LeBron James Further Destroys PR

by Gail Sideman | August 19th, 2010 | View Comments

Really LeBron?

I just shook my head and mentally shook LeBron James by the collar when I read his tweet directed at critics, yesterday: “Don’t think for one min(ute) that I haven’t been taking mental notes of everyone taking shots at me this summer. And I mean everyone!”

(For the record, I wouldn’t lay a hand on a man three-times my size, especially if I was coaching him.)

Ok, so I guess I won’t be invited to his South Beach Christmas Bash. Oh, well….

Missed drinks donning umbrellas with The Decided aside, James is still a young player in the NBA. He has no championship rings and he still has lots of endorsements to sign before he comes close to Michael Jordan, the star basketball player he has been most compared. James’ endorsements may even trail Tiger Woods’.

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Sports Industry Statistics And Survey Results

by Lewis Howes | August 18th, 2010 | View Comments

A while back we created the Sports Business Survey in hopes of creating a better understanding of the top sports industry executives. More than 1,000 people completed the survey and we were amazed with the feedback.

We realized that the sports industry was seeing a shift (and is still shifting) in many different ways.

With all of the new ways to connect directly with industry decision makers through social media, or create a name for yourself in the industry from by creating a powerful website, we wanted to know what challenges sports professionals were facing, what they wanted to learn about, and how we could help them achieve their goals.

The sports industry survey results were first released as exclusive content for the Sports Executive Association, but it was so useful we decided to share it to our faithful readers here as well.

Here are some of the questions that were answered inside the survey:

What is the biggest challenge you face in the sports industry?
What would help you achieve your sports business goals?
What is one reason why you work in the sports industry?
What type of sports specific education training would help you get to the next level?
And more…

You download the survey for free here.

If you want more in depth training and networking, then become a member of the SEA for exclusive content, including e-books, audios and live video seminars from the best in the business (plus a lot more).

At SportsNetworker, we’re looking at these results very seriously in hopes of continuing to bring you the best content to help you and your team become perpetual winners.

What do you think about the survey results? Are you shocked about the statistics or think they are spot on? How will you use this information in your sports organization or career from here on out? You thoughts and comments are welcome and please take a moment to share this on Facebook and Retweet it on Twitter.

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Resources for Athletes – Part 2

by Michelle Hill | August 17th, 2010 | View Comments

In a previous article I wrote about two valuable resources that professional athletes can use to manage and improve their lives.

In part 2, I’ll focus on Fan Inc., a new resource that helps former NCAA injured athletes receive the medical attention they deserve and I’ll also dive further into Sportsdrive to see how their high tech development tool helps athletes reach their highest potential possible.

FAN, Inc. Foundation for Athletes in Need - We see the glory of athletes when they’re ‘in the zone’ and hitting their game like a Trojan. We see the sweet victories and think to ourselves: “what an exciting life.” What we often don’t see is the chronic physical pain many athletes endure for years after they’re finished playing.

Steve Strinko, former Wolverine NCAA middle linebacker (1974 MVP) at the University of Michigan, founded FAN, Inc. in response to experiencing his own post-career medical issues. Steve also saw a serious gap in services for former student athletes who have been injured while participating in a NCAA sanctioned sport.

FAN’s mission statement succinctly states, “To provide financial assistance to qualified former student athletes who are experiencing hardships related to an injury incurred while participating in an NCAA sanctioned activity.” FAN, Inc.’s goal is to assist under- and uninsured individuals in obtaining relevant, professional medical services.

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A Twitter Guide to the 2010-11 NFL Season

by Sam Taggart | August 16th, 2010 | View Comments

Note: If you don’t use Twitter, you can still follow along! Twitter has announced the ability to “fast follow” any account by simply texting “follow @____” to 40404. Their tweets will automatically be sent to your phone. So, if you’re a football fan, no reason not to read this article and keep up with the best NFL sources this season!

The 2010 NFL season is quickly approaching. The preseason is already under way, and the regular season begins on Thursday, September 9th, with the Minnesota Vikings visiting the New Orleans Saints in a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game. I love baseball and I’m a huge basketball fan as well. In fact, I really enjoy watching most sports. But there’s nothing like sitting on your couch on a Sunday afternoon with a couple of buddies, and a table full of junk food and beer, and watching nine straight hours of hard-hitting football.

So, why am I writing this article? Why a Twitter Guide? Twitter has become the best platform for up-to-the minute news and analysis in most arenas. If you want to stay on top of… anything you care about, Twitter is the place to do it (especially with “fast follow”). I’ll list a number of my favorite NFL-related accounts with a brief reason as to why they’re worth following. Enjoy!

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Top Brands Dive into Sports Sponsorships

by Ben Sturner | August 13th, 2010 | View Comments

We have teamed up with Ben Sturner and his extraordinary crew at Leverage Agency to bring you the top five movers and shakers each week in the world of sports sponsorships and marketing.

American Eagle’s Sponsorship Program Takes Flight
Joining the growing number of apparel brands sponsoring to build visibility, gain differentiation and drive retail traffic, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. is expanding its use of the medium. Looking to make a stronger connection with its 15-to-25-year-old target, AEO recently announced a three-year partnership with collegiate athletics’ Big East Conference, around which it will present the men’s and women’s basketball championships.

Munich 2018 bid announces Allianz as new partner
Global financial services provider Allianz was yesterday unveiled as the latest partner to support Munich’s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018.

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Beckham, Thanks For The Memories

by Ash Read | August 11th, 2010 | View Comments

I’ll warn you now this isn’t one of my typical articles, if you’d like to read about how sports can utilise social media, I’m sorry to disappoint you (this time), but I feel sometimes we need to take a step back from social media and remember exactly why it is we love sport so much. This is simply an article to say thank you to a sporting icon and a true England legend.

Growing up in England, football was my first love and David Beckham was my first sporting idol. Last night it seems Fabio Capello called time on Beckham’s extraordinary England career when he said “I thank [David] very much for helping me at the World Cup but probably he is a little bit old.”

Even though Beckham has always come back stronger whenever he’s faced adversity or been dropped in the past, even as his biggest fan, I would admit that it’s hard to see him coming back this time.

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Interview with Emily Edison On How To Get A Job In Sports

by Matt Crevin | August 11th, 2010 | View Comments

Voice of the Box recently interviewed University of Washington athletic department nutritionist Emily Edison about her role and how she got her start in the industry. Emily also shared her insight on what it takes to break into a career within the sports industry.

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The Rise of Marucci Sports

by Tyler Johnson | August 10th, 2010 | View Comments

In 2002, two former LSU athletes were rehabbing their recent injuries with Jack Marucci back in Baton Rouge the topic of conversation turned towards Marucci’s recent hobby. This hobby eventually led Eduardo Perez of the St. Louis Cardinals to do something no one else had done yet in Major League Baseball. By taking a different approach to the business and providing a higher quality product to the market, Marucci helped create a whole new ballgame.

Jack Marucci, the Head Athletic Trainer at Louisiana State University first started perfecting the craft of hand-made wooden baseball bats as a hobby, originally making them for his son. As the two former LSU athletes, Kurt Ainsworth and Joe Lawrence, rehabbed, they spoke of what to do after their professional MLB careers. Marucci’s hand crafted bats became that future. By 2003, the focus on detail and quality craftsmanship to ensure every hand crafted bat was a ‘gamer’ brought them into ‘on deck’ circles and into the batter’s box.

Kurt Ainsworth was a former LSU All-American and 1st Round draft pick by the San Francisco Giants. He also played on the Gold Medal winning Olympic team in 2000. Joe Lawrence was a former USA Today high school All-American and played professionally for the Toronto Blue Jays. After 8 years in professional baseball Joe returned to LSU to play football.

In speaking with Kurt he recalled: “from my experiences in the big leagues, about half of the bats you’d order would not be what we call gamers,” ‘Gamers’ being a bat that is Major League ready and that the hitter is accustomed to. Kurt went on: “ the quality of service and in the bats just did not seem to be there.” As other bat companies operated their volume based business, Marucci bats intended on being a new alternative.

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4th and Long

by Michelle Hill | August 9th, 2010 | View Comments

A football team in a 4th and long position is poised to make something out of nothing. To attempt a play in a 4th and long position is a long shot…a slim chance. Sometimes a team will go for it when there’s no other choice – time is running out and this is their last chance to score.

Sometimes coaches will go for it on a 4th and long early in the game because they either see a big opportunity right now or they think they’ll have sufficient time to recover if it doesn’t go well. No matter what, it’s usually a very risky proposition to go for it on a fourth down.

How often do you as a freelancer or business person have the chance at a 4th and long? You know; the chances that don’t come along everyday: the big client you thought was a long shot to get, an opportunity to drastically expand your social media efforts, the network event where you’re poised to meet the right person who can help give you your big break, or maybe the chance to acquire funding that will secure needed equipment or pay off a business debt.

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Relationships Key to Fund Raising

by Lewis Howes | August 6th, 2010 | View Comments

(This is a guest article by Dan Westervelt)

There are many reasons why golf fund raising events fail, but without this one element being present, the chances of survival are almost nil. It is the reason why sponsors decide to support, golfers decide to play and volunteers decide they want to serve your cause. In a word, it is relationships.

The three main components of the human side of a tournament are golfers, sponsors and volunteers. All three are readily available to you if you have a relationship and it is strong enough to justify their participation. Obviously a close friendship is the best but a consistent trade association between a client and vendor are of about the same weight.

As with any relationship, it must be respected, so approach this solicitation as though you were asking permission to do something beneficial for a family member. While you need to be sure to have all the reasons ‘why’ addressed, spend even more time getting ready for the ‘why not’s?’.

Listen carefully to all the objections you hear. These are really just road maps to where you’d like the conversation to end, that is a “yes, I’ll do it”. These are the hesitations, stalls and questions you must address successfully to get them there. In my view, they are the most important part of the sales conversation as they determine both the tone and content of your reply as well as the overall result.

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