Richmond Flying Squirrels Game Day Internship

This position is open to students looking for credit or experience in minor league baseball.  Throughout this internship students will experience all facets of Minor League Baseball including ticketing, promotions, game day activation and so much more.  Quality candidates must be creative minded, possess solid communications skills and be able to work on multiple projects simultaneously. Individual must work successfully in a team environment and most of all be able to have FUNN!   

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"Under Armour Signs Groundbreaking Deal With Tough Mudder"

From Forbes

Review by Joe Gochenour in KIN 435 (section 1)

In this article, Under Armour signed a two-year deal worth 2-3 million dollars with Tough Mudder to be the official clothing company as well as advertising throughout their events. This sponsorship gives Under Armour exclusive rights to all apparel and footwear for this hot company that is on the rise.

Tough Mudder was created in 2010 by Harvard graduate Will Dean, and has grown consistently into 2011 and is expected to have continued growth into the future. In 2010, they started the event with 3 races total and brought in a total of 3 million dollars. Following up 2010, in 2010 they brought in 16 million dollars and are expecting to continue by adding new markets into 2012 and expanding.

One of the biggest drawing points for Tough Mudder is there contribution to the Wounded Warrior Project. In 2010, they raised 482 thousand dollars towards this charity. Many people associate this event with the WWP that draws many new competitors as well as veterans who see their entry fee going to a good cause. Forbes has Tough Mudder as one of the top upcoming businesses to watch for.

This new partnership that was created is certainly a win-win situation for both companies. The Tough Mudder is an intense event that takes training and dedication to do. Under Armour saw this opportunity to expand and reach a market in training gear for those looking to rise to this challenge. If you look at Under Armour’s website, they have multiple specialized pages dedicated to Tough Mudder. They offer all types of apparel and footwear for those training, competing, as well as spectators and on-lookers.

Under Armour has created a unique marketing advantage by joining with Tough Mudder being the exclusive provider for this event. Tough Mudder has grown from three races, fifteen races and is planning on thirty-two events in 2012. As this event continues with growth, more Tough Mudder and workout enthusiasts will be looking to Under Armour as their go-to for their fitness needs.

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Review by Katie Minter in KIN 435 (section 1)

Tough Mudder is one of the hottest growing companies in the world that holds endurance races over obstacle courses. Forbes magazine has names Tough Mudder one of the top “Names you need to know” for up and coming businesses. Tough Mudder started out in 2010 with only three events, and in 2011 grew to 15 events. In 2012, Tough Mudder expects to hold 32 endurance events, mostly in the United States. Event participation may reach close to 500,000 and Tough Mudder’s revenue is expected to be around 25 million dollars in 2012. With the tremendous success of Tough Mudder, they signed a two to three million dollar agreement with Under Armour, to represent the first endurance event sponsorships. This deal gives Under Armour the exclusive rights to be the only apparel and footwear provider for the Tough Mudder events.

Under Armour and Tough Mudder have agreed to do a promotion for the endurance events, in which Under Armour will provide a variety of different gear for participants, spectators, and those training for Tough Mudder events. This promotion will provide many opportunities for both companies. Under Armour will benefit from this deal because these events will create new areas for Under Armour to sell their product, they will have an opportunity for those around the endurances events to become familiar with their product, and they will have a chance to gain new customers. Tough Mudder will benefit from this deal because they will now be sponsored by a well-established company that will nicely compliment Tough Mudder and help expand interest in the endurance events.

I think that Tough Mudder made an excellent marketing decision to sign a deal with Under Armour. This deal is a win-win situation for both companies because they complement each other well and will help define what image a customer considers when they see or hear Under Armour and Tough Mudder. This deal will help increase interest and participation with endurance events, and also help Under Armour gain a higher market share in sporting apparel and footwear. I think in the future when a customer considers Under Armour, they will think about extreme endurance and team work and Under Armour will be proud of that image.

"Bobsled and skeleton team hope success attracts new sponsors to fill the void"

From The Canadian Press


Review by James Hemphill in KIN 435 (section 2)

The Canadian bobsled and skeleton teams are going to lose their main corporate sponsor after this season. VISA, which has been their sponsor for twenty years, is looking for other opportunities and will not continue their partnership with the Canadian national team. It is a significant loss to the team because VISA generated roughly $350,000 annually to the team. That is around twenty percent of the program’s annual budget of between $3 million and $4 million. The national organization is also preparing for a budget reduction for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

In order to combat these financial difficulties, two of the top athletes, Melissa Hollingsworth and Jon Montgomery, are considering placing their faces on billboards in order to attempt to sway new sponsors. Hollingsworth is even open to putting a “For Sale” sign on any part of her uniform or her sled. The two athletes have a billboard campaign with the slogan “Give us a push. Gravity will do the rest”. However, this campaign has not been very successful because Olympic marketing is tied into the London Games later this year.

Own the Podium has helped the top athletes in bobsled and skeleton receive $2.3 million, but this does not benefit the younger athletes develop the program through innovation and equipment experimentation. With the lack of sponsorship, developmental programs might be cut and there may be increases in individual fees for athletes. Olympic athletes have to pay both a $336 national team membership fee and a $4,600 fee for bobsled or $3,600 fee for skeleton. The main technique to help keep the program running, membership costs stable, and the acquirement of sponsors is by continuing to win this winter and in the future.

Sponsorships are important in any sport, but especially in Olympic sports such as bobsled and skeleton. Without their VISA sponsorship, the Canadian bobsled and skeleton team simply does not have the funding to continue to finance their international program. Hopefully, once the 2012 Summer Games in London are completed, the team will have the opportunity to gain a major sponsor for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. The key for the Canadian national team is continuing to triumph as they did in the 2010 Winter Games. In Vancouver, they won four Olympic medals including two gold medals. Sponsors want to align themselves with winners because more people tune in to watch the gold medal contending programs and those programs usually sell more merchandise. It is likely that the Canadian team will partner themselves with a sponsor before the 2014 Olympic Games, but that is still to be determined.