The world is changing rapidly and from now onwards the speed of that change is only going to further increase. We’re daily bombarded with thousands of images. Every photo can be worth a thousand words. But which images are the ones that stick and make a difference? Which (and whose) story is being told (and where) has almost become as important as the quality of the image. Choices about which professional images are created are increasingly made by executives, not necessarily creatives. At the same time, anyone can now take pictures. The quality of a sports photography image is no longer defined by its resolution or razor sharp focus. A picture made by a fan can travel all over the world and end up on the international front pages before you can say ‘bong’.

This post covers the changes in sports photography from the perspective of the photographers, media, sponsors, fans and athletes. Its not intended as a philosophical reflection of the value of a photograph. The digital revolution, which this blog is dedicated to, has resulted in lasting behavioral change as well as the way sports imagery is produced, distributed, and ultimately consumed. How do photographers find their audience, how do sponsors maximize their visibility, and how do athletes manage their exposure?

Photographers: Artists, Reporters or Editors?

The key application of professional sports photography is for editorial purposes; dedicated sports photographers generally work for papers, major wire agencies, or dedicated sports magazines. However, sports photography is also utilized for advertising purposes both to build a brand as well as to push a sport in a way that cannot be achieved by editorial means. Despite the fact that camera manufacturers have dramatically reduced the difficulty of focusing and nailing exposure, the photographer IS the difference between ‘just any picture’ and a great picture. Whether you’re shooting action, commercial, feature, or portrait photography the underlying image structure, composition, dodging and burning (selective lightening and darkening), gesture, color and originality of an image celebrate the true skill of a talented photographer.

One of the single most difficult aspects of being a sports photographer is to capture the “decisive moment”. It involves a deep understanding of the sport and what is newsworthy. The media are looking for news, the decisive moment, perfectly illustrating the story of that game. It’s all about the goal or the sending-off. Capturing that moment requires experience, anticipation, skill, and probably even a little bit of predicting the future.

Technology

However, in a couple of years from now, there might not be a shutter to press anymore. Some camera models are now processing “image capture” before you depress the shutter – enabling recall of prior moments even before you’ve shot the image. This technology is becoming available in consumer cameras like the new Nikon 1. According to French American photographer Vincent Laforet , @vincentlaforet, technological developments are leaning strongly towards further convergence between the photo and the film camera. Current cameras capture up to120 (!) frames per second (at an incredible resolution). Stills from video might not be good enough for usage yet, but they soon will be. Due to increases in quality and file size, it’s the storage and delivery which is now sometimes problematic. Original files are too large to even email, so Media Manager solutions are becoming more prevalent. In the near future cameras will simply be recording all the time, thus evolving the job of capturing “the moment” into editing it. There’s going to be such an incredible amount of data coming in that editor is going to become one of the most important job positions out there.

Google images and Flickr are rapidly turning great imagery into a commodity. How would you have searched for images before those platforms, or rather; were you even looking for images in the first place? Today images of professional photographers quickly find their way into a wide variety of social channels and they should think carefully about the risk of losing control over their photographs. Who actually owns these photos in social media? Some agencies like WENN own the rights to all imagery uploaded to Twitter via the TwitPics app. Creators of this unique content may be giving away their rights without even knowing this! It’s all in the small print. Kathy E Gill (@kegill) formulates an insightful answer to this rather complicated question in this great post.

On the back of digitally enhanced films like 300, the post-production of imagery is rapidly increasing in importance. 3-D photography has been around since the early 1900’s, but it’s only now that we have the applications to use the content for consumers through cinema, tv, mobile phones, tablets, etc. Another new technological option is the 360 degrees photography panoramic image, (which could also have relevance to sports). A 360 pan  of a big play in the endzone of the Superbowl would be awesome! Maybe we should be holding out until this is available.

Distribution & Global Sports Events

Pictures are distributed worldwide and no longer geographically constrained. The big agencies, such as Reuters, Associated Press, and Getty Images are dominating the photography marketplace worldwide. In sports photography access is the key. Without proper accreditation, entering and photographing at a major sports event has virtually become impossible. Getting hold of these accreditations is increasingly challenging. The question is whether that is a problem. I personally do not think so. How many photographers does it take to photograph the world’s largest sports event? The 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted exactly 943 accredited photographers from all over the world. The 2010 FIFA World Cup final was covered by 233 photographers on the pitch and an additional 128 on the tribune.

The choreography following the final whistle in a Champions League or World Cup final has become a returning comedy. Dozens of stewards run around the field holding cords in an attempt to ‘cage’ the photographers. At the same time dozens of photographers fight each other for what they believe is ‘the best place’ to shoot their shot. This system basically facilitates that the (physically) strongest photographer is allowed to shoot from ‘pole position’.

Of course I highly respect and greatly appreciate the dedication, perspective, artistic eye, and sense for news that most individual  photographers bring to their work. They’re extremely passionate about their photography and really into their sport. However, one wonders if we are approaching the point where the sheer amount of photographers becomes directly detrimental to quality of the photography. Does more really result in better? In the meantime, changes seem inevitable.

Click here for a tutorial with sports photographer Craig Golding (sponsored by Canon) or here for the Getty Images Blog which highlights a whole host of events, photographers, and shoots. In this one created last week, sports photographer Dean Moutharopoulos talks about shooting boxing.

Sponsors: “If you do not shoot, you cannot score!”

Although Dutch soccer legend Johan Cruijff was talking about soccer in this ‘Yoda-like’ quote above, his words are equally appropriate for today’s topic. Simply put:  photography that isn’t shot will never be seen. Sponsors often (also) aim for maximum exposure, and photography that remains un-shot, in many cases, equals missed opportunities.

Hiring famous or influential people to represent your products is not enough to create a deep and true connection. It’s also why sponsors use strong imagery to equate products with positive cultural and social experiences. There have been many shots that have emulated a star in their own sport from Michael Jordan’s many clutch shots to David Beckham bending in one of his legendary free-kicks. Sponsors connect their brand and /or their product(s) with events and individuals, using imagery to equate products with positive cultural and social experiences. The images we perceive take these associations out of their representational realms and make them live realities. Simply put, “If I wear the same football shoes as the world’s best player, I’ll probably be a better athlete”.

I  Heart My Sponsor

Whether it’s Jamaican Usain Bolt kissing his Puma Complete Theseus II spike at the 2008 Olympic Games, or Leo Messi kissing his adidas Adizero F50’s in the UEFA Champions League final, a well-timed, authentic image celebrating the athlete as well as a sponsor’s product can make all the difference. Research shows that strong brand imagery, in particular images of ‘celebrational athletes’ , results in the most favourable brand-associated coverage achievable.

At the world’s largest sports events photographers are usually well represented. While sponsors might not have to worry about imagery being shot, they do have to ensure the capability, structure, rights, and process to allow immediate, integrated activation of such tactical opportunities.

Measuring Results

Thoughtfully executed evaluations allow sponsors to formulate meaningful and measurable objectives. Usually such objectives would include visibility, favorability, and reach in a previously defined media sample. Such research is able to monitor a brand’s ongoing performance on a daily basis, over consecutive quarters, or year to year. It also allows them to compare their performance vs. its main competitors or its fellow sponsors.

Depending on its objectives, a brand can choose to monitor the use of photography and the impact its use has on the favorability of the coverage. Also tracking which images get used where will allow sponsors to develop the creation and distribution of their images.

Media: Destination or Distribution?

The internet is a key influence on the future of photography as we know it. Editorial photography is in the doldrums; magazine and newspaper publishing is going down. The quality, news value, or printability of an image is no longer defined by its resolution, and distribution has become at least as important as your company-owned destination. Kids rarely read magazines; instead they spend all day on their phone or ipad. Still photography is important, Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition proves it year after year and so does the annual Body Issue of ESPN.

Some of you might have already seen this video featuring a 1-year-old playing with an iPad. She then gets confused and disappointed when paper magazines don’t respond the same way to being tapped or slid on. “For my 1-year-old daughter, a magazine is an iPad that does not work”.

Sport Illustrated is an aggressive innovator in the tablet space, and photography is a key component of its strategy. As this post by Lauren Indvik (@laureni) for mashable points out, Sports Illustrated has produced a digital edition for the iPad every week since it debuted last June, produces daily content for www.si.com, and created “SI Snapshot” , a chrome app delivering the best sports pictures of the day – every day. At Time they certainly realize that great photography has the ability to ignite conversations (and drive sales). Terry McDonell (@SI_TMcDonell), the editor of the Time Inc. Sports Group explains; “We used to do 3,500 pages per year. Now we do more than 100,000 pages, maybe 200,000 if you count different aspect ratios and slideshows as pages. Digital now accounts for 30% of overall revenue. Print generates 55%, and other marketing efforts bring in 15%”. Here’s another Mashable post by Lauren on Sports illustrated.

Too Slow?

Here’s an interesting post on invocus by Brent Treworgy on how social media is changing the media landscape. His point of view is that if consumers are finding daily newspapers too slow for their liking, monthly sports magazines seem positively irrelevant!

Social media, and Twitter in particular, has had an enormous impact on sports coverage over the past five years. It’s hard to talk about breaking news on Twitter without mentioning Captain Sully and his heroic landing on the Hudson River. Twitter had the news – and the pictures – before any of the major news outlets started reporting what transpired. It brought Twitter into the spotlight as a legitimate news source. Twitter has certainly brought sports figures, those who cover them, and consumers all closer together, and opened up new channels of communication between them. While it is true that print coverage of sports has continued to suffer, social media has also allowed new business models to emerge.

Gone are the days of refreshing ESPN.com’s front page during half time of the Super Bowl. For both reporting and photojournalism there are two ways to get ahead: be the first or be the best. For most, it’s easier to be first. To break a story, a photographer has to deliver his pictures the instant they’re shot. However before distributing imagery or information you learned on Twitter – before you hit RT – check the source of the story before you become part of the problem.

Fans: You love to watch, don’t you?

Fans love autographs, re-tweets, and having their pictures taken with their favourite athletes. They literally fall over themselves to take a picture with their idol, take a moment in the middle of the coin toss or even invite the coach of the opposing team to snap their photograph . Photography is everywhere and fans are sharing 24/7.

Fans have become an important source of imagery. According to a study by Panasonic, a stunning 175 million minutes of video from the 2012 Games will be captured by fans, equal to 334 years of footage. It estimates fans will snap 466 million photos of athletes and events in London! These numbers imply that each of the 8.8 million ticket-holding Olympic fans will take 53 photographs and about 20 minutes of video.

Pretty, Partying, Planking, Police & Playboy

Athlete photography simply fascinates fans– whether it’s the top 20 of most embarrassing athletes pictures, a gallery of the 20 prettiest female athletes, athletes planking, athletes partying, pictures shot by playboy or even the police. Today every single shot is only one quick click away.

Corporate technology is now firmly in the hands of consumers. Altering imagery has become as easy as photographing itself. However the main change is not technical, it’s sociological. It’s not about the tools that have become available to all, it’s about consumer behavior that has fundamentally changed. The democratization of images has resulted in self-controlled broadcast. As an example, here’s a post by @amymaeelliott featuring 10 stunning sport photographs taken on an i-phone (some of the iphone apps for image creation are excellent) and here are 8 tips for taking better sports pictures by @dakdillon.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup

The power of the network has turned the audience you reach into the people who are reached by the people who are reached by the people you reach (ehm, please do feel free to read that sentence once again…). A typical example is that despite the small army of 948 officially accredited FIFA World Cup photographers, the most memorable image of last year’s tournament was a viral image created by an unnamed fan. Within hours of England’s disastrous 4-1 2010 FIFA World Cup loss against Germany, the internet was awash with references to a controversial referee decision, including one doctored image featuring a white line showing just how far the ball had made it past the goal posts.

These internet memes are a relatively new phenomenon, often an (altered) photograph (video, site, phrase or word). Internet memes will move from person to person via social networking websites, blogs, news sources and other web-based services. Internet memes can spread very rapidly by ‘word-of-mouse’, sometimes reaching world-wide popularity and vanishing in a few days. Incidents surrounding major sports event have proven an exceptionally rich inspiration source for memes.

Athletes & Sports Photography:  Trick, Treat or Thread?

People love looking at attractive people and fans love looking at (and photographing) attractive athletes. Looks matter. With the available research it’s fair to conclude that attractive athletes make significantly more money than lesser attractive colleagues. According to this post on ABCNews by @ewencallaway better-looking sportsmen are even more likely to win matches!

While some (in most cases most) of an athlete’s income is generated by his or her athletic skills, a significant percentage of their money comes from being a public figure. Many people consider athletes’ brands. As such, athletes are not only representing themselves but also their school, team, club, league, or sponsor(s). Most athletes appreciate that most fans are genuinely interested in what is going on in their lives. Clearly none of today’s well-known athletes would be where they are without cameras.

Paparazzi

However, paparazzi are increasingly turning their attention to athletes. ESPN quotes Gary Morgan, the CEO of Splash, a paparazzi agency that employs upwards of 2,000 photographers worldwide, “Sports stars now are really the big Hollywood actors and actresses, they’re the new celebrities.” NFL prospect Colt McCoy already is keenly aware that “you got to be on your guard all the time, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, just be smart.” NASCAR’s four-time Sprint Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson, knows the tabloid world is training its eye on athletes and the “magnifying glass is intensifying in the sports world.” Athletes surely do have the right to a private life too, don’t they?

Privacy?

A survey conducted by PR Week in the UK  in September 2010 amongst 3,000 respondents showed that, in the eyes of the public, celebrities who make money from their private lives have fewer rights to privacy. 36% of respondents believed the public had the right to know about a sports star’s private life. An additional 49% (85%!) feels the public has the right to know about a sports star’s private life if “it” was something that undermined their sports performance. In addition, 68% said celebrities do not have the same rights to privacy in the future if they made money by revealing details of their private lives to the media.

That’s probably why these 2,000 paparazzi have jobs! But hey, wait a second, who’ll need paparazzi anyway?! With every second fan feeling entitled to photograph an athlete around the clock, paparazzi might quickly become obsolete. Athletes are not superhuman and – with a camera density of close to 100% – every athlete will (eventually or inevitably) be photographed under ‘sub-optimal circumstances’. As one of the world’s most famous cases, here’s a link to the NBC coverage of the Micheal Phelps ‘Bong picture’.

 Watch & Learn

Not only pictures shot by fans and paparazzi are making headlines, also pictures taken by athletes such as: Brett Favre, Martellus Bennett, Dorell Wright, George Hill, Greg Oden, Sean Salisbury, Grady Sizemore, Chris Cooley, Mark Ingram, Ron Artest or Ray Edwards are creating news. It’s fair to assume their pictures were not intended for mass publication or large scale distribution.

In some of the above cases the pictures were taken years ago and shared (leaked) by trusted contacts. Nobody needs to be taught not to publicize naked pictures. Not everybody is aware of hackers stealing your private images though. According to LA Late, a man was arrested early October 2011 for committing a digital breach of many celebrities’ mobile and computing devices to steal photos and then leak them online. Officials confirmed that the pictures were being looted from traditional devices like laptops and computers, not just mobile devices like cell phones.

In retrospect, no matter how these images got out, an athlete’s assumption that his (or her) private pictures will remain unseen by the common public has clearly been proven mildly naive. Should we all agree that from now onwards a “momentary lack of judgment” and “naivety about the Internet” are no longer valid excuses? Athletes can read too and should definitely be learning from the experience of others in sports photography.   Therefore the most sensible guidance to (aspiring) athletes that do not want to get “caught with their pants down” remains that the images that you do not want seen should probably never be shot.

What are your thoughts on sports photography today and social media’s impact?  Let us know in the comments below and please feel free to share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Special thanks to Brendan Kemp, aka @bjnkemp.

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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When you think of sports marketing, you probably think of adults writing adult-oriented campaigns, right? A creative sports marketer, however, realizes that they can and should target the juvenile demographic as well. Not only are kids receptive to sports marketing campaigns; they can also come up with their own, using their creative talents to raise funds and grow audiences for their sports teams and products.

Sports Marketing TO Kids

Many sports marketing jobs focus specifically on children’s markets. Making professional sports appealing to kids helps grow a team’s future fan base—not to mention future players. If you are working with product endorsements, the natural admiration and loyalty many children feel for their sports heroes will lead them to be interested in products those heroes advertise.

It’s important, however, for sports marketers to associate leagues, teams, and players with programs and products in keeping with the public’s generally high opinion of sports. Most people see sports as a way to teach their children the values of hard work, self-control, generosity, persistence, and clean, healthy habits. Some marketing techniques which help support this view include: corporate sponsorship of youth sports, player appearances and skills camps, pitching healthy products and activities, public service programs, programs in underserved areas, and programs and advertisements which emphasize the value of diversity.

Sports Marketing FOR Kids

Every parent with school-age children is familiar with—and overwhelmed by—the continual to fund kids’ programs. Perhaps your kids’ team can use sports marketing techniques to raise the money they need for uniforms, travel, and equipment. Sports marketing often involves corporate sponsorships. Develop a promotional package explaining to prospective companies how sponsoring would help their business. To expand your fan base, advertise ticket giveaways, game night promotions, or work with local businesses to provide small premiums or discounts if your team wins. If your organization needs to sell a fundraising product, ask a local sports celebrity (high school or college) for his or her endorsement, or an event appearance. These projects require creativity, artistic ability, oral and written communications skills, and mathematics knowledge. They also teach kids to work cooperatively, solve problems, and communicate effectively with adults. Sports marketing at this level can also involve kids who are not natural athletes, but still want to be involved with a team. Who knows? Some kids may move on to successful careers in sports marketing!  Just check out Joey the Junior Reporter below!

Does your team have a marketing strategy that involves kids? How? I’d love to see your comments.

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About Lewis Howes

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Although careers in sports marketing are relatively new, sports marketing as a practice is over a century old. As sports began to professionalize, savvy promoters, athletes, and entrepreneurs quickly recognized that the business of sports required marketing support.

Sports marketing has two distinct, interdependent, forms: marketing of sports and marketing through sports. If you market sports, you work with organizations, players, venues, and teams to promote games and related events. If, on the other hand, your job is to market through sports, you use those same teams, players, and events to promote your company’s products. Through the symbiotic nature of sports marketing, each side benefits.

It’s probably safe to say that, without sports marketers, professional sport as we know it would not exist. It would be impossible to support oneself playing any sport without fans willing to attend games. What better way to drum up excitement, team loyalty, and schedule information, than marketing and promotions? The sports industry brings in a tremendous amount of money—but it spends that money quickly, for salaries, insurance, venues, concessions, facilities, and travel. In order for a professional sport to survive, it needs to be able to connect with a fan base quickly and profitably. Quality sports marketing is therefore essential to today’s professional athletes.

Many athletes would likewise be unable to make a living at their chosen sport if it weren’t for sports marketing. We’re familiar with the multi-million dollar endorsement contracts offered Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and LeBron James. However, many sports figures rely on endorsements to make their careers possible. Golfing, sport fishing, racing, and professional pool are just a few of the sports in which professionals make most of their money endorsing products, rather than by winning. Without product endorsements, many of these sports would not exist at the professional level.

Finally, professional sports don’t just bring money to players and owners. It supports a huge industry, and thousands of jobs. Communities fortunate enough to have a professional team or to host a large sporting event reap the benefits of drawing thousands of visitors—and their money—to the local economy. Add to this the millions of jobs supported by product endorsements and media events, and you can comprehend how valuable sports marketing jobs are, not just to a few players, but to the global economy.

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About Lewis Howes

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This article is for all the young athletes who depend on Sports Networker to provide resourceful tools for your future sports career. You’ve got hustle, talent, and on your way to the pro level. How do you find a sports agent who has your best interest in mind? Here are some tips to help you find the right agent who will represent you, the athlete…and you, the person.

1. Ask fellow athletes and professional level personnel for referrals.

Word gets around quickly and good agents come highly recommended, based on experience and a stellar record of matching athletes to the right team and the best package.

2. Hold out for the best.

Many will attempt to woo you to sign with them. They will offer money, LOTS of it. Don’t just sign with the first agent you talk to. Interview many agents and ask a ton of questions. Believe me, they’re used to it.

3. Perform a background check.

Do your homework! Ask for references of peers and a list of former clients who obtained successful contracts through that agent. Take time to call and check out the agents’ credibility. If they’re reputable, they will not have any problem with you doing a little investigation.

4. Utilize the Sports Agent Directory.

This is a comprehensive listing of agents and their contact information. Still – do your homework. Just because an agent is listed in a directory, doesn’t mean he or she is reputable or the right match for you and your sports goals. Don’t do any business with an agent unless he’s an educated, certified agent.

5. Don’t sign on the dotted line just yet.

If you’re planning to play college ball, signing with an agent will wipe out your eligibility. Don’t let an agent tell you they might not be available when you’re ready to sign. There are enough good agents in the world to go around.

6. Make sure the agent is adept at CBA’s and is well connected.

A great agent is well connected in the industry. He has thousands of phone numbers of coaches, general managers, scouts, and athletic managers. He’s on the cutting edge of proposals and he’s at the top of his game with negotiation skills.

7.  The agent must be a master communicator and networker.

The agent you ultimately decide on must have top-notch communication skills and be able to talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime. After all, he’ll need those skills to successfully negotiate with team owners, coaches, and sponsors. He must be able to build honest rapport with virtually anyone and his networking skills must be unsurpassed.

8. Honesty, integrity, patience, determination, and drive must dominate the agents’ entire persona.

The agent you decide on HAS to be driven by these qualities in all areas of his life.

9. An agent should meet and exceed your needs as a client.

An agent will excel in all areas of client requirements such as endorsement deals, restructuring of contracts, doing your taxes, or simply providing an ear to you, your significant other, and perhaps even family members who have concerns. He sincerely cares for you, the individual.

10. Only the 100% committed need apply.

If you’ve narrowed your choices for an agent, put each to the test. Call at various times of the day to see if the agent picks up the phone or how long it takes him to call you back. The agent you want is the one who is available 24/7/365 and responds with enthusiasm, a can-do attitude, and stats to back up what he’s promising.

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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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I work with professional sports organizations and athletes for a living, consulting them on best practices in social media branding. That being said, before working as a social media consultant (I hate that term), I am a massive sports fan (GO PHILLIES!).

I’ve loved sports for as long as I can remember, and ever since I realized I would not be a professional athlete, I’ve always dreamt of working with them in some capacity. I have several athletes’ numbers stored on my phone, and I would be lying if I said I think it’s no big deal. Because I don’t think that. I think it’s freaking awesome!

That’s why I understand this: a simple @reply goes a long way…

Take a look below. The other day, I sent Kerry Rhodes, Arizona Cardinals’ safety, a tweet congratulating him on his fumble recovery for a touchdown, and his team’s big win over the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints (Note: In full disclosure, Kerry Rhodes is a former client of ours). He replied, “@gosam thx.” A few days prior to that, I hit up Leonard Weaver, the injured fullback from my hometown Philadelphia Eagles. He tweeted that he was hard at work, rehabbing his leg. I replied, “@LeonardWeaver love it man, keep working, get healthy! eagles fans want to see you back!” He tweeted back, “@gosam me too!”

As a social media consultant, I was just proud to see two different athletes taking the time to respond to a tweet I sent them, regardless of how simple and brief their responses may have been. With Kerry, I expected it, because I know his tendencies to respond to everyone he possibly can get to. But with Leonard, I was ecstatic! As a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, getting a response from someone on the team really made me happy! Granted, I know that Leonard tends to reply to as many people as possible as well, but either way, I was thrilled he took the time to get back to me. If you’ve ever gotten a response from a professional athlete (or even someone you simply didn’t expect to get an @reply from), you know the feeling. It’s awesome! There’s nothing more to say.

That’s what makes Twitter so great. Fans and pros can connect like never before. And the 140-character limit makes short responses acceptable. Few fans would complain about getting a reply from a player they supported. I’m seeing more and more athletes using Twitter this way, as a tool to connect with fans. And with every @reply they send, they make another fan’s day. Technology is truly amazing. One day soon, connecting with athletes will be commonplace, when just a few years ago, we never could have dreamt of this.

As sports fans, let’s never forget the truly amazing opportunity social media is providing us with, and let’s never take it for granted.

Have you experienced this from a professional athlete or someone you simply didn’t expect to get an @reply from? Share your story below, would love to hear it!

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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Last week former tennis star and current broadcast analyst, John McEnroe, was right when he said that the three-day, 11-hour record-blasting Wimbledon match between John Isner of the United States and Nicolas Mahut of France was “the greatest advertisement for our sport.”

The event lasted 186 games and broke nearly every Wimbledon and Grand Slam record each of the three days it was played. Officiating was near pristine. Even the head lines judge was wowed by the competition.

Change channels to World Cup soccer where referees became the story. Players, coaches and analysts seemed to question calls at every turn. Fans, particularly in the United States where soccer popularity remains infantile, have been outraged.  Video replay isn’t used and officials do not have to explain their calls as in the National Football League and other professional sports with which we’re more familiar.  In addition, former professional soccer player Alexi Lalas said on SportsCenter that FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), international soccer’s governing body, believes that controversy is good for soccer because it keeps the game in peoples’ discussions.  

All righty then… if that’s what it takes to get people to talk about your sport…
(FIFA insists that its referees’ performances have been satisfactory and instead of promises to improve official’s performances, said it will censor stadium replays at World Cup.)

The message I took from these two major sports events whose tournaments continue into this week is that Americans will leave soccer by the wayside within days until the World Cup reemerges in four years.

Tennis, which was prodded by some controversy of its own before it hit its all-time high in popularity in the 1970s (okay, it was manufactured) and ‘80s, will still be more accepted among Americans because its rules are steadfast. When a ball is called out, it’s because a linesperson saw it out or the call was reviewed via video. It’s not afraid to show its fans where balls land on a second serve or when a player (in most cases) gracefully disputes a call.

Admittedly I am pro-tennis, but I’m not anti-soccer. I value the First Amendment and Open Records laws and thus, disagree with the reaction of FIFA to shade plays from replay screens and insist that everything is great when so many fans complain. As many suggested after Jim Joyce’s’ MLB call against Detroit Tigers’ Armando Galarraga earlier this summer, the technology is there. Even if fans don’t know what should have been the call while they’re in the stands, they’ll know after they surf for the video when they get home.  That can’t make for healthy growth of a sport. It certainly won’t in the United States.

As someone who’s roots were planted in tennis, I agree with McEnroe. While we’ll likely never see a three-day soccer match nor another tennis match like last week’s, I think back to a comment made by one of my first PR clients who said that there’s plenty of pie to go around the tennis landscape. When there are more tennis stories, everybody gets a bigger piece of the word-of-mouth pie. The same goes for sports in general. I hope FIFA isn’t being different or difficult for the sake of being different or difficult. There’s a great appetite for sports in this world and pieces of popularity will be bigger for those who enjoy transparency. A sport that’s already internationally popular could grow exponentially with a clearer (re)view.

There will undoubtedly be soccer purists who disagree with me with the power of a header, but are these the same people who I see complaining about the game’s officials throughout the social mediascape?

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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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(This is a guest article by Anthony Alsop)

Technology helps us do a lot of things; it saves time, saves lives and is now beginning to save the careers of sports executives. With sports being a multi-billion dollar industry, professional teams, and more specifically scouts are looking for anything that can give them the edge over their opponents.

Enter technology.

Traditional scouting methods meant a scout had to be out on the road, staying in hotels and costing teams money. Today, scouts can sit on their couch watch their latest prospect. Even if they can’t watch him or her on live television, they can get a DVD made up of highlights and watch that instead. With technology allowing us to become more mobile than ever, why should teams go out to the world, when the world now comes to them?

In 2006, Major League Baseball’s draft lasted 50 rounds, and had over 1500 players picked. The National Football League’s draft lasts for only seven rounds with 256 picks typically made. With sports executives being put under time constraints more than ever, how can they effectively research all these prospects?

Shae McNamara is a native of Whitefish Bay, WI. Born and bred in the Mid West, he grew up wanting to be a professional basketball or football player. At 6’8, he was a natural on the hardwood, or he could become one of the most awkward wide receivers to guard in NFL history. He played college basketball and was eventually offered to play basketball professionally in Germany. He did this for a year, but when he returned home to the States, he stumbled upon Australian Rules Football on Youtube. He taught himself the game from watching Youtube, created a workout video of himself on the field, and was given the contact details of a team named the Sydney Swans. The Swans found him via coaching legend Digger Phelps, who had asked his contacts to search for someone in the NCAA that might be able to crossover to play AFL.

Wanting to follow up the interest, Shae found the contact details of 10 other teams via Google, as well as sports agents across Australia that looked after AFL players. With six offers waiting for him to continue playing basketball in Europe, he took a gamble with his career on a game that offered him no guarantees, and one that he had no experience playing.

Australian recruiters watched the Youtube video, liked what they saw, and arranged for a workout to be held in Las Vegas. Standing 6’8 and being an ideal player for the Australian game,  five months after he posted originally posted his highlight video, Shae was recruited by the Collingwood Football Club, one of the premier teams in the league. He is currently playing in the VFL (AAA equivalent) and can be called up to the majors at any time. He is now playing Australian Rules football professionally and wants to take the game global, with the help of technology of course.

The world is becoming smaller everyday and the internet and mobile devices are driving that. We are seeing bizarre things happen around the sports world on a daily basis. There is now an American playing Australian Rules football. Players from Italy and China have been drafted number one in the NBA and there are Japanese, Koreans and Thai’s playing across the best soccer leagues of Europe.

The competition is getting tougher and tougher. As you look around the globe, our games have never been more skilled both on and off the field. Shae’s team now uses a hyperbaric altitude room that recreates the atmospheric pressure of the mountains in Arizona for fitness trainin, whilst still being in the cold winter of Australia.

Technology makes recruiting cheaper than ever before. There is no longer a need to send scouts overseas, inter-state, or even down the road. Youtube was able to take a Wisconsin native playing basketball in Germany, to playing Australian Rules football on the other side of the world. What is technology doing for your sports team?

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Anthony Alsop is a blogger, consultant and founder of sportspiel.com.au. He has worked previously in both the IT and sport sectors, so focusing on the niche of social media and sport was a natural fit. Anthony is from Melbourne, Australia which was recently named the sporting capital of the world and has consulted with sporting organisations both in Australia and in the United States. He is also running Australia’s premier sport and social media event, the Digital Sport Summit. You can find him on Twitter @anthonyalsop or via email

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About Lewis Howes

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In the last weeks I’ve thought a lot about a hot button issue that began with a political decision, yet has touched sports organizations from the National Basketball League to Major League Baseball…or should I say that they hit on the topic by no choice of their own.

As if the Arizona Immigration Law SB 1070 2010 needed more steam, the topic of immigration has jumped to Page One of several sports searches because professional organizations and athletes have either voiced opinions or taken action to show dissatisfaction for the legislation.

The law, which will require police to verify a person’s immigration status if there’s “reasonable suspicion” that he/she is in the United States illegally, is scheduled to take affect in July.

Major League Baseball commissioner, Bud Selig, is being pressured by groups and individuals that include the Major League Baseball Players Association, to move next year’s All-Star game from Phoenix because of the controversial law.

Some groups find the law, that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed last month, to be unconstitutional and prejudicial.

Game One of the NBA Western Conference final experienced an unexpected pre-game event when dozens of people staged a peaceful protest outside Staples Center before the Los Angeles Lakers played the Phoenix Suns because Lakers coach, Phil Jackson, wouldn’t publicly oppose Arizona’s new law. The prelude to the May 17 action was the Suns’ show of support for diversity when they wore “Los Suns jerseys on May 5 (Cinco de Mayo).

Phoenix Suns’ Steve Nash, a Canadian, said on ESPN’s PTI: “I think that this is a bill that really damages our civil liberties. I think it opens up the potential for racial profiling … racism. I think it’s a bad precedent to set for our young people. I think it represents our state poorly in the eyes of the nation and the world. I think that we have a lot of great attributes here and [this law] is something that we could do without. And I hope it will change in the coming weeks.”

“The frustration with the federal government’s failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in passage of a flawed state law. However intended, the result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona’s already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them,” said Phoenix’s managing partner, Robert Sarver.

It’s not unusual for individuals to take stands on national and world issues, but leagues and teams typically stick to sports when it comes to public expression. There is precedent, however. As noted in a story entitled “Arizona’s Immigration Law: A Sports Story” published by theAtlantic, the state of Arizona was at the center of dispute in 1993 when the NFL pulled Super Bowl XXVII out of Tempe, Ariz., because the state didn’t recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (it has since voted to recognize the law mandating the day be observed).

My question to you is this: do professional sports organizations and those affiliated with them have a civil duty to speak for or against laws? Do politics have a place in the often-cushy world of sports, or do these organizations have enough to worry about with increased public scrutiny and media attention about the behavior of their personnel on and off the field and court? Does political expression hurt a sports organization’s brand and image, often carefully crafted by PR pros? Let us know what you think.

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Ken Lund

Urban Mixer

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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Should athlete talent dribble through a season of aging before being presented to the pro sports world? Is college a necessary bridge between high school and pro sports?

Let’s think about it for a moment. What would the basketball world look like without LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Kobe Bryant; all of which jumped directly from high school to the NBA?

The NBA requires one year removed from high school. The NHL and MLB allow a player to be drafted once he is 18 years old. The NFL is the only major professional sport that prohibits the drafting of players who are not three years removed from high school.

Is it really in the best interest of the players or is it another way for the NFL and NCAA to profit? Let’s look at the different sides of lifting the age requirement:

Lifting the age requirement:

• Young athletes have personal and family needs and should be able to turn pro so they can care for themselves and their families, utilizing their exceptional talent for monetary benefits.
• A former graduate of Baylor says it this way, “The NCAA and NFL have an unspoken rule that college players are ‘harvested’ and primed for free until they’re ready for the NFL. It’s basically exploiting the players for the gain and benefit of the two organizations.”
• Some say the NFL and NCAA are reaping huge profits from players, with no compensation in return for those who provide the entertainment and talent. Yes, they have scholarships but nothing more.
• Not all people are academically inclined. There are many famous CEO’s with brilliant business minds who were college-challenged; Bill Gates being just one prime example.  Talented athletes should be able to go into professional sports when they want to; it’s their body and their choice.
• The injury factor: If a talented athlete receives a career-ending injury before he hits the pro level, he has not had a chance to capitalize on the monetary value of his talent as a professional athlete. No one is going to pay his way through life, post injury.
• Unscrupulous sports agents also seek to cut their piece of the pie from the “lost” years of the young, zealous athlete who is anxious for a chance at professional sports.

Enforcing the age requirement:

• When talented athletes are given instant notoriety and stardom at a young age, they often do not have the emotional maturity to handle inappropriate situations that are sure to come their way. Suddenly shoved into the limelight, the young athletes’ lack of maturity and social development is exposed to too much – too young.
• There is a healthy 30+ year post-sports life to deal with. A college education will enhance a young athlete’s life experience which he can use well beyond his athletic career. Social and educational exposure gained in college helps develop the young athlete into more of a well-rounded player and hopefully, into a more responsible adult.

Two solutions to consider:

One is a mandatory requirement for young athletes to complete a certain amount of college classes in the off-season when they’ve turned pro. The athlete might also be required to have his degree before being offered a major pro contract. This would expose the young athlete to the educational process and life experiences outside of the sports world.

Another possible solution, (many are already doing this) is for the athlete to compete within foreign leagues such as NFL Europe, Euro league Basketball, and NBA Europe while in transition from high school/college to professional sports.

What’s your take on this hotly debated topic?

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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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From the National Football League to the National Basketball Association, professional sports organizations and their athletes are realizing that they could have a positive influence when it comes to getting kids to move off the couch and onto playgrounds and in organized physical education.

Newest to the anti-obesity team isBoston Celtics forward, Paul Pierce, and a coalition of elite athletes from eight different sports who raise funds to fight children’s obesity as part of an effort called ‘nPLAY. A government tax exempt 501(c)3 organization, ‘nPLAY’s primary focus is to financially support physical education and activity programs in low income areas which statistically suffer the highest rates of childhood obesity in the United States.

Led by chairman Pierce, ’nPlay will further partner with local governments and community organizations throughout the United States to help implement its programs in and outside of school.

“I think it’s really important to be active in the community and show kids that it can be fun and rewarding to live a healthy lifestyle,” said Pierce,who visits school children as part of his Truth on Health initiative, as well. “It’s simple things like dancing in your living room or hula hooping that can really make a difference, and I really want to emphasize this to the kids. Staying active and eating well has been a huge part of my success and it’s critical to get in front of kids now to help them understand how important exercise and nutrition are to happy, successful lives.”

Pierce’s leadership is bolstered by input from other sports standouts that include: Jennie Finch (USA Softball); Grant Hill (NBA’s Phoenix Suns); Evander Holyfield (boxer); Summer Sanders (USA Swimming); and Jay Fiedler (retired NFL).

One out of three children in America is obese, and childhood obesity was recently cited as parents’ No. 1 concern. Being overweight has a direct affect on cancer, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and up to 10 other medical conditions. It is the primary reason that the current generation of children will be the first ever to expect a life shorter than their parents.

“We hope to communicate our anti-obesity messages by getting kids to understand that their youth is their strength,” Holyfield said. “Kids are only going to do what their parents are going to lead them to do. We need to teach kids that if they don’t quit [trying] that they’ll reach their goals.

Holyfield said that peers’ influence effects children at a young age, as well.

“I have my three-year-old in gymnastics,” Holyfield said. “They walk the kids on the balance beam, do tumbling exercises, climb ropes and keep them active. It’s easier for kids when they see other kids being active. When they see everyone else is doing it, then they know that they can do it.”

Fiedler said the main thing to remember is that kids will exercise if they take part in activities that they enjoy.

“If a kid enjoys the activity he/she participates, he/she will want to continue doing it on a regular basis,” Fiedler said. “It doesn’t matter where the message comes from, but that we are getting kids more active and teaching them that they need to be conscious of their nutrition.”

Fiedler also recognizes that it’s important to teach kids the physical and lifetime value of fitness and downplay the cosmetic affect.

“The emphasis needs to be on the fact that health is based more on the way you feel than the way you look, and the best way to get healthy is to exercise and eat well.”

Finch said that as a parent, she finds teaching kids to live fit and the dangers of obesity are adults’ responsibilities.

”As a mother, nothing is more important to me than the health of my son,” said Finch, an Olympic gold medalist. “As parents, we are responsible for our children’s future. It’s important for us to not only set an example but to educate and motivate our children to live healthy lifestyles that will afford them the same opportunities of past generations.”

As an extension of ‘nPlay, Finch will be one of the athletes involved in a partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPyramid program. ‘nPlay’s main nutrition initiative, MyPyramid was created by the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) to deliver messages that promote healthy food and lifestyle choices.  ‘nPLAY will create educational visuals that integrate athletes with nutritional messages that can be used in schools and community group gatherings.

‘nPlay was established by career marketers who set out to collaborate with standout athletes to provide solutions and raise money for programs that help combat childhood obesity. Organization founders include: Michael Maccia, Eric Cohen, Scott Hunter Smith and Steve Conner.

Pierce, nicknamed “The Truth” and is the founder of the “The Truth Fund”, is also working with Olympic gold medal gymnast Shannon Miller, US Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, current and former NBA players Jerry Stackhouse, Kenny Anderson and Bo Kimble; ASP World Tour Surfers Taylor Knox and Gabe Kling; former NFL players Fiedler and Sam Madison; retired No. 1 middleweight boxer Michael Olajide Jr. and Former USA Olympic softball player and assistant coach, Barbara Jordan.

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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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