We 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:

2011 Most Influential People In Sports Business

Michael Jordan – Owner  - Charlotte Bobcats

The person I always looked up to was Michael Jordan. That is why I always wanted to work in the sports industry. – Joe McGrath Jr

Michael Jordan is the most influential people in the sports business considering how he revolutionized the game of basketball during his playing career! -Darrius Frazier 

Michael Jordan. Not because of what he has accomplished as a basketball player, but because of what he has YET to accomplish as an owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. The man is the most competitive individual the world has ever seen. People may view him as a selfish owner, but he will do whatever it takes to win. It took Jordan 6 years before he finally won his first championship. Once the Bulls found the right pieces in Pippen, Grant, and Paxson, Jordan excelled his game and led the team to multiple championships. I feel as if he’s still in the early stages of basketball ownership. He has much to learn. However, one thing I can almost guarantee is that he will find a way to win. He just needs to find the right pieces for his Bobcats and he’ll shock the world once again. - Akhil Pal

Jed York – President & CEO – San Francisco 49ers

I honestly have to say Jed York. What he has accomplished with the stadium funding is impressive. The turn around of one of the proudest dynasty’s with Coach Harbaugh and the staff he brought is almost a coup! My two cents. Hope everyone has a great weekend! - Asad Rahman 

Paul Swangard – Managing Director – Warsaw School of Sports Marketing at the University of Oregon

A major miss was Paul Swangard, Managing Director of the Warsaw School of Sports Marketing at the University of Oregon. When a journalist has a question regarding sports marketing, Swangard is usually the most sought after source for comment. – Eric Yaillen 

Vince McMahon – Chairman and CEO – WWE

Neil Braslow. In all seriousness though, how about Vince McMahon. WWE has been a consistent brand for years and never has a labor dispute to worry about. I found in fascinating that Jane Geddes jumped from the LPGA to the WWE a few months ago. Whatever you want to classify their brand of entertainment as, it was interesting to see WWE hire an executive from a “legitimate” sports organization. - Neil Braslow 

Paul DePodesta – Originator of “Moneyball”

How about Paul DePodesta (moneyball inventor). Your list is US heavy, maybe take some people from across the ocean – Michel Platini (UEFA president), Sepp Blatter (Fifa president), Roman Abramovich (Chelsea owner),  Qatar Investment Authority (new PSG owners, and sponsors of Barcelona FC), Evangelos Marinakis (owner of Olympiakos and Super League president). Then moving to Australia – Andrew Demetriou (AFL aussie rules football CEO), Russell Crowe (actor and owner of NRL South Sydney Rabbitohs)… And to top it off, don’t forget – Tim Tebow - Kolja Fidel Koracak  

Lalit Modi – Creator – Indian Premier League

How could you miss out on Lalit Modi, the master mind behind Indian premier League (IPL). Players make more money then soccer player in just 6 weeks. He bridge the gap with Cricket, Celebrity and Business tycoons.  - Naveen Ningaiah 
Lalit Modi, the brainchild and architect of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Twenty20 cricket, which is a billion dollar industry that has revolutionized the game of cricket for the fans and spectators. - Aliya Bauer

Billy Beane – General Manager  and Minority Owner – Oakland Athletics

Billy Beane – How often does Hollywood make a movie about the business side of sports & he had Brad Pitt play him! - Mike Desmond

David Rone – President – Time Warner Cable

David Rone, President of Time Warner Cable Sports. A former agent at Creative Artists and senior executive at Fox Sports and Walt Disney Co, Rone has been instrumental in TWC’s push into the Sports realm. With plans to launch two 24/7 RSN’s, Rone was the primary force behind TWC’s 10 year, $55 million deal with the LA Galaxy, the largest TV rights deal in MLS. Combined with speculation about TWC’s role in upcoming Dodgers negotiations, you can plainly see this man deserves a seat at the big boys’ table. - Igor Mol

Michael Adamson – Vice President of New Products and Services – Turner Sports

Michael Adamson: VP of Sports New Products & Services @ Turner Sports. Mr. Adamson spearheaded the March Madness On-Demand Apps and social media integration into the 2011 NCAA D1 Men’s Basketball tournament. Over the years he has revolutionized fan interaction with various leagues, through NBA League Pass and NASCAR Race Buddy. - Alex Kartman

David Stern – Commissioner – NBA

The ranking is very US-centric and so ’90s/’00s, despite the fact we enter the new decade. Most of the people listed there aren’t indispensable – it looks more like a ranking of “top roles in the (US) sports industry”, rather than well-known and respected personalities. Power here is associated with money rather than opinion setting. Yet, if we follow that path, given the impact of Arab money on ManCity, Malaga, PSG, Al-Jazeera’s TV rights for football and the 2022 World Cup, I have no idea how no-one from the UAE or Qatar made the list. With football (soccer) becoming the global game, putting it behind “traditional American sports” looks quite out of touch with the reality. And yes, the lockout has proven how influential David Stern is  - Robert Thomas Sebastian Błaszczak

Jose Ramon Fernandez – Contributor and Commentator – ESPN

If we focus in the world, we have to consider Jose Ramon Fernandez. Director of Sports / Anchor in Spanish for ESPN Deportes. - Indiana Youth Soccer

Scott Boras – Agent – Scott Boras Corp

I hate to mention his name but I have to go with Scott Boras. Is there any agent most MLB teams hate to deal with more? There is so much disparity in MLB and he is as responsible as anyone. Worst part is the Bud-Meister has let him do it. - Sam Sankovich

Josep Guardiola – Manager – FC Barcelona

No one from Spain or Europe??? Perhaps, Josep Guardiola is a very important people in soccer in Spain, he’s the coach of FC Barcelona TEAM!!!! - Juan José Lozano Sianes
 
 
 
 

Bryan Srabian – Director of Social Media – San Francisco Giants

Bryan Srabian (Social Media Director at the San Francisco Giants)… Bryan has helped lead tremendous campaigns, innovations, and deals for the Giants ball-club. He not only exhibits his expertise via the Giants, but also online through Twitter (@srabe). He actively shares and engages with rich content on a day by day basis, and because of this his personal network, as well as professional (seen through the SF Giants) has grown substantially since he took the position in the beginning of 2010. - Tyler Becker

Richard Peddie – President and CEO – Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment

Richard Peddie. What he has accomplished as President and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is second to none in the industry. Adding 2 teams (Raptors + TFC), 3 networks (NBA TV Canada, LeafsTV, GolTV Canada), BMO Field, and Real Sport Bar & Grill – only voted the best sports bar in the world – to build an impressive sports and entertainment empire. If you’re going to have Steinbrenner (MLB), Cuban (NBA), Kraft and Jones (NFL), then you need to have Peddie – who is equally influential in the NHL and the sports industry as these other leaders are to their respective sports. Just my two cents. - Tom Fabian

Theo Epstein – President of Baseball Operations – Chicago Cubs (VIDEO)

I believe that Theo Epstein should be on this list. He was hired at the age of 28 (becoming the youngest GM in baseball history) to run the Boston Red Sox, one of the most prominent sports franchises in the world. He completely changed that team and put together a roster and coaching staff that ‘Reversed the Curse’, leading them to 2 World Series Championships. He has become the poster child of what a Sports Executive should be and now has been hired by the Chicago Cubs to the tune of $20 Million dollars to help turn them around. He represents the next generation of Sports Business Leaders - Albert Karschnia

Ben Sutton – President – IMG College

Ben Sutton, President of IMG College. College sports still have extreme potential in terms of growth and value, and IMG College is at the forefront of this movement. They have developed partnerships across the spectrum of college sports that include multimedia and sales. Sutton and IMG college are going to shape the future for college sports. - Mike Heeba

Sir Alex Ferguson – Manager – Manchester United

3 names spring to mind for soccer in not only Europe but the world, Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola who has taken his team to the top but tends to be on the quiet side of networking, Jose Mourinho who has won Champions League titles wherever he has gone but is brash and loud, but for me, the biggest and best known around the world is Manchester United long time boss Sir Alex Ferguson who has quietly and efficiently went about his business. When he speaks, people listen. - Marc Roseblade

Are there other people you feel should be included in the 2011 Most Influential People In Sports Business list? Start the conversation in the comments below and feel free to share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!

About Trevor Turnbull

Trevor Turnbull is the COO of Sports Networker & the Sports Executives Association .

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The very first NBA All-Star Game ever was staged in 1951. This year the game will be celebrating its diamond anniversary, which is why the uniforms feature an integrated diamond pattern.

Sunday’s game will go straight into the rich history of the NBA. As players and fans are making their way to the Staples Center, let’s take a look at the All-Time Best from All-Star’s Past.

Here’s my picks:

Eastern Conference All-Stars (36 wins).

Guard: Micheal Jordan, “Air Jordan”
Words are not enough…

Guard: Dave Bing
Put Detroit basketball on the map

Forward: Larry Bird, “The Hick from French Lick / Larry Legend”
Smartest player ever

Forward: Julius Erving, “Dr, J”.
Doctor of Dunk

Center: Bill Russell
The Sultan of Swat

6th man: Isiah Thomas, “Zeke”
Best little man ever

Coach: Arnold Auerbach, “Red”
Lord of the rings (16!)

Western Conference All-Stars (23 wins)

Guard: Earvin Johnson, “Magic”
The Houdini of basketball

Guard: Oscar Robertson, “The Big O”
Mr. Triple double

Forward: Karl Malone, “The Mailman”
Made UPS look bad

Forward: Kareem Abdul Jabbar, “Cap”
Captain Skyhook

Center: Wilt Chaimberlain, “The Stilt”
100 points in one game

6th man Jerry West, “Zeke from Cabin Creek / Mr. Clutch“
The NBA logo

Coach: Phil Jackson, “Zen Master”
Master of Bling with 13 rings, will he ever catch Red?

Currently active players were not part of my selection. With that being the only ‘rule’, who do YOU believe are the Best NBA All-Stars of All-Time?

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About Thomas van Schaik

Thomas studied Communications in Amsterdam and has been working in international sports for over 15 years. He started his professional career at the Amsterdam Admirals in the NFL Europe and moved to Dutch professional soccer champions PSV Eindhoven in 1997. In 2001 he moved to Southern Germany to join Adidas. He's filled a variety of roles with the sporting goods brand, including 'Head of Global PR'. In 2011 he moved into the role of Global Brand Director.

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Australia’s swimming legend and most successful Olympian, Ian Thorpe, announced last week that he would be returning to competitive swimming with a view to winning even more medals at the 2012 Olympic Games, in London. Thorpe, who is just 28 years old, originally took a break from swimming in 2006 and, at the time, refused to say he was retiring from the sport. He is now heading to Abu Dhabi and Europe to fully focus on training and preparation for the Games. It will be intriguing to see whether ‘Thorpedo’, as he is known down under, will add to his Olympic medal tally of 5 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze.

With this announcement in mind, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some successful comebacks in world sport. In my search, I discovered many cases of successful (and unsuccessful – can anyone remember Hall of Famer and pitcher, Jim Palmer, who had a failed comeback with the Orioles in 1991?) comebacks.

You may not necessarily agree with the choice, or the order, or certain omissions (cyclist Lance Armstrong, Dara Torres, who won an Olympic swimming medal at the age of 41, or French racing driver Alain Prost to name a few) but here are my top five:

1. Niki Lauda

The Austrian driver from Formula 1 motor sport had to overcome adversity and fear to come back from a forced retirement. As defending champion, Lauda was leading the World Championships in 1976 after winning 5 races. Lauda, driving a Ferrari, had a horrific crash in the German Grand Prix in Nurburgring. The car burst into flames. With Lauda trapped in the wreckage, he was given up for dead. He suffered severe burns, extensive scarring and toxic flames damaged his lungs. Despite this, Lauda remarkably returned to the track just 6 weeks later. His successful return to the sport was confirmed with a victory in the 1977 World Championships. He repeated that feat 7 years later with a 3rd World Championship victory in 1984.

2. Mario Lemieux

Ice Hockey provides a truly amazing story of a sports player overcoming real adversity. Canadian Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux is widely recognized as one of the greatest players of all time. He won 2 Stanley Cups as a player in 1991 and 1992 and won 3 Hart Trophies (1987/88, 1992/93 and 1995/96) as NHL’s most valuable player in the regular season. However, what makes Lemieux so special is the fact that he achieved all this after overcoming terrible health problems. He can be seen as ice hockey’s equivalent to cycling’s Lance Armstrong who recovered from testicular cancer to win a record 7 Tour de France titles. Lemieux retired twice from hockey. He had Hodgkin’s lymphoma which forced his first retirement in 1997. He overcame that, returning to the NHL in 2000. In 2002 he led his country to an Olympic Gold Medal. His second and last retirement in 2006 was due to an abnormal heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation. Lemieux is now owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins and has launched the Mario Lemieux foundation, which “is dedicated to raising funds for cancer and neonatal research as well as Austin’s Playroom Project, an initiative that creates sibling playrooms in medical facilities”.

3. Kim Clijsters

In tennis, Belgian Kim Clijsters, recently crowned Australian Open Champion, proves that comebacks can be successful. Clijsters left the game to start a family in 2007 but, just 2 years later, she returned to tennis and sensationally won the 2009 US Open after being offered a wildcard to take part. She has since followed up that win with another US Open triumph in 2010, and, in January she defeated Li Na to win the 2011 Australian Open – her fourth major.

4. George Foreman

Boxing is a sport where comebacks are fashionable. I could talk about the 2 Sugar Rays – Leonard and Robinson, Jack Dempsey – or even Muhammad Ali. The so-called ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ victory in 1974 in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), after 3 years out of the ring, was a hugely successful comeback for Ali. However, for me, arguably the greatest boxing comeback is from the man that Ali beat that day in Zaire – George Foreman.  Foreman who first won the heavyweight title against Frazier in 1973 stopped fighting in 1977. Ten years later he stepped back into the ring at the age of 38. After losing to both Evander Holyfield in 1981 and then Tommy Morrison in 1993, Foreman got a title shot against Michael Moore in 1994 in Las Vegas.  With a 10th round knockout (check it out on YouTube), Foreman became the oldest ever heavyweight champion at the age of 45, holding the record for the longest time between title reigns.

5. Michael Jordan

Jordan, who is acclaimed to be the greatest basketball player of all time, is my final selection. Jordan shocked world sport by announcing his retirement from NBA basketball in October 1993. At the time, Jordan was at the height of his game and had already won numerous individual honors in addition to 3 NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls (1991-1993). He retired to pursue a baseball career and signed a minor league baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox. After failing to reach the big leagues, Jordan returned to basketball in 1995 and inspired the Bulls to the 1996 NBA title. He became an integral part of what many claim to be the greatest team ever. In all, after returning to basketball, Jordan won 3 further NBA titles with the Bulls (1996-1998). He did have a second retirement in 1999 and a subsequent comeback with the Washington Wizards in 2001, after taking on an ownership and executive role, but that didn’t prove to be as successful as his first.

Thorpe, in last week’s press conference, stated:

“It was on my bucket list to swim another Olympics before I was 30, along with playing James Bond, starting a rock band, being a pilot – this seemed more realistic.”

Like the other 5 athletes mentioned here, let us hope that Thorpe does have a successful comeback. I’m not sure we’re quite ready to see him in a Bond movie just yet!

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About Chris Conway

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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Michael Jordan is the epitome of sports career success.

Not only is he one of the all-time greats on the court, he wields even more power off of it. In June 2010, Jordan was ranked by Forbes Magazine as the 20th “Most Powerful Celebrity in the World,” with $55 million earned. (10 years after his final dunk!)

However, when you look behind the MJ curtain, you’ll see it wasn’t just His Airness putting in the hours and paying the price. He surrounded himself with a team of trusted advisors: Phil Jackson, David Falk and Tim Grover. Not to mention his publicist, nutritionist, financial advisor, the list goes on.

Appoint Your Own Advisory Board

Like Jordan, you need your own advisory board. Bob Beaudine (@YouGotWho), best-selling author of, The Power of WHO says, “None of us can see every possibility coming our way.” Beaudine’s advice: “Create a personal board of directors.”

That’s exactly what Jordan did. Other than his head coach, Jordan assembled his own board. (Note: some argue that Jordan did, in fact, appoint his own head coach.)

People at the highest levels appoint their own advisory board, including the President of the United States, as well as business icons such as Donald Trump. While the decisions are ultimately theirs, the process of bouncing ideas and talking through problems is extremely valuable to one’s career.

The same can be said for a college student or a career-changer looking to achieve sports career success. We all need sound advice.

Whether you realize it or not, you already have an advisory board. Girlfriend. Boyfriend. Mom. Dad. Whoever you hangout with the most. This circle of influence is your advisory board.

It may be time to beef up your board. Adding key people who hold important positions can have the greatest impact. The list below will point you in the right direction.

• Your Professors (current or former)
• Your Rabbi/Pastor
• Your Career Services Director (even if you’ve graduated)
• Your Banker
• Your Lawyer
• Your Coach (current or former)
• Your Sports Executive Hero (Better find one! More on this in another post.)

The good news: these people want to help you. Reach out to them and they will respond.

Dominate Your Own Sports World

We can’t all, “Be like Mike” on the court. However, each of us can be the Michael Jordan of our respective fields.

You need to ask yourself, “What part of the sports business world can I dominate?”

Yes, Michael could jump. Shoot. Play D. Everything. But in the NBA, everyone can. Where MJ destroyed his opponents was in his mind. It was because of his superior mindset that he dominated the basketball world.

The most critical part of Jordan’s mindset was his willingness to outwork every person that’s ever laced up a pair of high-tops. When you outwork everyone — whether in sport or in business — you will have the mental edge.

MJ’s mental strength was unmatched. What about you? Where’s your strength? Creating? Producing? Leading? Influencing? Organizing? Speaking? Writing? Deal-making?

Find your most dominating strength and attach it to your greatest love.

Be Original and Authentic

If you’re doing what everyone else does, how will you stand out from the crowd? I’m not suggesting you do something obnoxious, for the sake of getting attention.

What I am saying is this: be a trendsetter. A tastemaker. A forward observer. An expert in your chosen field. But most of all, be original. And authentic.

Michael Jordan didn’t let the NBA’s ban on red shoes stop him. In fact, he used it as marketing weapon and started a sneaker revolution.

He didn’t continue wearing those ridicules short-shorts everyone else was, he went baggy and took swagger to a whole new level.

He didn’t let losing his hair cramp his style. Instead he shaved it smooth and did the impossible: made bald cool.

TAKE AWAY: Surround yourself with wise counsel. Link your God-given talent with your greatest love. And above all, be yourself. The best self you can possibly imagine.

What are you going to do? I want to know.  Please enter your thoughts in the comments section below.

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About Chris McKinney

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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Every athlete knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that daily practice of his/her craft is essential to gain a winning edge over the competition. Just as important though, is mental toughness; the ability to overcome challenges and setbacks. Having a psychological edge that enables you to cope with higher-than-average demands from team owners, coaches, and teammates. And of course, while this article is geared for athletes, anybody, whether they’re an athlete, businessperson, entrepreneur, or employee, can benefit from mental strength and stamina.

Mental toughness allows you to perform consistently better than your opponents because you are more focused, more determined, more confident, more resilient, and more in control under pressurized circumstances.

As Jimi Mitchell once said, “Mental toughness is not letting anyone break you.”

The following traits need to be implemented and practiced on a daily basis until they’re part of your personal make-up:

1. Teachable spirit

This is mental toughness at its best. A simple acknowledgement that you might, in fact, not know everything.

2. Focus

This applies to both on and off the field – focusing on your performance and your lifestyle. It’s the ability to know what distractions really are, which ones trip you up the fastest, and how to deal with them effectively.

3. Ability to Cope with Adversity

How much pressure can you handle before you break? You have to keep going beyond your comfort zone if you want to excel. The ability to deal with pressure and anxiety will need to be an integral part of you if you want to rise to the top.

4. High level of Self-Confidence

Not to be confused with cockiness, self-confidence gives you the unshakable belief in your own abilities in order to achieve your goals as an athlete. You have to believe in yourself, in your talent, abilities, and internal strength to be the best.

5. Passion

Without this, you’ll just be another nameless player. Passion for your sport, passion for winning, and passion for integrity and character needs to top your list. Passion will propel you beyond the average and into the elite. Of course, a competitive nature doesn’t hurt either.

6. Intense Motivation and Commitment

You probably already have a good measure of these two attributes or you wouldn’t aspire to be a pro athlete. How does your motivation and commitment measure compared to your teammates? Are you working smarter and harder than everyone else? Your commitment to excel needs to be insatiable and it needs to come from deep within your core.

7. Optimistic/Positive Attitude

If you really want to excel, you’re going to have to have a “the glass is half full” mentality. When you’re losing, or have lost, you’re going to need to bounce back quickly, re-group, and push forward with resilience and fortitude.

8. Desire for Positive Perfectionism

Did you get to where you are by being complacent and doing things in a half-baked way? Probably not. As a successful athlete, perfecting your moves, your style, and your methods with continual practice is par for the course. Striving for perfection in play should be your primary goal. Program your mind to expect positive perfectionism.

9. Pain and Hardship Factor

The fact is: You will lose games. You can be injured. You may be cut from the roster. You may make really bad personal decisions. Internal, negative self-talk can cause havoc on your psyche. Overcoming pain and hardship factors requires mental discipline and mental conditioning. Train hard in this area – you’ll need it.

10. Persistence

Michael Jordan, NBA 6-time World Champion, missed 9000 shots, missed 26 game winning shots, and lost 300 games. Michael says, “I failed over and over, that is why I succeed.” Persistence pays off. Keep trying. Keep practicing mentally and physically. Just keep on!

Uploading these 10 factors into your brain through daily practice will give you the heart of a champion. As you instill these attributes into your heart and life, your sense of identity as a person will grow and become separate from your identity as an athlete. My good friend Fred Vinson, former Cornerback for the Green Bay Packers, said it best, “If you know who you are before your pro career, you’ll have an easier time regaining your personal identity after your career is over.”

Who is the toughest athlete you know? How has mental toughness (or lack of it) affected your own personal success?

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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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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’.

Acting like a bully won’t help James’ cause. Let’s face it, he needs the money, based on a story in my local Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about how much it costs to be a professional athlete. Additional endorsements could help James better live the lifestyle in his new home city, too.

More importantly, acting like a bully and making his pulpit a threatening one only enhances an image etched into public minds earlier this summer: James the Ego.

As a PR agent and publicist, I’ve long coached people in sports that if they develop and live an honest and generous lifestyle and speak clearly and with passion, endorsements will follow. I’d like to amend that statement: if your honest lifestyle is one of threats and me-centric comments, sponsors, especially in today’s market where companies are more conscious than ever about image, you may attract more negative comments than big-dollar deals.

What do James’ accusatory/threatening social media post tell you about the athlete?

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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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Euroleague Basketball signs first-ever title sponsor

Europe’s main club basketball competition is going to be renamed Turkish Airlines Euroleague Basketball after a ground-breaking sponsorship agreement signed by the airline and the league.

Tim Tebow Gets Chance To Take On Michael Jordan

• Jockey announced the signing of Tim Tebow to a multi-year endorsement deal to endorse its line of products, including what it calls its new “Staycool” collection, which will hit stores in the spring of next year.

• It’s the brand’s biggest sports endorser since the company signed Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer to start posing in briefs exactly 30 years ago.

TaylorMade-Adidas Pits Two to Twitter Way Into a Job

How far would you go for a job? Would you eat a bug or wash an elephant? Both those challenges were presented to two contenders for the title of social-media catalyst at golf juggernaut TaylorMade-Adidas. To test the social-media mettle of its two finalists, the company dispensed with round-robin interviews and luncheons and dispatched them on the ultimate job tryout: a 50-day, nine-country golfing trip chronicled on Facebook, Twitter and other sites. Along the way, the contenders must respond to interactive challenges that include everything from creating a viral commercial to participating in user-generated contests — such as eating a bug or washing an elephant on their most recent stop in Thailand.

Want to Score in Sports? Create a Connection

And few people are more qualified to make sense of this turbulent and fascinating year than Michael Levine, co-head of CAA Sports since 2007. Mr. Levine leads a unit that not only represents more than 500 of the world’s most famous athletes, but is also active in the areas of corporate marketing, broadcast rights and sports-property sponsorship sales. Ad Age recently caught up with Mr. Levine for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of the sports world.

Coke, P&G Find Consistency Wins Out for Global Sports Platforms

• Pricey sports sponsorships are often described as a casualty of the digital revolution. Why write a nine-figure check to be an official partner of the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics when a well-executed web video such as Nike’s “Write the Future” can score 20 million online views or associate a non-sponsor more strongly with an event than the companies that paid for the affiliation?

• Increasingly, mega-marketers are finding that the best way to make such sponsorships worth their considerable cost — and fend off well-executed ambush attempts — is to connect every activity related to the sponsorship to one big idea.

Pro Football Is One Game Major Marketers Want to Play (and Buy)

The chain is far from alone. Marketer interest in the NFL has been so strong that the league actually moved to reduce its number of sponsors to 21 for the upcoming season from 30 corporate partners in 2001 and 24 in 2008. The purpose was to avoid the sponsor-overload of, say, a Nascar, which has done a good job of delineating the categories for its partners so there are no conflicts but, nonetheless, still has 49 corporate sponsors.

Official Sponsors Score With World Cup

The six official FIFA partners successfully fended off some good ambush-marketing tactics, and while most of the evidence is anecdotal in nature only 15 days after Spain’s victory over Holland, there is a cautious optimism that the sponsors — Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa, Sony, Hyundai/Kia and Emirates Airlines — got a big bang for their $125 million.

LG boosts F1 tie-ups with Red Bull deal

• The multi-season partnership extends LG’s current sponsorship of the F1, as a global partner and technology partner of the championship.

• Under the deal, LG will supply Red Bull Racing with its latest products at track and at the team’s headquarters.

Premier League signs EA Sports as technology partner

Under the deal EA Sports branding will feature on all live on-screen broadcasts of Premier League matches – both domestically and internationally – and the company will work with the League’s broadcasters to enhance fan interaction elements of coverage through graphics, animations and other technology. EA’s video game license with the League has also been extended as part of the new deal.

Jordan Gets Comfortable With Hanes (Again)

• Hanes can’t get enough of Michael Jordan. The basketball pro is yet again the star of new ads in an ongoing campaign for men’s underwear, dubbed “Hanes Flight 23.”

• The TV spots, breaking this week, mark phase two of a Hanes campaign—via The Martin Agency—that kicked off in May. The ads highlight new underwear with Comfort Flex waistbands, which are more stretchable waistbands now included in all Hanes men’s briefs, boxers and boxer briefs.

DirecTV Plays Offense With NFL Ads

• DirecTV Group Inc. is launching its biggest advertising campaign yet for its marquee property, NFL Sunday Ticket, as it faces mounting pressure from pay-television competitors increasingly offering rival NFL packages.

• The country’s largest satellite-TV operator will kick off next month an elaborate marketing campaign spanning television, magazines, radio and the Internet for its NFL package, which offers football fans every NFL game on Sunday afternoons for $300 a year.

IMG Moves Further Into School Sports

• IMG Worldwide, a talent- and entertainment-management company that represents stars including Tiger Woods and Roger Federer, is buying ISP, a collegiate-sports marketing firm.

• The deal, said to be valued at between $80 million and $100 million, will make New York-based IMG by far the leading company that represents colleges and universities in their efforts to maximize revenue through media and marketing-rights deals.

• Thus far, college-sports marketing has proven to be a low-margin business. Even the biggest schools have profits that are a fraction of the top professional teams. But IMG is betting that buying ISP will give it a critical mass of high-profile collegiate properties it can package together, allowing college sports to compete with the major professional sports leagues for national marketing and sponsorship deals.

Gatorade to sponsor NHL Hockey Operations camp

• Gatorade has signed a deal to be the title sponsor of the National Hockey League (NHL) Hockey Operations camp.

• The camp, which is scheduled to take place on the 18th and 19th August at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ practice facility, features over 30 prospects eligible for the 2011 Entry Draft, and will test a number of suggested rule changes and modifications to the NHL game or playing surface. Daily scrimmages will create live game-like situations with these variations.

Couples Behind Golf Industry’s Surprise Best Seller

• Freddie Couples didn’t win this year’s Masters. But what happened to the shoes he wore in Augusta through, and the subsequent demand for them, will be part of sports marketing lore.

• The fascinating story has its roots at a sales conference in January, when Ecco unveiled its spikeless Golf Street shoes

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About Ben Sturner

Ben Sturner is the Founder and CEO of Leverage Agency, one of the most respected, innovative, resourceful and ambitious sports and entertainment branding sponsorship agencies on Madison Avenue. Sturner has taken his multi-million dollar business from a small start-up in his New York City apartment to a premiere agency that has secured deals for clients including: Jimmy Kimmel Live, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, KFC, Gillette, Progressive Insurance, Southwest Airlines, Reebok, Comcast, Anheuser Busch, Fremantle Media, Mark Burnett Productions and NBC’s Prime Time Celebrity Apprentice, Reveille, Radical Media, as well as other top-tier brands. Ben has been named NYC Entrepreneur of the month in TrueNYC.com and has been interviewed and featured on ESPN, NBC, CNBC, USA TODAY and WALL STREET JOURNAL as an expert in sports and entertainment sponsorship.

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I swore to myself before the start of the NBA free-agency period that I wouldn’t write about LeBron James. Sports media are putting in enough hours of coverage about his team status, for all of us.

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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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It came as no surprise to learn that adidas and the University of Central Florida ended their eight-year $3 million marketing relationship five years early, last month.

In what seemed to be a case of miscommunication and disagreement over whether UCF basketball player Marcus Jordan could wear his father Michael’s signature Nike shoes during Knights’ games, adidas, from the outside looking in, missed a huge public relations opportunity.

Last year when UCF told adidas that it was recruiting the son of the aforementioned NBA superstar, school administrators reportedly asked the shoe company’s personnel if Marcus Jordan could wear his father’s Jordan Brand shoes, manufactured by Nike. adidas initially agreed to let the young Jordan wear his dad’s shoes without affecting the status of the school’s agreement with it, but adidas executives changed their minds.

According to a report by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Daily, on August 28, 2009, adidas and UCF circulated a revised contract with a Jordan clause saying he could wear the family shoe if Nike logos were covered. On October 20, an adidas representative said no exception would be made.

The sponsorship controversy was a heated one in Central Florida and continues to be debated among sports marketing executives. Some said that if adidas allowed Jordan to wear Nikes for a school that had an agreement with the former, others would come to the table with excuses not to wear their shoes. I disagree.

UCF was put in the position to choose to honor a contract that was of great value to its relatively small Division I program, or a player it brought in believing that he would be able to wear the family shoe. While UCF chose to stand by its player, adidas released an up-and-coming athletic program.  According to the Orlando Sentinel, the two parties will honor their contract until June 30, 2010.

adidas could have looked like a PR darling by saying the son of arguably one of the most accomplished sports stars of the 20^th Century could wear his family shoe and play for the university program of his choice. Instead, the shoe company played tough guy and despite prior permission, which led to Jordan’s signing a national letter of intent to play at UCF, reneged.

Nike is now in a position to where it can not only save the day, but also generate lots of goodwill publicity if it enters into an agreement with UCF to replace the dollars and merchandise that adidas would have provided. Let it stand by one of its top revenue-generating athletes family and provide everything and more that adidas did not. Nike would win in terms of market size and sincerity.

What do you think – should adidas have maintained its agreement with UCF or was it right to sever the relationship?

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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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