Gatorade Drops Tiger (the Drink)
For the record, I am a Sixers fan, and I love Allen Iverson.
The Background
Three years ago, yesterday, Allen Iverson asked for a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. “As hard as it is to admit,” he said, “a change may be the best thing for everyone.” Eleven days later, Iverson was traded to the Denver Nuggets, seemingly having played his last game as a Sixer.
This September, Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. He played three games (starting none) and averaged 22 minutes, 12.3 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 rebounds. However, the veteran could not accept his role as a bench player, and his relationship with the Grizzlies quickly deteriorated. In early November, he left the team for personal reasons, and on November 25th, he announced his intentions to retire from the National Basketball Association.
This week’s Voice of the Box interview is with Corky Truin, team photographer for the Seattle Seahawks. Corky discusses what its like to bring his two passions of photography and sports together. Learn some helpful tips on how to break into sports photography while gaining insight into this specialized role within the NFL.
BCS.
Sometimes that’s all you have to say to launch a storm of criticism about today’s way to select the best team in college football.
Just ask Bill Hancock, last week’s newly named executive director of the Bowl Championship Series. To be sure, Hancock is no Johnny-come-lately. He was the first director of the Final Four who helped grow that event to its immense stature, and in my brief interactions with him, found him to be one of the nicest individuals in college athletics. None of that would save him from what Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples called “one of the worst jobs in the world”, or an interview with Dan Patrick during which Hancock answered with scripted rhetoric and at times, seemed truly befuddled.
Stephon Marbury should’ve refrained from life-streaming. Starbury TV, as far as I’m concerned, was an epic failure. Why?
David Neiman of Athlete Interactive put it so poignantly that I’ll just share what he had to say and let you judge for yourself:
“We want athletes to awe us, and that’s precisely what they do when they’re doing what they do best: playing sports. Think of your favorite highlight — Michael Jordan hitting over Bryon Russell, John Elway going head over heels into the end zone, whatever comes to mind. That moment has an epic, emotional power; you might find yourself shaking your head in amazement right now just thinking about it. But more than just witnessing that moment, you felt part of it. A critical part of being a fan is sharing in the experience of athletes you like.”
In the economic times of 2009 everyone is trying to define and produce value. Like most marketing buzzwords, value can be a very ambiguous concept.
When fans look to spend their discretionary income to take in a ballgame, they base their purchasing decision on the emotions that the product of sports provides. The emotional aspect in purchasing the experience can at make fans even more discretionary.
Fans are seeking the best deals to see their favorite teams and teams are consistently trying to add value to the fan experience. Fans want deals, but buy value. However, while teams often sell by adding value, fans buy based on their perceived value. ESPN’s recent Ultimate Standings survey encompasses eight categories that relate to the fan’s perception of value. The objective of the survey being to measure nationally how well teams turn fan dollars into wins.
There is a paradox in this measurement. First, the poll was created based on what fans want, not what they consume. Second, it was only 50,000 plus responses, while by July
Today, SportsNetworker features an interview with Andy Dolich, Chief Operating Officer of the San Francisco 49ers, and highly respected executive in the sports industry.
As COO of the 49ers, Andy Dolich is responsible for day to day business operations of the franchise.
Dolich joins the 49ers with over three decades of experience in the professional sports industry, including executive positions in the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB).
Most recently, Dolich served as President of Business Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies (NBA), where he was responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the team’s business and marketing programs and the operation of the team’s home arena, FedExForum.
Dolich received his undergraduate degree in Government from American University in Washington, D.C. and his Masters in Sport Management from Ohio University. He serves on a number of sports industry and community-invested boards and organizations.
During this interview you will learn:
-About the inside workings of a professional football team
-The direction of professional football and sports
-The ongoing battle with sports executives and technology
-And much more.
Click here to listen to this interview.
This is a guest interview conducted by Nathan Kievman. Kievman holds two masters degrees, one in business and the other in sports administration, both from Ohio University, which is one of the most renowned sports administration programs in the world. He is also the Founder and CEO of BusinessSuccessUnlimited.com and works with sports organizations and traditional businesses to help improve revenue through many of the systems he teaches.
