notre Dame who they would not normally get to play, and possibly get the chance to have their school and team televised on national television. This is all huge in terms of promoting your school and your athletic department.
Men’s lacrosse at the Division I level is something that could take effect in the near future. With Syracuse leaving the Big East Conference and joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, the ACC has expanded its four-team dominant program. This creates the opportunity to establish a six-team ACC lacrosse conference, allowing for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. This provides a great opportunity for a Virginia Tech or a Florida State to seriously consider adding a program; they would be part of a conference with some of the best lacrosse schools in the country all of whom would be visiting their campus. Expansion in the West is also a high probability according to the article (Steinbach, 2012). The women’s game is very popular there already. For the University of Michigan, adding a men’s lacrosse program seemed to be a no brainer for their athletic department. The school’s athletic director claims, “The sport will afford us the ability to travel to places the maize and blue have not typically gone.” He believes it will help their brand (Steinbach, 2012).
I really liked the article and thought it did a good job of identifying the potential benefits a school could gain by adding a Division I men’s lacrosse program. I could relate to the article because in the Northeast lacrosse is very big and it was very popular at my college, so I was shocked to learn so few BCS schools had a Division I team. I found this article to be very applicable to my field of interest, college athletic administration, because this could be a situation I am faced with in the future. The only thing I wish the article addressed more was the actual sponsorship opportunities that were being created or established with the University of Michigan and their new program. Are they going to use the same sponsors as their football program and if not, how are they going to market their new program to gain sponsors? I felt like the article talked more about how Michigan was being a sponsor for the sport. All in all, I felt it was a very interesting and well-written article and a must read for anyone interested in working in college athletics.
How the NFL continues to target women
From Ad Age and The Journal Gazette
Review by Christian McLaughlin in KIN 332 (section 2)
I chose to do an article about the current marketing done by the NFL directed towards women. I was really interested in this topic because I have actually noticed the increase in women fans over the past several years. Growing up, it seemed that NFL Sundays was all about the guys. Due to the NFL’s strong marketing campaign geared to women, we have seen a significant change in the demographics of football fans. The article said that 44% of NFL fans are now women! It also said that 43.3 million women viewed the Super Bowl. My only question about these numbers would be how many of the 44% are casual fans compared to diehard fans. I do not want to sound sexist, but how many of these women actually watch the game? To be fair, I also know that there are men out there that only watch football because other men watch, and it has become a social norm. On the other hand, the article makes a great point in that even the casual woman fan still wants to show team loyalty, meaning they are going to buy apparel. This is where I think the NFL has finally done a good job in its marketing strategy. They realized that women are going to be watching with the men, so why not tap into that market. I am not saying that all women are only watching the game because men are, I just want to make the point that I think the social aspect plays a massive role in the numbers. After reading this article I am shocked at how long it took the NFL to reach women. It wasn’t until the “Fit for you” clothing line, that the NFL made gender specific clothing. Social Media and celebrity endorsement then fueled the growth of apparel. Facebook became a platform for women to show off their new gear, and talk about their team. Alyssa Milano made her own clothing line that sells NFL apparel such as jerseys, handbags, boots, and jewelry. I think that the NFL has only scratched the surface with marketing towards women, and the revenue will continue to increase in the years to come.
Review by Christian McLaughlin in KIN 332 (section 2)
I chose to do an article about the current marketing done by the NFL directed towards women. I was really interested in this topic because I have actually noticed the increase in women fans over the past several years. Growing up, it seemed that NFL Sundays was all about the guys. Due to the NFL’s strong marketing campaign geared to women, we have seen a significant change in the demographics of football fans. The article said that 44% of NFL fans are now women! It also said that 43.3 million women viewed the Super Bowl. My only question about these numbers would be how many of the 44% are casual fans compared to diehard fans. I do not want to sound sexist, but how many of these women actually watch the game? To be fair, I also know that there are men out there that only watch football because other men watch, and it has become a social norm. On the other hand, the article makes a great point in that even the casual woman fan still wants to show team loyalty, meaning they are going to buy apparel. This is where I think the NFL has finally done a good job in its marketing strategy. They realized that women are going to be watching with the men, so why not tap into that market. I am not saying that all women are only watching the game because men are, I just want to make the point that I think the social aspect plays a massive role in the numbers. After reading this article I am shocked at how long it took the NFL to reach women. It wasn’t until the “Fit for you” clothing line, that the NFL made gender specific clothing. Social Media and celebrity endorsement then fueled the growth of apparel. Facebook became a platform for women to show off their new gear, and talk about their team. Alyssa Milano made her own clothing line that sells NFL apparel such as jerseys, handbags, boots, and jewelry. I think that the NFL has only scratched the surface with marketing towards women, and the revenue will continue to increase in the years to come.
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