From CDW Review by Kevin McGough in KIN 332 Since 2008 the CDW and PGA have been partners and the CDW has been one of the largest PGA sponsors. Recently, the two agreed on an extension for four years lasting until 2016. I believe this is a great sponsorship and they compliment each other extremely well. The CDW makes sure the Professional Golf Tour has great media, on-site fan experiences and the new ShotLink. ShotLink provides a virtual experience for staff, players, and fans to look at all the detail and virtual shots of each players swing throughout the TOUR.
In turn, the PGA provides a great atmosphere and cliental for the CDW to promote their technology. The CDW gives away technology IT products and services to staff and players. They also get to brand their name on the virtual score boards. This is great advertising for the CDW and the two companies can work together to better one another in business.
“Since the outset of our marketing relationship with CDW in 2008, the TOUR has taken full advantage of CDW’s expertise to improve and enhance our technological capabilities to the benefit of our staff, players and fans,” said Tom Wade, global commercial officer of the PGA TOUR. This is a great chance for the CDW to provide customer service to future cliental as well. The PGA attracts higher cliental and even business owners so it is smart to provide the best hospitality to the PGA through the CDW so it compliments them both as one.
Review by Ryan Kilmon in SRM 334 (section 1) This is a short article written by the Washington Post’s Ed Miller. After he covered the CAA championship game that the dukes won he received a lot of appreciation from readers. In his article he expresses his surprise at this reaction because he has never specifically been asked for more coverage of JMU. To please his readers again he wrote this article focusing on senior forward Rayshawn Goins and his interview after the dukes won the championship game.
I really thought this article was interesting because it showed the reaction of the author which articles don’t often do. I was a little surprised that so many people appreciated the expanded coverage of the JMU men’s basketball team. JMU is not really considered a big name school and hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1994. I guess a lot of people were as excited for JMU success as I was. No one who has gone to JMU in nearly the past two decades has been a part of this or seen this unfold. The success has garnered a lot of attention in the media even making it onto SportsCenters top plays.
The course relates to this topic and article in quite a few ways. Not only was the article related to our University and the success and happiness we were experiencing at the time, but it was a first-hand reaction from a very well respected writer of the Washington Post. It relates directly to media and media coverage that has been generated over the past week. Social media has also been blowing up with comments about JMU making it to the “Big Dance.” I have seen countless tweets and Facebook posts in the last week about this experience and it has made me consider how the situation must have been different 19 years ago. I am very proud that I will be able to look back years down the road as being a part of it and the JMU nation.
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Review by Joey Townsend in SRM 334 (section 1) We decided to do our current event project on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament focusing our attention on JMU making the tournament. This is the first time since the 1994 season that the team has made it back to the tournament. James Madison last won a NCAA tournament game back in the 1983 season. Hopefully that drought will end Wednesday when they play LIU Brooklyn at the University of Dayton. Both teams are coming into the tournament as co-No. 16 seeds. The winner of the James Madison-LIU Brooklyn contest will face one of the college game’s most aristocratic programs, top-seeded Indiana, on Friday in Dayton. JMU was given little respect on Sunday when they were selected as a co-No. 16 seed. Some of the JMU players will be playing with a chip on their shoulder which could help them advance to the next round. However, many of the players are just happy to be recognized at such a competitive event. JMU has received tons of attention for making the NCAA tournament this year. If the dukes can win on Wednesday, the media coverage for the team and school will only keep going up. For the people who may be watching the tournament and don’t know about James Madison University, this could really be a chance to put JMU in consideration for many people who are choosing colleges to attend too. Also, many future college student athletes who are watching the tournament may consider attending and playing at James Madison after seeing their success this season and being able to make it to the tournament. This is not only a huge win for a men’s basketball team, but also a huge win for the University.
From FoxNews.com Review by Shane McMahan in SRM 334 (section 2) Last Monday, the James Madison Men’s Basketball team won the school’s first CAA Basketball championship since 1994. JMU beat their third team in as many days, jumping out to an impressive start, and coasting to a 70-57 win in front of a dominant JMU crowd at the Richmond Coliseum. Being a faithful supporter since I can remember, I believe that this historic event will help take not only our basketball team to another level, but take our school to another level.
Obviously, winning a championship will get you tons of media support and coverage. One thing that I have learned to be more aware of because of this class is how powerful Twitter really is. I don’t think that anybody really saw this much coverage for JMU coming. Nike Basketball tweeted about Harrisonburg being “now being on the map,” ESPN tweeted about it being our first time dancing since 1994, and Matt Brady took part in several interviews, including one by the well-known ESPN host, Jim Rome. Being that twitter is such a big part of today’s society, anything posted by a well-followed Nike or ESPN is huge for many reasons. One, it is just good publicity for the school and helps give JMU some coverage worldwide. Basketball related, this is huge for prospective recruits that are considering JMU. Like the quote, “If you build it, they will come,” it is not much different in basketball. If you win games, like VCU has recently shown, you will start getting high-level recruits. Just a few years ago we had two guys take official visits to JMU. One was Victor Oladipo, another was named Josh Selby. Oladipo now plays for Indiana and is a favorite for National Player of the Year, and Selby is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. We were able to get these guys on campus for a visit. If we continue to win, it’s only a matter of time before we start getting some of these recruits to come to JMU. Overall, this is a huge step forward for James Madison University. --- Review by Tory Key in SRM 334 (section 2)
Our group did our presentation on the media’s impact on JMU basketball due to its recent success. The team did not start off the season as if they were going to win the CAA championship. The buzz about the team was not as high then as it is now. The media jumped on JMU when they won the CAA championship. It was the team’s first championship since 1994, so that became a headline right away. The championship was covered by NBC Sports, which is becoming a competitor with ESPN as far as sports coverage. NBC Sports usually covers teams from the CAA and others. Not only did NBC Sports give JMU basketball some exposure by putting the championship on national television, but media sources such as ESPN and NIKE talked about the team. Both tweeted about the team’s success and ESPN showed highlights of the game and the crowd storming the court after the victory. Having both of those situations happen are huge deals for the program. A lot of people follow NIKE on twitter and watch ESPN. Many people on the west coast who never knew James Madison existed probably do now. Also, Coach Matt Brady had significant interviews on the Jim Rome show and Tim Brando show. Once again many Americans listen and watch to these shows, JMU’s name reaches across the country. Most importantly, students have been showing their support for the team more now due to recent success. After all, the fan base starts with the students. JMU’s recent basketball success has gotten them a lot of exposure and it looks like the program has potential for more media attention in the future. --- Review by Donshae Joyce in SRM 334 (section 2)
After defeating Northeastern to capture the CAA Tournament crown, the JMU Men’s basketball team has brought about usual national exposure and an unfamiliar buzz amongst JMU Nation. The team’s recent success has been uncharted territory for all invested parties considering the program has not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 1994. Since that time, JMU basketball has experienced minimal success that has resulted in low media attention and student support throughout the campus. Combined with the fact that other JMU athletic teams have experienced their fair share of success of the years, this run made by the men’s team has been long overdue.
After earning their place in the championship game, the excitement on campus from our students was blindsiding. Typically, the care for our men’s team is absent and the team is an afterthought. However, the amount of students that traveled to Richmond was shocking compared to the amount of that make the short trip to Convo every home game. Immediately after winning the CAA and clinching their spot in this year’s NCAA Tournament, there were highlights and analysis on ESPN that instantly put JMU on the national map. This is relevant to this course since the power of media outlets, such as ESPN and Twitter, has the basketball team, and the university as a whole, being discussed on a world-wide platform.
The opportunity the men’s team has playing in the NCAA Tournament has elevated the brand of JMU to levels previously not reached. The attention through the media and overall support for the team, the benefits has been and will be priceless.
