Hey everybody!
This will be the final post for "The Business of Sport" blog. It will go back to being my "Bay State of Mind" blog for the immediate future. I am currently in the process of building my own website, that will among other things act as a blog. I will detail the opening of the site on here though. My hope is that this blog showed someone something that they had never seen, would have never seen, or found interesting.
I wish you all the best, whether you are in sports or not. Thanks for reading :)
An update on my continued pursuit of the sports world: I will be completing an internship with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission in the spring, while waiting for responses from Graduate School and applying for jobs.
-Steve
Dec 5, 2010
Big Markets vs. Small Markets
I was lucky enough to attend the Cavaliers vs. Heat game on Thursday night. As tempted as I am to debate the actual game or the implications of it on Cleveland Basketball, I am going to go in a different direction with this one. Namely, the advantage of big markets over small markets in sports.
Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James uniting in Miami was undoubtedly the biggest sports story of the summer, but these situations almost never happen in small markets. The closest team to ever build a dynasty in a small market is the San Antonio Spurs with Duncan, Robinson, Ginobili, and Parker in the span of a decade. Markets such as Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angelese, Miami, Dallas, etc. have teams and fan bases that expect to contend for championships every year, and they almost always have the talent to do it. This is why the season the Dallas Cowboys are having this year is such a big story.
Growing up in a big market city, I have definitely been spoiled in terms of being a fan. The Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots have had tremendous success the past decade, and one of them does not make the playoffs, it becomes a big story. So what can small markets do to have this success? It is usually through free agency that these teams lose their superstars, ie. LeBron James going to Miami. And to a certain extent, how can you blame him? The only major advantages Cleveland had in comparison to Miami were a better fan base, and the ability to offer more money.
Some questions for thought:
1) Should teams in smaller markets be given financial bonuses because of their disadvantages?
2) What are some things that can be done to have players stay in smaller markets?
3) Should teams study success stories like the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Twins, Green Bay Packers, and copy what they are doing?
Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James uniting in Miami was undoubtedly the biggest sports story of the summer, but these situations almost never happen in small markets. The closest team to ever build a dynasty in a small market is the San Antonio Spurs with Duncan, Robinson, Ginobili, and Parker in the span of a decade. Markets such as Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angelese, Miami, Dallas, etc. have teams and fan bases that expect to contend for championships every year, and they almost always have the talent to do it. This is why the season the Dallas Cowboys are having this year is such a big story.
Growing up in a big market city, I have definitely been spoiled in terms of being a fan. The Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots have had tremendous success the past decade, and one of them does not make the playoffs, it becomes a big story. So what can small markets do to have this success? It is usually through free agency that these teams lose their superstars, ie. LeBron James going to Miami. And to a certain extent, how can you blame him? The only major advantages Cleveland had in comparison to Miami were a better fan base, and the ability to offer more money.
Some questions for thought:
1) Should teams in smaller markets be given financial bonuses because of their disadvantages?
2) What are some things that can be done to have players stay in smaller markets?
3) Should teams study success stories like the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Twins, Green Bay Packers, and copy what they are doing?
Dec 4, 2010
NBA Videos
Hey everyone,
As previous posts have shown, I am a sucker for funny YouTube videos done by teams and players. (By the way: Adidas did acknowledge the auto-tuned version of the ad I posted recently!). I wanted to highlight some really good ones done recently.
1) Kevin Love - Awkward Handshake Reflection: This one is for pure brand entertainment, and fan enjoyment. A great video with great cooperation by the whole organization. Video here. Props to the NBA tweeting this and putting it on Facebook.
2) Kevin Love - Coats: Another great video from Love, who is turning into a huge fan favorite around the league and is a great asset for the Timberwolves brand. This is also a unique way to promote the Coat Drive in their Community Relations Department. Video here.
3) Dallas Mavericks - Power Parody: The Dallas Mavericks continue to impress me with their own YouTube channel, and the videos that they post. This is a light hearted video that parodies Kanye West's music video for "Power". Video here.
Till Next Time!
As previous posts have shown, I am a sucker for funny YouTube videos done by teams and players. (By the way: Adidas did acknowledge the auto-tuned version of the ad I posted recently!). I wanted to highlight some really good ones done recently.
1) Kevin Love - Awkward Handshake Reflection: This one is for pure brand entertainment, and fan enjoyment. A great video with great cooperation by the whole organization. Video here. Props to the NBA tweeting this and putting it on Facebook.
2) Kevin Love - Coats: Another great video from Love, who is turning into a huge fan favorite around the league and is a great asset for the Timberwolves brand. This is also a unique way to promote the Coat Drive in their Community Relations Department. Video here.
3) Dallas Mavericks - Power Parody: The Dallas Mavericks continue to impress me with their own YouTube channel, and the videos that they post. This is a light hearted video that parodies Kanye West's music video for "Power". Video here.
Till Next Time!
Nov 29, 2010
NHL Online Content
The NHL continues to impress me with its integration of online content and media. Online game viewing, philanthropic tweeting, and new downloadable content make the NHL the league that is taking risks and finding new and interesting ways to use the Internet to connect with its fans. I wanted to highlight two recent examples by the Dallas Stars and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Dallas Stars: The Dallas Stars made their media guide, usually a sought after, but rarely mass released item, available for download in the Apple Store for ITouch, IPhone, and the IPAD. Here is the link. The "App" is downloadable for free, and offers great high resolution photos and detailed information. I think this is a tremendous idea to bring buzz to an underused item. The only change I would make is not advertise it as an "app" because that makes it sound interactive, where really it is an online publication.
Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins have begun releasing their Ice Time program an hour before each game begins. The program is then available from then on under the website link. Here is the website for the programs. Releasing the program right before game time allows fans watching the game at home to receive the information in the program, and more importantly for the team, the advertisements from sponsors, then allowing the team to charge more for program ads. I think this is a genius idea, and would love for more teams to jump on board.
Till next time!
Dallas Stars: The Dallas Stars made their media guide, usually a sought after, but rarely mass released item, available for download in the Apple Store for ITouch, IPhone, and the IPAD. Here is the link. The "App" is downloadable for free, and offers great high resolution photos and detailed information. I think this is a tremendous idea to bring buzz to an underused item. The only change I would make is not advertise it as an "app" because that makes it sound interactive, where really it is an online publication.
Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins have begun releasing their Ice Time program an hour before each game begins. The program is then available from then on under the website link. Here is the website for the programs. Releasing the program right before game time allows fans watching the game at home to receive the information in the program, and more importantly for the team, the advertisements from sponsors, then allowing the team to charge more for program ads. I think this is a genius idea, and would love for more teams to jump on board.
Till next time!
Nov 28, 2010
How to work in Sports
Hey everybody,
With my graduation and entrance into the job market, I thought it would be beneficial to post some stuff that I do in preparation to enter the sports industry. While there are some essentials such as Networking, Internships, and having a passion for sports, these are some things that I find interesting and helpful to me. Hopefully, you may find them interesting as well, and please comment on the bottom with what you are doing!
A) Read
I don't specifically mean books with this, and in fact I am behind on my personal reading currently. This can be blogs, websites, etc. that I check into from time to time and learn interesting content from. Sports is so progressive that it's important to stay on top of what is going on. Here are some sites that I look at:
1) http://www.thebusinessofsports.com - Russell Scibetti, Senior CRM/Database Marketing Manager for the New York Jets, began a website called the Business of Sports {dot} com. The website has turned out to be extremely successful blog that has lots of viewers and networking events throughout the year. They also have a cool feature where they highlight different "free agents" in the sports world and try to help them get a job. The website is categorized, which makes it easy to find articles in your interest area.
2) http://www.partnershipactivation.com/ - I found this site through the previous site, and specifically through the categorized sites. Partnership Activation is an area I would like to go into, and therefore having a site that constantly lists new and interesting activation ideas is great. They even release a monthly newsletter, which I highlighted in a previous post.
3) Forbes - SportzMoney - This section of Forbes (which in itself is a great resource for business) breaks down a lot of the financial details in Sports. For instance, a current article breaks down the most overpaid NBA players. They also have cool feature items such as the PowerPoint that the New York Knicks showed to LeBron James during their pursuit of him this summer.
4) Twitter - While you have to be following the right people, the amount of link sharing on Twitter is incredible, and it often will lead you to something interesting or awesome. People I recommend - New York Times Technology Section, Forbes, Russell Scibetti, Bill Simmons.
B) Computer Skills
While some of the projects assigned in classes are mostly pointless, building a great PowerPoint is not. If the project makes you learn one more computer skill, then it was not a waste. PowerPoint, PhotoShop, Excel, Word, and other computer programs are used all the time, and need to be mastered. I currently am learning the basics of PhotoShop because I have seen its importance in Marketing and Partnership Activation. If I can present that proficiency in an interview, I will be that much more attractive.
C) Community Service
I definitely love doing community service, which is why I am involved in it. It can however, be a great thing in sports. Community Relations is an intriguing area right now, and they constantly ask other members of staff to help with their volunteering programs. Being able to show a consistent history of community work will look great to a future employer.
Now I understand this is all hypothetical, because I am not employed full-time in sports yet, but these are things that I truly believe will make a difference in during an interview. Be sure to share what you are doing to help yourself get a job!
With my graduation and entrance into the job market, I thought it would be beneficial to post some stuff that I do in preparation to enter the sports industry. While there are some essentials such as Networking, Internships, and having a passion for sports, these are some things that I find interesting and helpful to me. Hopefully, you may find them interesting as well, and please comment on the bottom with what you are doing!
A) Read
I don't specifically mean books with this, and in fact I am behind on my personal reading currently. This can be blogs, websites, etc. that I check into from time to time and learn interesting content from. Sports is so progressive that it's important to stay on top of what is going on. Here are some sites that I look at:
1) http://www.thebusinessofsports.com - Russell Scibetti, Senior CRM/Database Marketing Manager for the New York Jets, began a website called the Business of Sports {dot} com. The website has turned out to be extremely successful blog that has lots of viewers and networking events throughout the year. They also have a cool feature where they highlight different "free agents" in the sports world and try to help them get a job. The website is categorized, which makes it easy to find articles in your interest area.
2) http://www.partnershipactivation.com/ - I found this site through the previous site, and specifically through the categorized sites. Partnership Activation is an area I would like to go into, and therefore having a site that constantly lists new and interesting activation ideas is great. They even release a monthly newsletter, which I highlighted in a previous post.
3) Forbes - SportzMoney - This section of Forbes (which in itself is a great resource for business) breaks down a lot of the financial details in Sports. For instance, a current article breaks down the most overpaid NBA players. They also have cool feature items such as the PowerPoint that the New York Knicks showed to LeBron James during their pursuit of him this summer.
4) Twitter - While you have to be following the right people, the amount of link sharing on Twitter is incredible, and it often will lead you to something interesting or awesome. People I recommend - New York Times Technology Section, Forbes, Russell Scibetti, Bill Simmons.
B) Computer Skills
While some of the projects assigned in classes are mostly pointless, building a great PowerPoint is not. If the project makes you learn one more computer skill, then it was not a waste. PowerPoint, PhotoShop, Excel, Word, and other computer programs are used all the time, and need to be mastered. I currently am learning the basics of PhotoShop because I have seen its importance in Marketing and Partnership Activation. If I can present that proficiency in an interview, I will be that much more attractive.
C) Community Service
I definitely love doing community service, which is why I am involved in it. It can however, be a great thing in sports. Community Relations is an intriguing area right now, and they constantly ask other members of staff to help with their volunteering programs. Being able to show a consistent history of community work will look great to a future employer.
Now I understand this is all hypothetical, because I am not employed full-time in sports yet, but these are things that I truly believe will make a difference in during an interview. Be sure to share what you are doing to help yourself get a job!
Nov 22, 2010
Partnership Activation Newsletter Highlights
I always try to learn more about the areas that I hope to go into such as Marketing and Partnership Activation. A great website that I follow is http://www.partnershipactivation.com/. The man who runs it studies all team, league, and sport properties and reports on interesting activation techniques. Partnership Activation involves working with corporate partners and creating the brand strategy that the two will share, and then executing all of the events, promotions, and techniques promised to the partner in the contract. This website writes a monthly newsletter that highlights many different techniques. Here are some highlights from the latest issue:
Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs created their own YouTube channel where they post parodies, jumbotron videos, and funny videos that the team uses. Users can watch these videos, share them, and comment on them. Some of the videos are really off the wall, and funny to watch, and most have been aired during the games. I think this is a great idea by the Mavs and somewhat relates to the Adidas video I recently posted. Embracing a silly personality can be a relatable, effective way to reach fans.
New Jersey Devils: When the Devils opened their new arena in 2007, the team created a large hockey puck that they asked the fans to sign from that game. The puck is now displayed prominently in the arena, thanking fans for their support. These types of promotions are simple to do, only done once, but can create a great display for teams.
Nike: Nike continues to create great advertisements, (I will be addressing the LeBron Nike Ad soon), with their Write the Future videoboard. Whenever someone does something special, a news team sends a fake news headline for the next day's paper to a video board in the area, therefore estimating the "ripple effect" of the moment. This can be a great promotion for big time games, such as Championship match-ups. Here is the video
Next article: NHL Online Content
Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs created their own YouTube channel where they post parodies, jumbotron videos, and funny videos that the team uses. Users can watch these videos, share them, and comment on them. Some of the videos are really off the wall, and funny to watch, and most have been aired during the games. I think this is a great idea by the Mavs and somewhat relates to the Adidas video I recently posted. Embracing a silly personality can be a relatable, effective way to reach fans.
New Jersey Devils: When the Devils opened their new arena in 2007, the team created a large hockey puck that they asked the fans to sign from that game. The puck is now displayed prominently in the arena, thanking fans for their support. These types of promotions are simple to do, only done once, but can create a great display for teams.
Nike: Nike continues to create great advertisements, (I will be addressing the LeBron Nike Ad soon), with their Write the Future videoboard. Whenever someone does something special, a news team sends a fake news headline for the next day's paper to a video board in the area, therefore estimating the "ripple effect" of the moment. This can be a great promotion for big time games, such as Championship match-ups. Here is the video
Next article: NHL Online Content
Unintended screen time for Adidas
Adidas recently came out with their "Fast Don't Lie" commercials featuring Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose. Although there are a couple of different ads, the main ones features a rich man playing basketball with Rose and Howard, while reiterating that "Fast Don't Lie". I am personally not a huge fan of the ads, but they are pretty effective with how off the wall and humorous they are.
I was looking up a YouTube subscription that I follow this morning, and found this ad has been "Songified". The group, the Gregory Brothers, take different TV shows, online clips, etc. and auto-tune them to create funny mash ups of different videos. Their most recent video is the "Fast Don't Lie" commericials. Here is the video.
The video is very funny, and I hope Adidas highlights it somehow. While the video is careful not to use the Adidas logo, it could still be a great way for Adidas to prove they are not a stuffy corporation, and that they want to interact with fans. It could even spark a contest of the best parody video for the "Fast Don't Lie" commercials. Companies that remain fun and reachable will have great responses from their fan base.
I was looking up a YouTube subscription that I follow this morning, and found this ad has been "Songified". The group, the Gregory Brothers, take different TV shows, online clips, etc. and auto-tune them to create funny mash ups of different videos. Their most recent video is the "Fast Don't Lie" commericials. Here is the video.
The video is very funny, and I hope Adidas highlights it somehow. While the video is careful not to use the Adidas logo, it could still be a great way for Adidas to prove they are not a stuffy corporation, and that they want to interact with fans. It could even spark a contest of the best parody video for the "Fast Don't Lie" commercials. Companies that remain fun and reachable will have great responses from their fan base.
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