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MLB, NHL Both Use New Year’s Day As Strategic Launch For Things Ahead…

With the start of the New Year here, two of the biggest sports brands in the world…Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, will look to use the day as a launching point for new brand success, new partnerships and a bigger share of the casual sports landscape.  The NHL will use its second Winter Classic to see if the outdoor New Year’s Day game will continue to have the legs it has last year, and can cement itself as the must watch and particpate event for January 1 that the Bowl games used to be.  Richard Sandomir in the New York Times has a good look at the events around the game, which include new sponsors and activation, greater retail and the major market buzz of Chicago (fueled by a rebranded Blackhawks organization).  On the baseball side, the launch of the MLB Network, the largest launch in cable sports history, will look to give baseball and its core and causal fans and partners a 24/7 home.   The launch in the middle of “Hot Stove” season will show that the network and its ancillary programming can be a driver at a time when live games in the U.S. are not being played, while leading towards live play with the World Baseball Classic and weekly games in March and beyond.   It is a big committment for the sport to regain a bigger piece of the sports pie from NASCAR, the NFL, the NBA and those sports that pull a younger demo, but with the volume of library and available games worldwide, it seems like a risk that is much safer than the ones the NBA, NFL and the NHL took in launching their networks.  The first reviews of what will be seen on air at the start have been outstanding. So if all goes as planned, January 1, 2009 may just be the day that both hockey and baseball will point back to as a push forward for both legacy brands.

Some other good reads…Forbes.com has a look into what is in the offing in sports media in 2009…the Salt Lake Tribune this week took a very telling look at NBA Players Charities and the problems they face…and si.com’s Arash Markhazi has a good look at why the UFC is going to continue to be successful as a brand…HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.