From Bleacher Report
Analysis by Alex Mosley in SRM 334 (section 1)
Jadeveon Clowney is one of the most gifted, explosive and most talked about players in college football history. He makes freakishly great plays that seem impossible for a person of his stature, seem like routine plays. Not in recent years has a player, that plays the same position, created such a huge star power about themselves. The article talks about the media frenzy about the player known as the freak, Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney has unique abilities and skillset that separates him from other defensive lineman. His size, strength, quickness and agility are all qualities that give him an advantage and gave him the identity of being known as the “freak”. A major quality that he has is being able to use both his left and right hands when getting into a stance. Coaches truly admire this as I allows him to play on both sides of the line which does not allow offenses to key on where he is going to be. That is a quality most guys in college do not have, as they are only comfortable with using their right hand. Wrapping all of these qualities into one and combining that with great technique has allowed him to be recognize as one of the best football players in the country. Coming into the year he was seen as a Heisman Trophy candidate and potential number one overall draft pick. The hype that surrounds him was accelerated throughout the summer in anticipation for another breakout yea. After a win against rival North Carolina, he faced major criticism. Clowney had only three tackles and was condemned to being “out of shape” as he seemed to have taken plays off. It was later discover he had a stomach virus the day before, but the criticism still followed. The media still ran with it as it seemed now that he was more human as he did not make the plays fans and reporters were accustomed to. What the article focuses on is that he is human and that though he has yet made any highlight plays, he still is “the freak” for a reason because of his major impact on the field.
It is ironic as to how media can create such hysteria on one person, build them up give them insane hero like abilities then break them down and overanalyze that same person. Jadeveon Clowney has been viewed as a freak of nature in the media, the hype surrounding him is unreal as it is said that he could play in the NFL right now. For a college football player, that is one major statement . Though is a great player, the media depiction of him makes one believe that he is somewhat of a superman and will make every single play. That is not the case as it was evident in his first couple of games this year. He has made plays but offenses realize his dominance and scout around him. If you listen to media reports though, you would think that he has made no plays and that he was over hyped. In my opinion, the media overanalyzes him, on one hand when he makes plays he’s the most dominant player in college football and on the other hand when he doesn’t make the highlight play, he is seen as being no as dominant.
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Analysis by Dana Allaband in SRM 334 (section 1)
Jadeveon Clowney, a defensive end for the University of South Carolina, was recognized for his sack against Michigan’s player Vincent Smith. This was Clowney’s rise to fame, just one hit and he immediately spread throughout social media. Since then Clowney has been scrutinized for his performance in his games thus far for the 2013 season.
In the article “South Carolina’s Star Player Jadeveon Clowney Hasn’t Lot His Swagger,” Brian Leigh explains how much the media has been extremely critical over Clowney’s performance on the field. Leigh states that the public has created the image that Clowney is a “God.” That due to one impressive highlight play, he will now be expected to perform at that level every game and if he does not the world will hear about it. For instance in the article, it states that Clowney was ranked first in a poll for the Heisman award after his highlight play. Now after only three games into this season he is left off the list completely. Also Leigh states that, “there was a time when Clowney was the bar-none favorite to go No. 1 in next April's NFL draft,” and this now has become questionable. The medias’ involvement in Clowney’s life has essentially altered it. In this instance Leigh is explaining how the media has become overly involved in Clowney’s life and he is defending him to a degree. Leigh states that the this issue with “impossibly high standards; they’re impossible.” Meaning that the media should not portray him as this unbelievable player. They should just state facts and statistics and let the public form an opinion about Clowney’s ability to play instead of being influenced by the media. For instance after South Carolina’s game against UNC the media stated that he was tired throughout the game, that he had to be pulled off, and that he will not win a Heisman with that performance. When in reality, if the public watched the game they would see that he performed extremely well against UNC. For most of the game he was double teamed, UNC placed two players to block him. Even with this in front of him Jadeveon managed to force UNC to rush their plays for a majority of the game. This exemplifies how the media can tweak a story so that the public will become interested and want to talk about it. Overall Jadeveon Clowney, an exceptional player, has become a name in the media and his performance this year will be scrutinized by the media because of this. The question left to ask is how will he react?
From Athletic Business
Analysis by Jordan Underwood in SRM 435 (section 2)
You often hear of people competing in 5K’s and the recently popular Color Run, but how many people do you know that have participated in a Tough Mudder. Another recently popular fad, the Tough Mudder is designed for the true athlete to test their mental, physical and emotional strength. These courses take place around the world and are 10-12 miles of pure strength and endurance. Participants register in teams, because the course is seemingly impossible to complete alone. Through out the course, teammates must assist each other throughout various obstacles such as a 12 foot wall, swimming in freezing cold water, and crawling through tight pipes into freezing mud; simply to name a few.
The Army has recently decided to sponsor eight Tough Mudders in support of the organizations meaning and goals. Tough Mudder raises money for the Wounded Warrier Project and has raised over $6.5 million to date. During the races sponsored by the Army, soldiers will be present to help assist competitors at the various obstacle stations.
By sponsoring Tough Mudder events, the Army is not only getting positive publicity through working with the community, but it is giving the community a chance to work hand in hand with the Army soldiers. Knowing that Army soldiers are going to be at a specific Tough Mudder event might further inspire someone to sign up. Tough Mudder and the Army together create a great partnership. The Tough Mudder truly can be viewed as your normal, everyday person, without any military training, seeing if they can mentally and physically endure what the soldiers can. It is a great success to finish the course, but having an Army Soldier by your side cheering you on and helping you when you may not believe in yourself anymore is truly an accomplishment.
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Analysis by Lindsay Brauch in SRM 435 (section 2)
Have you ever loved a good challenge? Well, the Tough Mudder is designed for people like you. It’s a 5K-race set up with obstacles that could kill you. People are actually willing to run through fire, swim through ice water, climb through mud pits, crawl under barbed wire, and participate in other military like obstacles. They have created a test that allows people to assess if they are “Army Strong.”
Recently, the Army started a new campaign where they sponsor eight of the obstacles courses in the Tough Mudder. The Army hopes to show participants what it takes to be in the Army. As quoted in the article, “the sponsorships are targeted at Tough Mudder participants seeking to test their mental, emotional, and physical strength.”
One of the most prevalent things the Tough Mudder is known for is their support of the Wounded Warrior Project. It’s a program to help veterans with employment, counseling for posttraumatic stress disorders, and other things associated with their health and wellness. So far, the Tough Mudder's have raised $5 million dollars in about two years for this program. Every race, Tough Mudder sponsors a team of wounded warriors to participate in their obstacle course.
In order to promote the obstacles sponsored by the Army, soldiers were at every one of their eight obstacles to encourage and engage the participants. They were even there to assist them, as they wanted to encourage teamwork. The thought behind the Army’s sponsorship is to appeal to and reach more military members and families to enter the Tough Mudder events.
Tough Mudder has done a great job promoting itself. To start, they have the Wounded Warrior project, and if you look on their website they have a running donations section where you can see just how much money they raised. When this article came out on the 13th of September they said they had raised $5 million, and if you look on the site now it’s already at $6 million. They have done a nice job promoting their cause by informing their participants at the race and on their site. They also offer volunteering opportunities at every race. The promotion behind this is that if you volunteer you then get to run for only $20. If you run alone, it is roughly $115.It even cost money just to be a spectator.
The Tough Mudder has done such a good job with sales that you must register months in advance to even get the opportunity to race. It has quickly become a global company. They offer races all over the world. It is so intense that they offer a Tough Mudder boot camp course because it really is that intense. You have to be in fantastic shape, or “Army Strong.” The new sponsorship has opened the race to a whole new target market, helping to promote the success and sales of the company. It’s also hard to forget a race that offers you a cold beer once you complete it. Also the fact that you need to sign a death waiver before you can race gives it a challenging edge. Its something I even want on my bucket list. There really isn’t any other competition in its market, it’s that unique. This relates to what we are learning about in class based on the fact that it’s a success is solely based on its ticket sales and how it’s promoted. They also have several sponsorships and promotional deals to draw in consumers. In class, we are learning how important these promotions are and how to keep consumers coming back. The Tough Mudder has developed their own market with virtually no competition and has found a way to keep loyal customers by changing up their obstacles and having sponsorships like the one they have with the Army. They also offer many incentives when you register, including free gear and bragging rights. Their marketing team has done an excellent job so far. Tough Mudder has promoted themselves in a positive light towards the community through their charities. I am excited to see what types of obstacles they come up with next.
From ESPN.com and Wall Street Journal
Review by Steve Robertson III in SRM 435 (section 1)
Over the past few years, the NFL, believe it or not, has been struggling to fill its stadiums. Fan turnout to games is nowhere near as high as they have been in years past; in fact over the past 6 years the a average fan attendance has dropped by 4.5%. Why is this? Some would say the economy, why others believe the prices that are being charged not only for tickets but concession are absurd, but also the advances in the at-home viewing experience has improved immensely too. My group decided to do our presentation on the changes that the NFL plans to make in the coming season and beyond through the use of two articles we found. The first is by Kevin Clark of the Wall Street Journal, whose article is titled, “Game Changer: NFL Scrambles to Fill Seats.” The second article is by Daniel Kaplan, writer for the Sports Business Journal, whose article is titled, “Listen Up: NFL Moving to Mike Players.”
The NFL is pushing out new perks for season ticket holders and well as fan that attend the game at their respected stadium. Some of these new features include, a free NFL RedZone Subscription, In-Booth Camera review (aka Challenge Camera), locker room camera access, Wifi, and now installing microphones on the players! These a drastic improvements that have really caught the fans attention because of all of this up-to-date technology being executed. The only issue is that if the fans can get/or have access to this perks at home, has the NFL really won the competition. I would think not.
If you think about why an average fan would want to watch a game at their own home, typically it is because they enjoy the own comfort of their home. Think about it, you can have people over, you have an unlimited number of snacks that costs a quarter of what you would be charge to eat at the game, and you have some many more options of games to watch, whether it is live streaming of a game or another game being shown on a different network, and let’s not forget you can drink as much as you want and not have to worry about getting home because you are already there! It is insane! Why would a fan ever want to give up an opportunity like that?
I feel it’s because of two reasons, fan loyalty and tradition. If you were to think about it, season ticket holders for fans who have been apart of the Green Bay Packers and Redskins whose seat are on the 50 yard line and 3 rows back from the field, I can guarantee those tickets have been past down for nearly 3 generations. That is where tradition plays a huge role. It is a big way to bring a family together and have them all share an amazing game day atmosphere whether it is 90 degrees outside or even 10 degrees. The fact of the matter is that the loyalty that they have for their team is one that doesn’t truly need all the perks to keep them coming back for more. I mean sure it might help, but the fact of the matter is that a true die-hard fan will attend these football games because these football games impact their lives in so many ways.So in conclusion, I feel with the additions that the NFL has/plan to implement in the coming seasons, I do think it will work but not forever. I feel more fans will begin to get pulled back to the stadiums because of these new perks and I think these new traditions and fan loyalties will grow again among a new generation. If the NFL can keep up with the in-game home experience for the most part, with integrated technology at these games that fans can relate to, I feel the NFL will be just fine!
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Review by Connor Butler in SRM 435 (section 1)
Having players get mic’d up for a game is a promotional concept the NFL has used for years. Now, NFL teams are attempting to mike players for in-stadium use to go along with many other promotions. Recently, I read two articles: One from the Wall Street Journal article entitled Game Changer: NFL Scrambles to Fill Seats, and one entitled Listen Up: NFL Moving to Mike Players from the Sports Business Journal. This brief review will give a brief summary of both articles, a critical analysis of each article from a marketing and promotional standpoint, and discuss how this is all relevant to our class, SRM 435.
The first article, Game Changer: NFL Scrambles to Fill Seats, written by Kevin Clark, gives a broad overview of the issues currently affecting the NFL, and the many steps, including miking players, that the NFL is taking to address it. After bluntly stating the issue, the writer offers out many ways in which the NFL is attempting to address the issue, such as miking players and coaches for in-stadium use, stadium wifi, watering down the blackout rule, and “liberalizing” restraints on crowd noise to give stadiums college like atmospheres. As the article wraps up, the article states that some developments in using these new technologies as vehicles may be a long way off.
Fast forward a little over one year when Listen Up: NFL Moving to Mike Players written by Daniel Kaplan, a staff writer for the sports business journal was released. The article, in support of the previous article, begins by stating the NFL is moving to put microphones on players and coaches as another step in the leagues ongoing push to improve fans’ in-stadium experience. The article continues on to compare the situation to NASCAR, stating that the professional racing league has never hesitated to let fans hear the conversation between spotters and drivers, and that multiple teams are equally enthused by the idea. Towards the end of the article, the writer discusses the censorship, or lack of, of the miking. The current debate in player miking is over whether audio should be exclusive stadium use, and whether the audio would be broadly available, or available on an individual basis, like using an online app.
From a sports marketing, promotion, and sales standpoint, I believe that these many new promotions would be a great idea for encouraging the average fan to come spend money in your stadium. Often times, the average fan is a much harder sell than your hardcore follower and is going to need much more promotionally to attract them to an event. These many new features could provide the extra push to help increase ticket sales. This all, of course, hinges on all of these features staying free. If they are not free or will cost extra, I think it serves no purpose in attracting the average fan. When it comes to your hardcore fans, I think that these many new promotions serve no purpose. A team’s hardcore fans will be there no matter what and often times won’t need a promotion to get them there. While the incentives could serve as a cool addition to their experience, I don’t see these things being deal breakers.
When I think of how this relates to class, the first thing I think of is my experience working the St. Francis game with the marketing department. Before the game, some students were going around passing out promotional items, and inside of the gate before kickoff we were all passing out thunder sticks as even more promotional items. Obviously what the NFL is attempting to do is on a much larger scale, but I feel as though it’s a similar concept. Promotions are a very large part of marketing, which helps increase sales; the two main subjects of our course.These articles were two very well written articles that were fun to review and enjoyable to read. Because of these articles, I am now hooked to see where the NFL goes when it comes to the in-stadium experience.
