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The article that we chose for our current event presentation discusses the possibility that the at-home experience of watching NFL games is causing a decline of ticket sales to see the games in person. The article references the common notion, shared even by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, that HDTV is the main reason why ticket sales have reached a 13-year low. According to the article, TV ratings have increased 12 percent over the last five years and ticket sales have decreased four percent in the same time period. Some in the organization feel the ticket sales numbers are still very strong and others have been brainstorming ideas on how to bring fans back to the stadium i.e. adding Wi-Fi to stadiums.
While HDTV is definitely one of the reasons ticket sales are declining, I believe there are plenty of other reasons as well. Traffic on game days, high ticket prices, a struggling economy, and the addition of channels such as NFL Network and NFL Redzone are easily just as responsible for low sales. Lowering ticket and food prices as well as investing more in the game day experience may help to get fans off the couch and into seats but it’s a difficult balance when the organizations need to make a profit.
This topic/issue is relevant to this course because television is a major component of how we consume sport media. Technology is constantly evolving and with additional ways that fans can view the sporting events they want to view, the sport industry as a whole must evolve as well. It’s important for us to look at in class so we are prepared when we become members of the sport industry ourselves.
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Review by Stephanie Nielsen in SRM 334 (section 3) Sports Business Daily wrote an article on how NFL fans prefer the at-home experience to attending games. According to ESPN’s Bob Ley, many NFL ticket buyers feel that the stadium experience is not what it used to be. Eric Grubman, Executive VP/Business Ventures, stated that the at-home experience from the fans point of view has gotten much better and has gotten cheaper. Stadiums have become increasingly empty. Although television channels are watering down the “blackout rule,” which restricts games local broadcasts for games that aren’t sellouts is helping somewhat to have stadiums fill their seats.
There are three factors that are affecting the attendance at NFL stadiums: cost, convience, and comfort. Between the price of tickets, cost of eating out at games, the inconvenience of waiting in ridiculous lines, fans are choosing to not go to the games like they use to. There is no better atmosphere than the energy of a loud crowd but it is certainly more convenient to stay at home with the family and enjoy a football game. Personally, I enjoy the comfort of my home and being with my family when I’m watching my Giants play but if someone offered me tickets I wouldn’t pass them up.
The Sports Business Daily article is relevant to our class since many of us want to go work in professional sports. It is important to have fans continue to go to games and watch their favorite teams. As sports professionals we will need to market and attract fans to continue to go out and buy tickets. We also need to understand what attracts fans to go out to games and buy tickets along with making it convenient and easy for them to attend. --- Review by Natalie Bernstein in SRM 334 (section 3) The article that was chosen from Sports Business Daily is about the main reason behind a decline in NFL ticket sales. That reason being the increasingly popular HDTV home viewing of NFL games. According to the article, NFL ticket sales have been declining by four percent annually while television ratings are up twelve percent. To help regain interest, the NFL is working on improving the product, which in this case is the stadium experience. In order for fans to have a more enjoyable time at the games, teams are rebuilding arenas to improve customer satisfaction. ESPN’s Darren Rovell discusses one major improvement in the works, Wi-Fi availability. This expensive addition to stadiums costs at least $8 million to set up the network from scratch. The NFL team owners and managers feel that this is a crucial step in improving the game day experience for fans.
I feel that the NFL is making the right choice by trying to improve the quality of the fan experience. Watching televised games has become increasingly more appealing in the last decade. It’s convenient, cheap, and delivers an unbeatable close-up of every play. Each fan can feel as if they’re on the field with the players while watching the game from the comfort of their own couch. The alternative is an expensive ticket that offers the fan a crammed and overcrowded arena with unpredictable weather, and often a terrible view of the game. I was surprised to see that in this article they didn’t mention lowering ticket prices as a way to entice viewers. However, the main issue is the experience the fans get at the game, so improving quality of their stay is the best way to gain happy fans and filled stadiums. This issue is relevant to the course because the article represents the sometimes negative effects of sports media. In this case, as stadiums become harder to fill, the NFL teams and owners suffer.
From ESPN.com Review by Ryan Vince in SRM 334 (section 2) The current event article that we chose was about a 28 year old Norwegian soccer player who became famous due to his posted Youtube video. Havard Rugland never had any aspirations of becoming an NFL kicker or becoming an internet sensation, he just wanted to entertain his friends and family with a neat 4 minute video. There’s no doubt that Havard has the talent needed for the NFL, but this opportunity never would have arisen if it wasn’t for the social media in the world today.
With an increasing popularity of Havard’s video, Scott Cohen, assistant general manager for the New York Jets, sent him an e-mail showing interest in Havard’s leg. The Jet’s assistant GM was willing to give Havard a workout, to see firsthand the talents of the Norwegian youth counselor. This past Thanksgiving, Havard met with former NFL kicker, Michael Husted, to hone his kicking skills before an actual NFL tryout. “He’s definitely the most impressive nonfootball kicker that I’ve worked with,” said Husted, who believes that Havard has many similarities to that of Oakland’s kicker Sebastian Janikowski.
Although, there has been some skepticism of this Norwegian sensation from Arizona Cardinal’s kicker, Jay Feely, and New York Giants punter, Steve Weatherford. “I think he’s talented, but there’s a different dynamic when you have a video camera and 1,000 chances versus when there’s 80,000 people screaming at you,” Said Weatherford, “You only have one shot.” Although, Rugland believes he can handle the pressure.
Right now, Havard is far from playing for an NFL team any time soon, but the social media has given him the opportunity of a lifetime. Rugland didn’t pursue an NFL job; he merely works as a youth counselor for the local child protective services and one day decided to make a video kicking around a football. Twenty years ago this story wouldn’t be possible, which proves that the emergence of online sport communication and the new sport media has grown at an accelerated rate.---
Review by Tucker Koch in SRM 334 (section 2) For our current events presentation we chose to base it on an ESPN article about a Norwegian kicker who made a video on YouTube and suddenly rose to stardom. Havard Rugland is a 28 year old from Norway who has never played a single down of American football but has already had tryouts with NFL teams. It is due in large part to a video he posted to social media sites that shows him making all sorts of “trick shots” with his powerful and accurate left foot. After his video accumulated 2.3 million views (and counting) the New York Jets contacted Rugland about a possible tryout. He thought they were kidding, but given the fact that they gave a backup quarterback his own press conference after signing a multi-million dollar contract, you never know with the Jets. It turns out they were being serious, and they flew Rugland out to San Diego, California to work with a kicking specialist to see just how much talent he has. The result was just as astonishing as some of the kicks in his video. The expert, Michael Husted, said that Rugland had more talent than any non-football kicker he’s ever seen. He added that he has just as much leg power and height on his kicks as most NFL kickers, if not more power. The Jets must have been equally as impressed because they asked Rugland to come back for a second tryout in March of this upcoming year. After being also contacted by other teams including the Philadelphia Eagles, it seems very likely a pro career will come out of a YouTube video.
My initial reaction to this video was that it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It was just impressive trick shots like a lot of YouTube videos seem to be, but it was actual talent. Making 50 yarder after 50 yarder in the dead center of the uprights is unbelievable natural talent. But as current NFL players are saying, it will be a lot harder with 80,000 screaming fans. ---
Review by Rich Leeper in SRM 334 (section 2) The title of our current event article was “Norwegian kicker dreams of NFL after viral video.” The article is about a YouTube video called “Kickalicious.” The YouTube video was made by a soccer player from Norway, Havard Rugland, and his friends. It consists of four minutes of amazing tricks and kicks all done with a football. The video was originally posted to YouTube and Facebook so he could share it with his friends and family. After a few short weeks the video was spread over the internet and even caught the attention of some NFL scouts.
Rugland has never played football and hardly knows the rules to the game, but with the exposure he has received from Kickalicious he may end up having a shot at playing in the NFL. In November the New York Jets gave him a tryout. He met with the Jets kicking coach, Michael Husted, and spent a week working on his technique and displaying his skills. Husted has claimed Rugland is “Definitely the most impressive nonfootball kicker I’ve ever worked with” and “he hits it just as high, just as far as a lot of the NFL kickers, if not further.” There is no doubt that the Jets are extremely interested in this new prospect, but there is some skepticism. He has never played the game, not entirely sure on the rules to the game, and never experienced the tremendous pressure NFL kickers are under. Multiple NFL kickers asked what they thought about the video and they expressed similar concerns.
Rugland on the other hand, remains enthusiastic about the opportunity. After his NFL tryout with the Jets he was quoted saying, “I was under a lot of pressure during the tryout, and a lot of people would freeze up at something like that because there’s a lot of people watching you. But that went well, so I think I have good chances of handling it.”
It is amazing how fast and far this simple YouTube video has spread. The amount of technology and emphasis our society places on social media allowed a 28-year-old ex-soccer player to be given a chance to play in the NFL. It will be really interesting to see if this YouTube sensation can back up his video when it comes to the real games.
