The beautiful game, football (soccer), has been undergoing a quiet revolution in the land of its birth – England.
English clubs have always sent football talent scouts the length and breadth of the country and further afield too. Decisions on footballing matters and transfers were once based on nothing more than a hunch, a gut feel, and an ‘eye’ for talent. Admittedly there have been numerous success stories from these unsophisticated methods – I think of the late George Best being plucked from Belfast at the age of 15 by Manchester United scout Bob Bishop. Best went on to become a successful player winning several team and individual honors and was notably the European Footballer of the Year in 1968.
As for today, across England a data revolution is taking place as various top Premier League clubs are starting to realize the benefit of data and statistical analytics. You could say that football has finally embraced the premise of Moneyball (now a movie with Brad Pitt, which is set to be released in September). English football has become scientific. [click to continue…]
Chris is a strategic programs analyst at the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) focusing on, amongst other things, sponsorship research, analytics and acquisition. He holds a MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Business (AGSM). Chris took part in the school’s exchange program by completing a semester at Stern business school, NYU where he studied sports marketing and sports economics. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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This is a guest post by Tom Caffrey
The rich seem to always get richer while some current and retired athletes, entertainers and executives keep asking the proverbial question: “Why is that? “How do they do it?”
It is no secret that as many as 75 % of professional athletes face hard financial times after retirement. Some are even forced to file for bankruptcy after only 3 to 5 years into their career or into their retirement. I know it sounds ridiculous and it may be hard to believe but if you Google it you will see it is true. Now is the time to prepare for your future.
There is a well known fact that high net worth individuals and families live, in part off of tax-free income when they retire, so the paychecks never stop rolling in. This is not a secret that is locked up in the vaults on Wall Street it is a way of live for affluent people. The wealthy don’t pay taxes on a big portion of their wealth and income, which makes it much easier to keep growing their total net worth. [click to continue…]
I cover personal branding in more detail in my book, How to Land Your First Job in Sports: 7 Simple Steps (September 2011), but it’s an important subject to tackle for both aspiring sports execs and those that want to take their career to the next level.
Look what Jay-Z, the Grammy Award-winning business mogul, says about his personal brand: “I’m a business, man. Not a businessman.”
Jay-Z gets it. His brand extends beyond music, crossing over into some very lucrative areas such as apparel, adult beverages, fine dining, and high-end clubs. No question, the man’s a brand franchise. [click to continue…]
Chris McKinney is the president of SPORTS LAUNCH™, a career services firm dedicated to helping college students and career-changers launch sports careers. Chris' new book, How to Land Your First Job in Sports: 7 Simple Steps can be found on www.SportsLaunch.net.
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The sport of fencing doesn’t receive much attention. Perhaps it’s because it doesn’t involve a ball and high dollar ads attached to it. Or, maybe it’s because it’s a game of wit and doesn’t captivate our need for brut strength on a field with lines and numbers. But, make no mistake; fencing is a serious sport that requires extraordinary wit and physical strength. It takes mental power and focus to triumph over your opponent.
At 52 years old, my younger sister Gayle is a multi medal-winning fencer. In July, she’s headed to the USA Fencing National Championships in Reno, Nevada. I asked her about how she’s preparing and training for this prestigious event and she clued me in on her daily regiment. [click to continue…]
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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Guest Post by Dmitriy Gamarnik
Here’s a “Jimmy the Greek” type of prediction for the gadget-loving segment of our audience: mobile ecommerce websites are the next big thing in the sports industry. That’s right, you heard it here first. And I’ll put my kid’s college fund on it. Alright, so I don’t have any kids, and I know I am not really stepping out on a limb here, but still only a relative few companies have taken advantage of this versatile platform. Not surprisingly, many of the reasons why few have embraced mobile ecommerce are similar to the reasons why businesses were hesitant to launch an ecommerce website.
Typical reasons were:
- It’s expensive to build and maintain
- It’s not safe to purchase online
- People prefer to buy in the stores [click to continue…]
A brand is so much more than a logo and name and this applies to all organizations, sports or otherwise. One good definition of brand is by best-selling American author and marketer Seth Godin who states:
“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another”.
Putting a dollar value on your brand is not an entirely easy exercise (and probably worthy of a separate post). In 2010, Forbes ranked Manchester United the most valuable team brand, with a brand value of $270 million, ahead of the New York Yankees, Real Madrid, Dallas Cowboys and Bayern Munich.
A brand encompasses all aspects of the sports team, both on and off the field, in season and out of season. Brand can mean many things to many people but will inevitably incorporate some, if not all, of the following factors. [click to continue…]
Chris is a strategic programs analyst at the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) focusing on, amongst other things, sponsorship research, analytics and acquisition. He holds a MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Business (AGSM). Chris took part in the school’s exchange program by completing a semester at Stern business school, NYU where he studied sports marketing and sports economics. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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Want to work in sports? You better be one tough cookie.
When you make the bold decision to pursue a career in sports, what you’ve really done—at least initially—is sign up for heartache and rejection. Doors will slam in your face. You will hear the word no. And at some make-or-break point, you’ll have a gut-check moment and ask yourself, “Is it worth it?”
If you’re struggling to break into the biz, and you’re not sure where to turn, you have two choices: (1) Get a Therapy Buddy and repeat the mantra, “Everything is going to be alright,” or (2) Nut up like Dirk Nowitzki and meet the challenges head-on, crush your competitors and win the prize. [click to continue…]
Chris McKinney is the president of SPORTS LAUNCH™, a career services firm dedicated to helping college students and career-changers launch sports careers. Chris' new book, How to Land Your First Job in Sports: 7 Simple Steps can be found on www.SportsLaunch.net.
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Media coverage can make a massive difference to the value of your brand. One positive editorial story is valued in the industry as five times that of advertorial coverage due to the fact it is effectively third party endorsement.
In fact, I train all of my clients to become media tarts. Why? Because I have seen first hand how effective media positioning can really build the value of a company. With most businesses the end goal is to increase the value of their business so much so that they can sell it a good profit. So if you want to exit your business asap investing in media coverage is a great way to build your brand in a very short period of time.
But if you don’t have the dollars to pay an agency or PR person you might have to do it yourself (or get one of your minions to). So here are my top five ways of getting media coverage fast. I am assuming you all have professional media photos and product shots as mentioned in one of my earlier posts. [click to continue…]
Claire Kelly is a freelance writer, communications consultant and Australian beach volleyball player based on the Gold Coast, Australia.
Experienced in social media marketing, conducting interviews, ghostwriting, editing, generating publicity and photography, Claire is passionate about about helping athletes and businesses grow through the power of the media and the internet. Follow Claire on Twitter @clairelkelly
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If You ‘__?__’ Effectively, You Will Be Successful in Sports:
- Sport Executives get offered their top job because they __?__.
- Most entry-level sports sales associates are able to break into the sport industry because they __?__.
- If a candidate for a collegiate Athletic Director position doesn’t __?__, how would a college even know about their multi-talented capabilities?
- If you don’t __?__, you have to work twice as hard to build a solid trusting relationship with clients.
- I’d rather have to start a new client base new each year OR I’d rather __?__ and have qualified clients connecting with me directly.
The Answer?
I guarantee if you Network efficiently, you will be successful in sports. While I do believe sales and revenue is a portion of the level of success you can achieve, without networking you might strive to no avail. A guarantee is a strong word wouldn’t you agree? [click to continue…]
Kristen Sonsma has spent most of her sports career in ticket sales with experience in the AFL, MLS, and NHL. Connect with her on LinkedIn or on Twitter
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With a new NBA Champion being crowned in the Dallas Mavericks, not only does it mark the end of a long and exciting NBA season, but it also marks the beginning of the off-season. While the off-season provides an opportunity for players to rest (with a few exceptions. See Kobe Bryant.) and a chance for fans to turn their attention to other sports like baseball, social media and the digital space provides no such downtime.
3 years ago, the arrival of the off-season meant that sports executives and teams could begin preparing for the following season. Sales executives prepped for season ticket renewals, sponsorship teams organized marketing and promotional assets, and team news turned its’ attention toward the NBA draft and the pre-season. Fast-forward to the present though and you will see a bigger picture growing. [click to continue…]
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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