Sports Business

mentally toughAs we near Super Bowl Sunday and the much-anticipated rematch between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, the talk is not only about which team will win but which one is more mentally tough.

This begs the question: what is mental toughness? Everyone from sports writers to fans throws that term around – sometimes incorrectly.

Sport psychologists coined the term years ago when they discovered that 50 to 90% of success in high-level sports could be attributed to mental factors, known collectively as mental toughness.

Ok, so what are those mental factors?

Well, first, let me tell you what they are NOT:

Mentally tough is not…

  • Acting mean and aggressive
  • Knocking the bejeezus out of another player just because you can
  • Talking trash
  • Thumping your chest or strutting like you’re “the man”
  • Playing when injured (if doing so can cause further serious damage)
  • Staring down your opponent in an effort to scare him
  • Playing dirty

In other words, toughness or a display of toughness is not the same as being mentally tough.

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About Pamela Enders

Dr. Pamela Enders is a psychologist/peak performance coach with 30 years experience who is on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. Pamela works with people who have to succeed in high stakes, high visibility situations such as athletes, professionals in law, medicine, and business plus performing artists - providing coaching and training in peak performance skills, mental toughness techniques, presentation skills, and business building strategies. When not working, Pamela enjoys hiking in the French Alps, biking in Maine (or anywhere) and cooking. She is also a performing artist with 3 CDs to her name.

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mental toughness

Are you trying to break into the sports industry?  If so, you probably already know that sports jobs are highly competitive!  When you throw your name in the hat for that highly sought after position, the fact is that you are likely one of a thousand applicants.  So, how do you stand out in the crowd and ensure that when you get your shot, you have the mental toughness to land your dream job?

Rick Sessinghaus – Golf’s Mental Coach

Meet Rick Sessinghaus. Rick is best known as “Golfs Mental Coach”.  He specializes in increasing people’s performance in their personal, business and athletic careers through speaking, training, and coaching. Rick founded Sessinghaus Performance Systems Inc. with the purpose of helping others realize their full potential and live their dreams.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Rick and asked him to provide his insight on how mental toughness is not only beneficial for professional athletes, but can also provide the edge needed to excel in the sports industry.  In this interview, Rick discusses:

  • Why some performers play great on the biggest stage and why some choke
  • Why you need to rehearse scenarios before they happen to get what you want
  • The value of knowing your strengths and why you should focus on becoming an expert in one niche

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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

Women in SportsChristine Brennan

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.

Women in SportsLinda Cohn

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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About Sam Miller

Sam Miller is the founder of SamsDreamBlog.com. A graduate of the University of Illinois, he worked with various teams in sports information and received the Freedom Forum – NCAA Sports Journalism Scholarship for his achievements. At the University of Illinois, Miller regularly wrote feature stories about the football team. He has also served as communications intern for the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate. Prior to that, he worked as a communications intern for USA Basketball and as an associate reporter for MLB.com.

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2011 Most Influential People In Sports BusinessWe recently ran a Facebook Contest asking our audience who they thought was missing from Sports Business Journal’s “50 Most Influential People in Sports Business“.  We received some great feedback and the people mentioned varied greatly from Michael Jordan (Owner – Charlotte Bobcats) to Lalit Modi (Creator – Indian Premier League).

The annual list put together by SBJ includes a wide variety of executives that have affected the sports industry in North America over the past 12 months. We wanted to know who you thought was missing from this list?  And, of course, our criteria was not restricted to North America. So, as a result, there are a couple of mentions below that you may have never heard of, but have had a huge impact in the sports world.

So, without further adieu, here’s a summary of the contest entries we received:

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facebook contest Sports Business Journal recently published their annual “50 Most Influential People In Sports Business” list and many of you had opinions…..both positive and negative. Well, here’s your chance to voice your opinion and enter to win a cool pair of BTB Sport Optic sunglasses just in time for the holidays!

We want to know who you think was missing from the Sports Business Journal list and should be recognized among the “Most Influential People In Sports Business”.

How To Enter The Facebook Contest

To be eligible to win the BTB Sport Optic sunglasses here’s what you need to do:

  1. Go to http://facebook.com/sportsnetworker 
  2. Leave a comment on one of the Facebook Contest wall posts telling us who you think was missing from the SBJ list and why?

The Facebook Contest closes at midnight on Thursday, December 22, 2011. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and announced on the Sports Networker Facebook Page on Friday, December 23, 2011

Here is just a sample of some of the comments we have found the last few days on Facebook & Twitter. Let’s spark up the debate……who do you think was missing from the Sports Business Journal list and why?

facebook contest

About BTB Sport Optics

BTB Sport Optics are the best $100 Sunglasses you can buy for under $50. They carry a number of different styles for a variety of sports including running sunglasses, golf sunglasses and baseball sunglasses.  For more information on BTB Sport Optic sunglasses, make sure to check them out and LIKE their page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BTBSunglasses

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This is a guest post from David Lasday

Social Impact

Professional sports teams around the world are leveraging their brand and resources to better their communities. The social impact of sports philanthropy is growing, but it is still in the relatively early stage of development. Professional sports teams build programs with social impact missions to address a whole host of social issues, from bringing sport to underprivileged populations, empowering young women, teaching healthy lifestyles and encouraging children to stay in school. Today’s professional sports team possesses all the tools for a successful social good program.

Though the driving motivation behind sports philanthropy was originally altruistic, today, professional teams have found that their philanthropic activities add intrinsic value to the organization and benefit the team. Professional sports teams are identifying the powerful impact their brand has on members of their community, and as fan-based organizations, their success relies on building a strong and engaged community. Eli Wolff, Director of the Sport and Development Project at Brown University, notes that from a business standpoint, professional sports teams often find social impact programs lead to more tangible business results and stronger consumer connections.#

Sports teams feature massive brand values. Leveraging that brand value and using its power for social action therefore has great potential for wide social impact.

Social Impact of Philadelphia Eagles

One example of a program that successfully leverages its brand is the Philadelphia Eagles Youth Partnership. The Eagles package their program materials in all things Eagles, from the design of the vehicles to the posters, bookmarks, bookplates and storybook, optimizing their brand in efforts to attract and engage children. For example, branding playgrounds with the Eagles logo makes them attractive spaces to bring the community together. They have also used their brand to promote their Eye Mobile program, encouraging children to get their eyes checked and wear glasses to improve their eyesight. [click to continue…]

About Heidi Howes

Heidi Howes is a freelance writer,editor, and singer-songwriter living in Columbus, Ohio. She blogs about following bliss at www.theanandaproject.com.

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Post-Career AthletesWe’ve all heard the grim statistics about broke post-career athletes – 78% of retired NFL players are broke or experiencing severe financial stress after just two years. The NBA isn’t much better with an estimated 60% broke within five years.

Most athletes, when they’re just starting their sports career, say that fame and fortune will not affect them – they swear they will remain the same humble, lovable darlings as they were during childhood when they played on obscure mud fields.

What happens on the journey from obscure to stardom? One must take into account inflated incomes and egos, and the fact that athletes trust unscrupulous, suited up, slick-talkers without doing due diligence. Blind investing and irresponsible squandering of financial resources lead to post-career athletes’ demise very rapidly.

Although pro athletes make a good haul in multi-million dollar incomes, they are all just one play away from a career-ending injury. Just ask Joe Theisman. One snap…one tackle…one wrong fall…career over. Some blame the hectic demands of the season schedule and naivete about financial planning while others point to players believing there will be just one more contract extension to fund their exorbitant lifestyles. [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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When you think of racecar drivers, what comes to mind? Men, mostly. And then along comes a female…but not just any female. Tia Norfleet is the first and only African-American female racecar driver to be licensed with NASCAR. That sets her apart as does her stunning beauty and racy figure which brings racecar driving apparel to higher ground.

Tia tells the world, “I’m all about empowerment and, at the same time, I want to grow into the woman that I want to be.” Tia not only embraces that philosophy on and off the track, she passionately communicates her message to young girls across the country. Tia was kind enough to answer some probing questions I posed to her recently.

Michelle: Since NASCAR is a virgin market for people of color, what is your overall plan to break the barrier and blaze a trail for others?

Tia: My plan is to do my best, be myself, and hope that someone somewhere is inspired by what I am doing. It is true that NASCAR is a virgin market for people of color. My goal is to educate and inspire people of color through this platform that I have been given. There are many jobs within motorsports. One could be an engineer, race car driver or marketing professional – whatever it is; there are plenty of opportunities within this sport. [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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There have definitely been some interesting and memorable names throughout the history of the NFL and football in general. Some of these players were seemingly destined to play football with names like “Boss Bailey” and “Blue Cooper”. Others inherited nicknames over time like William “Refrigerator” Perry and Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack.

The NFL Name Game Infographic

As all good stats are best explained in an infographic….here are some of the best, worst and most seemingly inappropriate names in football.  This is a great list, but there are many more funny NFL Player names that are not listed on this infographic. How about “Atari Bigby” or “Guy Whimper“?

What do you think? What are some of your favorite names in NFL history?

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Most professional athletes travel frequently and spend large amounts of time in transit. Yet when you are in transit, it can be extremely difficult eating well and it also makes it more of a challenge looking after your body as you can’t always access a gym or fit in your cardio.

This week I decided to have a chat with Neil Fowler, Head of Sport and Exercise Science/Plyometrics at Manchester Metropolitan University in Crewe, to get some tips on what athletes should take with them when they are heading overseas to compete, and how they can best maximize their time.

CK: One thing I have found when I am away is I can’t get a lot of the food I normally would. What types of foods should athletes be taking with them when heading off for competitions?

Neil: So when you are travelling a lot your energy really gets out of whack. It is key to peak performance to stay properly hydrated, have proper energy balance, and make sure your body is in a state to play elite competition.  The main items you want to take with you in your packed luggage are energy-dense foods: Energy bars, nutritional products, fluid replenishment items and adequate supplies of protein (i.e. tins of tuna).You can take all of these items with you as long as they are sealed, and it will save you time and money once you get to your destination.

CK: I know myself I spend a lot of time sitting in airports and on buses, etc. What are your top tips to maximize dead time and what kind of (small) items are best to pack?

Neil: There isn’t really too much you can do when you are in a seated position. My advice would be to utilize the time by going over the mental aspects of your game. You can analyze your performance, go over videos of your competition and stretch or exercise when you get a chance. Then when you get to your destination you will feel physically and mentally more prepared.

In my opinion the humble towel is one of the best items to take with you. You should never go anywhere without your towel! One of the smaller ones that you can roll up and then use to help with stretching your hamstrings, using it under your muscles (ie. your ITB). You can use it similar to a theraband if you don’t have one of those. A small sports towel is so versatile and doesn’t take up much room at all. I would recommend putting it in your hand luggage.

CK: Game recovery stuck in a hotel room?

Neil: All you really need for recovery to get rid of lactic acid is to create an ice bath if possible, and access to hot water. If you can’t access ice, you can still use the hot and cold taps and simply alternate. (i.e. one minute hot, one minute cold – do this at least three times). You can use your sports towel to stretch.

CK: Any other tips?

Neil: Tennis balls and squash balls are great for rolling, combined with your towel. Take lots of energy dense foods. You have to keep those energy levels high for when you land, that is crucial. And make sure you stay hydrated.

About Claire Kelly

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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