From Sports Business News and the New York Daily News Review by Jordan Callis in SRM 334 (section 3) The article that we chose to use for our presentation is one that covers what is quite possibly one of the most fraudulent and misleading icons of the sports industry in the last 20 years: Lance Armstrong. To summarize, the article discusses a few of the potential financial ramifications that Armstrong has brought onto not only himself, but also the entire industry in regards to how sponsors treat their athletes in the future. Howard Bloom explains that not only is Armstrong facing probable lawsuits from various businesses including SCA Promotions and The Times of London, Amaury Sport Organization is also prepared to ask for $3.6 million back from Armstrong for winnings he was paid during his seven Tour de France titles in a row. While these companies would like to think otherwise, Bloom explains that it is unlikely any parties will see much of their money back because of the legal situations, which is most likely why none of Armstrong’s former sponsors will be filing lawsuits against the now shamed cyclist.
What all of this means for the future of sponsorship agreements between companies and athletes is that the morality clause, which protects companies from athletes who conduct themselves in a way that is detrimental to the company during the life of the contract, will be an absolute necessity and will be strictly enforced. This will most likely lead to more strife between endorsers and endorses in the future. When discussing relevancy to sports media, topics like these are exactly what the major outlets such as ESPN and other affiliates thoroughly enjoy, especially in circumstances like The Times of London are facing because they get the so-called “last laugh” after the allegations they wrote against Armstrong proved to all be correct, thus adding validity and credibility to the reputation of the newspaper. Controversy is always a great seller for the media, and the sports media industry is never shy in exploiting unfortunate stories such as this one. With the amount of viewership that has accumulated throughout the coverage of the Armstrong events, it is likely that sports media will continue to seek out controversy in the future, and when athletes like Armstrong give them reason to, it seems to be a never-ending “viscous cycle,” no pun intended. --- Review by Joel Simms in SRM 334 (section 3) One of the world’s most inspiring stories of a man who had battled cancer and won seven Tour de France titles, seems to have turned from an inspirational story, to a story where a man has cheated in his whole career. Lance Armstrong had won the seven titles back to back from 1999 to 2005, which is very amazing for any athlete to accomplish in his or her career. Just a week ago, Lance Armstrong confessed on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that he had used performance-enhancing drugs every year when he won the Tour de France titles. This was big news for the media because after years of denying the fact he used PEDs, he finally came out and told everyone that he used PEDs to win the titles. Now, a lot of people will view him differently and the media coverage of Lance Armstrong confessing he doped to win is going to broadcast everywhere.
What Lance Armstrong accomplished in his bicycling career was something I admired. I was one of the people who had believed that Lance Armstrong had never used PEDs to win the titles and that he was an inspiring figure for those who battle cancer. Since he has admitted to doping, I have put my feet in his shoes to see how hard that would be. After his confession, I thought to myself, “That must have taken a lot of courage to admit that he used drugs after all of these years.” I still believe that Lance Armstrong is a nice person and that he wants to prove to the world that he can win without cheating by competing in the top-level sport again some day. I think he deserves a second chance to prove himself although it is going to be very hard to gain his trust again from society.
This current event is important to the course because it deals with several aspects of media broadcasting. Since the interview was conducted on a famous television show, a lot of people were tuned in to watch the confession. Other networks such as ESPN and NBC were covering the event as well. With winning titles, there comes big responsibilities and people begin to look up to you as a public figure. For instance, Lance Armstrong lied for several years about not using performance-enhancing drugs, and the consequences of doing that were the loss of millions of dollars in sponsorships and the trust of the people that admired him. This relates to the course because the goal of the media was to get the answer of whether or not he used drugs and broadcast it on television to have everyone know the truth about him.
From Sports Networker Review by Alex Willner in SRM 334 (section 3) Despite the NHL lockout lasting roughly half of the 2013 season, teams have turned to social media to keep fans involved and excited about their organizations. Facebook and Twitter have become an everyday part of people’s lives and have the capability of spreading information quickly and efficiently. There are over 160 million Facebook and 107 million Twitter users in America. With numbers like that, there’s no wonder why NHL teams have focused a lot of effort on connecting with fans over social media. The Edmonton Oilers have cleverly created Training Tip Tuesdays, which is a weekly video posted on Facebook by the strength and conditioning coach, explaining different workouts and healthy food choices. The Vancouver Canucks implemented another creative idea by posting pictures of fans on Facebook. The page highlights fans wearing team gear from all around the world including Barcelona, Indonesia, and the Great Wall of China. The Nashville Predators pride is still running strong partly due to the teams’ effort in creating the Second Annual Social Media Scavenger Hunt taking place across the city. Winners are given great prizes such as free concert and game day tickets. Social media has created the perfect platform for spreading information and keeping fans energized about their locked out hockey teams.
Although it is still early in the season, there are clear indications that fans have not forgotten or turned their backs on the NHL. NBC’s broadcast triumphed after opening day reporting TV ratings has never been higher for a regular season game since 2002 (excluding the winter classic). The Canadian broadcast network CDC, had similar viewer results after the Toronto and Montreal match-up. A staggering twenty seven percent of the Canadian population tuned in for the game totaling roughly 9.2 million viewers. Fox Sports Ohio drew irregular numbers in Columbus for the Blue Jackets game against the Predators, a one hundred and thirty percent gain over last year's opener. Although there is no statistical information indicating the rise in spectator numbers were directly caused by social media, it can be concluded that it only helped the cause. With teams becoming worried about losing fans interests during the lockout, social media has become a cheap, easy and effective way of communication. --- Review by Melissa Knicely in SRM 334 (section 3) A lockout during a sporting season is never a good thing; players, coaches, owners, team staff, and fans are all negatively affected by the quarrel. During this season’s NHL lockout, the relationships the teams have with their fans was one of the main concerns. The teams’ staff took to the internet as a main communication channel for interaction with fans during the lockout. During the lockout, many teams, such as Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, and many more, used social media to deliver hockey content to their fans during the down time. These teams recognized that the fans are the most vital part of their organization and that they should not be punished because negotiations were at a standstill. In particular, the Edmonton Oilers were excellent at providing fans with an inside look into the team’s atmosphere. The strength and conditioning coach hosted Training Tip Tuesdays on Facebook, the staff created a segment called “Now & Then” where they reflected on highlights of the past, and they also shared with fans some of the players’ favorite recipes in the Oil Country Cookbook. By providing this exclusive content on their social media sites it kept the fans engaged and wanting more. The importance of social media was prevalent during the lockout because without the use of it, it is very likely that fans may have felt neglected and rejected. Throughout the course thus far we have explored how social media can play a huge role in the reputation and persona that a team portrays and I believe this situation is a great example of that. Social media, in this case, was a great avenue for damage control. By keeping the fans interested in hockey and the status of the lockout, the teams were able to retain their fans and make them more involved than ever before.
From USA Today Review by A.J. Monette in SRM 334 (section 1)
Katherine Webb stormed onto the national stage on January 7th, 2013. For many college sports fans, this was a day to be dedicated to the final game of the season, the BCS National Championship game. The game featured a highly anticipated match up between Notre Dame and Alabama, but the most memorable thing about the game was sitting in the stands. In the first half of the game, ESPN crews cut to a shot of Alabama quarterback, A.J. McCarron’s mother and girlfriend. The reaction from analyst Brent Musburger proved to be the highlight of the game, and a new overnight sensation was born.
Ten years ago this would not even have been a major story. This is not the first time a successful college quarterback has had an attractive girlfriend and it won’t be the last. It is also not as if Ms. Webb was a complete unknown figure, she was crowned Miss Alabama 2012 and went on to finish inside the top ten in Miss USA 2012. So what’s the big deal? Combine ESPN commentator, 73 year old Brent Musburger, a predominantly male audience, and the power of social media, and you will get your answer. Webb stated the game with just over 2,000 twitter followers, and as of January 26th, 2013 she is up to over 270,000 boasting a 120,000 follower advantage over her athlete boyfriend. This stat shows the power of social media. She was instantaneously thrust into the spotlight due to the reaction of fans on Facebook and twitter. She didn’t even do anything special; she was just there in the stands like any supportive girlfriend would be.
While she did not anticipate this level of celebrity, she is certainly taking full advantage of it. Since the game, Webb has landed a spread in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, a spot on ABC’s new reality show Celebrity Diving, a gig for Inside Edition as a correspondent covering the Super Bowl, and secured a place on next year’s Miss USA judging panel. Calling this woman a celebrity is a little far-fetched, but due to role of media and the reaction of fans she has managed to stay in the news far after the final whistle of the championship game blew. The comments made about her appearance were a little inappropriate, but they only added fuel to the fire. Constant tweeting and status updates about Webb made her all the more popular, and without social media this newest off the field sports phenomenon would just be another pretty face in the stands.
This story pertains to our class in particular because it shows us how key social media is becoming to our industry. It makes the world a much smaller place, and it also warns us how something that may not seem like a big deal, can turn into something massive. It also shows how far we have come as far as the role of media in athletics. The role a commentator plays should be one of informative, and to help explain the game. However that may not be the total target market anymore. We are more involved in the personal lives of athletes than ever. This trend can only be expected to continue as the prevalence and scope of social media increases. As the next generation in this field, we need to make sure we are up to date and brush up on our tweeting skills or we may find ourselves at a competitive disadvantage. --- Review by Becca Gibbs in SRM 334 (section 1) On January 7, 2013, AJ McCarron played in the BCS Championship against Notre Dame. Although his performance was enough to defeat the Irish 42 to 14, he was not the star of the night. Cameramen focused their lenses on 23-year-old Katherine Webb, girlfriend of Alabama’s quarterback, Aj McCarron, throughout the entire game. Commentators began to commentate on her rather than the championship game. Before the game Webb had about 2,000 followers, but by the end of the game she had over 90,000 followers. Now she has 237,000 followers on Twitter.
Although Webb is Miss Alabama, she did not attain fame through pageants. Sports fans and enthusiasts have recently taken a huge role in the expansion of social media. Twitter has become a favorite website for fans to use because of its efficiency and timeliness. Fans now have a direct line of communication with professional athletes through Twitter by simply tagging them in a post or tweet. Clearly enough people watching the BCS Championship game became mesmerized by Webb’s beauty to create such frenzy.
Sports media has been booming with the creation of Twitter and apps that make exchanging information and opinions easier. The sports industry is trying to keep up with today’s technology. Teams and players are creating accounts in order to stay close with their fans and followers. Katherine Webb is now immersed in the sports world, and the media can take full credit for that.
