"Sponsor-Supported Video Boards Make Impact at High School Level"

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.

"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.

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. 

"Armstrong stripped of Tour de France titles, banned from cycling"

From SI.com

Review by Lindsay Brauch in SRM 334

In recent news, Lance Armstrong was stripped of his titles from 1999 to 2005, with an accusation of doping. With his most recent refusal to fight this accusation of ten years, the United States Anti-Doping Association had no other option. His old drug tests originally came out negative, but with new technologies, this was not the case. 

Not only were his titles taken from him, he was banned from cycling all together. Although he is still standing by his innocence, it’s a man’s word against the facts. Armstrong referred to the USADA’s actions a “witch hunt.” He felt that their actions in looking into his old tests were absurd.

As a result of being stripped of his seven titles, Greg LeMond, is now the only American to win the Tour De France in 1986, 1989, and 1990. According to USADA officials, at least ten of Armstrong's teammates were set to testify against him. Not only is it upsetting to have ten of your teammates not have your back, and lose your titles, as well as being banned from cycling, Armstrong’s ties with Nike have also been cut.

Apparently many witnesses said they knew or had been told by Armstrong himself, that he had “used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone.” It is also common in the cycling world to have been a doper. I feel as if it’s a little extreme to only focus on Lance Armstrong. He was not the only cycler to have been apart of it, its just unfortunate that he is the main focus. I’m not saying I approve, I believe the whole concept of it is wrong; I just think it needs to be fair. If you’re going to look at all of his old tests, they should look at all cyclers. I also don’t believe that doping should ever be seen as an outlook to success.

Armstrong was an idol to many, and a role model to aspiring cyclers. He was even a role model to cancer patients and survivors. It is an upsetting loss to the cycling world; he was their most popular athlete. How would you feel if your star player was accused of being a cheater, or even your hero? Wouldn’t your views change on him or her?

Lance Armstrong has to find a way to save his image, now that he has chosen not to fight this case anymore. In my eyes it is now clear that he was in fact using drugs. We also have to consider how this scandal is going to affect his Livestrong foundation. It’s still a fantastic cause, and it would be awful to watch it fall apart. I hope he realizes how his actions affect everyone. As far as how this relates to our class, it’s analyzing how all of his actions affect his life. It’s going to be looking at how all of his foundations and sponsors bounce back, and how he bounces back. The media is going to be focused on all of them for a while, each company and even Lance himself is going to have to find a way to be seen in a positive light. 

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Review by Christopher Hudgins in SRM 334

After nearly ten years of fighting doping allegations, Lance Armstrong decided to end possibly his biggest fight yet by quitting. Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life from the sport of cycling. Lance Armstrong refused to file for arbitration thus giving up on a fight that essentially wiped out 14 years of his miraculous career. This decision has shocked nearly everyone in the sports world especially in the close cycling community. Armstrong has stuck by his innocence through all the accusations and now to give up on the fight is what has shocked his former competitors the most. Former coach Johan Bruyneel said Armstrong was the victim of an “unjust” legal case, stating that he has never known Armstrong to back down from a fair fight. Many critics however believe that this decision to stop fighting is as good as a confession. This is in large part due to the fact that USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) claimed to have witnesses who had been told by Armstrong himself that he had “used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone” from before 1998 through 2005. Had Armstrong decided to pursue arbitration all the evidence would have been available for him to challenge. This decision to quit though could end up costing Armstrong more than just victories on the bike. Armstrong’s success helped sell millions of Livestrong bands and ultimately helped his Lance Armstrong Foundation. Since the foundation was started in 1997 it has raised nearly $500 million to promote cancer research and treatment. The recent turn of events and extensive media coverage of the recent findings in this scandal could cause his foundation to unfortunately take a hit in support. That first hit came almost a week ago when one of the biggest partners and supporters decided to cut ties with the ex-cyclist and his Lance Armstrong Foundation, after initially pledging their allegiance with Armstrong citing that “Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position”. Some feel that the media whirl wind caused by this investigation and the ten years of fighting both USADA accusations as well as the media has ultimately just worn down the 41 year old Lance Armstrong. “There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ For me, that time is now.” These were Armstrong’s exhausted words before the deadline to enter arbitration, yet still standing by his innocence.

"Jaguars get keys to U.K."

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Brandon Jones in KIN 332 (section 2)

The owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Shad Khan, has finalized an agreement with the National Football League to play at least one home game for the next 4 years in London. Khan believes that this untapped market will be economical beneficial to both London and the United States. Khan is hoping that the publicity from these football games in London will lead to economic growth in the city of Jacksonville. Khan views this move as a win-win situation because the Jaguars will gain global recognition, which will in turn give the city a higher international profile, a global fan base, and an opportunity for Jacksonville and its businesses to grow. 

In a recent interview Shad Kahn stated that “We’re serious about marketing Jacksonville as a world-class leisure destination and more importantly as a place to grow business, a great place to raise a family and to have the full power of the NFL to leverage this area.” Kahn argues that expanding the target market of NFL fans would be beneficial to all of the teams in the future because more fans equal higher profits.

After reading this article I began to admire Shad Kahn because of his passion towards bettering his community and his team. Kahn is trying to help every Floridian’s business by attempting to increase tourism and foreign relationships. Overall, I believe that the NFL and Shad Kahn’s decision to expand the football marketplace overseas will pay off in the long-run.

"How video game is changing face of soccer"

From ESPN FC

Review by Heather Holston in KIN 332 (section 1)

I found an article from ESPN soccer net that was talking about the popular game FIFA. EA Sports states that their game is helping make soccer more popular in the United States. They say consumers play the game and then want to follow the teams they play. Also with the help of World Cups and technology, soccer is becoming a sport of the future for America. Americans can keep up now with their favorite international teams because of the internet. Most of these consumers are ages eighteen to twenty four. FIFA is the second most video game behind Madden football to do well. FIFA 12 sold the most video games in retail in a week. The latest version of FIFA 13 just came out September 25th. EA Sports first tried to get FIFA into Americans homes by using international superstars such as Wayne Rooney from Manchester United to promote the product. However, Americans haven’t progressed that much in soccer. They had no clue who Rooney was. EA Sports then came up with a different campaign. They started using American celebrities to promote the game. Some of the first celebrities to promote were Seth Myers, Steve Nash, and Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. This caught more American consumer’s eyes and worked better for the game. FIFA 13 had celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Andrew Luck and Barcelona Soccer player Lionel Messi. I believe that EA Sports fixed the situation of how to message to the market very well. They looked for people who Americans knew to get more consumers. If they had stuck with Rooney, the campaign could have continued to fail. I believe if they keep using American celebrities, they will keep being successful in the market. I believe FIFA could out sell Madden in the future if they keep up the success. Along with the continuation of the growth of soccer in America. 

"Red Bull Stratos Shatters Records - and traditional notions of marketing"

From Fast Company and USA Today

Review by Jason Gannon in KIN 332 (section 2)

The article I choose to do my presentation on was about the marketing implications of the Red Bull Stratos Project. In the article they talk about a project sponsored by Red Bull where a man freefalls from space. The freefall jumper was Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgratner, who started working on the idea with Red Bull in 2005. Just the other day, October 14th, Baumgartner set breaking records for longest free fall of 4 minutes and 20 seconds, farthest freefall of 119,846 feet, and highest max velocity of 833.9 miles per hour (faster than the speed of light).

The question then is, why would did Red Bull sponsor something like this? Red Bull was able to expose their name and logo to millions of people. The event was streamed live through Youtube where it set the record of 8 million live viewers streaming. The event is also going to be featured in documentaries on BBC and National Geographic Channels. The fact that television networks like BBC and National Geographic are running special programs about this event shows the bridge Red Bull has successfully created in reaching new markets. Red Bull will be able to enjoy recognition and admiration in a setting that wouldn’t normally feature an energy drink brand.

I believe this was a great strategy by Red Bull. By now we are all accustom to seeing extreme sports athletes drinking Red Bull like Shaun White, and Travis Pastrana. Not only did the Stratos Project appeal to extreme sport enthusiast, but also it tapped into a whole new market. The event was watched by millions of people with all different backgrounds and interests. Viewers range from scientist all the way to professional football players. Red Bull was successfully reached millions yet never mentioned their actual product once.

As consumers we are constantly exposed to different kinds of marketing efforts. What’s so unique about Red Bull is how they go about their marketing. They sponsor snowboarding events, the flutag contest, a formula 1 team and now a man free falling form space. All of these are great exposure for the brand but have nothing to do with the actual selling of an energy drink. Through Red Bulls ingenious marketing plans they have successfully associated themselves with thrill seeking and action sports. This is a good strategy since much of Red Bull customers are from this niche and believe in Red Bull’s mission statement of: “Red Bull Energy Drink has been developed for people who want to have a clear and focused mind, perform physically, are dynamic and performance-oriented whilst also balancing this with a fun and active lifestyle.”

So why are so many extreme sport athletes sponsored by Red Bull? Is it because the drink helps them preform or give them wings? There might be some truth to the effects of the drink on performance but ultimately Red Bull is responsible for a lot of extreme sports popularity and growth. Red Bull has continuously put these athletes in the spotlight, and set the stage for them to continue to push the boundaries and limits of their respective sports. It’s a mutually beneficially relationship in which each side benefits. Red Bull creates the stage for these athletes to perform and return Red Bull continues to expose their name and further their company image. In an industry that doesn’t have a leader in equipment or apparel, Red Bull looks to fill that void of being the extreme sports sponsor.

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Review by Daniel Allen in KIN 332 (section 1)

Red Bull has been the worldwide leader in promotion of extreme sports and they just catapulted themselves even further in front of the competition with the stunt pulled off by Felix Baumgartner. Mr. Baumgartner successfully skydived from the edge of space back down through our atmosphere and back to earth. The jump was watched my many on live television and by millions through YouTube within days after the jump. This Red bull “stratos” project as it was called had been in talk since 2005 with equipment being built by 2007. It was the perfect extreme sport marketing event to thrust forward Red bull in front of all their competitors. Mr. Baumgartner, the 43 year old skydiver, pilot, and stunt coordinator was the perfect man for the jump. The jump was a whopping 24 miles or 128,100 feet above the earth and according to the preliminary data he reached speeds of 834 mph or a speed of Mach 1.24. In doing this became the first person to go faster than the speed of sound without a jet or spacecraft. Red bull had a strong fan base before the jump but this jump personified there label perfectly. Steven Addis, chief executive of Addis Creson, a brand strategy company based in Berkeley, California, said “the Red Bull Stratos project was a high-risk, high-reward event that not only meshed the jump with the brand by not only connecting the taste of the drink but the power it delivers its consumers.” Red bull is literally giving themselves wings. They were one of the first to start in the energy drink market and now they are flying high by being the sole sponsorship of the jump and having everyone seeing that crafty bull and his wings on the helmet of Mr. Baumgartner.

"Athletes Brady, RGIII Buck Nike's NFL Sponsorship (in Practice)"

From Advertising Age

Review by Brian Barlow in KIN 501

The article I am going to review is Athletes Brady, RGIII Buck Nike's NFL Sponsorship (in Practice). This article discusses the current issue with players in the NFL being sponsored by other companies than the sponsor of the league itself (Nike). Last spring, Nike took over as the new equipment and apparel sponsor of the NFL. An issue that will always arise is when players are sponsored by other companies; in this case it is Tom Brady who is sponsored by Under Armour and Robert Griffin III who is sponsored by Adidas. The article explains how the first issue with sponsorship this season was when Robert Griffin III wrote the word “Heart” over the Nike swoosh on his warm up shirt during the pregame of his bout against the New Orleans Saints. The article reveals that the NFL contacted Griffin about the cover up and how he hasn’t tried to do it again since. The other incident the article describes is with Tom Brady. After practice one day at a press conference, Tom Brady put a piece of tape of the Nike swoosh on his shirt for the interview. Tom was never contacted by the league about this action, because “Policy only pertains to game day.” The article ends with quotes from the former Creative Director of Nike, Ernest Lupinacci. Lupinacci is quoted saying that the fact that these players are worried about covering up logos and such is “diminishing” to the players’ reputation. 

In my opinion, I don’t see anything wrong with doing these things on practice days like Tom did. I can somewhat agree with Lupinacci about doing this on a game day when one should be totally focused on the game and not focused about covering up logos and such. I found it interesting that covering up the logos ironically brought more attention to Nike because it turned into a public issue through the media and such.

"Role of the Internet Site in the Promotion Management of Sports Teams and Franchise Brands"

From the Journal of Promotion Management

Review by Ashley Schneider in KIN 501

The article explored the use of a Website and its influence as being a factor to build an allegiance to a brand new sports franchise. The researchers explored the concepts of promotion types, the attachment theory and how it affects sports fan, as well as the Psychological Continuum Model, and the concepts of an effective website and examined the Tallahassee Titans. When examining the types of promotions, they did know that these encouraged fans to be allegiant and promote a fan from a possibly attracted fan to an allegiant fan. The researchers did take note that these promotions could be used for a sports franchise that is just starting and trying to build a fan base. The article goes on talk about attachment theory and how it attributes to creating an allegiant fan. Mostly, the attachment theory examined how a team would need to create an experience that fans value, both emotionally and psychologically. The psychological continuum model picks from there explaining the stages that are involved for allegiance to occur. Allegiance can only become a reality when a person has recognized the team, favors a team, and perceives the value of the team. Once those steps have occurred, an allegiant fan is a possibility.

As a reminder, the research wanted to discover the influence a website had on developing this allegiance. Each one of the aspects needs to be involved in creating a webpage that enhances the experience of the team, and creates the allegiance. McClung et al (2012) examined the experience of the Tallahassee Titans, a former member of the American Indoor Football League. The Tallahassee Titans had an allegiant fan base before the players even stepped onto the field. They were able to do this by understanding the concepts of successful promotions, the attachment theory, the psychological continuum model and the important aspects of a website.

McClung (2012) concluded that the Tallahassee Titans website was effective in implementing and recognizing the process of creating an allegiant fan. Their marketing strategies were spot on and 58% of their attendees at the first game had already visited the website and could claim some sort of allegiance to the team.

I enjoyed reading this article especially when they were able to use a specific example of how it is possible to create an allegiant fan base. This will be extremely helpful to implement other marketing strategies that may come my way in my career. There were several other factors that the researchers may have neglected that could have influenced the strong fan base for the Titans, but they do mention that flaw in their discussion. It would be interesting to know if this could be possible if it were to happen now after the influx of social media, and if so, would it result in even higher numbers of allegiant fans.

"Nike behind study to make kids more active"

From ESPN.com

Review by Mike Freas in KIN 332 (section 1)Design to Move is a collaboration of over 70 groups that are beginning a marketing campaign to promote physical activity in America’s youth. The one company that is leading the charge is Nike. According to a recent study, children today are to have a five-year less life expectancy compared to their parents. 

The results are alarming. The study found out that children between the ages of 9 to 5 become 75% less active in the United States. In addition, in the last 44 years physical activity is down 34% in the United States. Even more alarming is the fact that they predict this number to grow to 46% in 2030. The study also went into the financial impact of this growing problem. The study found that the direct cost of the inactivity would be a 113% increase in health care costs by 2030.

Nike and the other organizations involved are trying to create a program and a marketing approach to curtail the problem and promote physical activity in America’s youth. They believe that technology is not to blame but should encourage physical activity.

I believe this article relates to marketing in numerous ways. The article talks about the beginning stages of marketing plan to promote physical activity. They have now formed and organized the organizations involved to help promote it. They have done the research and are now setting goals to try to fix the problem. They are in the beginning stages of creating a marketing plan to do achieve this. They have begun to use many big organizations and well known brands to lead the charge. They have even begun to collect athlete and celebrity endorsements.

"NHL lockout: On eve of non-season, disagreements continue"

From Sporting News

Review Erika Grimm in SRM 334 Interviews, press conferences, YouTube videos, and sports talk radio all have been deliberately used by both parties in the current NHL Lockout. Daly himself, the NHL Deputy Commissioner, said that he would use every place he could that had a microphone to sway the media and fans. The players made a YouTube video that was directed just towards the fans that pleaded their case. Both sides are using different sources of media to persuade interested fans that they are doing everything they can to have a peaceful outcome and this lockout is the opposing parties fault. 

From the side of the owners, they simply want more money. They believe the players receive too much and want to cut the revenue split closer to 50-50. During one of the sports talk radio sessions Bill Daly partook in, he claimed that he knows the NHLPA has been thinking of numbers; why don’t they just make an offer already. With this statement and others from the owners’ point of view, they put all the blame on the NHLPA. They are using their sources of media to gain the trust of the fans.

The players on the other hand, used a more direct form of communication to build a relationship with the media and fans. They made a YouTube video literally titled, A message from Players to Fans about the NHL Lockout. In this video, the players speak directly into a camera portraying a personal, intimate message stating they just want to play and the agreement they and the owners are working on will eventually work out for both parties. This video is the NHLPA’s way of persuading fans that the lockout is not their fault, and rather the owners’. They simply went about passing the buck with a heartfelt video instead of literally stating it on air.

Both parties are using different sources of media to build and sustain a good relationship with the fans. Regardless of the reason, the lockout is ultimately no good for the NHL program as a whole. In order to keep their frustrated fans dedicated customers, media must now be used by both parties. As a fan myself, I just hope to see the season start sooner rather than later regardless of the owners and players disputes.

---Review by James Daniel in SRM 334
The NHL Lockout started officially on September 15. Leading up to the lockout, coverage in terms of neutral sports networks was constant. What I mean by that is that of course NHL.com or NHL Network is going to cover the lockout constantly due to the face it really has nothing else to talk about. However since the league announced that it would cancel the first two weeks of the season totaling 82 games, there really has not been much coverage of the lockout from stations such as ESPN, ESPN 2 or the NBC Sports Network. With the NFL season already underway & the MLB postseason in full gear, it has been a topic of little coverage. That fact in my eyes makes the lockout more prone to drag out. With the NFL lockout, watching ESPN every day I saw coverage of it for hours. Likewise with the NBA lockout, who missed 16 games per team just a year ago. This was due in large part to the fact nothing else was on other than regular season baseball games & WNBA games. Being in the spotlight constantly by major network stations coverage puts more pressure on both sides to strike a deal. I saw a statistic that NHL attendance grew a small amount from the last lockout till now. Wondering why, it is simple now. No one is watching too many NHL games at this times of year anyhow. The first big game fans pay attention to other than Sidney Crosby playing Alex Ovechkin is the Winter Classic. That is why the urgency is not to miss that game, because the money the league receives from it is substantial. Looking at two years ago, it was the most watched event on NBC that year (the Superbowl was broadcasted on FOX in the 2010-2011 season). Even hockey great Wayne Gretzky hoped & was optimistic a deal could be done before the Winter Classic. That is the pressure, because if there are no games played through January 2, (The Winter Classic is schedule to be played on New Year’s Day) I think it is safe to say that there would be zero hockey played this year. So the key to ending this lockout may be more coverage.

"BeRecruited links to USA Today brand, others"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Sean Cunningham in SRM 334

The article that we decided to do for our presentation was an article in the Sports Business Journal that talked about the recruiting company berecruited. Its recent business deals have made it one of the top recruiting companies in the U.S. This company uses their website to connect non-elite high school athletes with collegiate athletic programs. Currently there are 1.5 million student athletes registered. Berecruited enlarged and enhanced their company by recently agreeing to distribution and marketing deals with USA Today High School Sports, Kaplan Test Prep and the National Collegiate Scouting Association. Also they acquired fanvibe 14 months ago, which is a social sports streaming website. What berecruited wants to accomplish with these deals are benefits that will help their athletes gain recognition in the ultra competitive and crazy recruiting world. Some of the benefits include offering prospecting athletes free recruiting analysis from a NCSA scout, discounts on Kaplan test preparation products, as well as personalized highlight films. The article states that you can become a premium member for only $299. These types of sites along with the over the top media coverage have made recruiting so competitive that coaches and schools have resulted to breaking NCAA rules to land recruits. The media coverage now on college football recruiting has allowed fans to follow their team’s recruiting year round which puts enormous amounts of pressure on coaches to land big time recruits. These big-named recruits get celebrity like media coverage during the entire recruiting process up until National Signing Day. In conclusion, this article shows how much recruiting has changed in college athletics, especially in football to where it has now become a cut-throat business. 

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Review by Connor Butler in SRM 334

Recently, I read an article entitled: BeRecruited Links to USA Today Brand, Others. The article was about a website entitled BeRecruited, a social media website high school athletes use to promote themselves to college programs.

In class, social media has been a talking point many times. This article is representative of the role social media has begun to play in sports. The website allows high school athletes to create a profile or connect to the website through facebook, and use that profile to make connections with 25,000 coaches in 31 different sports. The website, through social media, provides more opportunities to players that may not be heavily recruited coming out of high school to receive some form of recruitment.

Recently, BeRecruited signed distribution and marketing deals with USA Today High School Sports, Kaplan Test Prep, and the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA), in attempts to reach out to more athletes and boost memberships. Specifically, premium members will receive free Kaplan Test Prep products, as well as free personalized highlight films, and every new member receives a free recruiting analysis by a NCSA scout. BeRecruited currently has 1.5 million users, and expects that number to grow with the new deals that have been agreed on.

My partner and I in addition to the article, decided to look deeper into recruiting and the media other than what is mentioned in the article. While websites like BeRecruited provide opportunities to lower level high school athletes, some athletes do not need the help. Today, media coverage of high school recruiting is through the roof. Media outlets such as ESPN, USA Today, and local television networks have regular coverage of the top ranked athletes and the schools they are choosing from throughout the season. Recently, there was a media frenzy over Jadaveon Clowney, and his indecision on where he wanted to play. Also, on signing day, camera crews are sent to the high schools of the top recruits in the nation, just for them to reveal where they are going to be playing. Do high school players need that much attention?

The article, as well as our extra research, shed a lot of light on the role of the media in recruiting today. Whether it is a social media outlet providing opportunities to lesser known athletes or the media putting players on a pedestal, there is a prominent, and growing, media presence in high school recruiting.

"NFL goes pink with A Crucial Catch"

From NFL.com and a NFL press release

Review by Amber Bolen in KIN 332 (section 1)
The NFL teamed up with the American Cancer Society four years ago to create “The Crucial Catch Campaign.” From then on, it has done nothing but expand to other brands and not only the NFL but colleges as well. This campaign shows that it is perfectly acceptable for men to wear pink to support a great cause. 

During the month of October, we see athletes wearing pink to accentuate their normal game-day attire. Personally, I thought they just wore the pink for the cause and support. I did not know that it was an actual campaign that raised a lot of money. The following brands assist in taking Breast Cancer Awareness month and the Crucial Catch Campaign to a whole other level. Barclays has an NFL Extra Point credit card and during the month of October, depending on how much people use their Extra Point card, they will donate up to $100,000. Ticket Master is donating ten cents on every game ticket sold in the month of October including printing pink tickets of these games to raise awareness. Gatorade is sponsoring the pink sideline towels at every “A Crucial Catch” game as well as created “A Crucial Catch” G Series special edition bottles sold at Kroger throughout October 12th. The following brands are the brands that are sponsoring the athletic pink apparel for the athletes: New Era (Breast Cancer Awareness hats), Under Armour (gloves), Nike (cleats and gloves), Riddell (pink helmet chin cups), Wilson (Breast Cancer Awareness footballs and quarterback towels), and Pro Specialties Group (pink shoelaces and Breast Cancer Awareness pins.)

I think the idea of many different brands to partner up and make the month of October something special for not only people that are battling this horrific disease but for families who have lost someone or have someone fighting breast cancer is such an amazing idea. My grandmother is a survivor of breast cancer and to see how many people can come together to find a cause truly warms my heart. I could only imagine how people that have lost someone and read this article felt. As a James Madison University student, I saw it carry over into a football game of our own. October 6th James Madison athletes dressed out wearing certain assets pink instead of the normal purple and gold. And the fans decked out in JMU apparel that was pink that also sponsored Breast Cancer Awareness. The NFL is a huge corporation and it shows how one small idea of creating a campaign to raise money for a cause can become a world-wide program.

Overall, the article touched me in ways I never thought a simple article could. It showed that even though these brands bring in millions of money, they are more than willing to reach out a helping hand. Not only did it show what brands helped in making Breast Cancer Awareness month more known, it showed that wearing pink was not just a show. It was a campaign that not only raised awareness but raised money to help find a cure for a deadly, world-wide issue.

"Cam Newton tackles fashion"

From the Charlotte Business Journal

Review by Jordan Grudko in KIN 332 (section 1)

I’m not the type of person to buy clothing or anything else really based on whose clothes line it is or who advertises the product, however I still think it is smart for athletes to do this. Not only does it provide another source of income for them, but it expands an athlete’s fan base allowing them to become more popular. This growth in popularity also will lead to more opportunities for income because popularity directly relates to the endorsement deals an athlete or person can receive. Cam Newton is an athlete continually growing in popularity, in a sport with continually growing popularity, so why not put out a clothing line that can only enhance his fame. He isn’t the first athlete to begin a clothing line, but few go beyond designing shoes and apparel like Cam Newton has. I especially think it’s smart to get involved in children’s clothing because kids look at athletes as if they are superheroes, and I think his clothing line MADE will be a huge hit with the kids. I think this is even more true in today’s day and age where looks and being cool is becoming more and more important to younger kids. I believe if an athlete or person of prominence has a passion for fashion, then they should pursue something along the lines of their own clothes line like Cam Newton has. He was very involved in the design of his line and with the help of Belk’s Inc., MADE by Cam Newton will be being worn by a lot of people in the coming years.

"TBS' MLB Overnight Playoff Average Remains Up 4%; MLB Net Sees Record Audience"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Beau Banglesdorf in KIN 332 (section 2)
TBS is averaging four percent higher overnight Nielsen ratings through its first eight playoff games compared to last year and has seen an increase in 25-54 year old male viewers by fifteen percent. Certain games are even obtaining higher ratings than usual even though NFL games are on television at the same time. Through the first three days, TBS is averaging a 2.3 US rating and 3.6 million viewers which are up fifteen percent and fourteen percent respectively. In terms of viewers and US rating from last year on the third day of playoff coverage, both are up eleven percent. D.C. has had its best rating since the Nationals came to town in 2005 and the Orioles have had their highest rating since the were last in the playoffs in 1997. The Major League Baseball Network (MLBN) averaged 1.3 million viewers for the Athletics vs. Tigers game, which was the networks highest ever. Some fans and writers feeling like the MLBN’s handling of its coverage is greedy however. The MLBN is not allowing local markets to air the games it airs. 

I believe baseball is doing a great job making a comeback and becoming relevant to television ratings and audiences once again. Football and basketball had taken over for a while and I feel like it is nice to see baseball making marketing changes to bring audiences back in. The MLB has seen how effective the NFL and NBA have been with commercials geared towards their fans and now the MLB is airing similar commercials and the effectiveness of such commercials is being seen with the increased ratings. It does not hurt however, that some new teams have made the playoffs and it is not just the same teams this year that it usually is.

"Female Olympians count their post-Games winnings"

From UPI.com

Review by Ali Noel in KIN 332 (section 2)

The article “Female Olympians Count their Post-Games Winnings” dealt with issues between male and female endorsed athletes and how the gender gap is gradually becoming thinner. As the Olympic games came to their end, there has been a developing interest in certain female athletes and with that comes the possibility for lucrative sponsorship opportunities. In the past, male athletes have earned, on average, twice the amount that female athletes get paid in sponsorships. Although top male athletes will always attract the most attention, thus leading to higher paychecks, female athletes have certainly become more marketable and involved in high-paying endorsement deals in the recent times. Social networking sites are partly accountable for this increase in salary and endorsement deals for female athletes. These athletes have immense followings on social media sites which means they are able to influence and relate to fans and consumers. This article used Olympic gold medalist, Gabby Douglas, as a prime example. She has nearly 750,000 followers on Twitter, which means the products she endorses are being seen through her promotional tweets regarding that company’s product. For example, on October 8, 2012 she tweeted, “Best cereal in the WORLD!! Thanks Kellogg’s!” This tweet had a picture of Kellogg’s new cereal “Krave” and many people retweeted and favored this specific tweet. People are becoming aware of products through these athletes and it is increasing the company’s profits in the long run. Her expected earnings through this deal with Kellogg’s will bring Gabby almost $3 million. The article also discussed how high school Olympian swimmer Missy Franklin has given up some profitable offers ($2 million in endorsements to be exact) in order to remain eligible to play college sports. Some companies, including Pantene, have used multiple female athletes to mass-market their products. This is beneficial because Pantene’s mission is to raise awareness for the relationship between sports and health. Although some of these female athletes are earning millions in endorsement deals, they still have a long way to go before catching up to the leading men in the industry. Last year’s Sports Illustrated magazine reported 50 of the highest earning athletes, and not a single woman made the cut. This is partly due to the fact that outside of the Olympics, female athletes are not recognized nearly as much as males. Another reason is that females are usually portrayed strategically by sexualizing them and the target market (other females) do not respond favorably to this. These female athletes are far behind their male counterparts earnings-wise, but hopefully that will be changing in the near future. 

"WKU Athletic Department Says Beer is a 'Positive' at Football Games"

From WBKO.com

Review by Derek Orndorff in KIN 332 (section 1)

It seems as if Western Kentucky University has successfully found a new way to generate money and happiness at their home football games. Beer. At the start of the current football season, WKU switched up their scheme. By allowing alcohol sales at football games, the fans are showing up in larger numbers. Could it be that beer is what caused the spike in attendance, or is it all because the team is playing solid?

The 3-1 Hilltoppers claim that the idea stemmed from the athletic department and gradually grew stronger as others endorsed it. The fans seem to love the new option of buying five-dollar beers, but then again who wouldn’t? Western Kentucky is trying to regulate the sale of it by only allowing a person to purchase two beers at a time and they must be wearing a non-removable I.D. bracelet. In addition, beer sales end at the conclusion of the third quarter.

Now, with fans drinking heavily before the game and during the game, WKU must pay closer attention to fans and be ready to spring into action whenever conflict occurs. A drunken conflict is a worse conflict than just a simple sober confrontation. Security will continue to be increased with the increases in attendance and Western Kentucky will have to complete a much more extensive clean-up process with the new beers sales. However, Western Kentucky is among several other universities who have adopted alcohol sales at sporting events; Louisville, Louisiana-Lafayette, and South Alabama all sell alcohol.

I believe that Western Kentucky has made the correct decision in selling alcohol and I think there will continue to be positive effects on the football games. In the spring, I expect a rise in attendance at baseball games too, due to the sales that will be allowed there.

"X Games expands globally"

From ESPN.com

Review by Brandon Jones in KIN 332 (section 2)

The X Games have decided to expand to an international market in the upcoming 2013 through 2015 Summer and Winter games by adding destinations in Barcelona, Spain; Munich, Germany; and Foz do Iguacu, Brazil. ESPN and the X-Games wanted to stimulate their target youth market in these culture hotbeds in order to mainstream action sports across the globe. X Game leaders want to infuse a lifestyle with their brand in order to make their fans feel like a community. The style of sports in these action games also goes against traditional sport boundaries because these athletes are usually competing against the environment, obstacles, and challenges. This change in the “norm” of sports gives action sports an image of rebellion against societal norms.

Action Sports are becoming more marketable with the constant inventions of new thrilling activities. These activities usually push the boundaries of safety and sanity, and can result in the death of the athletes and others. However, this risk has just increased the fan-base of highly skilled athletes like Travis Pastrana, Shaun White, and Tony Hawk. This article discusses the importance of infusing these action sports within the cultures of other countries around the world.

I believe that the X-Games has a distinct advantage over traditional sports because they are limitless in creativity, which means it can evolve with the ever-changing youth of the next generation. If ESPN continues to push these sports into countries these action activities may become the new era of mainstream sports.

"How are Harry Potter’s talking newspaper, Eagles tickets alike?"

From SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Emily Goodin in KIN 332 (section 1)

Tim McDermott, chief marketing officers of the NFL Philadelphia Eagles made the decision in late July that for 2012 football season the Eagles would be using the world’s first visual browser mobile app known as Aurasma to incentivize season ticket holders.

Seeing that the age of the Smart Phone has caught up to speed and is commonly found in the pocket of the average everyday American, the Eagles has chosen the “quasi Harry Potter-ish” talking newspapers Smartphone app known as Aurasma to relay addition information including a combination of highlights, previews, messages from players and analysis to season ticket holders. The Aurasma app has a very simple concept that brings simple print material to life by providing a video image to the consumer.

Once season ticket holders has downloaded the Aurasma app and Eagles Official Smartphone App all they have to do is merely point their phones at the season ticket and with a snap of their phones a detailed video will be displayed on their iPhone or Android. The mobile application has brought static images to life just like the enchanted newspapers found in the Daily Prophet found in the world of Harry Potter.

The technology Aurasma was created by Cambridge based software campus Autonomy in late 2010. It wasn't until May 5, 2011, the application Aurasma Lite was launch and was originally designed for the iPhone 3GS phone; a month later a version for the Android was released on June 10, 2011. Aurasma is the worlds first visual browser, and allows Smartphone picture to recognize images and objects. These images and objects may be taken from any angle, and will be recognized as “trigger images” and will be identified by the Aurasma app. The app will then relay a brief video providing the season ticket holder with additional information about the upcoming game. This year there will be 10 games played at Lincoln Field, and this gives the Eagles 10 more opportunities to provide their fans with details of upcoming events, special promotions, opinions or interviews from team players, or update fans with new statics and highlights as the season moves on.

A mass email will be sent out to Philadelphia Eagle ticket holders explaining to fans that each season ticket issue, total of 10 tickets, holds the key to addition information about each game day event. Hopefully for the Eagles it will create an incentive for season ticket holders.

"Mark Wahlberg enters supplements market"

From ESPN.com

Review by Kevin Bradshaw in KIN 332 (section 1)

GNC has come out with a new line of nutritional that was created in part with movie star Mark Wahlberg. This is not a traditional endorsement where a company looks for a new face for itself. Mark Wahlberg started a foundation to improve quality of life for inner city youth. He has been looking for ways to improve peoples’ lives for years. He stated that, "Endorsing products is not what I do, building great products is what I want to do." This is exactly what he has done. Wahlberg has not only teamed up with GNC supplement specialists but some of the best scientists in the field to make sure that what he is selling is the best. 

This is a unique approach. Usually athletes or celebrities do not put that much time, effort, and money into their product they are endorsing. This is the first I have heard wear a celebrity is not putting his face or body with the product he is endorsing; this shows that not everyone is in it for the money. I think that this will be a more effective marketing approach because not only will it attract people that like Mark Wahlberg or “Marky Mark”, it will also attract the people that like to support a good cause and those who by products for its quality. More companies should use this approach when marketing their products; it gives a better reputation for both the company and the athlete or celebrity. I wonder how many athletes truly endorse their product and how many just collect the paycheck and take a few pictures with a soda bottle in their hand. It is always good to see athletes and celebrities who have everything they need give back and want to help others who are not as fortunate. I believe Mark Wahlberg truly wants to better the lives of anyone he can reach, whether it is someone trying to get in shape or an inner city youth child struggling in school. I might have to go to GNC and spend twice the money to help support Mark Wahlberg so he does not have to go “door to door” selling protein shakes to make his product a success.

"Tim Tebow: Media Must Put an End to Infatuation with Jets Backup QB"

From Bleacher Report

Review by Dean Marlowe in SRM 334

The NFL is a great sport to watch with family and friends every week, but when the media is involved way too much it tends to almost become a reality show. Tim Tebow is one of the few NFL players that the media is constantly in his face. Whether it be something good or bad that Tebow has done, the media will cover the most unnecessary information about himself as a person. As a Denver Bronco, Tim Tebow had become the starter towards the end of the season due to the starting quarterback’s inconsistent play. Tim Tebow led Denver to win their last four/five games in the 2011 season. Denver also made it to the playoffs but ended losing in the wildcard. The media then began discussing Tim Tebow’s love for Christ and how it may be a distraction to his game. The media could have been able to write a book on his day-by-day life activities. Therefore, the next NFL offseason, Tim Tebow was announced that he was being traded to the New York Jets. After that transaction, the media began to talk about the competition that Mark Sanchez (the Jets starting quarterback) and Tim Tebow were going to face. Sports writers all over the world were debating if Tebow was a good enough quarterback to be a starter for an NFL team. Clearly the media has an infatuation with Tim Tebow and at some point in time it’s going to have to come to an end. It is not right that Tim Tebow cannot enjoy his personal life while the media wanting to know insignificant information.

This topic is extremely relevant to this course for numerous reasons. When the media is writing about a certain topic or individual there has to be a subject matter and a purpose. Most people from the media will ask questions that do not pertain to the subject that’s significant. In addition, people from the media should know the environment and audience that’s around them. Asking questions that may offend an athlete or organization can lead to future problems.

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Review by Corey Davis in SRM 334

We decided to do our presentation on Tim Tebow and the pressure the media puts on him. Tebow is the second string quarterback for the New York Jets but you would never be able to tell just looking at the media. They often give him more coverage then the starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez. “Tebowmania,” started when Tim Tebow first got drafted to the Broncos and he has not been able to escape it since. As a player I’m sure Tebow would just like to focus on actually playing the game and finding his place in the league but the media makes that impossible for him. It is almost unfair to keep a player in the spotlight all the time and interfere in his life constantly. He now has the whole world following him so they see when he does well, and they also see when he makes mistakes. Tebow is known as developmental player, which means he will get better and excel as time goes on. With that said all of this media coverage at such an early part of his career cannot be good for his development.

So far we have discussed the media a lot in class and I now have a better understanding of their purpose and motives. They have the power and potential to make or break an athlete and they often use this power to their advantage. Journalists, bloggers, and newspapers are always looking for the next juicy story for their own sake. The media can often times be “cold hearted,” meaning they don’t really have sympathy for the person or people they are writing about. They have to realize that these are human beings with real lives. Tim Tebow is a very modest, kind-hearted, humble man, and I’m sure he doesn't enjoy being in the lime light 24-7.

Subway rewards fans of several NFL teams

From Redskins.com and from BuffaloBills.com

Review by Ali Noel in KIN 332 (section 2)

The article(s) I selected to do for my first article review dealt with Subway Restaurants partnering with two NFL teams; the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. As I was working the other night (at Subway on Port Republic), multiple people brought in coupons regarding the promotion. The deal is “When the Redskins score 20 or more points at any home game, fans can go to the Redskins website and print out a coupon good for a FREE regular 6” sub with purchase of 30-ounce drink and chips on the day after that home game.” This is a really good promotional tool for both Subway and the Redskins. In order to print the coupon, users must first visit the Skins team’s web page. By visiting the Redskins site, this creates the potential for fans to come back and view the website for information regarding the team. The only stipulation to this deal is that you must print off the coupon and bring it to a local Subway restaurant in the greater DC Virginia area the day after the game. This article also mentioned Robert Griffin III’s (Redskins starting quarterback) relationship and sponsorship deal with Subway Restaurants since he is a major marketing tool. RG3 is the most marketable player in the National Football League. He is constantly in the public eye because of his marketability and endorsement deals with multiple companies. Therefore, it was a good idea, from a marketer’s standpoint, to mention Griffin in this article.

The Bills article was very similar to the Redskins and Subway partnership deal article. This article did mention how Subway will benefit from this deal by getting airtime on the Bills All-Access Television show, preseason television ads, print collateral and Bills website advertising. The deal was similar to that of the Redskins, although if the Bills do not score 20 points, Subway Restaurants in the New York area will be giving away one free cookie to fans that bring in the coupons. Bruce Popko, Buffalo Bills senior vice president of business development says that the partnership is beneficial to both Subway and the Bills because fans get a valuable way to engage with Subway Restaurants.

As you can see from both of these articles, the target market for both teams is to contact fans so they can earn the promotional deal with Subway Restaurants. This promotion essentially is everything that sports marketing wishes to achieve. By activating this partnership, both Subway and the two NFL teams are attracting a broader spectrum and group of fans and promoting their product to fans in order to achieve marketing objectives. Subway most likely did extensive market research to find that many football viewers enjoy Subway food and see the commercials that are running during the games. Therefore, they have incentive to print off the coupon, purchase a drink and chips in order to get a free sub. Subway is a great sponsor for any sports team based on the fact they produce healthy meals for athletes and people who live an active lifestyle.

"Is Dynamic Ticket Pricing Hurting MLB Attendance?"

From Forbes.com

Review by Courtney Hamner in KIN 501

The article “Is Dynamic Ticket Pricing Hurting MLB Attendance?” starts out by discussing the Yankee’s decrease in attendance. Their attendance is down 3.5 percent year-over-year. The Yankee’s are traditionally a standard bearer for sports franchises. This leads other MLB team managers to worry if the same is going to happen to them. The article discusses the possible reasons behind the decreased attendance of the economy, and bad on-field performance. The writer points out that these are just convenient excuses. 

One of the main reasons the article points out is the use of Stub Hub. This is a secondary market for ticket sales. Stub Hub is dramatically undercutting the face value of tickets available on the official Yankee website or physical box office. According to Dead Spin, the more expensive the face value, the more likely it is going to be sold under face value. This causes the Yankees to underestimate the market. Another reason could be that the Yankee’s don’t use dynamic ticket sales. But as the article goes on it discusses how all MLB teams are struggling with attendance.

The writer says a number of things can be causing decreased ticket sales. But if we try and say the Yankees ticket sales and attendance numbers are caused by misreading the market or not using dynamic ticket sales, than what explains the other team’s decreases? The main focus is based around ticket sales being too confusing.

Dynamic ticket sales are full of flaws. The first flaw is that it offers too many choices. Yes, human beings love to have many options but when given too many options we are faced with not being able to make a choice. This leaves us feeling dissatisfied. Dynamic ticket pricing often includes a daily (sometimes hourly) fluctuation in price. The second flaw is pricing schemes often shift the burden of pricing decision and activity from the franchise to the fan. Fans are tasked with trying to determine what the right price for a ticket is. The last flaw the article discusses is that dynamic ticket pricing may tax franchise personnel more than establishing ticket prices in the off-season and sticking with them for the 162-game slate.

I feel that these factors can be attributed to decreased attendance. I think that dynamic ticket sales can change the pricing of tickets so much that fans wonder if they really are getting a good deal. But at the same time I think that dynamic ticket sales have a lot of positive attributes as well. Dynamic ticket sales help in a bad economy by offering prices that fans can afford. Yes, ticket prices may change frequently, but they change within the level of demand, type of customer, and weather. Therefore, the customer is being put first. Although ticket sales are getting very confusing, I think that it is not the main culprit for decreased attendance. I think that the economy and a bad on-field performance are convenient but very true excuses for poor attendance. Not just one factor can be given for the decreased attendance this year.

"Allen’s new Eagle Stadium plans to go beyond local high school football games"

From DallasNews.com

Review by Anne Whitmore in KIN 501

In the article “Allen’s new Eagle Stadium plans go beyond local high school football games” written by Jeff Mosier (2012), the author explains how the school district is trying to find ways to attract funding to help pay for spending $60 million dollars on a high school football stadium. The stadium has 18,000 seats and has the potential to attract 100,000 nonresidents each year to the town. The ticket revenue from events and games is expected to cover operating costs plus have money left over to put back into the general budget fund. With only four guaranteed home football games the district is looking for other avenues to fill the stands, keep concessions busy, and help other local businesses prosper (Mosier, 2012).

Advertised as a regional attraction the school district hired PPI marketing to help bring in more events (Mosier, 2012). Mosier (2012) writes that the Allen stadium has already been successful in attracting games to its new stadium held perviously at other high schools and professional stadiums. Other events that PPI is trying to attract to the stadium is the Lone Star Football Festival usually held at Cowboys Stadium. The NCAA Division II football championship and the Texas vs. the National all-star football game which is televised and attracts scouts from across the US and Canada. PPI is also looking to attract concerts and marching band competitions to this new space. Part of their marketing plan for these events is to either offer a cheaper venue for the event. Or in some cases they are able to offer more seats and a new clean environment compared to older venues (Mosier, 2012).

Along with attracting events to offset the cost of the stadium PPI has also helped Allen gain lucrative sponsorships. The stadium will have 10 founding sponsors who will pay $35,000 dollars annually for three years (Mosier, 2012). At the time of this article they had six founding sponsors signed up. Part of PPI’s marketing plan is to offer these sponsors a “clean look” (Mosier, 2012). Meaning that the district is limiting the signage around the stadium and the number of sponsors. According to Mossier (2012) each of the founding sponsors will receive ads in game programs; signs in the home and visitors concourse; sideline signs, static signs and two 30-second commercials on the video board; mention by the public address announcer; and signs in the baseball-softball complex and gymnasium. The stadium also has four “community” sponsors that pay $15,000 per year and receive a smaller amount of signage. Three of these vendors have vending contracts with the stadium or school district (Mosier, 2012).

Critique 

Like it said in the article I also believe that Allen is doing a good job of taking advantage of what the new football stadium has to offer by aggressively pursuing events and sponsorship options (Mosier, 2012). This stadium has received coverage nationwide and is earning mentions form The New York Times and national TV networks. It has the hype of being new and the “Aw” factor going for it until the next new thing comes around (Mosier, 2012). The stadium and the marketing behind it is setting a new standard for high schools across the nation. It is also setting a new standard for what businesses can look at for sponsorships. I have no doubts that more and more local public entities will try to follow suite. Leading to towns without professional teams having more opportunities for this type of investment.

I believe it is smart for a business to invest in a local project. It gets their name out to the community and beyond in a positive fashion especially in Texas where football is king. In Allen they are providing a distinct and an innovative way to offer a sponsor a deal that they will not see anywhere else. I believe that is the main reason the district has been successful with this project.

Allen’s stadium took a lot of money to build and right now seems to be on its way to supporting it self and the town. I would love to see a follow up article after three years to see if the school district is able to retain sponsorships and uphold this new standard for high school football stadiums and marketing. I would also like to see an article about what rules and regulations that are in place to help control public entities trying to gain sponsorships for their districts. I know that there are some already in place but what new regulations will come about because of the potential growth factor for sponsorships at the high school level.

"ESPN agrees to pay $80 million a year to broadcast Rose Bowl"

From the Los Angeles Times

Review by Jordan Stanton in KIN 332 (section 1)

The BCS bowl game; the Rose Bowl is one of the oldest bowls in NCAA college football at 94 years old. Broadcast programs that show this game on New years day during the afternoon every year is paid 30 million a year. Starting in 2015 ESPN will be paying broadcasters 80 million per year. The Rose Bowl being nicknamed the “Granddaddy of them all” really wants to make a statement and gain all the attention they can get. There was no word on why they are getting all this money and how they are going to increase the viewing for the Rose Bowl game. Ad and commercials when the time comes will probably be out more than any other BCS bowl such as the Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Sugar Bowl. Yes, there are many bowls but those are the top ones that are out their besides the National Championship game. In Pasadena, California where the Rose Bowl stadium is located, they are going to do almost a 200 million dollar project on renovating the whole entire stadium. I don’t know if this contract had to do anything with this, but a stadium that is 90 years old and bring many viewers and people together deserve a new look. With the new look and the new contract for broadcasting, many good things will be in the Rose Bowl’s favor in the near future. Marketing wise, ESPN took a big hit with choosing the Rose Bowl over all the other bowls because it is the oldest bowl and the most respected bowl. Also being in California helps out the situation too because it is a beautiful location and is a high populated state. Ads and Broadcasting this bowl shouldn't be a very hard task at all and they have the best date to have the game played on, New Years day.

"Scandal at Penn State Poses Tough Choices for N.C.A.A."

From the New York Times

Review by Kirby Burkholder in SRM 334
The death penalty is a term that no college or university ever wants to hear associated with their name. Unfortunately for Penn State University, they are finding out what this term means. The death penalty is when the NCAA imposes penalties resulting in, at the most, a ban on the upcoming seasons. For Penn State, after the big scandal of Coach Sandusky being charged with sexual abuse on children, they were charged with many penalties as well. Penn State was fined 60 million dollars, a 4 year post-season ban was placed on the team, scholarships were reduced significantly from 25 to 15 for incomers, former players could transfer without NCAA transfer regulations, and all of Penn States’ wins from 1998-2011 were stripped. In the article we read, it argues whether or not these punishments are fair or not coming from the NCAA, and if the NCAA should be dealing with the penalties period since the scandal was a criminal scandal from Sandusky’s standpoint, not the actual team. 

From an outsider standpoint, you definitely feel for the Penn State community and all the players. It is hard to agree with stripping the teams’ wins from all those years for the players sake because they didn’t do anything to deserve not to have the wins counted. Actions by the NCAA did need to happen though. It was too big of a scandal, especially with other school officials being involved and staying quiet. The article makes a good point in that the NCAA can’t make the penalties too weak and then seem like the situation was handled lightly, but to what extent is enough for this type of situation? The penalties may always be arguable, but punishment definitely needed to happen because of the scandal and in order to set the example for other schools that things won’t just slide by.

This easily relates to our sport media class by the fact that this was huge in the public eye for months and months. When this scandal broke, it was all over the news, ESPN, papers, twitter, etc; all day and every day for a long time. It was the hottest topic in the US and talked about everywhere, sports fan or not. The media was eating this up and all media outlets were trying to be the first to break new information or add to the story. Still to this day it is talked about and the story is still breaking. This will go down as one of the biggest sports scandals of all times.

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Review by Kyle Linn in SRM 334

The Death Penalty, in sports is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a universities sport program. Being banned from sport for a year is the harshest punishment the NCAA can hand out and has done this five times prior. It is the ultimate way to slowly kill a program because of implications that the NCAA can impose on that school. This is what Penn State had been facing when this article was written. The NCAA was in debate over whether they should still force strict punishment on the accused school if the person in question wasn't harming the players or the actual “team.” Yes, what Sandusky has done is absolutely one of the grossest things I have ever heard of, but it is right to punish the whole football team, especially the players who had nothing to do with it?

At the time of this article, the NCAA had not struck Penn State with all of the violations they have received to date. I think that what the NCAA has done is kind of harsh, but in another way they are sending a message to the rest of the universities out there. The NCAA has been under ridicule because of all the negative press, especially college football that has been receiving quite a bit of “off-the-field” problems with players and coaches. They are sending a message out warning everyone else to pretty much keep their noses clean because the integrity of the game is suffering.

The media breaking this story has done it in a number of forms from Twitter to Facebook. The emergence of social media and news feeds has made this story covered from head to toe literally since it broke the public. Sara Ganim was the first to break this story after she was receiving tips and information. She spent much time in the field and would send back video and news through social outlets back to the office for others below her to follow up on. Investigating the story and not giving up eventually led to her uncovering the story and breaking it to the public. Sara’s reporting and investigating shows how reporters receive information and relay it back to their office as fast as possible. I had no clue how fast media can honestly spread until I read this article. In short, Penn State has a long road to recovery to bring their football program back from the depths of where it is now. The NCAA has imposed what I think are very strict and stern penalties and are showing the rest of the schools that they are in-charge and they will continue to hunt for violations among universities throughout the country.