The Future of Sport Communication

When I think of sport communication, I can't help but think of the prevalence of information that is attainable on the Internet.

In reading "The Future of Sports Media" I immediately started thinking about how successful teams, successful in terms of exposure and fan base, leverage the various communication environments to interact with their audience. Successful teams like the Yankees in baseball and Manchester United and Real Madrid in soccer are in the enviable position to be able to afford their own outlets to disseminate the messages. While these scenarios might be out of reach for the majority of MLB and international club soccer teams, the lessons learned can be utilized by everyone.

One of these lessons is how to leverage the power and reach of the Internet. The fact that I am writing this blog, and in theory somebody will read it, is a small testament to the power of the Internet. The ability to incorporate innumerable views and opinions in an open forum like this is a huge incentive to learn how to utilize the medium to its greatest extent. I think with the prevalence of smart phones, netbooks, and almost unlimited broadband access to the information on the Internet, we will see much more content becoming available here.

I can also see more interactive content coming. I think we will start to see more of the information traditionally viewed on television available in the web. MLB already offers their games online, and I can watch baseball on my iPhone if I choose to. I think this trend will continue, and we will eventually have the option to watch full games from any sporting event live on our computers and phones. We will have the option of watching games live, or downloading them for later consumption. I can see this moving to a package type offering similar to direcTV, or the options on cable where you purchase access to several games or teams.

I think the same holds true for events like the Olympics and the World Cup. With so many games and events taking place many events get preempted or you will only get glimpses of the action. With the availability of the Internet every game and event could be offered in its entirety for live consumption of later viewing.

Sport Reporting

For this last post we were asked to discuss what hinders, and what facilitates, the ability of sports reporters to meet their deadlines.

The first thing that comes to my mind is that you really can't be there for the pure enjoyment of the game in order to report on it. I like to take the game in, and let the ebb and flow of the action take me along for the ride. When I knew that I was going to have to write a report of the game I found myself paying more attention to the individual players from both teams instead of completely rooting on my team. I would imagine that the best sports reporters are able to set aside their favoritism, and give an accurate accounting of the game. Local reporters always seem to have a tilt toward the hometown team, but the ability to let yourself get lost in the action is probably a luxury that reporters cannot afford. That's not to say that you can't, or shouldn't, enjoy the game. I think that a reporter who enjoys what he or she is reporting on is more likely to give us a story that is interesting and pleasurable to read. For me it was a different mindset in the approach to watching the game. I had to pay attention to the game instead of just being a spectator.

I was originally going to report on the Maryland v. UVA basketball game earlier in February. The big problem I ran into there was that we walked out of the Comcast Center after 10PM, and I walked through my front door at 10:57. For me the difficulty in reporting on that game was the time constraint. I supposed if I had been part of the press contingent covering that game I would have had Internet access during the game, or at least had something available to write notes. I considered it my dry run. Fortunately for me, the Georgetown game I went to was at Noon so there was no time issue. I also knew the area quite well outside of the Verizon Center, and if I needed wifi access to post my story I knew where it was available.

Basically, I think Internet access has probably become a tremendous benefit to reporters trying to meet deadlines, while at the same time I imagine it has increased the pressure somewhat. Assuming the game is over before the deadline, there seems to be almost no reason why a reporter cannot meet a deadline given the ability to utilize the Internet. So it's a bit of a double-edged sword, but I still think it's a bigger benefit. Beyond the deadline, it gives the reporter the ability to check facts on the fly, follow up on things, and get alerts about other stories while the game is in progress.

One problem that I had was keeping all of the players and plays straight during the game. Frankly, I would have been better off to have had some type of notebook with me to write down key points. Instead I relied on my memory when I sat down to write a recap of the game. In theory, I would have learned this after the first game I attended, but as I've said before on this blog, I have a bit of a hard head. As with most fans, the plays that stick out are the ones that benefitted my team. If I had taken a more impartial approach I may have had an easier time retelling the events. Keeping track of the stats was also difficult. I relied on the scoreboard to tell me who had the most points, while I'm sure reporters have access to a box score during the game.

I think another difficulty with recapping a sporting event is ensuring the main highlights are incorporated, while not missing big points in the event. I suppose the flip side of that is making sure that you fit everything that happens into the story. It was definitely difficult to sort out just which events were keys to the game, while trying not to overdo it with unnecessary points.

One thing that I took away from this exercise is that I'm not cut out to report on sporting events as I always feel that there's something I'm missing, and that makes it really hard to submit my work.

Top 5 Olympic Momemts

These are my top 5 Vancouver Olympic moments (so far):

5. Alexandre Bilodeau. Wins the first home gold medal for Canada in the moguls competition. Dedicates the win to his brother who has cerebral palsy.

4. Joannie Rochette. Her mom dies less than 2 days before the biggest day of her life. And SHE SKATES!! Not only that, but she WINS A BRONZE!! Who does that? I can't imagine what she has gone through this week. I can't imagine what she's gone through to get to the Olympics. It's hard to say what I would do, but it was impressive to see her rise to the occasion.

3. Bill Demong. Not only did he win silver with his teammates in the Nordic Combined, but he erased a 46 second deficit to win the gold in the individual Nordic Combined event. I don't know much about this sport, but it doesn't take an expert to recognize what a tremendous feat that is.

2. Team USA hockey. Beat down the tourney favorites, squeak by the Swiss, and throttle the Fins. Next stop: hockey immortality. -well, maybe not.

1. USA bobsledding. Steve Holcomb leads his team to the first 4-man bobsled gold medal in 62 years!

Hoya Slaxsa!

Lackadaisical.

That is the one word that comes to mind after watching 11th ranked Georgetown get throttled by Notre Dame, 78-64. I was looking forward to this game for 2 reasons. First, I'm a big Hoya fan. Second, I was looking forward to seeing Mike Brey coach in person. Mike coached the University of Delaware (my alma mater) from 1995-2000, and led them to 2 straight NCAA tournaments.

On paper, this one didn't look to good for the Fighting Irish. They were coming to the Verizon Center without their big forward, Luke Harangody. The Hoyas were looking strong recently with solid play from Greg Monroe, Austin Freeman, and Jason Clark. Unfortunately, Freeman was limited to the bench today due to a stomach illness. Even with continued solid individual play from key players Georgetown looked like a team that had mailed it in; instead of a team playing for a potential double-bye in the upcoming Big East Tournament.

Georgetown managed a lead, 4-3, within the first 2 minutes of the game, but was looking up at the Irish for the remainder of the game. The game was close at halftime, 31-27, in favor of Notre Dame despite several turnovers and lack of intensity on Georgetown's part. Both teams were able to hit several big 3-pointers, and the main difference between the teams was Notre Dame’s ability to press Georgetown into poor passes and turnovers.

Notre Dame came out in the second half and basically blew the doors of the Hoya bus, eventually pushing the score to 50-38 before Georgetown began to show signs of life. A big 3 pointer by Jason Clark started the Hoyas on an 8-0 run about the 11 minute mark of the second half. The defense stiffened a bit, and Georgetown managed to cut the lead to 4, 50-46. Three 3-pointers by Notre Dame, 2 of which were by Carelton Scott and Ben Hansbrough (brother of UNC first round draft pick Tyler), pushed the Irish lead back to 10, 59-49.

Ben Hansbrough and Carleton Scott both had excellent games for Notre Dame. Hansbrough led all scorers with 21 points. Scott added 17 points of his own, and proved to be too much for the Hoya defense at times. He was generally the most active player on the court, and played aggressively on both sides of the ball.

All in all the game was exciting to watch. Several runs for both teams during the game managed to blow it open and bring it back close several times. Mike Brey has shown that he can coach his teams for the big games, and when it counts. Unfortunately for the Georgetown fan it was a difficult game to watch, and left me feeling…well…lackadaisical.

College Bound Race for the Future 5K Media Release

The CollegeBound Foundation

February 17, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Come out and help the children of Baltimore City

The 2nd Annual Race for the Future 5K is being held on April 17, 2010 at Druid Hill Park.

Last academic year, over 175 college freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors received CollegeBound cash awards totaling $327,625. Continuing our mission to help Baltimore City youth, we are tremendously excited about a new fundraising opportunity to support the mission of the CollegeBound Foundation…the Race for the Future, a 5k road race to benefit the CollegeBound Foundation

Amenities include: Tech Shirt for first 250 early entries, water on course, post race food, drinks and awards. Awards will be presented as follows: Overall Top Three male/female, top male and female in each age group: 15 and Under, 16-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70+. Awards are equal for men and women and will be awarded to the top individual in each age group.

Register now by going here: http://www.active.com/running/baltimore-md/collegebound-race-for-the-future-5k-2010

Registration closes on April 13, 2010

For more information please contact:
Teresa Perrera

E-mail: tperrera@collegeboundfoundation.org

Phone: 410.783.2905

Additional items to include in the media kit: a fact sheet detailing the history of The College Bound Foundation, a FAQ page about The College Bound Foundation, short biographies of the board members and executive staff of The College Bound Foundation, and photos from the 1st Annual Race for the Future 5K.

Fundraising vs. Coaching

My experiences in coaching to this point involves youth sports. I've coached each age group in youth soccer from 5 to 19 years old. Teaching little kids is about maintaining a level of enjoyment in the sport, and making sure that the learning process is more about fun than work. As players progress in age and ability, coaching becomes more about fine tuning communication and building on the foundation of ability and knowledge laid out when the players were younger.

My experiences with fundraising are a bit more limited. Having daughters, I've been involved with several rounds of the ever familiar "Girl Scout Cookie" armada. To a certain degree, this too is about communication and teaching, and building on, a firm foundation. Communication comes in with the girls having to go door to door, or having to approach people when they are positioned in front of grocery stores. The not only need to know how to approach people in a positive manner, but they also need to understand how to set expectations with the customers and give them all of the information that they need. I also feel that we are teaching kids about self confidence, character, and leadership and these are characteristics that will aid these girls throughout their lives.

After reading Delisio's article on the similarities between coaching and fundraising, I have a better idea of how principles that are utilized by any successful coach can be directly applied to being a productive fundraiser. Both endeavors start with understanding where the "talent" is, figuring out which "talent" is best suited to your program, connecting with the "talent", and ensuring your relationship with the "talent" is mutually beneficial to both parties, and finally cultivating that relationship to ensure a long term commitment.

Sport Celebrity Endorsements

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the most recognizable figures in NASCAR today. While he is considered a very talented driver, and has the benefit of being a member of one of NASCAR's most recognizable families, his celebrity has transcended NASCAR like no other driver in history.

While some may have attributed his meteoric rise to fame to being the son of NASCAR's most popular champion, Junior as he's known to most familiar with NASCAR, has eclipsed the popularity of his late father. He has managed to do this without ever being a dominant factor on the race track. In fact, he easily makes more money each year from product endorsements than he does from performing on the race track to the tune of over $5 million a year. Dale is probably most recognized at the driver of the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet, a car he drove for 9 seasons. When he switched from racing for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated to Hendrick Motorsports in 2007, Budweiser ceased to be his primary sponsor. Currently the primary sponsors of Dale Earnhardt are AMP Energy drink and the National Guard.

Outside of Budweiser, the most recognizable advertising campaign involving Dale is for Wrangler Jeans. Dale initially turned down a deal with Wranger since he was't a fan of their products. Wrangler agreed to involve Dale in product design, and eventually launched a line of jeans with his direct involvement. Dale is also heavily involved with advertising for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and appears in several print ads for Drakkar Noir cologne.

Dale's public image is a bit of a rebel, which can be partially attributed to his fathers legacy. Proving that his image is more than just show, he's been known to stick to his ideals when it comes to choosing advertising deals. He has turned down potentially lucrative deals in the past because he doesn't want to limited in his options on or off the track, and he estimates that he turns down 90% of endorsement offers. Until his deal with Adidas AG in 2007 he was said to shy away from endorsements with shoe manufacturers because he wanted to be able to wear whatever shoes he wanted. He was also said to have dictated terms with Budweiser on how he would dress for public appearances for their products. His basic reply was "this is me, and I'm not dressing differently for you."

While his popularity is unparalleled on the NASCAR circuit, transferring that popularity to more mainstream endeavors is a different story. NASCAR has become more savvy with their marketing campaigns in trying to reach new fans, and maintain their growing fan base. Extending the brands created by popular drivers should help in this regard. NASCAR fans are generally regarded as the most loyal in all of sports. Given this, many companies realize when popular drivers endorse their products the fans will generally start purchasing those products.