There are sports fans, and then there are sports fans. There is no better example than at the upcoming Super Bowl party you will attend. Every party has that relative or family friend that is interested in the social gathering; after a few mini hot dogs and a few too many drinks he’s asking why teams punt on 4th down. Then there’s the true sports fan, who impresses as the one glued to the TV, talking about preparation and in-game adjustments even though he or she has no allegiance to the Giants or Patriots. They live for sports, it’s in their DNA.
Thanks to the sports Web site fanlime.com, that true sports fan’s DNA can now be on display for friends, family, teams and even athletes.
The Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, which has reached half way stage as I write this, has built on the progress of previous years to establish a strong, recognizable and credible online brand. According to Sam Laird, in a recent post on the US website Mashable, the Australian Open ‘may just be the most digitally connected major sporting event of all time’. High praise indeed.
So why is the event in Melbourne attracting such accolades for its digital presence?
In my opinion, what the Australian Open is doing so well is leveraging digital assets to create deep and meaningful engagement with fans, while at the same time integrating its sponsors. Many sporting events, clubs and organizations across the globe strive to simultaneously achieve these two goals and the Grand Slam for Asia/Pacific has, arguably, pulled it off. [click to continue…]
The Sportsbiz Weekly Buzz is a collection of articles curated by Sports Networker’s Online Marketing Coordinator – Steve Richards
Sports Business
“I immediately contacted Jim Gallagher, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications at IMG Worldwide. Gallagher quickly put the rumor to bed. ”There aren’t ANY conversations going on with Lagardère, or any other company or individual for that matter, regarding a purchase of IMG,” said Gallagher.”
“Television contracts and the money generated from media rights fees have become a crucial factor in how baseball teams are run. Along with ticket sales, they are a team’s primary form of income, and in recent years the fees across sports have skyrocketed. The Lerners have never had a say on their arrangement with MASN. Until now.”
Sports Networking
“Participants will gain insight into careers in sports through presentations by successful sports executives, including GM’s, front office executives, Scouts, Sports Agents, player personnel, and well known media currently working in football. This event includes networking, information on breaking into the sports industry and advice on advancing your sports business career. College credit available for attending. ”
“Recently, Facebook introduced a few new features that will help someone who wants to use their personal profile for personal branding purposes. If you want to use the world’s most popular social network to promote what you do professionally, here are a few tips to get you started. ”
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The MLS National Sales Center is looking for applicants for its March sports sales program. The program selects 12 lucky people who have a passion for both selling and soccer. The program lasts up to four months in Blaine, Minnesota and is an exclusive opportunity to learn the environment and exposure of MLS ticket sales.
Trainees accepted into the program receive a stipend to help offset board, meal plan and relocation. There are also opportunities to earn commission during program. In addition to the real life sales experience selling for MLS clubs, trainees will also benefit from instructional feedback from audio and video analysis and innovative coaching from local improv theatre instructors. After each month those who qualify will be be given the opportunity to use what they have learned to sell season, group and mini plan ticket packages and offered a job interview with select MLS clubs in their sales office.
Exclusive Opportunity For Members Of The Sports Executives Association!
One lucky member of the Sports Executives Association will receive an exclusive opportunity to be interviewed for a position with the MLS National Sales Center. There are many benefits to joining the SEA including the opportunity to network with other sports business professionals, tons of free training, ebooks and webinars and, of course, access to exclusive job opportunities!
Click here to Join The SEA For Only $4.95
How To Apply For The MLS National Sales Center
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With the Playoffs to date breaking all kinds of fan engagement records, the NFL is putting the finishing touches on an incredibly successful season. It appears that the resolution of the lockout, just in time to avoid losing any games on the field, led to records falling off the field on a seemingly weekly basis. There was unprecedented fan interaction at virtually every level, especially when analyzing engagement with the “Four Screens”: TV, Computer, Tablet and Phone.
All of this suggests a great environment for corporate partners to successfully activate their sponsorships, especially when their teams are in the Playoffs. And many did just that.
However, there seemed to be very few fresh ideas. In this day and age, are we really still limited to another Rally Towel?
Now, having worked for a pro sports team, I know as well as anyone the considerations that go into selecting fan premium items for the playoffs; and the two biggest are usually time and money: You want to keep the cost down to maintain your margin while knowing you need guaranteed delivery with a very short turnaround time.
In the past, this pretty much led everyone back to old reliable, the tried and true towel. But today, it seems both cost and time considerations would be better served by looking for inspiration in all of the digital bells and whistles at our disposal. And such a concept would likely result in a program that delivers a whole new level of quantifiable value for corporate partners and a unique engagement opportunity for fans.
And there may be some teams out there utilizing these assets already?? Let us know if you have examples of franchises that are doing a great job of taking advantage of online and/or social network assets to promote fan engagement in the post-season.
I look forward to ideas like this becoming the norm in the very near future. Until then, there’s always towels.
Any and all Sports Networker followers would be remiss if they don’t jump at this opportunity. Xfinity from Comcast is offering sports fan’s the “Ultimate Sports Social Media Job,” which gives fans the chance to represent the company and catch a behind-the-scenes look at the biggest sporting events of 2012.
“Ultimate Sports Social Media Job” Contest
Xfinity is actively searching for a new voice in their sports social media platform and is allowing all fans to participate! The winner will receive a one-year salary from Xfinity and be responsible for running the Twitter handle @XfinitySports. This involves reporting live from all the best events in 2012 and both educating and engaging sports fans through social media.
The only thing anyone interested has to do is submit a 30 second-2 minute video entry saying why they should be Xfinity’s next social media voice from now until February 6. Fans should demonstrate their sports knowledge, social media expertise, personality and passion for Comcast in the video.
The top video submissions are then featured on the Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest tab on the Xfinity Facebook Page (linked above) and voted on by fellow fans. The five fans with the most votes for their video will participate in the finals, covering a premier sports event live, from March 8-11. A winner will be determined by celebrity judges on March 25.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to represent Xfinity from Comcast at 2012′s biggest rivalries, championship games and premier sporting events. See below for more information on how to enter today!!
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To get into the “conversation” in the sports business industry you need to be current, full of information, new ideas, and trends – which will help you add value to the organizations you are seeking to join. The blogs below are all written by experienced professionals in the sports business industry. So, go ahead and become familiar with as many of these blogs are you can. They are must read material in your quest for that “dream job in sports”.
The Essential List Of Sports Blogs To Help You Land A Job In Sports
Delivering sports business content throughout the day with the The Morning Buzz, the Daily Issue and the Closing Bell, this site is a must for all sports business professionals. Here you will find the most current daily news and sports industry trends. For connivence sake you can have the content emailed directly to you. Additionally, the site breaks down into “subgroups” such as Marketing/Sponsorship, Media, Franchises etc. It’s quick and easy to find content that relates directly to your own interest. This site requires a subscription, but for those in the industry or looking to get into it, its worth every penny.
A subsection of the overall Forbes blog empire, Sports Money delivers excellent content on the business of sports. There are a ton of great contributors here, (over 40 total) and they all have very practical and relevant experience in the industry. There are articles here on all facets of the industry, and they are often times pretty unique: Example: LSU Shouldn’t Profit From Star Player’s Honey Badger Nickname.
As CNBC’s Sport Business Reporter Darren Rovell has amassed quite the following over the years. He recently launched a TV show called “Sports Biz: Game On” which also features Erin Sharoni. His blog, a great complement to the TV show, still brings the punch with interesting tidbits from the world of sports business. Also, check out this interview Darren did with our own Lewis Howes. [click to continue…]
The Sportsbiz Weekly Buzz is a collection of articles curated by Sports Networker’s Online Marketing Coordinator – Steve Richards
Sports Business
“Leigh Steinberg calls them ‘checkout days,’ when he would drink vodka from morning until night, often straight from the bottle. Divorced and living alone for the first time, he’d drink while sitting on his balcony overlooking Newport Bay or while in bed, sometimes half-conscious.”
“Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider was today named to the Class of 2012 of Champions: Pioneers & Innovators in Sports Business, an award from the Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal recognizing the architects and builders of sports.”
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What qualifies a woman as influential in the sports world? Is it her athletic ability, verbal skills, looks or her ability to lead into new frontiers? Does influence require years of training, bold new ideas or both? Below you will find our opinion of the top ten most influential women in sports.
Women in Sports Media
Brennan is a best-selling author, renowned columnist and commentator. She was the first female sports reporter for the Miami Herald before another first as the first woman to cover the Washington Redskins. Her figure skating book, Inside Edge, was named one of the top 100 sports books of all-time by Sports Illustrated. Brennan also broke the story of the pairs figure skating scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
Almost 20 years into a TV sports reporting career, Cohn excels at versatility. Whether it’s baseball, basketball, hockey, racing or golf, Cohn covers the sport with ease. In 1987, Cohn became the first full-time female sports anchor on a national radio network (ABC.) She is the author of Cohn-Head: A No-Holds-Barred Account of Breaking Into the Boys’ Club. Cohn’s Twitter profile exhorts her followers to “Go after dreams.” It’s not uncommon for Cohn to make a fan’s dream with a retweet or mention.
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Everyone loves rewards. From cash back on credit cards to gas rewards at supermarkets to coupons for spending a certain amount of money in retail, rewards programs are everywhere. People use them as incentives to shop somewhere and that’s what companies love in return.
Piggybacking off of that idea, the iPhone app Kwarter has created a social rewards program for sports fans with one big difference; you don’t need to spend any money for these rewards.
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