September 2010

PGA Responds to Missed Opportunity

by Gail Sideman|September 30th, 2010

Has it really been one month since I constructively criticized the PGA Championship for not allowing fans to bring their cell phones into its 2010 event at Whistling Straits?

It should not have been that long, because it was quickly after that blog was posted that I received a phone call from Ken Lovell, Vice President of Media Development for the PGA Tour.

With the Ryder Cup on the docket for this weekend and people thinking golf during an already predictable media-heavy football season, I decided that today was the “better late than never” time to share what Lovell told me about how the PGA is in tune with its fans’ desire to shoot photos and react to what’s going while they attend a professional golf tournament.

While I fully expected a defensive rant about what I wrote, I was wrong, not just about the PGA’s reaction, but by writing that it wasn’t in tune with a fan base that wants to share their tournament experiences via social media networks. [click to continue…]

About Gail Sideman

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.

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Will Michael Vick’s Road to Redemption Ever End?

by Sam Taggart|September 29th, 2010

54 for 89 (60% completions). 6 passing touchdowns. 1 rushing touchdown. 0 interceptions. And a QB rating of 110.2. Those are Michael Vick’s numbers three weeks into the 2010 NFL season. Vick started the season as backup to Kevin Kolb. But after a Week 1 Kolb concussion and a dominant Week 2 performance by Vick in his place, head coach Andy Reid made the decision to give Vick the chance he’d been waiting several years for, to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League once again.

But this post is not about Michael Vick the football player, it is about Michael Vick the person. [click to continue…]

About Sam Taggart

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.

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San Francisco Giants Tweetup

by Lewis Howes|September 28th, 2010

Tweetups have been one of the true successes of Twitter. Meeting new sports fans through social media is great, but nothing compares to the networking and bonding that occurs in face to face events. Embracing both social media and face to face relationships, the San Francisco Giants hosted the first tweetup for Major League Baseball earlier this season.

This wednesday, they are hosting another tweetup, called “Tweetup Happy Hour”. I am going to be there as well and would love to meet with you as well!

[click to continue…]

About Lewis Howes

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Limits of a Team’s Brand

by Joseph Yi|September 23rd, 2010

(This is a guest post by Joseph Yi)

When sports teams first began using social media, they gained followers and fans primarily because of their brand. Fans wanted to be part of their favorite team’s community and sports teams were more than happy to have them. Still, many sports teams eventually faced the realization that their brand could only bring them so far. Teams that relied on their brand identity to generate interest soon discovered that after most ‘hardcore’ fans had discovered their teams Facebook or Twitter page, the numbers dropped off. To attract the casual fan, teams had to prove to them that they could bring value.

For teams, providing value to fans means winning games. Winning games fills seats and keeps fans happy. When it comes to creating value on social media platforms though, winning doesn’t necessarily translate into happy fans or engagement. Winning will get fans interested in a team, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will get them to follow or like their fan page.

While there are exceptions to this such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Yankees, if you look at some of the sports teams on Twitter and Facebook, you will notice that the teams with the highest number of followers and fans accomplish this by leveraging their brand to create engaging content that creates value for their community of fans rather than relying on their brand to push them forward. [click to continue…]

About Joseph Yi

Joseph is the Social Media & Marketing Solutions Manger at GAGA Sports & Entertainment where he works with professional sports teams, including the Lakers, Clippers, and San Francisco 49ers, where he develops engaging content as well as social media and digital strategies to help teams better understand and engage their fans. Read more from Joseph and follow him on Twitter.

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General Managers Embrace Social Media

by Sam Chan|September 21st, 2010

At the Tribe Social Forum last week, Lewis Howes learned that Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro is set to fully embrace social media this fall, from the head office all the way down to the players. Especially in a season where the Indians suck aren’t as competitive, Mark sees more reason than ever to harness the power of social media to interact with their fan base. At least one other General Manager agrees; Vancouver Canucks’ Mike Gillis has decided to use Twitter for the upcoming hockey season.

While Gillis isn’t as enthusiastic as Shapiro, he notes in the Globe and Mail, “social media is not something that is going to go away, and I think it’s a way to get a little bit of a different perspective out there”. [click to continue…]

About Sam Chan

Sam is the community manager of Sports Networker and the Sports Executive Association. He is passionate in all things sports, mobile, and social media. His dream is for the Vancouver Canucks to win a Stanley Cup in his lifetime, although so far, its looking kind of bleak. In the past, he worked with BlackBerry and helped relaunch their Business-to-Business network. With his experience there, he can probably help you change your ringtone, maybe. When he finds time (never), he also writes infrequently at his personal blog. If you would like to talk sports, write a guest post for us, or argue about why iPhone > BlackBerry, you can find him on Twitter, Facebook or email.

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How Dream Teams are Composed

by Michelle Hill|September 20th, 2010

We’ve all been admonished to notice the absence of “I” in team. We hear it so often that we become numb to its meaning and significance. It’s never an individual effort.

Wikipedia describes teamwork as, “A joint action by two or more people or a group, in which each person contributes with different skills and expresses his or her individual interests and opinions to the unity and efficiency of the group in order to achieve common goals.

It’s teamwork that’s made my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, 5-time Super Bowl champions back in the day. I’m still waiting for number six but I’m not holding my breath. Sure, a team needs a great leader but the players really make or break the success of the team.

During the Cowboys’ dynasty years, they had some of the greatest players in the history of the game. In his recent Hall of Fame induction speech, Emmitt Smith named each one of his offensive lineman and credited them for a great deal of his success as a running back. [click to continue…]

About Michelle Hill

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

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Don’t Pull a Johnson…Follow the Rules!

by Lewis Howes|September 17th, 2010

This is a guest post by Bear Heiser

Rules, rules, rules, why is it so hard for athletes to follow the rules!

On Sunday, for the second time in as many months, a ‘Johnson’ broke the rules in the world of sports.

First, way back on August 12th, Dustin Johnson grounded his club in a destroyed sand trap on 18th hole of the PGA Championship incurring him a 2-stroke penalty. The move cost him more than just 2 strokes as it knocked him out of a playoff for the major title. The entire world watched when Johnson first heard what he had unknowingly done.

Then it happened again, on September 12th. Seconds remained in the Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears game when Lions receiver Calvin Johnson and everybody else in the world thought he caught the game winning touchdown. The play was reviewed and overturned after it became clear that Johnson lost the ball while attempting to use it to help him get up from the ground. [click to continue…]

About Lewis Howes

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Hispanic Sports Marketing 101

by Lewis Howes|September 16th, 2010

This is a guest post by Elisa Padilla

The Hispanic segment offers demonstrate opportunity due to size, growth and increasing spending/purchasing power. It’s expected that by 2050, 28% of the U.S. population will be Hispanic, thus opening up the doors for marketers. There are a few things to know about marketing to Hispanics:

Culture: You must first understand the culture and ensure that your marketing message is culturally relevant, otherwise it won’t work. For instance, when you think of Hispanics, you may think of the Spanish language used amongst the segment since there are different dialogues that are used within the culture. It’s as simple as understanding a word that may be used in Mexico doesn’t have the same meaning Puerto Rico or visa versa. [click to continue…]