Many athletes sometimes get anxious when they play against a tough opponent. Here is a list of techniques to help manage the stress of playing against tough competition.
1. Learn as much as you can about your opponent. Remember, there is always something to learn about your competition. Read the stats and reports about your opponent and watch him or her play. Try to figure out an angle on how you can beat your competition. The more you know about your competition the better your chances are are of winning. This also helps reduce your worries about who and what you will be facing in your next game.
The Sports Executives Association (SEA) is excited to host its first live networking event June 24th in New York City. This inaugural, members only, event will be hosted by PlayBeautiful, an interactive, community-driven pop-up venue is celebrating the 2010 FIFA World Cup for 30 days in NYC.
They will be featuring match viewing parties, player appearances, demonstrations and private events including our SEA networking meet-up. PlayBeautiful’s main location at Openhouse Gallery will feature an indoor mini-stadium modeled after Soccer City in Johnannesberg, South Africa.
Be there, Thursday, June 24th from 6-9 p.m. for the chance to network with other SEA members in person. There will be appetizers, cash bar and exciting opportunities to connect in this unique World Cup venue.
If you are not yet a member of the SEA but would like to attend, just sign up here and gain free access. Please RSVP on LinkedIn to let us know if we’ll see you there. You must be a paid member of the SEA or will not be admitted at the door. We hope you’ll join us for this exclusive event.
It’s no surprise that sports teams all over the world are realizing the power of 140 characters or less. Twitter allows organizations to keep their fan base updated on events, stories, and up to the minute scoring, which has resulted in a growth of the number of followers for certain teams. Teams in major sports markets have taken their exposure to the next level through Twitter, while teams in smaller markets are using this tool to propel themselves into the social media spotlight.
1. Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) 1,520,444 followers @Lakers
The Lakers know how to win basketball games— they’re in pursuit of back-to- back NBA championships. L.A. also knows how to take advantage of Twitter. It’s no surprise that the Lakers have such a massive following being one of the most popular NBA teams in one of the most populated cities in the world. They’ve maintained their followers by keeping fans entertained with postgame quotes from players and coaches. They also sustain followers through a constant flow of stories that will undoubtedly build an even larger following of Lakers fans on the Web.
When you think of brand positioning for Apple Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:AAPL) a few words come to mind: creative, quality, dynamic design and secretive.
In light of the last definition, most all information that has any hint of a new product, design or circuitry hits every mode of media within minutes. Apple’s PR department has one of the easiest, most rewarding jobs in the industry because the brand has evangelists that hang on the company’s every word, official or otherwise. Media of every kind look for an edge when it comes to reporting about the company’s latest product. It’s also been rumored that Apple leaks information to the media in an effort to set off the buzz meter about a product. It works every time.
There is a brand parallel to Apple in professional sports. His name is Brett Favre.
Twenty years of public relations experience, including 10 in NCAA Division I sports information during which she received national awards for her work, have helped Gail Sideman emerge as a nationally-respected publicity professional in sports, social media and publishing. She is also a veteran support staffer of sports television crews for events that include the NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA regular and postseason and others. You may learn more information about Sideman's business at www.publiside.com or follow her at www.twitter.com/PUBLISIDE and www.facebook.com/gail.sideman.
If you are like me and you enjoy going to many different sporting events, you pay attention to many of the team’s revenue drivers: ticket sales, corporate sponsors, suits, naming rights, merchandise sales, and more. Concessions always seem to slip my mind. Maybe it’s because I used to view them as an overpriced and unappealing service. However, a recent talk with a former Aramark VP of Marketing is beginning to reshape my perception of the business.
Aramark is a leader in the stadium and arena food service industry. They also specialize in facilities management, premium event catering, and more. They can make money three different ways. In a “P+L” deal, the concessions collect money from the fans and pay the team 40% – 50% of the earnings. In a “Fee” deal, the client (the sports team) pays a flat management fee for Aramark’s services. In a “Split” deal, a combination of the two occurs. Does 40%-50% seem like a big chunk of money to pay the team? You bet! The fast food business operates on an average 30% markup. When you have to pay 40%-50% to the team and still make a profit, you find yourself charging $8 for a beer. For Aramark, Beer is great. It’s where they make their biggest margin. Here are some of their other initiatives: [click to continue…]
Reuven is a fourth year student at Marquette University, earning degrees in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. He hopes to create sports marketing initiatives that drive value while focusing on charitable causes. Reuven lived in three countries and visited 13 total. He prides himself on being fluent in Hebrew, Russian, and English. People and idea lover. Connect with Reuven on Twitter @ReuvenFridmar
If you like sports and technology you have been given a name, you are a “Jeek”. According to a specific niche of Adidas’s company wide target market, you are a Jeek, in other words you are a mix between a jock and a geek. To qualify to be a jeek you are typically a sports-loving male, who is computer literate and in the 12-20 year age bracket (though the age range is a little too specific).
Market segmentation is the act of identifying and profiling distinct groups of buyers who might require separate products and/or marketing mixes. It is the process of splitting customers into different groups or segments, within which customers with similar characteristics have similar needs. For too long sports marketing firms were trying to segment us and tried to show that one market couldn’t merge with another.
Jocks and geeks could never merge into the same market, could they? Through market research and more powerful use of demographics, the answer is now a resounding yes, and brands are beginning to learn how to “niche-ify” their target markets accordingly.
Remember when your mother told you to “go outside and play,” and when you went outside there was a neighborhood full of kids waiting. There used to be a time when you felt like playing a pick-up game of football or flashlight tag that it was actually quite easy to find others to play with.
Sadly I grew up in the generation after this way of life was available to kids. I can imagine the fun of heading outdoors to suddenly find 10 of my peers ready to play kickball in the yard. By no means did I live a deprived childhood, but the days seem to be a gone where you can just go outside and play are growing less popular. Now in today’s world “play” typically means sitting in front of the television or playing Call of Duty on Xbox 360.
It is sad to think that the days of going outside to play are gone. Is that time period really over?
Matt Clark is currently an intern for Sports Networker, studying sport management and public relations at York College of Pennsylvania. He has an extreme passion for learning about new trends in social media and technology and how it is revolutionizing sports. He has contributed as sports editor for the York College newspaper, been an event manager for collegiate sporting events, intramural supervisor, contributor to the sports information department, and executive board member on the Sport Management Student Association. Matt is heading into his third season as part of the game-day entertainment with the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees. Connect with him on Twitter @mattgclark
From the App Store: CrowdZone is the best way to cheer for your favorite teams, win points, trophies & prizes while connecting with friends and other fans in stadiums or watching at home from all around the world. 3 out of 5 Stars (592 Ratings) as of May 13.
CrowdZone is a sports-themed social platform that allows fans to check in to, and talk with other fans about, games they care about (from anywhere they have cell phone service). In return, users receive points, trophies, and sometimes real-life prizes! There is a location-based feel to this platform (think Hot Potato but exclusively for sports), even though you don’t have to be in any particular location in order to “check-in.”
It’s not easy to write a review for CrowdZone. Keep in mind, the app just launched about two months ago and is only in version 1.5.1. There are a lot of great aspects to the app, as well as some clear issues. I just don’t know what CrowdZone’s developers are focusing on in terms of improvements. That being said, I hope this review will help.
Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.
Nolan Harrison III played 10 years for the LA/Oakland Raiders, Steelers and the Redskins. He’s now a Vice President with First Midwest Bank’s Trust and Investment Management and a hard-working advocate for the (NFLPA) National Football League Players Association. The NFLPA was originally established by the players for the players in 1956 to help gain the much needed benefits for their post-football lives.
The NFLPA Players Assistance Trust Fund is in place to assist players faced with catastrophic financial and health-related issues. Former players may apply for grants at the maximum $20,000 amount for financial/medical needs and $10,000 educational grants (undergraduate needs only). Since its inception, the fund has paid out $7.1 million dollars as of 2009.
Michelle Hill, the Strong Copy Quarterback for Winning Proof, is a sports and fitness copywriter. My mission is to help pro athletes, coaches, and sports agents increase their success score in their entrepreneurial endeavors with my writing expertise and creative turn of mind.I write website content, client letters, media pitch letters, sponsorship proposals, and brochures for sports-related companies. www.winningproof.com
It was fun teaming up with Daniel over at The UK Sports Network to have the opportunity to connect so many talented individuals working in the sports industry. We were blessed to have Football Fans Census as our premier sponsor as well, and look forward to working with their team more in the future.
After talking with many of the attendees, I realized there is a big need for these events as they are limited on sports business networking opportunities as well as understanding how sports teams and organizations can utilize and measure social media ROI better to increase fan and customer engagement.
Sports Networker and the UK Sports Network plan to do more event in the future, so stay tuned for those announcements. In the meantime, take a look at the slide show below from the attendees at the event.
If you missed this event, or would like to learn about future events, social media in sports tips, or other resources for the sports industry then make sure to sign up for the Sports Networker Newsletter to get weekly updates.
(This is a guest article by Stan Popovich)
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