tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53093157089271514282024-03-19T02:47:11.463-07:00Sports Biz UDon Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comBlogger173125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-63659127707635362752017-08-30T10:06:00.001-07:002017-08-30T10:12:12.628-07:00Are College Athletic Programs Fumbling Corporate Partnerships?<div style="text-align: center;">
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Excitement is in the air as a new college football season is days away. College football's popularity in the United States is solid. A 2016 <a href="http://www.theharrispoll.com/sports/Americas_Fav_Sport_2016.html">Harris Poll</a> found college football to be the third most popular sport in the country, trailing only pro football and baseball. Interest in football and collegiate athletics in general makes college athletic programs attractive to potential corporate partners. Brands value the affinity many people hold for their favorite college sports teams. Sponsorship of collegiate athletics is a vehicle for reaching consumers by associating with something with which they have an emotional attachment.</div>
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A key to sponsorship effectiveness is communicating the association between brand and sponsored property. Sponsorship impact is one outcome for which a well-kept secret is not very helpful. The link between sponsor and sponsee should be made known for sponsors to receive maximum benefit from the association.</div>
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The Internet as Sponsorship Promotion Channel</h2>
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An asset sports properties have to offer corporate sponsors is promoting the partnership on their websites. A selling point that can be used with prospective sponsors is access to fans visiting a property's website. The web gives sponsors an always-on platform that reaches a larger audience than possible at live events. This characteristic of the Internet as a sponsorship promotion channel should motivate collegiate sports properties to develop innovative ways to help sponsors reach fans. Unfortunately, such best practices are happening infrequently</div>
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An Analysis of Sponsor Integration</h2>
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How do college athletic programs integrate sponsorship into their websites? An analysis of the websites for all 128 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institutions I conducted July 25-August 24 examined three aspects of corporate partnerships for college athletic programs:</div>
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<li>Dedicated corporate partner content</li>
<li>Exposure in form of sponsor names or logos on website</li>
<li>Sponsorship solicitation for potential sponsors</li>
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Findings of the analysis suggest college athletic programs and their agency partners are misplaying opportunities to create value for their corporate partners.</div>
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Dedicated Partner Content</h3>
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A surprisingly low number of college athletic programs have a page dedicated to corporate partnerships. Only 23 of 128 institutions (18%) had a page featuring names or logos of sponsors. Many websites had pages with titles such as "Corporate Partners" or "Sponsors," but in many instances these pages were for sponsor solicitation; they did not feature current corporate partners.</div>
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Sponsor Exposure</h3>
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A lower bar for sponsor integration on a property's website is placement of logos on site pages. Brands appearing in these placements usually were not identified as sponsors, but it was evident that their presence was consistent with that of a sponsor, not merely Internet ads. Sponsors were much more likely to be featured in this manner as 68% of institutions gave sponsors exposure, usually at bottom of pages on their sites. Still, nearly one-third of institutions did not give their corporate partners any exposure on their official athletic department website. </div>
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Sponsor Solicitation</h3>
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Websites were more likely to have sponsor solicitation information than any other type of sponsorship-related content. Nearly three-fourths (73%) of websites had a page for sponsor solicitation. Often, the link for this content takes a visitor to an external website of the sponsorship management firm (e.g., IMG College or Learfield) with general information about sponsorship opportunities available. </div>
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Does Power 5 Membership Matter?</h2>
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In addition to analyzing sponsorship-related practices for FBS institutions as a whole, additional analysis compared institutions from the Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, and SEC) with non-Power 5 institutions. Findings of this comparison include:</div>
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<ul>
<li>27% of websites for non-Power 5 institutions (17 of 64) had dedicated corporate partner content; only 9% of Power 5 institutions (6 of 64) featured corporate partners with a dedicated page.</li>
<li>More Power 5 institutions gave sponsors a presence other than a dedicated page than non-Power 5 institutions, with 39% of Power 5 institutions placing sponsor logos on their site versus 25% of non-Power 5 institutions doing the same. </li>
<li>The practice of having a sponsor solicitation page did not differ depending on whether an institution belonged to a Power 5 conference or not as 72% of Power 5 institutions and 75% of non-Power 5 institutions had a solicitation page on their official athletics website.</li>
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Are Sponsors Being Served?</h2>
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College athletic programs may be fumbling their relationships with corporate partners. Sponsors are a staple for sports properties, but many college athletic programs are not effectively communicating their partnerships with companies and brands. Of course, website presence is but one element available to communicate a sponsorship. Properties may put greater emphasis on giving sponsors exposure in venues at sporting events as well as an on-campus marketing presence. </div>
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That said, the relatively low number of programs touting corporate partners in the form of dedicated website space and content is surprising. The low percentage of institutions communicating their corporate partnerships is also surprising given that many of the sponsor solicitation pages reviewed touted website integration as a benefit sponsors could enjoy. The analysis conducted suggests there is much work to be done in fulfilling the promise of using college athletic program websites to communicate corporate partners' involvement.</div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-51470434325706587032017-01-09T08:10:00.000-08:002017-01-09T08:10:01.570-08:00NFL an MVP for TV Networks<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnnOlMIuH6MD2gzBE44TM3r4xK3JKkGYFEAjoPpEl5UKXu6R1iCB3H8gkI_33Vy76EwqxCfM1dI5fAEjSThPRHxrM5d8L5s3Uw608onws363CpZYKw0eNBU9SVjPnAf-j0WBCYfDQfmDI/s1600/010917+post.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnnOlMIuH6MD2gzBE44TM3r4xK3JKkGYFEAjoPpEl5UKXu6R1iCB3H8gkI_33Vy76EwqxCfM1dI5fAEjSThPRHxrM5d8L5s3Uw608onws363CpZYKw0eNBU9SVjPnAf-j0WBCYfDQfmDI/s320/010917+post.png" width="247" /></a></div>
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<span id="goog_257911787"></span><span id="goog_257911788"></span>Sports business practitioners have closely watched TV ratings for the National Football League this season. Is the teflon brand of the sports industry vulnerable? Is fan interest waning? Would fan backlash to player national anthem protests and other negative PR show up in fewer TV viewers? Are there just too many entertainment options that pull away people from consuming NFL games? TV ratings for the 2016 NFL regular season reveal two things: 1) fewer people are watching NFL games and 2) the NFL is still a very valuable property for TV networks.<br />
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A Ratings Slide</h2>
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ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell recently reported NFL TV ratings for the 2016 regular season were down eight percent from 2015. The comparison excluded Thursday night games as Twitter live streaming debuted this season as another option to watch and gave fans a non-TV option to consume. Ratings were down for all NFL TV programs and all networks. ESPN Monday Night Football took the biggest ratings hit, down 12% from 2015. NBC Sunday Night Football also suffered a double-digit ratings decline with a 10% decrease in ratings. Ratings for CBS and Fox Sunday games were down seven percent and six percent, respectively. </div>
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The presidential election season is cited as one reason for the dip in NFL TV audiences. In fact, ratings were down more in the first half of the NFL season, which coincided with the run up to the election. However, the bottom line is NFL TV viewership was down this season. Should NFL executives and the TV networks be worried? In short, no.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
NFL is TV MVP</h2>
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If the television industry handed out MVP awards, the NFL would need to bring a U-Haul trailer to the awards ceremony to pack all of its hardware. Despite a decline in audience viewership, it is undeniable that the NFL remains popular TV viewing. The average audience for an NFL game was 16.5 million in 2016. The NFL audience size makes it one of the strongest TV properties around. A recent <a href="http://adage.com/article/media/scripted-tv-falls-2016-top-50-chart/307348/">Ad Age article</a> reporting the top 50 TV program audiences for 2016 revealed that 11 of the top 20 programs were NFL games. All but one of the games were in the postseason, but the point is the NFL remains highly relevant as a TV product. The NFL is an MVP (Most Valuable Program) to its broadcast partners.<br />
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It's Not Just the NFL</h2>
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Ratings concerns are not limited to the NFL. Network TV has dealt with dwindling audiences for years. First, cable networks fragmented audiences. Then, the internet and social media gave us more options for how we entertain ourselves. How have TV audiences changed over time? Take a look at TV ratings for top network shows at different points in time:</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Program<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Nielsen Rating*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">1986<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Cosby Show<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">33.7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">1996<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ER<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">22.0<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">2006<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">American Idol<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">17.6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">NCIS<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">12.8</span></div>
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* One ratings point = 1% of U.S. TV households</div>
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Given that a single ratings point equals about 1.2 million viewers, NFL programs draw large audiences and in turn, the interest of advertisers. The TV audience is forever fragmented; we will never see a TV program with a 67.3 rating like that of <i>I Love Lucy</i> in 1954 (it helped to have three TV viewing options- no issue with media fragmentation in those days). Programs like NFL games offer the closest thing to the "good old days" of large audiences drawn to a single program.<br />
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NFL to Determine Future Success</h2>
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The consistent performance of the NFL as a TV property shows little signs of letting up despite a ratings dip in 2016. There is one huge caveat, though. The NFL must maintain interest in its product on the field and manage its image off the field. Arrogance or indifference to concerns about safety and player conduct could derail the NFL train. Otherwise, the NFL will continue to be an MVP for TV networks.<br />
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<i>Check out TV ratings for NFL regular season games in 2016 at <a href="http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/nfl-tv-ratings-viewership-nbc-cbs-fox-espn-nfln-regular-season-playoffs/">Sports Media Watch</a>.</i></div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-71010665874807286192017-01-02T06:54:00.000-08:002017-01-06T07:07:55.101-08:00Innovation Is Name of the Game in 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is the time of year for predictions about what will happen in the coming year. You name the topic, and you can likely find predictions about expected trends or developments. Predictions are informative for giving a heads up on what areas to pay attention to in the coming year. And, predictions can be provocative when they push boundaries of current practice or performance. </div>
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So what are the predictions for sports business in the coming year? An online search for articles on 2017 predictions for sports business returned some likely topics:</div>
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<li>E-sports</li>
<li>Virtual reality</li>
<li>Big data</li>
<li>Shifting media consumption</li>
<li>Fan engagement</li>
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This list yields no surprises as they are front burner priorities for many sports properties and companies. The pressing question is whether these trends become opportunities or threats for an organization. The difference maker will be innovation.</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
A Simple Definition</h3>
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Innovation is crucial to an organization’s growth. And, it is said if you are not growing, you are dying as a business. Why is innovation central to an organization’s growth? It is central because of what innovation represents. Simply put, innovation is “creating new value.” When you create new value, you maintain or enhance relevance of your products. We tend to think of innovation as new value that benefits users- think cashless concessions or smartwatches that capture personal fitness data. Innovation can be internally driven, too. For example, gleaning deeper insights from customer data to make staffing decisions that enable better customer service to be delivered during peak periods. </div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Squandering an Affinity Advantage?</h3>
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In Chapter 1 of <i>Sports Marketing </i>(by Fetchko, Roy, and Clow- Routledge, 2016), one trait that distinguishes sports from other industries is a phenomenon referred to as an <u>affinity advantage</u>. What is an affinity advantage? It is a positive affective (emotional) disposition people have toward an object like a brand. Sports brands enjoy an affinity advantage over non-sports brands in that people are inclined to show their affinity for a brand. A quick look around the coffee shop where I sit writing this article I saw people wearing apparel with logos of Nike, University of Alabama, and Dallas Cowboys. I guess the Cuisinart, Kroger, and Purina fans were at home… although I have never seen those “fans” anywhere. The point is many people are willing to make an emotional investment in sports brands unlike any other brand relationship they have.</div>
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That said, an affinity advantage is more like a head start than outright competitive advantage. Brands possessing an affinity advantage should cherish and safeguard it, not take it for granted and assume it will always be present… because it will not. It will be interesting to see how ESPN and other sports media brands fare in 2017. The days of TV-centric sports consumption are over, not to dismiss TV as an important communication medium. Realities of media consumption include reliance on multiple screens and more people not glued to the big screen at all. Innovation is the tonic media brands will have to rely on to leverage their affinity advantage and deal with shifts in consumption. Otherwise, the head start gained by the affinity advantage will be negated. ESPN and other sports media brands will be challenged to “create new value” to adapt to consumers’ shifting interests and behaviors. </div>
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Happy New Year- Be innovative in 2017!</div>
Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-16934849024149161152016-02-18T13:25:00.001-08:002016-02-18T13:57:27.832-08:00Decisions Facing MLB Show Marketing is an Outside-In Process<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8zrgdTV4O3ZGSItgzFim7q3C6MT8ynjeQFfHFye8shSaOyjCl8165jqckLJML1yoULALseqKanIXtwvjcQyHdBQgWW0gxn43Pq2etznj_YhaXgiDOP82yavIjwOEijltkIjYp0Dm-VHv/s1600/ht_baseball_glove_jef_130401_wmain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8zrgdTV4O3ZGSItgzFim7q3C6MT8ynjeQFfHFye8shSaOyjCl8165jqckLJML1yoULALseqKanIXtwvjcQyHdBQgWW0gxn43Pq2etznj_YhaXgiDOP82yavIjwOEijltkIjYp0Dm-VHv/s320/ht_baseball_glove_jef_130401_wmain.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image Credit: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/vintage-baseball-glove-collectors-hunt-duckweb-glove/story?id=18851667">ABC News</a></span></i></td></tr>
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Baseball is known as America's pastime. It is a game that recently celebrated its 140th birthday. Thousands of players have played professional baseball since Abner Doubleday introduced baseball in 1876. Moreover, generations of fans have followed the sport, with family members often passing down team loyalties from generation to generation. These characteristics of baseball bring out its timeless appeal, but they also carry less desirable connotations such as "old" or "outdated." Old and outdated are not necessarily compatible traits with a young audience coveted by Major League Baseball. </div>
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What to do? MLB must do what every organization is forced to encounter: Take an outside-in approach to decision making. The outside part of outside-in is monitoring of the external environment; the in part of outside-in is making marketing decisions in response to what is learned from the external environment.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Millennials up to Bat</h2>
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In Chapter 3 of <i><a href="https://www.routledge.com/products/9780132135467">Sports Marketing</a></i>, socio-demographic trends are identified as factors in the external marketing environment, or those forces occurring outside the organization that cannot be stopped or changed. Specifically, the growing importance of the Millennial generation is a socio-demographic trend that has the potential to significantly affect most businesses, including Major League Baseball. </div>
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Pew Research classifies Millennials as persons borne between 1981 and 1997. This population group totaled 75.3 million people in the U.S. in 2015, surpassing the 74.9 million Baby Boomers (persons born between 1946 and 1964). Millennials' importance as a population group will only continue to grow with immigrants boosting the number of Millennials in the coming years as projected in the chart below.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Image Credit: <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/01/16/this-year-millennials-will-overtake-baby-boomers/">Pew Research</a></i></span></td></tr>
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Marketers must be cognizant of trends like the rise of the Millennials. More importantly, they must develop strategies to respond to the trends. According to a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/02/16/mlb-youth-outreach-play-ball-cal-ripken-jr-rob-manfred/80468196/">USA Today article</a>, the average age of MLB's TV audience was 56 years-old in 2015. The average age of MLB app users fell in the upper end of the Millennial generation at 34 years-old. If MLB maintains status quo and does not adapt it products to younger consumers, it is possible they will become less relevant to Millennials.</div>
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MLB to Swing for the Fence?</h2>
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To its credit, MLB is on top of the shift toward a younger audience. It is aware of the shift and must now respond with marketing strategies that plays favorably to Millennials. One popular notion is that the pace and speed of a baseball game is too slow to keep the interest of young people. Thus, MLB is considering ideas for shaking up the status quo. MLB hired Hall of Fame infielder Cal Ripken Jr. as a special advisor to come up with ideas to innovate the game. Among the ideas pitched (pun intended):</div>
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<li>Instead of an inning three outs in an inning, how about five batters?</li>
<li>What if every inning started with the batting team having a runner on first base?</li>
<li>Should players be required to attempt to steal a base?</li>
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You may have read enough if you consider yourself a baseball purist- how dare they tinker with a classic game! But, MLB must at least consider such innovations to the product if it thinks today's customer will find value in it. Doing things the way they have always been done is not an acceptable business strategy in any industry, particularly when the market from which you attract customers is transforming as it is in the United States.</div>
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MLB's Strategy?</h2>
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Baseball is revered by many people because of the strategic competition it can become, two teams making player adjustments and other moves in an attempt to gain the upper hand. MLB would be well-served by adopting the same approach as it scans the external marketing environment to determine how to respond to trends such as the rise of the Millennial population.</div>
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What trends in the external environment do you see as most important that MLB recognize and respond to them? </div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-86640031068248115572016-02-11T13:27:00.003-08:002016-02-11T13:30:39.113-08:00Does College Football Have an Attendance Problem?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The pageantry of college football makes it one of the most compelling sports to attend in person in the United States. Tailgate parties, marching bands, cheerleaders, and more are staples of game day atmosphere on campuses across the country. The experience of attending a college football game sets the sport apart from other collegiate sports as well as its professional counterparts. College football has one other unmistakable trait associated with it: Declining attendance. </div>
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An Observable Trend</h2>
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Attendance figures compiled by the NCAA reveal a slow but steady decline in average game attendance. The average number of fans taking in a game at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level has decreased 6.4 percent over the past decade, with the average of 43,288 fans being just under 3,000 fewer fans than on average ten years ago. Many sport properties that saw attendance declines in the wake of the 2008 economic recession would cite the economy as a reason for such a drop. However, a review of annual attendance figures suggests a gradual drop not caused by a single external factor like the economy.<br />
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Attendance figures show fewer fans showing up for football games. However, the question begging for an answer is "why." Unfortunately, the answer is a complex one.</div>
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Factors Influencing Attendance</h2>
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In Chapter 2 of <i><a href="https://www.routledge.com/products/9780132135467">Sports Marketing</a></i>, a framework is presented for sporting event attendance. The model, developed by sport consumption researcher Daniel Wann and colleagues, identifies four influences on direct sport consumption:<br />
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<li>Perceived options- Includes future availability to consume, financial requirements, parking, weather, day and time of event</li>
<li>Team or sport identification- Extent to which one is a fan of the sport played or team playing</li>
<li>Personal incentives- Interest in characteristics of a sport (e.g., fighting in hockey) or desire for socialization with others</li>
<li>Marketing incentives- Amenities offered in a venue or promotional tactics intended to influence attendance (e.g., t-shirt giveaway).</li>
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Known as the Theory of Personal Investment, the model suggests that attendees are motivated by different factors. Some attendees are influenced most by the sport or team, which might be an obvious influence. But, there are other attendees who may have less interest in the teams playing than in the chance to spend a few hours having fun with family or friends. Also, a person may make the decision <i>not</i> to attend at all, particularly if indirect consumption is an option, especially watching an event on television. There are no lines for food or restrooms, it is climate controlled, and inconveniences like parking and traffic are nonexistent. </div>
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Short-Term Slip or Permanent Shift?</h2>
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What are your thoughts about attendance trends in college football. Interest in the sport remains strong, so is it only a matter of time before attendance increases? Or, is the gradual decline in average attendance over the past decade the new normal in college football, with perhaps more years of decline in store? Moreover, what can sports marketers do to entice people to return to stadiums on Saturdays using marketing incentives?</div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-76674537275155872982016-01-20T14:27:00.000-08:002016-01-20T14:36:24.302-08:00It All Begins with PositioningWhen you think about the practice of marketing, functions such as advertising, sales, and product development likely come to mind. These elements are essential to marketing execution, but they must follow another crucial task: Understanding customers. The <a href="https://www.ama.org/">American Marketing Association</a> defines marketing as:<br />
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<i>"the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."</i></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It is not possible to create, communicate or deliver value without first knowing customers and the effects of the marketing environment on customers and the organization. In turn, this insight equips an organization to create, communicate, and deliver what will please customers while benefiting the organization.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What is Positioning?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Chapter 1 of <i><a href="http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Sports-Marketing/9780132135467.page">Sports Marketing</a></i>, positioning is identified as one of the five Ps of the sports marketing mix. It is no coincidence that positioning is placed in the center of the graphic below. Why? Positioning must be the center of all marketing activity. Any decisions made without a firm grasp on needs and wants of the market are risky, at best.</span></div>
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Positioning as used in the sports marketing mix is different than the usual definition of the term positioning, which refers to a point of difference a brand holds relative to competition in customers' minds. In the sports marketing mix, positioning is all about understanding customers, in effect enabling an organization to position itself to carry out the definition of marketing. Decisions impacting the other four Ps (platform, promotion, people and profits) should be based on the understanding of customer consumption, the external marketing environment, and market segmentation resulting from analyzing the customer and external environments.</div>
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Gatorade: Reinventing through Positioning</h2>
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A sound marketing decision can ultimately be traced back to an organization's positioning efforts. An example of this connection is how <a href="http://www.gatorade.com/">Gatorade</a> is developing the next generation of sports drinks. Gatorade is an iconic brand that invented the sports drinks category. However, declining sales and competition from brands outside the sports drink category like <a href="http://www.redbull.com/">Red Bull</a>, <a href="https://www.monsterenergy.com/">Monster</a>, and <a href="http://vitaminwater.com/">Vitaminwater</a> have led Gatorade to revisit the positioning element of its marketing.<br />
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Gatorade is looking to create value for athletes by incorporating technology to help determine optimal quantity of fluid intake as well as the appropriate levels of carbohydrates, calories, and electrolytes given an athlete's individual needs. Check out this video from Gatorade on how it partnered with Brazil's national soccer team to deepen its understanding of users and translate it into better product offerings.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/125191618?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br /></div>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/125191618">Gatorade: Hydration, Redesigned</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/smartdesign">Smart Design</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
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Gatorade can leverage its positioning efforts to pursue additional opportunities beyond improvements in sports drinks. The company is targeting other food products to market that fulfill the same desire of fueling one's body for optimal performance.</div>
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Other Examples?</h2>
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Can you identify an organization or brand that excels at managing the positioning element of the sports marketing mix to uncover and pursue business opportunities?</div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-60171273365181947472016-01-12T08:04:00.001-08:002016-01-12T08:04:49.954-08:00The NFL's Affinity Advantage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Think of the brands that you have a relationship with as a customer. For how many of those relationships would you tolerate inconsistent product quality, safety hazards, rising prices, and negative publicity about a company's employees? Most of us would likely discontinue doing business with that company and find another source to meet the need that the offending company provides. Yet, the National Football League seems immune to the pitfalls that would drive many customers away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The NFL has been associated with a long list of negative press related to player conduct off the field, player safety on the field, owners' quest for revenue, and top leadership that seems out of touch. Yet, brand NFL appears to be as popular as ever. Evidence of the NFL's popularity can be found in its TV ratings- <a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/11/nfl-tv-ratings-rankings-no-1-show-snf-mnf-local-markets">nearly all of the top rated TV programs this fall </a>were NFL game broadcasts. And, the NFL has consistently ranked as the most popular sport among Americans in an <a href="http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2015/01/28/Research-and-Ratings/Harris-Poll.aspx">annual Harris Poll</a>. How does the NFL overcome the missteps that would doom many brands? In a word, it is "affinity."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is an Affinity Advantage?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Affinity has been defined as "an attraction to or liking for something." Sports enjoy what is described in Chapter 1 of <i><a href="http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Sports-Marketing/9780132135467.page">Sports Marketing</a></i> as an affinity advantage. Many customers (fans) of sports brands have a liking that is much deeper and more intense than other brand relationships they have. Let's face it, you don't see people showing their affinity for Whirlpool (appliances) or Timex (watches) by wearing caps or t-shirts adorned with those brands' logos. Most consumers do not have such a deep connection with the brands they consume everyday that they want to express to others their feelings about their favorite toothpaste or auto insurance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Implications of Affinity</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sports brands are the envy of marketers in most other industries because of their affinity advantage. If only they could have customers as passionate as fans that pay premium prices to watch games in frigid cold or heavy rain. You could say that sports brands enjoy a head start over their non-sports counterparts. But, the affinity advantage alone does not translate into business gains. It is up to sports brands to leverage their advantage by seeking revenue opportunities that enable fans to act on their affinity. At the same time, these opportunities can advance the brand not only by generating revenue but by deepening customer relationships.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, leveraging the affinity advantage is not limited to sports properties. Other businesses can tap sports to develop new product offerings. An example of leveraging fan affinity as business opportunity is the recently announced comic book featuring Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Portland-based <a href="https://stormfrontpublishing.wordpress.com/">STORM Comics</a> is publishing <a href="https://stormfrontpublishing.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/seattle-seahawks-quarterback-russell-wilson-gets-comic-book-treatment/">"Fame: Russell Wilson"</a>in print and digital formats. The work chronicles Wilson's rise to one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It would make for interesting discussion to consider new products that could be created to take advantage of the affinity sports fans have with their favorite teams and athletes. What other opportunities exist to appeal to fan affinity?</span></div>
Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-68960509962984049692016-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:002016-01-07T10:42:22.539-08:00If You Give Fans a Voice, They Will be Heard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The All-Star Game product devolved into a stale product for the four U.S.-based major professional sports leagues. The NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB all were put into a position of how to make the games more relevant to players and and fans alike. The NBA, NHL, and MLB have enhanced the game event by holding skills competitions the day before the All-Star Game. And, digital media has been used to give fans easier access to voting for game participants.</div>
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The NHL tinkered with its All-Star Game format for 2016 with two significant changes. First, the two conference teams (Eastern and Western) are replaced with four division teams (Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific) that will compete in a tournament. Second, the traditional five-on-five game is being ditched in favor of three-on-three contests, which is the same format used in the league's five-minute overtime period beginning this season. Fans were given the task of voting for captains for each of the four teams. The remaining forty players would be selected by the NHL.</div>
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Not Your Typical ASG Captains</h2>
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Fan voting for All-Star Game captains took place during the period December 1 to January 1. The NHL periodically announced the leaders for each division. The leader board included familiar names to even the most casual hockey fan- Jaromir Jagr (Atlantic), Alex Ovechkin (Metropolitan), and Patrick Kane (Central). John Scott of the Arizona Coyotes emerged as the vote leader for the Pacific Division. If you have never heard of John Scott, it is understandable. As of January 1, his career stats included:</div>
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This season, Scott played in 11 games, had one assist, has been placed on waivers three different times, and spent time with the Coyotes minor league team. When the voting ended January 1, Jagr, Ovechkin, Kane, and yes, John Scott were named team captains for the 2016 NHL All-Star Game.</div>
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Farce or Fabulous?</h2>
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John Scott's on-ice performance may not have been All-Star material, but the impact of social media propelled Scott to the top of the list for Pacific Division captain. Fans took to Twitter using the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/votejohnscott">#VoteJohnScott</a> during December to float the idea of voting in an unorthodox candidate as a captain. Similarly, fans used <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/votejohnscott/">#VoteJohnScott</a> on Instagram to promote their favorite tough guy. Some people believe Scott's supporters intended to make a mockery of the captain selection process, if not the All-Star Game itself. Could the league have stepped in or otherwise engineered a different outcome? </div>
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John Scott is certainly not a typical choice for an All-Star team captain (or even an All-Star player), but his selection speaks to the power of giving fans a voice. After all, what is the criteria for designating a player as an All Star? Is it based on current performance? Historical performance? Is it based on statistical performance or a more holistic view of a player and his game? NHL executives probably did not think they would be faced with this outcome. The decisioin was made to put captain selection in fans' hands. The fans spoke, and they have two All Stars in their prime (Ovechkin and Kane) a 43-year-old veteran enjoying a remarkable season (Jagr), and Scott. </div>
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Community versus Control</h2>
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In the end, the NHL did the right thing by giving its community input into crafting the product that is the NHL All-Star Game. The outcome of fan voting provided fuel to cynics that contend all-star games are pointless and should be eliminated, but then again no outcome would likely sway that group. The selection of a little used player as an All-Star team captain serves as a reminder that when a brand turns over some decision making or input to its community, it is ceding some control. This trait of a brand community is unsettling to some marketers (and their legal departments) that seek to control every aspect of their brand.</div>
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Do you think the NHL All-Star Game brand image is negatively impacted by the captain selection process, or did it benefit the NHL brand in any way?</div>
Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-69663064425790729552016-01-04T16:42:00.002-08:002016-01-05T09:05:12.942-08:00The One Question that Simplifies Content Marketing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Outside of social media, no other practice has garnered as much attention (and consternation) among marketers than content marketing. You may have heard the term or read about the growth of content marketing, but you may be unclear exactly what it is. A definition offered by the <a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/">Content Marketing Institute</a>, an authoritative source on trends and best practices, is:</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“Content marketing is the marketing and business process for creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK- CMI’s definition of content marketing may be a mouthful, but it should be thought of as using content (information or entertainment-based) to influence a target audience at various stages in the sales funnel. While the use of content is hardly new- information delivered in formats such as product brochures and case studies have been around for years- the channels available to deliver content precisely and on demand have grown significantly. Email, podcasts, social networking sites, and website landing pages are relative newcomers to the menu of content delivery options.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Dearth of Content</span></h3>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The ease of content creation and distribution has led to a significant increase in content produced… but no more time in the day for a person to consume content. Also, content production has increased as brands seek to stay a step ahead of competitors. The resulting glut of content has been labeled “<a href="http://www.businessesgrow.com/2014/01/06/content-shock/">content shock</a>” by marketing expert <a href="http://www.businessesgrow.com/">Mark Schaefer</a>. Evidence of content shock cited by Schaefer includes data from Nielsen that indicates that a person’s content consumption has grown from two hours per day in the 1920s to eleven hours per day. Do you see any signs of that figure decreasing? Me neither. <br /><br />Our appetite for content is fueled by the ability to consume anytime on any device. The ubiquitous nature of our Internet connectivity coupled with competitive pressures to reach consumers where they are leads to more content creation. The amount of marketing content created will likely continue to grow, with one piece of evidence being Content Marketing Institute data that reveal eighty-eight percent of B2B marketers and seventy-six percent of B2C marketers use content marketing. Content quantity is growing, but what about quality and more importantly, effectiveness?</span><br />
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</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">As marketing content becomes more prevalent, the result will be a more cluttered environment, if not the content shock Mark Schaefer described. How does a brand make its content stand out in today’s crowded content landscape? The answer is relatively simple: Give your customers content they want. The way to make that happen is even simpler: Ask them what they want.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Golf equipment maker <a href="http://www.titleist.com/">Titleist</a> did just that. In mid-December, Titleist used its <a href="https://twitter.com/Titleist">Twitter account</a> to ask followers a very straightforward question: What type of content would you like to see more of in 2016?</span></span></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Titleist used a Twitter poll to gather feedback and received more than 1,500 responses. The content users want to see the most? Behind the scenes stories (36%) followed by instruction (25%), tour features (23%), and R&D stories (16%).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The power of asking what content Titleist’s community valued cannot be overstated. Too often, marketers assume to know what will resonate with their customers. In this case, it may have been tempting to make the assumption that golfers would find content related to Titleist’s R&D efforts interesting. Although they may indeed find such content interesting, Titleist found out that other content themes would be of greater interest. Asking simple questions can yield valuable insights.</span></span></span></h3>
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</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Customers and brand community should always be tapped as a source of ideas for creating marketing content, as Titleist did. Besides directly asking for input, here are three other ways to determine content themes:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i>Customer inquiries</i> – Phone logs and the email inbox can be helpful in identifying content topics. What are customers asking about when they call or write? What questions or problems tend recur in customer support channels? Content adds value by educating people or helping solve their problems.</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i>Sales force</i> – A company’s sales reps are on the front lines dealing with buyers. Whether the buyer is the end user or an intermediary that sells to end users, sales reps can learn from them what content types would create value when making a buying decision, using the product, or both.</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i>Social media monitoring</i> – Similar to sales reps having their ear to the ground to learn from customers and prospects, social media monitoring can give marketers a glimpse into what is relevant to their audience. What topics are they discussing? What are their aspirations? Their frustrations?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mark Schaefer could be right about impending content shock. The prospect of an oversaturated market for information should be a call to up brands’ content game. Creating and distributing content is easier than ever; that ease also makes it harder than ever to reach and engage through content. That challenge should not dissuade marketers from committing to a content marketing strategy. On the contrary, now is the time to be more intentional about the role content plays in overall marketing strategy for an organization.</span></div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-13518040118733790502015-12-11T10:27:00.000-08:002015-12-11T10:27:00.235-08:00Will the NFL Fight against CTE?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The new movie <i>Concussion</i> is opening a possible flood gate for the NFL. This flood gate could possibly affect the NFL in the long term and hurt them. The movie trailer follows forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, who was the first to publish his findings on CTE.<br /><br /><h2>
CTE's Problem is the NFL's Problem</h2>
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What is CTE you may ask? CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This disease is a progressive degenerative disease found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as sub-concussive hits to the head that do not cause symptoms. CTE has been commonly found in professional athletes who have and are active in football, ice hockey, professional wrestling and other contact sports who have experienced repetitive brain trauma. People who have CTE tend to show symptoms of dementia such as memory loss, aggression, confusion and depression, which generally appear years or many decades after the trauma. Testing has been created to assess possible cognitive impairment in athletes in contact sports, but a test to determine the presence of CTE while the person is alive is not yet available.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<br />Now the biggest concern the NFL might have is dealing with people who might not even want to play football anymore, professionally or amateur league. They have to take into consideration the parents who will not want their children associating themselves with the sport. If this becomes a true popular problem. The NFL could lose potential future players and also current players who will fear for the disease. <br /><br /> An example of some former NFL players who have been confirmed to have the disease are Jovan Belcher, Forrest Blue, Cookie Gilchrist, Chris Henry, Tom McHale, and Mike Webster. These are just a few but the NFL tops the list for most players who have contracted this disease. <br /><br />The growing number of CTE cases could damage to the reputation of the NFL. There are so many problems that could arise from the increased awareness of CTE. Such examples could be if parents prevent their children from playing the sport. Players could shorten their NFL careers due to the scare of the head trauma disease in their future.<div>
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Been There, Done That</h2>
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Oddly enough this is not the first time the NFL has dealt with this type of situation. In 1905, at least 18 people had died and more than 150 people were injured playing football. Between 1900 and 1905, 45 players died from either internal injuries, broken necks, concussions, or broken backs. Nearly every death that was on the field was cause by unnecessary roughness. The future of football may have been saved by Teddy Roosevelt, who came together with Yale’s coach Walter Camo known as the father of American football and Harvard coach William T. Reid, Jr. The three had come together Roosevelt as the mediator. They then discussed how they could make the sport safer for players. <br /><br />Even today a high number of high school players are getting injured. Recently, a high school student by the name of Andre Smith, age 17, died due to blunt force head injuries due to a football accident. Luke Schemm, 17 passed away after scoring an extra point for his team. He then ran to the side line and collapsed and passed away that same day. Cam’ron Mathews, age 16, collapsed on the sideline and later died that day.</div>
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Let's Clean Up this Mess</h2>
<br />Now the question is how they will save football from the clutches of what almost got them once upon a time ago?<br /><br />There are some possible solutions that the NFL can take for this horrific situation. The NFL can build awareness of CTE throughout the league promoting players to know the effects of playing football (a form of a warranty). They could also enforce stronger rules that will prevent players from being tackled unnecessarily too hard. The biggest thing they could do is promote and create better equipment for their players. The equipment they are using is simply not good enough. Consider all of the other sports that deal with impact and are not exposing their players to having the highest rate for having CTE. If they promote the idea that the NFL does care about their players to fans and concerned consumers, this situation could be less damaging if the NFL addresses the situation versus completely ignoring it. That seems to be the biggest concern of parents and consumers, which is that the NFL does not care about their players. They could even go as far as where they show their respects to those players who have CTE and are still living. Show how even though they have the disease they have no personal grudges against the NFL. <br /><br />In conclusion the NFL seems to be focused more and more on profits and not their assets which is their players. The sooner that they recognize who is important and how to show these emotions the lesser chance I can imagine them suffering from the disaster caused by football CTE.<div>
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<i>Daryle Webb is a senior marketing major at Middle Tennessee State University.</i></div>
Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-90144996819133844202015-12-10T12:22:00.000-08:002015-12-10T12:22:00.521-08:00Why Is the Student Section Empty?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>by Victoria Shillingsford</i></div>
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Middle Tennessee State University, is an NCAA Division I FCS school located about 30 miles outside of Nashville in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The MTSU Blue Raiders are members of Conference USA and have decent sports programs. However, their fan base is not so decent.<div>
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Where Are All the Fans?</h2>
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This is my fourth year in the Band of Blue, and I have never seen a sold out game at Floyd Stadium. There are even some games when we wonder where the student section is. MTSU started out great this season and may have hit a road bump but revived themselves with a 3-overtime win over a then 8-1 Marshall team. I wonder why people were not there to watch MTSU (who was favored to win) beat an 8-1 team. Attendance for the opening home game this year was around 16,000 people. The stadium holds around 30,000. <br /> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OaAhXUVBsGl3fy9VLKb6kL_QZ3rTn3UsHqtCfezZRpAfg1EHHOrKNhOSUAOWCTf167zPxwNooOcA8IOhAniGX3H0ks7tf64xxTzza4b7j52aG1YsEsN8s7OlZdqegba2JS3nOlUjsPSy/s1600/shillingsford+image+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OaAhXUVBsGl3fy9VLKb6kL_QZ3rTn3UsHqtCfezZRpAfg1EHHOrKNhOSUAOWCTf167zPxwNooOcA8IOhAniGX3H0ks7tf64xxTzza4b7j52aG1YsEsN8s7OlZdqegba2JS3nOlUjsPSy/s320/shillingsford+image+2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image Credit: goblueraiders.com</i></td></tr>
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The low attendance raises questions such as:<br /><ul>
<li>Were there other college games on TV at the same time? Yes. </li>
<li>Was the University of Tennessee playing on TV at the same time? Yes. </li>
<li>Is there free stuff given out at games? Yes.</li>
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What's It Going to Cost Me?</h2>
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The cost to get into any MTSU athletic event for a student is free. Student guest tickets are sold for around $8, general admission tickets are around $15 and reserved seating is anywhere from $25 to $40. That’s not bad for a Division I school. Although there were other teams playing, scores of other games are shown on the scoreboard throughout the game. Spring break trips are given away, free hot dog vouchers have been given out, and Blue Zoo t-shirts have been given out. What else does the marketing team for athletics have to do? They even raffled off a flat screen TV! College kids love free stuff yet there were only 25 students in the Blue Zoo (MTSU’s student section) for the game against Florida International University. Next to the student section is the Band of Blue, which has around 325 members every year. <div>
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Is the Team Even Good?</h2>
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MTSU ended the regular season 7-5 and earned a berth in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. The second game of the season against Alabama was kind of a long shot but the Blue Raiders showed the Tide they weren't going to go down without a fight. They also put up a good fight when Vandy came to Murfreesboro and suffered a close lose when they played at Illinois. <br /><br />In my opinion the marketing department has outdone themselves this year trying to get people to the games. It is now up to the MTSU student body, faculty and the Murfreesboro to come out and support their Blue Raiders at home games.
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<i>Victoria Shillingsford is a senior at Middle Tennessee State University. She is graduating in May 2016 with a bachelor's degree in Media and Entertainment and a minor in Marketing. She enjoys watching The University of Notre Dame, Philadelphia Eagles and college basketball. You can reach her on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/_1ging">@_1ging</a>. </i><h3 style="line-height: 139%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; page-break-after: auto;">
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-57804959307004253382015-12-10T08:24:00.000-08:002015-12-10T08:24:00.051-08:00Who is Bryce Kershaw?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>by Joey Jennings</i></div>
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LeBron James, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Serena Williams, and Clayton Kershaw are all dominant athletes in their respective sports, but which one do you think my mom (who watches zero sports) has never heard of? Clayton Kershaw. She knows all the other athletes very well from the media coverage they get, but also by the big endorsement deals and commercials they star in. What about 3-time Cy Young winner? She assumed he was a guy in a band I liked. Why is this? Baseball players just don’t get the coverage or big endorsements other star athletes receive.<div>
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It's Good to be King</h2>
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In 2015 it was reported by Business Insider that Major League Baseball was significantly more popular than the National Basketball Association. So one would assume poster boy Clayton Kershaw would be equal to or more popular than NBA’s king of kings, LeBron James, right? Well no, LeBron is not only king of the court but the king of endorsements and public exposure with $42 million in 2014, compared to Kershaw’s $1.2 million. In fact, LeBron made more from endorsements than the top 10 MLB players combined. Whoa. At the same time, the NBA Finals got substantially more viewers than the World Series. So more people watch the NBA than claim to follow it closely? Does LeBron get the endorsements simply because more people have seen him play? Are these decisions based on exposure, performance, or overall popularity of the sport? The numbers point to exposure.<div>
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Major League Problems</h2>
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This situation can be explained by looking at many different factors. I believe the main reason is the MLB has problems generating casual fans. And, Major League Baseball has had a problem generating new fans. The numbers are still there, but they have not been increasing. The same fans that watched in 1999 are still watching in 2015 and they haven’t generated many new ones. The casual fan doesn’t exist. Either you love baseball 100% or you don’t care at all. The NBA has effectively generated a causal fan base. These fans can keep up with the superstars and the Finals while effectively being involved in a minimal way. That’s where the MLB fails. As a result, their superstars fall in endorsements. The potential is there, there is plenty of superstar talent, but baseball has become a major niche market and it needs to find a way to rebrand itself to be more universal. Something that is hasn’t done in a long time.<div>
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Once Upon a Time</h2>
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Now this wasn’t always the case. I remember a time when athletic endorsements were filled with baseball stars. Names like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey Jr. were everywhere. So what was different then? Excitement. Most of the big stars of the past were human highlight reels filled with towering home runs and dazzling outfield plays. Today in a post-steroid era, pitching dominates and while equally impressive, it’s boring to the average fan. While no one can support steroid use, there can be changes to the rules. Maybe its time to finally move the mound a few feet back, this actually has two positives. It increase hitter reaction time and that equals more hits and home runs. Secondly, it gives pitchers more reaction time when the ball is coming straight for their head, but that’s a different issue completely. <div>
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Baseball needs to break out of its pastime traditions and “unwritten rules”. There’s a stigma in baseball about celebrating: it breaks tradition, it is poor sportsmanship, it doesn’t belong. That needs to change. Baseball and football thrive on that added excitement. LeBron’s baby powder toss, Cam’s end zone dancing, and Trout’s pine tar? It’s time baseball came around, and surprisingly it's taking baby steps one bat toss at a time.<div style="text-align: center;">
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-72079008173071983902015-12-09T12:47:00.000-08:002015-12-09T12:47:00.302-08:00All Work, No Pay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Mike Bloomgren - <a href="http://scout.com/">Scout.com</a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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<i>by Dustin Henry</i><div>
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As an aspiring sports professional, I have spent the past two years molding myself in preparation for potential job opportunities after graduation. I have interned for <a href="http://www.alliancesportmarketing.com/">Alliance Sport Marketing</a> and am currently a volunteer assistant in the recruiting off of the Football Department at a Division I FCS program. These experiences have impacted my career vision while also helping sculpt and grow my prowess in the sport industry. But, they have also taught me the how social sacrifice and low financial support are inevitable.<br /><br />I have spent the past eight months volunteering in the Football Department at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in hopes of educational and practical preparation to accept a Graduate Assistantship (GA) position this upcoming spring. While I perform and gain knowledge/experience in agreement for free, I sacrifice between 20-30 hours a week. Most say that is typical for an internship, but look at this from a graduate assistant’s perspective.<div>
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Graduate Assistant Perspective</h2>
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What is a Graduate Assistant? <br /><br />A football coach or sports administrator beginning their career in sports usually fresh out of college (undergraduate degree). <br /><br />What does a Graduate Assistant do? <br /><br />1. A graduate assistant must get accepted into a graduate program the school they will being assisting at. <br /><br />2. They must attend full time graduate level classes<br /><br />3. They work 100-plus hours a week for the football team, averaging around 15 hours a day, Sunday-Saturday. <br /><br />What financial assistance do Graduate Assistants receive? <br /><br />Typically, they receive a scholarship to cover their tuition (occasionally housing) and an incredibly small monthly stipend. You wondering what do I consider small? Talking to the graduate assistants here at MTSU, they earn $900 dollars a month to live off of. This averages out to $5.63/hour on a typical 40 hour work week. If we take the in-season hours, the GAs bring home $2.25/hour (100 hours in a week). This is the assistance of a Division I-A program. <br /><br />One of the graduate assistants transferred in from LaGrange College (NAIA). He was compensated by the coverage graduate tuition and a $4,000 stipend for the entire calendar year.<div>
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Overview</h2>
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Let’s look back at this. These college students go to school full time (don’t forget about homework and projects) and devotedly work 100-plus hours a week in the football office to earn a living of under three dollars an hour. The work commitment and sacrifice of these young men well outlast the assistance they receive by the school. These young coaches and sport administrators deserve a simple boost in their pay to support the work they provide for universities and colleges across the nation for extremely low pay. <br /><br />The introduction of the “Cost of Attendance” scholarships presented to student athletes to help cover everyday necessities such as gas, school supplies and personal living needs would be a starting place for additional compensation toward graduate assistants. <div>
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<i><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dkhenry23">Dustin Henry</a> is a senior marketing major at Middle Tennessee State University.</i></div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-47241180806598056182015-12-09T07:28:00.000-08:002015-12-09T07:28:00.367-08:00Is Daily Fantasy the Same as Season-Long Fantasy Sports? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hUy1__WNxnDFVkk14LyQam4wtcG3pTeKSFGWs9190G5inGzjHhKJ57LyZslwhEy3CoOuh7OoduaOC-hNq8g6O1_IEtXWZCFMpZSiw47kTudIw9RzXPDc38W1JMSSx98hM1mgNf5mWPG8/s1600/grott+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hUy1__WNxnDFVkk14LyQam4wtcG3pTeKSFGWs9190G5inGzjHhKJ57LyZslwhEy3CoOuh7OoduaOC-hNq8g6O1_IEtXWZCFMpZSiw47kTudIw9RzXPDc38W1JMSSx98hM1mgNf5mWPG8/s320/grott+image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>by Connor Grott</i></div>
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It’s the question that’s being asked in New York and Florida courts.<br /><br />Are daily fantasy sports considered gambling, or are they just a form of entertainment like season-long fantasy leagues?<br /><br />NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke on it for the first time Sunday evening, saying that daily fantasy sports are just that, entertainment for NFL fans around the globe.<br /><br />Websites like DraftKings and FanDuel have seen a meteoric rise in a likewise growing business in fantasy sports.<br /><br />With that growth, it’s not a surprise that people are becoming outspoken that it is a form of gambling that needs to be regulated, or completely eradicated in some states, especially after the internal scandal just a few months ago.<br /><br /><h2>
Daily Fantasy Games = Gambling?</h2>
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And honestly… it just may be a form of gambling.<br /><br />Analytics and skill can only account for so much in an evolving and unpredictable entity known as the National Football League.<br /><br />Can anyone truly predict that Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller will explode for 41 fantasy points against an opposing defense?<br /><br />The answer is no, because external factors outside of skill determine his potential success or the outcome.<br /><br />Much like season-long leagues, time is invested to look at match-ups and potential injuries that have affected some players on each teams.<br /><br />But, statistics can only do so much.<br /><br />It all boils down to making a gamble.<br /><br />Should someone play Miller over Vikings running back Adrian Peterson or Rams running back Todd Gurley?<br /><br />Should someone playing blackjack hit one more time?<br /><br />It’s a gamble that could burn a fantasy player, or card player, or reward them with monetary gain.<br /><br />As someone who plays daily fantasy and in season-long leagues, there’s a difference between gambling and playing for fun.<br /><br />One involves money, the other does not.<br /><br /><h2>
The Regulation Reality</h2>
<br />As lawmakers push for regulation, is it really a big deal that daily fantasy isn’t being regulated in some states?<br /><br />Probably not.<br /><br />Because there are bigger issues going on than someone wagering money they earn on whether Miller will have a better game than Gurley.<div class="MsoNormal">
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<i><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-grott-53306810b">Connor Grott</a> is a electronic media journalism major at Middle Tennessee State University.</i></div>
Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-72803994380143131012015-12-08T13:12:00.000-08:002015-12-08T13:12:00.132-08:00Why the Decline in Youth Participation?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.norfolkymca.org/">Norfolk YMCA</a></i></td></tr>
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<i>by Chelsea Floyd</i></div>
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“Mom do I have to go to basketball practice today?” as I’m sitting in the backseat changing out of my cheer uniform.Yes Chelsea, and don’t forget to be ready to go to your brother’s basketball game when I pick you up. No lolligagging around after practice, we have to go.” This was the daily car conversation between my mother, me, and older brother growing up. We were both involved in at least three different sports and were on the go six days out of the week. Youth sports and activities were always something I looked forward to after school and helped influence the person I am today. <br />
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According to Sports & Fitness Industry Association, Inactivity among children approached 20% in 2014, continuing a six-year upward trend. This statistic is hard for me to believe. With the Little League World Series and high school sports getting more air time on ESPN than ever, what could be the cause of the downfall in participation? I have formed my own opinions on some causes this downfall. <br />
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Participation Awards</h2>
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What has happened to the competitive aspect of youth sports? I attended a soccer game of my 5 year- old nephew. At the end of the game, he walked up with an award and I asked what was it for? He explained that it was for just showing up to the game and giving his best. They didn’t even announce the winner of the game, because score didn’t matter. I found this a little ridiculous. How is a kid gonna gain the drive to compete in a sport if there is no winner? <br />
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Sports are played to compete with one another to have a winner and a loser. If we are watching an NFL game for four quarters and at the end of the game we get a thanks for watching goodbye, don’t you think that was a waste of time? Competitiveness gives you the drive to do your best. Kids want to be rewarded for doing well and winning. When kids are winning it keeps them motivated to continue playing and learning the game. When kids are losing, there is motivation to get better so next time they can have the feeling of winning and holding up the trophy. From a marketing point, when kids are motivated to a sport they want to attend games to learn from the professionals. Since kids are not being rewarded, they are beginning to lose excitement towards playing and leaning to other activities that are becoming more competitive.<br />
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Technology</h2>
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I always say, "I wish that I had an iPhone, iPad, or the most popular video games when I was growing up. But do I really wish that?! It’s becoming crazy to me that my niece and nephew, who are 5 and 9, both had cell phones and iPads before they were even in kindergarten. Last summer, while staying with me their concern was not going outside to run around, but what show is coming on next. <br />
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Kids now have adapted to doing what they see their parents doing. As adults, we are now so consumed on social media or work that our kids are the ones suffering. iPads are known by parents for being the object that keeps kids quiet, so they can get work done. What happened to going outside and playing in the field with neighbors after school? Kids are now coming home and hopping on the latest video game to compete with one another. If we can’t get kids outside playing sports , what makes us think we can get them in stands to watch games instead of catching highlights or watching the game on TV. When kids are participating in youth sports, they get to feel the excitement of being on a field or court competing for a win. So when they get the opportunity to attend a sporting event, they are able to put themselves in the athletes shoes because they see them doing the same thing that they do when they are competing. It makes for an unbelievable experience that will keep them coming back for more.<br />
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How Do We Fix This?</h2>
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We have to put the excitement back into youth sports. There are plenty youth organizations where kids can compete. The YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America both have youth sports teams where kids can come and play. Not only do we need to get them playing again, we have to bring back the competitive nature. You have to crown a winner and loser to provide motivation to be better. We want kids to inspire to be like or even better than the professional athletes they see on TV. What steps are you gonna take to make this happen?<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><i>Chelsea Floyd is a senior marketing major at Middle Tennessee State University.</i></span></span></h2>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-77574402584496544072015-12-08T07:46:00.000-08:002015-12-08T07:46:00.586-08:00From Sports Stars to Designers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>by Kayla Currin</i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Professional athletes get a lot of recognition for what they accomplish in their sport. However, sometimes they do not get a lot of recognition for what they do outside of the sport. Some professional athletes have been known to spend all of their money from their contracts on cars, houses, and other materialistic items. On the other hand some athletes have taken their money and turned into an entrepreneur by starting businesses. Some of these ventures become extremely successful as where others do not. The ones who seem to become successful are those of athletes who stay in the public eye on and off the court. Some of these popular sports stars to designers include David Beckham, Lance Armstrong, and Michael Jordan. Some of the lines that are not as well-known include lines by Steve Nash and John Salmons.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Photos via <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2012/03/22/Athlete-Clothing-Lines.html?slide=1">CNBC</a></i></td></tr>
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What Makes a Pro Athlete Different from Other Designers?</h2>
So what does make a professional athletes designs so different of that from other designers? For one any professional athlete who is active in a sport has a fan base already, these fans generally follow what their favorite athletes do. Having this plethora if followers already puts the athlete ahead of other designers. Secondly, many well-known designers or brands look to collaborate with professional athletes because they know it could be beneficial expose an athletes fans to their product/brand. </div>
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Also, athletes are able to bring a different perspective to designers when collaborating. Professional athletes tend to create things that they themselves would wear. For instance, John Salmons collaborated with Sherman Brown and they created an exquisite tailored line that includes sizes for men who are tall like an NBA player. David Beckham has been known to be an Armani underwear model. However, in February 2012 he launched a collection of undergarments in H&M that he had designed. These ideas produced by athletes definitely set them apart from other designers.</div>
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Professional Athletes' Position within the Fashion Industry</h2>
I believe professional athletes do have a future in the fashion industry. Because they are always in the public eye, everything they do has an impact on fans. If they are seen wearing something fans are going to be curious as to wear they got that outfit or a particular item. This natural curiosity will lead to the promotion of the items. It is becoming more popular for designers to collaborate with athletes. This opportunity of collaborations for athletes gives them and inside view of what it takes to design a collection. This in turn gives an athlete a chance to design without placing a lot of time and money into the design process. I personally am excited to see what collaborations or individual lines that professional athletes come out with. I encourage everyone to keep up with their favorite athletes to see if they do any collaborations with clothing brands. </div>
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<i><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayla-currin-241882105">Kayla Currin</a> is a senior fashion merchandising major at Middle Tennessee State University.</i></div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-53556487380262616242015-12-07T12:30:00.000-08:002015-12-07T12:30:00.517-08:00The Invincible Iron Man<i>by Stephen Leech</i><br />
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What if I told you all records are meant to be broken, but not all will break?<br /><br />You’d be sad if someone you admired was to have his or her record broken. You’d root against the athlete going toe to toe with history. Certain athletes may not have to see their accomplishments surpassed.<br /><br />There are three names that may, forever stand alone; Brett Favre, A. C. Green, and Cal Ripken, Jr.<br /><br />In sports, the title “Iron Man” does not get tossed around too lightly. By sport’s definition, an iron man is an athlete with unusual physical endurance. The perfect title for an athlete who does not miss games due to illness, injury, or anything else unforeseen. Each sport has their own athlete with a record of their very own streak of games played in a row. What I am going to talk about is the iron men of the past and the modern day iron men in the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), and Major League Baseball (MLB) and how the “Iron Man” records could possibly stand the test of time.<br /><br /><h2>
Iron Man Favre</h2>
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The record for most consecutive starts at any position in the NFL was at 270 games. It was held by Jim Marshall of the Minnesota Vikings. The record stood for thirty years. The record is now at 296 games, held by Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers. There are many whose personal records fall short of 200 games, but nowadays many stop short of 100 consecutive starts. The longest active streak goes to Eli Manning with the New York Giants at 169 games and counting. While that number continues to climb, he has a long way to go. Eli is the earliest person who can break the record and even he will have to start every game until the second game of the 2023 football season. There are only eleven players who have an active streak above 100 games, several of those players are nearing their retirement. To put Favre’s record in perspective, to play 296 games consecutively, you must play at least eighteen and half seasons. The average NFL career lasts a little over three years or six years if you make the roster as a rookie. Another matter of perspective is students who are now fifth graders will be starting their freshman year of college by the time Eli should break the record, if he does.</div>
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Iron Man Green</h2>
<br />The NBA has not tracked its stats for as long as the game has been played, but it has an Iron Man record that may not be broken for a long time either. A. C. Green broke Randy Smith’s record of 906 games in 1997. The record is now 1,192 games played consecutively. Smith’s record stood for fourteen years. Green started his streak while Smith was nearing the end of his. While A. C. Green’s record physically looks more daunting than Brett Favre’s it will take less time if a player were to start towards Green’s streak today versus Favre’s. Although Favre’s record will take longer to accomplish, according to the trend of players in the NBA today, it’s much more likely to be tested than Green’s record. fourteen and a half seasons after Green started his streak he sat on the bench, putting a definite number on his record. The player with the best shot at his record is DeAndre Jordan with the Los Angeles Clippers. DeAndre is 892 games away from being tied with NBA’s iron man. While he has his own lengthy streak of 300 games, it will take him almost eleven more seasons to break the record. DeAndre would be thirty-eight years old and seventy-two games deep into his eighteenth season as a professional basketball player when he ties Green’s record of 1,192. DeAndre is an NBA center, so for his career to last until he’s thirty-eighth would be incredible. In a matter of perspective, the average NBA player plays for almost five years. Center’s careers usually last less time than that.</div>
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Iron Man Ripken</h2>
<br />The NFL has Favre’s record, which may not be broken, at least not for a while. The NBA has Green’s record, which also may not be broken. Then there is the MLB. The previous record for most consecutive games played was 2,130, held by Lou Gherig of the New York Yankees. His number of games played consecutively was so astounding the record was dubbed unbreakable when he retired in 1939. The record stood for fifty-six years. Broken in 1995 by Cal Ripken, Jr. Ripken’s streak continued until he decided he wanted to sit out of the last series of games in 1998. His streak ended at 2,632 games. Ripken’s streak didn’t take as many seasons as Favre’s did, I think Ripken’s streak is far safer than Favre’s. The longest active streak in the MLB is a whopping 149 games and it belongs to Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles. His streak started when the season started and if it continues he’ll need to play every game till at least the forty-first game of the 2032 season to beat Ripken’s record.</div>
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Iron Man = Product Pitchman</h2>
<br />There could be many explanations of why the Iron Men of today are nowhere near those of the past. I believe it is due to the evolution of sports. Sports has turned into a business. Players are paid far more than ever before, and, therefore, owners and upper management want to protect those players as much as possible. The mindset of coaches and owners in the past was to use what you have and play to win. Today, coaches and owners play for tomorrow as well. They play to win still but will not hesitate to sit star players nearing the end of a season where the playoffs are missed. Some coaches even sit their players leading into the playoffs to prevent exhaustion or injury. Either way the facts still remain the same. Sports have evolved into a business juggernaut with high influence in the economy, and the Iron Man records may forever stand.<div>
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<br />With such an amazing accomplishment under their belts, their name markets their body of work for them. Brett Favre and Cal Ripken Jr. may not be able to or want to play anymore, but because they did for so long without any break in between some companies used them as a way to market their own brands. Wrangler jeans is known for having Brett Favre in their commercials wearing their jeans and having Brett Favre tell us how tough and durable they are. While Cal Ripken Jr. may not a deal with Energizer, that didn’t stop them from showing off this picture of the Energizer Bunny and Mr. Iron Man himself. Energizer is known for saying their batteries are reliable and they keep going and going and… I think you’ve heard it before. They’re different companies, but their messages are similar: durable, tough, reliable, and long lasting.<br /><div>
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<i><a href="https://twitter.com/stephenleech8">Stephen Leech</a> is senior marketing major at Middle Tennessee State University.</i></div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-60901841747920078122015-12-07T06:00:00.000-08:002015-12-07T06:00:01.066-08:00The Life of a Displaced Sports Fan<div class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;">
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<br />Watching sports and being a sports fan is something that typically doesn’t require much effort. Most people are fans of their respective teams or athletes because of geographic location. If you grow up in Wisconsin you’re going to be a Packers fan, in Tennessee you’re likely a Titans and/or Volunteers fan. Because of this situation, it makes it very easy to market to those in-state or regional consumers. Merchandise and apparel will be readily available at all sports and specialty shops and even at the local Walmart. But what happens when you are a fan living in foreign territory?<br /><br /><h2>
A Displaced Fan's Experience</h2>
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<br />That is the predicament I have been in for the last six years. Born and raised in rural Missouri, I became a fan of Mizzou Athletics, the Kansas City Royals, and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, I decided to ditch the Chiefs and follow the Dallas Cowboys once I was old enough to have a say in the matter, probably because of the dynasty in the 90s. During that time it was a given that I would be able to watch those teams play on television. I could buy merchandise and get information about those Missouri teams. The sports segment on the local news always covered what I was interested in, I was able to attend games, and almost every retailer that carried sports merchandise had what I wanted. That’s the way it is for most people, and in a perfect world, everyone would be in that situation.<br /><br />That all changed when I graduated from high school and enlisted in the Army. No longer was it the case that everyone around me cheered for the same teams, or even sports for that matter. I was now living in upstate New York with people from all over the country. I wasn’t able to watch Missouri football or basketball games, or Royals baseball without some hassle and a definite effort involved. I had to order gear and apparel to be delivered to the local chain stores, because they didn’t stock them. It was very difficult and oftentimes frustrating to be a fan and keep up with my teams. I used websites and mobile apps to read articles and review stats, trying to stay connected as best I could. Things did get a little easier when I came to Tennessee in 2011. Now only living one state away and Missouri joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012, I have more access to Mizzou athletics and games. On the flip side, almost everyone here seems to be a Volunteers fan. There is more media coverage with the SEC Network, but nothing beats being an in-state fan. </div>
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Serving the Displaced Fan</h2>
<br />So what should marketers do differently? Is it reasonable to expect to have constant coverage and access to your favorite teams, no matter where you are? No matter how many networks or reporters there are, the experience will never be the same as if you were local. It would detract from one of the things that makes sports so special—having pride in your team and where you’re from. Sure, every sports store could be exactly the same and carry merchandise and apparel from all schools, teams, and sports. That wouldn’t be very personal, though. However, I think things are moving in the right direction. Local stores should carry mostly all local teams. That’s where the majority of their sales are coming from. They should also be willing to order and have shipped in merchandise from other teams for the select few who want it. <br /><br />While it isn’t always easy to get the things you want, or watch the games you want, that’s just part of being a displaced fan. You take pride in where you’re from and who you cheer for. You’re ok with ordering all of your merchandise online, searching for a place to watch your games, and not fitting in with all those around you. You’re ok with it because you’re loyal and it doesn’t matter where you are, you’ll make it work…especially when your teams beat the others around you.</div>
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<i>Chris Troxell is a senior at Middle Tennessee State University studying Animal Science and veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. </i>Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-89471008808584710852015-12-04T13:04:00.000-08:002015-12-04T13:04:00.295-08:00Fashion Meets Sports: A Market Opportunity<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 15.6933px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">by Raven Hagan</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 15.6933px;">Today</span>,</span> many women represent multiple sports brands, and they are fierce and strong. We are so used to seeing the strong suit of these women and the sports they represent, but there does seem to be a slight disadvantage as far as appearance goes. Men sportswear is highly represented and comes in a wide variety as far as stylish pants, polos, and shoes, whereas women’s sportswear is distasteful and bland. There are a couple of brands that are now showing more variety of sportswear for Women than there was before. Brands like Nike offer fun clothing, shoes, and accessories that cater specifically to a woman’s needs without womanizing them. Their items are made solely for comfort.<br />
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Ripping the Runway</h2>
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Fashion in sports is even starting to hit the runways. Sports related themes have been seen in this years fashion weeks all over the globe. Paris Fashion Week started it all showing women's wear collections of Chloe, Carven and Paco Rabanne and Balmain. The French are showing us how they are styling in comfort for the next coming season.<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://sportstylefashion.com/paris-fashion-week-sports-wear-for-women/">Photos via sportstylefashion.com</a></i></td></tr>
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As women's interest in sports is growing rapidly so is the
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<i>Raven Hagan is a senior fashion merchandising major at Middle Tennessee State University.</i></div>
Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-71471055903344614602015-12-04T06:25:00.000-08:002015-12-04T06:25:00.080-08:00A First-Hand Perspective of Marketing Collegiate Tennis<i>by Alannah Keele</i><br />
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This academic year I was given the opportunity to intern for the MTSU Men’s Tennis team as their marketing manager. I am in my senior year of college pursuing a marketing degree in hopes of working in corporate sales for a sports team at the professional level. I felt as if this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I could not pass up. I really enjoy playing tennis leisurely and do it frequently, but have never played on a league or team so the knowledge that I have is very limited. The head coach, Jimmy Borendame, told me my main duties would be to come up with marketing strategies to attract fans to the home matches. I thought to myself “how hard can that be” and gladly accepted the position.<div>
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Marking MT Tennis</h2>
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Since accepting the position I have quickly learned that attracting fans to matches is much more difficult than a person would think. When MTSU Athletic Marketing came to speak to my Sports Marketing class they spoke about how they market to all MT sports but the main three sports that they market are: football, basketball, and baseball. I have found that tennis is unfortunately at the bottom of that marketing list alongside golf and track. However, the reason I am in this position is to overcome those obstacles and raise attendance for our matches. Season does not start until the spring semester so I have not gotten to see how well my marketing tactics work out, but what Iwill do is give you five sincere reasons as to why I believe everyone needs to attend an MTSU Men’s Tennis match.</div>
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5 Reasons to Attend an MTSU Tennis Match</h2>
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<li>The MTSU tennis players are good, really good. The men play a few tournaments during the fall semester and the first tournament they played in was the Dale Short Shootout which took place at home on 9/28/15. During that tournament the men were able to secure a win in 7 of the 9 matches they were in against Austin Peay, the University of Alabama Birmingham, and Lipscomb University. This means that the team was able to win 78% of all matches that weekend and the two they lost were incredibly close.</li>
<li>These guys are incredibly athletic. During their preseason the guys are required to run their mile in 5 minutes and 35 seconds or less. I do not know of many sports where the entire team can run a mile in less than 5 minutes and 35 seconds. Not to mention how fast they actually hit and return the ball. I went down on the courts once to take pictures of the team in action and lasted less than a minute because of fear that I was going to get hit and severely injured.</li>
<li>Another reason why you should attend an MTSU tennis match is because the team is committed to helping their community. This season alone they have hosted two free tennis clinics to the children of Rutherford County. During these clinics they taught the kids the basic fundamentals of tennis and put on an exhibition for them. After the clinics were over the team signed autographs and took pictures with all of the participants. Not once did I hear a player complain or say anything negative during the clinics. The players were more than happy to get the community involved in the sport that they love so much. See picture below from our first free clinic this year. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzP1cgqMYSe0l5xyNw58tOV75_38X2zSqMbTDSjLqxkHJBrygYuYq2k2WHFLRTXREmjJgY-677SEsH4_q0SvLgdc5ue3hwymT6I6b7VYZ0iOTSJQAPSDrRG-3aYeG3bAnjY-IvpEjAx-W/s1600/mttennis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzP1cgqMYSe0l5xyNw58tOV75_38X2zSqMbTDSjLqxkHJBrygYuYq2k2WHFLRTXREmjJgY-677SEsH4_q0SvLgdc5ue3hwymT6I6b7VYZ0iOTSJQAPSDrRG-3aYeG3bAnjY-IvpEjAx-W/s320/mttennis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li>Is one of your reasons for not coming to a tennis match because the weather is too cold or rainy? If you answered yes then this problem will not be an issue anymore! This summer the City of Murfreesboro and Middle Tennessee State University unveiled an eight-court, $5.8 million indoor tennis complex. MTSU will host 19 home matches this season and half of those will be played at the new indoor complex. The new indoor complex allows fans to watch the matches above the court to get a great angle, the building has heat and air conditioning, there is a concession stand available during the matches, and the best part of all is that the matches are completely free to attend. Everyone should attend a match atleast to just experience the indoor facility. I can almost guarantee that there will be some free goodies to the matches that you attend! You have to come to the matches though to see what those goodies might be.</li>
<li>The final reason I believe people should attend MTSU tennis matches is because the guys need your support. MTSU is its own community inside Rutherford County. I consider MTSU my home and my classmates and friends my family. There are ten players on the roster this academic year and out of the ten eight are from a different country. There are players from Spain, Germany, Australia, Msccor, and Paraguay. With the players being from so far away it is impossible for their parents and family members to attend their matches. We, as their MTSU family, need to come and give them the support they deserve. I know as a soccer player I always played better when I had friends and family at my games to support me. The guys risked a lot to move halfway around the world to play for our school and we owe it to them to give them our support.</li>
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Additional Reasons to Attend a Match</h2>
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I encourage everyone to attend an MTSU Men’s Tennis match this upcoming spring. All matches are completely free to attend and I can almost guarantee there will be some sort of giveaway at each match. If you hate the match you are not required to attend another one or even stay the whole time, but I have a good feeling that you will like what you see. The MTSU Men’s tennis page where you can find their schedule, roster, and any news about the team can be found at <a href="http://www.goblueraiders.com/index.aspx?path=mten">http://www.goblueraiders.com/index.aspx?path=mten</a>.<br /><br />If there are any suggestions you have about marketing MTSU tennis or any experience you have with marketing collegiate sports please feel free to comment.<br /><br /><i><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alannah-keele-b98abbb1">Alannah Keele</a> is a senior marketing major at Middle Tennessee State University from Manchester, Tennessee.</i></div>
Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-66544950362686355972015-12-03T07:23:00.000-08:002015-12-03T12:11:17.347-08:00Blackhawks Keep It Classy On and Off the Ice<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://blackhawks.nhl.com/">Photo via Chicago Blackhawks</a></i></td></tr>
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<i>by Elizabeth Tullos</i></div>
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Giving back to the city of Chicago is nothing new for the six-time Stanley Cup winners, the Chicago Blackhawks. Each season, the Blackhawks participate in a variety of charity and community efforts, such as book and food drives, hospital visits and promoting environmentalism. None of the Blackhawks’ efforts stand out quite as much as their What’s Your Goal campaign.<br />
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#WhatsYourGoal</h2>
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Earlier this year, The Chicago Blackhawks began their What’s Your Goal campaign to reach out directly to the fans and ask what their goals were and how they could help. Thousands of tweets began pouring in with the hashtag, #WhatsYourGoal. <br />
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The fans spoke and the Blackhawks listened, responding to as many #WhatsYourGoal requests as possible. <br />
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A five-year-old Girl Scout named Alexis reached out to the Blackhawks, stating that her goal was to sell Girl Scout cookies to her favorite player, team captain Jonathan Toews. Towes and teammate Patrick Sharp bought over one hundred boxes of cookies from Alexis and helped her add a Blackhawks patch to her Girl Scout vest. <br />
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Downers Grove firefighter, Kevin O’Leary was surprised by a visit from Right Wing Patrick Kane at his firehouse after his wife submitted a tweet asking him to visit her husband. <br />
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Cammy</h2>
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Five-year-old Cammy Babiarz suffers from Rhett Syndrome, a neurological disorder that has left her without the ability to walk or speak. When her parents became aware of the #WhatsYourGoal campaign, they immediately tweeted the team that nothing would make their daughter happier than to meet her favorite player, Assistant Captain and Defenseman, Duncan Keith. <br />
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Keith was happy to oblige the pint-sized fan to make her one goal come true. Instead of just showing up and taking pictures with the fan, Keith brought Cammy a jersey and skates. Cammy’s parents were worried that their daughter wouldn’t recognize Keith off of the ice, but when he walked in, they said she was “star-struck”. Cammy is able to communicate through a machine called a Tobii, which reads her eye movements. After talking with her favorite player for a while, Keith took Cammy to the ice for the first time in her life. Thanks to Duncan Keith and the Chicago Blackhawks, Cammy was able to skate for the first time and even scored a goal, thanks to an assist from Keith. <br />
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Blackhawks Score with #WhatsYourGoal</h2>
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What’s Your Goal has been a success with the Blackhawks both online and offline. Countless newspapers, blogs, and social media users have picked up stories on the Blackhawks’ initiatives in the Chicago community. The more the Blackhawks are involved in their community, such as with What’s Your Goal, fans and even non-fans alike have taken an interest in the Stanley Cup Champions. This initiative, as well as the other community relations and charities the team is involved in, such as Keith Relief, a charity designed to help alleviate the emotional and financial burdens of medical debt, the Blackhawks brand will continue to grow. The more the Blackhawks brand grows, ticket sales and merchandise sales are sure to follow. <br />
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As the 2015-2016 season picks up, the Blackhawks are sure to continue the popular initiative and make more fans’ goals come true. <br />
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To learn more about #WhatsYourGoal or see more stories of the Blackhawks giving back to their fans, visit the Blackhawks Facebook page at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/nhlblackhawks">www.facebook.com/nhlblackhawks</a>. <br />
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<i><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-tullos-52912085">Elizabeth Tullos</a> is a senior public relations and political science major at Middle Tennessee State University.</i></div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-63048087996861967242015-12-02T08:13:00.002-08:002015-12-02T08:13:38.296-08:00Court to Catwalk: Serena Williams Takes on NYFW<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumX2tbR0PNPnJl4FDujZ72lHSBUZy_LRWmV5W6fJ59y4PutLrG1XbqdQ1IaiTFvLXqkaKSI__atVCrxDTSp32PNKS5z1twRHtISM9lL3J-wPtg1bP4zaz_63KA-t5TnTtfoScXisDmyBU/s1600/swilliams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumX2tbR0PNPnJl4FDujZ72lHSBUZy_LRWmV5W6fJ59y4PutLrG1XbqdQ1IaiTFvLXqkaKSI__atVCrxDTSp32PNKS5z1twRHtISM9lL3J-wPtg1bP4zaz_63KA-t5TnTtfoScXisDmyBU/s320/swilliams.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>photo via <a href="http://dailymail.com/">dailymail.com</a></i></td></tr>
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<i>by Laura Watkins</i><br /><div>
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We all know she dominates on the tennis court, but this year, professional tennis player Serena Williams took her talents to the runways of New York Fashion Week to debut the first spring season of her clothing line. After suffering from a shocking loss to Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals, Williams turned to another industry she has become very familiar with over the years, the fashion industry.<div>
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Forever a Fashion Lover</h2>
Fashion is not necessarily something that comes to mind when we think sports, but the two go hand in hand for professional athletes, and Serena Williams is no exception. The tennis star has been known to always have had an appreciation for the industry, having taken fashion courses in the past, to wearing the biggest names in fashion on red carpets and on the covers of magazines. Williams was extremely proud of the line, as she should be.<div>
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Serena’s Success</h2>
Anna Wintour, editor of <i>Vogue</i>, was Serena’s mentor on the project and helped her with the collection. Any advice from Wintour is good advice indeed! The collection was for HSN, the Home Shopping Network, and featured a lot of leather, suede, and fringe, three things that have been up and coming on the fashion forecasting radar for quite some time. Williams really hit the nail on the head with this one, not straying away from her roots in athletics, seeing as each piece was very wearable, suitable for women on the go such as herself. This goes to show that the tennis star has many talents, and it is safe to say that we will be seeing much more from the athlete in the fashion world when she’s not on the court of course.</div>
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<i>Laura Watkins is a senior liberal studies major at Middle Tennessee State University.</i></div>
Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-24031409201161535822015-11-27T07:11:00.000-08:002015-11-30T05:59:14.417-08:00No More Cheering in Football<i>by Julie Wood</i><br />
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While at a Detroit Lions game on October 18, two super fans, known as Superfan and Detroit Dan were kicked out for cheering too loudly. These two fans have been to approximately 125 straight games to cheer on their favorite football team. The incident happened during the third quarter while the Lions were on defense. These two superfans were not being obnoxious, drunk, or out of control. They were simply cheering for their 0-5 Detroit Lions football team.<br />
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Superfan and Detroit Dan shared their experience and emotions immediately following ejection in this video:<br />
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No More Cheering in Football</h2>
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So you’re telling me that two super fans got kicked out of a professional football game for cheering on a third down while their team was on defense? Erroneous! And what has the NFL been trying to do lately? BOOST ticket sales! I thought the NFL was trying to encourage the fan experience? After reading this article it doesn’t appear that they are doing a very good job selling that message. I literally had to read the article three times to fathom the fact that Detroit yes Detroit, would kick fans out for being loud and “unruly.” I could see this happening if it was a more conservative team like the Tennessee Titans, no offense to Titans fans for an organization that has created such a family oriented and boring experience. But we are talking about the Detroit lions, Detroit isn’t a conservative prissy city.</div>
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After reading some of the Facebook posts from the video posted from Superfan himself with the one who calls himself “Detroit Dan(That has to be the Greatest Superfan nicknames ever) was posted right after getting kicked out and everyone commenting was outraged. I read through some of the interviews and Facebook post, and I can’t gather any information that would come to the conclusion to kick the two super fans out.<br />
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Detroit Relies on Its Sports Teams</h2>
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What really has me confused is this is all coming from a town that is financially struggling yet this town clings on to nothing more than Lions Football and Red Wings Hockey. My real question is who is in charge of event management? I mean you are kicking two guys out who have never had one complaint in 2 decades. Someone in this organization needs to take responsibility for this and make it right. Heck roll the red carpet out because we are talking about TWO DECADES of losing. These two guys are exactly what the NFL needs, dedicated fans that will come to 126 games consecutively. I can promise you no one is kicking New York Jets super fan Fireman Ed out of Metlife Stadium anytime soon!<br />
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Marketing Aspects</h2>
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I know there is a fine line between cheering for your team and being obnoxious to the fact you are disrupting from other fans experiences. From a marketing aspect you need to make sure your buyers are well aware of the fact that they are going to a sporting event. Sporting events are loud and sometimes crazy but stadiums can have different sections for different types of fans. There are family sections, super fan sections, student sections, and other types of sections depending on what type of event. Teams can promote those certain sections for their buyers and help keep the fan experience a positive one for each type of fan to whom they are selling .</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-wood-3a7350108">Julie Wood</a> is a senior leisure, sport, and tourism studies major at Middle Tennessee State University.</i></div>
Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-48560070528933293102015-11-25T08:39:00.001-08:002015-11-30T12:24:07.202-08:00Luke McCown: Verizon Spokesman and Star Quarterback?<br />
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<i>by Sam Lewis</i><br />
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Luke McCown is an NFL Quarterback who was drafted out of Louisiana Tech by the Cleveland Browns in 2004. He has since played for five different teams and only started 10 games. He is an anonymous backup whose only major in-game responsibility is to hold a clipboard. So what is he doing in a national TV commercial? McCown landed a spot as the pitchman in the following two commercials, talking about Verizon’s backup generators:<br />
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The commercials themselves are genius. They are both very funny, and McCown presents himself well. These two short TV spots made waves in the sports media world. Since the ads began running, Luke McCown has gotten more national attention than he has ever had. This also means Verizon’s message has been getting national exposure as well. Social media caught on, and comments went back and forth, both poking fun at and admiring the ads. People shared them with their friends and talked about them on radio and television shows. But no one predicted the seemingly prophetic quality they had.<br />
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Backup Pressed into Action</h2>
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In the Saints week 2 tilt against the Buccaneers, starting Quarterback Drew Brees injured his right shoulder, and was ruled out for the Saints week 3 game. This was a shocking development that no one, including Verizon, could have seen coming. Drew Brees had not missed a single start in his time with the Saints, a period which dates back ten years. I mean, what are the chances that the one time a backup QB gets a big TV commercial, he is almost immediately thrust “into the regular rotation”, due to the injury of a star who hasn’t been hurt in a decade? And what does this mean for the ad campaign? In one of the commercials, McCown states, “I bet if some of those backups got a chance, they could really shine.” Obviously, this line was intended to draw consumers’ attention to the reliability of the Verizon network. But now it seems like the destiny of Verizon’sbackup generators rides on the success of the backup Quarterback. As Dan Hanzus of NFL Media Group tweeted on September 25:<br />
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“The fate of the Verizon Empire rides on the 34-year-old right arm of The Other McCown (Luke) on Sunday.”<br />
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Even the Saints official Twitter account got in on the action, tweeting this before Sunday’s game,<br />
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“Time to Shine”. With this picture from the commercial…<br />
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These off-hand comments were meant to be humorous, but they held some truth for Verizon. If McCown were to be a disaster on the field, on some level that would discredit the message of theadvertisements. At the very least, Verizon would have to start over with a new athlete, or, more likely, an entirely new commercial premise.<br />
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He was not a disaster, however. The Saints lost to the Carolina Panthers 27-22, but McCown played well. He completed 82% of his passes for over 300 yards, and had his team is a position to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, before Josh Norman of the Panthers made an incredible game clinching interception. So Verizon does not have to burn its “Backup Generators” campaign to the ground just yet, and with Drew Brees returning after missing just one game, the pressure is once again off “The Other McCown” and the backup generators.<br />
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What effect do you think McCown playing has on the “Backup Generators” ad campaign? Post your thoughts and comments below.<br />
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<i><a href="https://twitter.com/Lewis_06">Sam Lewis</a> is a business administration major at Middle Tennessee State University and will be graduating in December. He has had a life-long passion for sports, and hopes to convert that passion into a career in the sports industry. His long-term goal is to work in the player operations department of a professional sports organization. </i></div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309315708927151428.post-69634465098393946242015-11-24T11:25:00.001-08:002015-11-30T12:24:21.806-08:00DraftKings and FanDuel under Scrutiny<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daily Fantasy sports are starting to
get questions about legitimacy as well as legality.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">by Enoch Patterson</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daily
fantasy sports are one of the fastest growing and most popular trends in
Fantasy games currently. The two major websites in the industry, DraftKings
and FanDuel, have fallen under scrutiny in the past few weeks when a DraftKings employee admitted to “inadvertently releasing data before the start of
week 3 NFL games.” That same employee went on to win $350,000 that same week on
Rival site, FanDuel. While DraftKings continues to say that this employee did
not use inside information to set his winning lineup, users of both sites are
starting to become more skeptical about the legitimacy of the sites. When games
that surrounding risking money to win money start to receive questions about
their own employees cheating, it is not a very good look for the company at
all. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While this is the first incident of its kind by either of these websites,
most players probably will cut them some slack; I know I am as a user
personally of DraftKings. This may have been merely a coincidence that that
employee won that money, or perhaps he did have inside information we will
truly never know more than likely, but most people including me are willing to
give them the benefit of the doubt, at least this time. However some other
interesting statistics have increased my concerns. According to recent research
by <i>Sports Business Daily</i> over a three month period 1.3% of the players on DraftKings won 91% of the money given out by the site. This bring up a couple of
questions, Are these 1.3% just the elite players in the world in a game they
involves a good deal of luck? Or is there something else behind this that we
normal players just don’t have access to? People are generally quick to try and
say something is a conspiracy and I’m not willing to go that far just yet but they
are certainly some interesting statistics. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Legality of Daily Fantasy Sports</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
recent scandal is only a small setback compared to what
problems DraftKings and FanDuel could potentially face down the road.
Problems that could virtually end 90% of their business. It was announced
recently that the U.S Department of Justice and the FBI are in the early stages
of investigating the legality of Daily Fantasy Sports and are trying to figure
out if it is a form of gambling. DraftKings has responded and basically states
that it is a game of chance and therefore it is legal. While this recent story
is not directly related to the scandal of the Draft Kings employee who won
$350,000 on FanDuel, you would have to think that that story certainly didn’t
help by bringing negative attention that wasn’t previously there. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether or
not these daily fantasy sites are considered a form of gambling is yet to be
seen, however some players are already taking legal action, with three
class-action lawsuits being filed in just the last week. As with any business
with increased popularity comes increased scrutiny as you are placed under a
larger microscope. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out and to
see if daily fantasy sports can continue to thrive. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enoch Patterson is a business administration major at Middle Tennessee State University from Murfreesboro, TN,</span></i></span></div>
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Don Royhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570236008715709548noreply@blogger.com