The Sportsbiz Weekly Buzz is a collection of articles curated by Sports Networker’s Online Marketing Coordinator – Steve Richards
Sports Business
$20 Million Can Buy Quality Time with Mr. Met
“Of course, the owners of the Mets, who have spent the last four months trying to line up 10 or so minority partners, have some long-term upsides to sell: the $20 million would buy 4 percent of a New York City sports franchise that, history instructs, is likely to rise in value over time.”
10 Sports Business Stories to Watch in 2012
“For readers of sports business news, 2011 was spent first and foremost following labor negotiations in the NFL. Lawyers and judges involved with the NFL lockout became well-known names among those that consume a steady diet of sports information…So what does the future hold for the sports business industry in 2012? Here are 10 topics to follow.”
Sports Networking
High Profile Speakers at 5th World Conference on Women and Sport
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the list of speakers at the 5th World Conference on Women and Sport to take place in Los Angeles, California, from 16-18 February, 2012. Under the theme ‘Together Stronger: the Future of Sport’, the three-day conference will bring together high-level speakers from a variety of backgrounds”
Five Personal Branding Tools Every Job Candidate Needs
“If you want to be taken seriously as a job candidate, and stand out as someone who really knows what they’re doing, and that you’re plugged in, you need to have a few personal branding tools.”
Sports Marketing
The Super Bowl to be Streamed Live in the U.S. for the First Time
“For the first time, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl and NBC’s Wild Card Saturday doubleheader will be available to fans on television, online and on select mobile phones, the NFL announced today. NBC’s postseason games will be broadcast on NBC as well as streamed live on NFL.com and NBCSports.com, and will be available on NFL Mobile only from Verizon. This marks the first time postseason games will be available in the U.S. via live online streaming and via a mobile app.”
Perform Buys Two German Sports Media Firms in €12.35m Deal
“Digital sports rights company Perform has acquired two German digital sports media companies in a deal worth up to €12.35m (£10.3m). Perform, which listed on the stock exchange earlier this year and whose largest shareholder is US billionaire Leonard Blavatnik, has acquired Spox Media and Mediasports Digital.”
Sports Sponsorship
Double Deal for Phoenix Suns
“Familia Camarena Tequila has renewed its sponsorship deal with the Phoenix Suns NBA team for another year. Following a successful first season with the franchise, the tequila brand will retain a presence on English and Spanish in-game radio broadcasts during the 2011-2012 regular season, as well as home game brand exposure.”
Boosting Brand Exposure by Using Sports Sponsorship
“The use of sporting events for advertising and marketing has been used for more than a decade and it has obtained acceptance because of the development in interest in the many kinds of sporting activities and games. Entrepreneurs took the benefit of the uniqueness of sports activities. This is the sole leisure in which no matter the volume of times you go back you can’t ever forecast the actual end result.”
Sports Ticket Sales
Coyotes’ COO Talks Ticket Sales, Team’s Future
“Coyotes chief operating officer Mike Nealy says ticket sales at Jobing.com Arena are up 25 percent from last year and 60 percent from two years ago.”
Olympic Ticket Sales Off to A Good Start
“President of the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) Wellington Miller is pleased with how fast the tickets are being sold in the Bahamas, for next year’s Olympic Games, are moving. Miller said more than 60 percent of the tickets are sold, and he is expecting and increase in sales next year as the games approach.”
Sports Social Media
Great Examples of Social Media Marketing in Sports
“With 40% of US individuals utilizing second screen devices, it is tough to ignore the over-saturation of trending topics revolving around the big game, the star athlete, or the Twitter-revoked and tackle-taking cheerleaders with weeklong glory. Sports fans are verbal, they are passionate, and they are opinionated, which presents a unique opportunity for leagues and brands to create brilliant examples of social media campaigns, contests, case studies, and even now, on-field tangibles to leverage this enthusiasm. With that, I bring you some spectacular examples of social media implementation into the sporting world.”
Pro Team to Sport Twitter Handles Instead of Names on Jerseys
“Here’s a new twist on the intersection of social media and sports. The Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League Latest from The Business Journals are replacing the names normally found on the back of players’ jerseys with their Twitter handles for the team’s Feb. 12 game.”
Sports Media
Penn State Saga Voted AP Story of the Year
“The ouster of one of America’s most revered coaches, Penn State’s Joe Paterno, after shocking child sex abuse charges against his former assistant was overwhelmingly voted the sports story of the year by members of The Associated Press.”
Anatomy of A Deal: How NBC Sports Landed in Stamford
“While the price was considered a bargain for a commercial property of that size, it was nonetheless perceived to be a bold risk in an uncertain economy. One commercial real estate expert opined that any new use would require considerable investment and ‘imaginative’ refurbishment.”
Sports Technology
Spurs First with Paperless Tickets
“In an age where you can now board an airplane by scanning a barcode on your smart phone, the San Antonio Spurs will lead the technology revolution in the sports world as they become the first franchise to offer paperless season tickets.”
Are You Watching This?! sports tracker for Android adds remote control for DirecTV, TiVo, Google TV
“The Are You Watching This?! app has a long history of making sure sports fans don’t miss the big games with its bookmarklets and apps that popped up notifications or emailed reminders. Now a new upgrade on Android, along with a few connected TV platforms, has taken things to the next level. In its newest iteration, the free app ties into DirecTV, TiVo or Google TV setups with IP control for one click switching to the appropriate channel — key when a game is coming down to the last play and you’re not sure where the remote is or which channel NBA / NFL / MLB etc. action is on.”
Sports Jobs
When the cheering stops: Why celebrities and athletes are earning MBAs
“…Today, [Samari] Rolle and other top athletes and celebrities are using many of the skills that propelled them to stardom to make their living in the business world by earning their Master’s in Business Administration degree. Rolle, along with former NFLers Hannibal Navies and Duane Starks, and gymnast Dominique Dawes, a gold medalist at the 1996 summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, are participants in a newly created MBA program at the George Washington University School of Business in Washington, D.C”
M.B.A is MVP of Sports Management Industry, Some Say
“When undergraduate sports programs first surfaced in the 1970s, many academics mocked them for teaching ‘how to mix Gatorade,’ says Jim Riordan, director of Florida Atlantic University’s M.B.A. in Sport Management program. Four decades later, sports management M.B.A., M.A., and M.S. degree programs are proliferating, but many professors and graduate school appliacants still misunderstand them, he says.”
Sports Events
Amanda Beard Embraces Role of Mom, Blogger, Olympian
“When Amanda Beard’s husband suggested the name ‘Swim Like a Mom’ for her blog, she hated it. ‘I feel like it’s rude,’ the four-time Olympic swimmer told him. But Sacha Brown, a photographer who helps his wife with the blog, persisted. ‘He said, ‘It’s a positive thing. You’re a mom, you swim fast,”’ Beard said. ‘It’s all in good fun.’ Now they good-naturedly call the blog ‘SLAM’ and Beard’s Twitter followers have dubbed themselves ‘Slammers.'”
Why Stern Forever Changed the NBA
Parity. Arguably, it’s the most influential word in sports. It’s also something every professional sports league needs, but it’s not something every professional sports league has. Parity, however, comes at a cost. For the National Basketball Association, that price may have been too high.”
Is there anything we missed this week in the world of sports business? Let us know your thoughts about the Sportsbiz Weekly Buzz in the comments below and please feel free to share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!
@actifield thanks for the shoutout!