MLB

Why The Yanks Win With Hope Week…

August 21, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

Yes they are the defending World Champions and as so have a responsibilty to give back to their fans year-round.  And from expansive foundations run by Mariano rivera, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Joe Girardi and many others, the New York Yankees do find ways to give back all year round, just like many teams on every level in every market. However what sets Hope Week apart for the Yankees is the expansive connections each and every member of the organization makes with so many different organizations during the busiest part of the season.  The plan, which ranges from visits to having various groups and organizations come to Yankee Stadium, takes every part of the organization and exposes the brand to a wide variety of stories that will have a cumulatiive ripple effect way beyond the initial meetings.  It is Community Relations and outreach to the max, and as a result garnered exposure not just locally but nationally, with a full-length feature on the Today Show on Friday.

Matching The Brand And The Athlete Not A New Challenge…

August 19, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

Recently writer Michael Sokolve had a piece in the New York Times about the issues today’s iconic athletes have from a public perspective. Sokolove’s argument is that today’s greatest on field athletes…Tiger Woods and LeBron James included…needed to tell the world themselves how great they were to build a public, and very lucrative persona.  The iconic athletes of the past, he argued, let their achievements and those around them judge success in the public sector, and the need for self-gratification on achievements was not needed.  While it is easy to make that assumption, it is hard to say how the elite athletes of the past would have adjusted to the media trends and demands of today, and conversely, how today’s elite athletes would have done with different, and sometimes less, pressures of past generations.

The Latest Niche Sport Goes Down…RIP AVP

August 15, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

Late Friday afternoon, after most of the business world was done for the August week, came the release that the AVP had closed its doors.  Despite the success of the Olympics, the marketability of its mature stars, the work of former head Leonard Armato and current head Jason Hodell to build interest and following as a lifestyle sport, the end came in mid-season.  It was not for a lack of committment by those running the business, or by its players or its fans.  The AVP had even scored a big victory in January by keeping beach volleyball as an NCAA sport, and a flood of new sponsors…KFC, Nivea…had come on in recent months.  So why did the AVP join the ranks of the AFL, the IFL, the MISL, the USL,  the AAFL and so many other niche leagues?  It is more a reflection of the continued issues in the economic climate which still has yet to recover.  If major sports that have massive audiences, long term media partners, and major brands behind them are struggling to find ROI, then the smaller guys are still the first and the easiest to go.  For all the spending that is done at the highest levels of sport…World Cup, NASCAR, the four major sports in the North America, and even now in MLS…the decision makers can still point to millions, not thousands, who will see the product and the brands that are associated with them. While it is true that there are smaller brands looking to activate against a core audience, you still need major exposure to generate the kind of revenue needed to support and sustain an organization for the long run.  The AVP was also burdened with the problem of facility…each week a new stadium had to be built and configured in a new site to make the sport run well.  It would be like moving a golf course or tennis courts from one place to the next each week.  very, very expensive and very cost prohibitive.

The Voice of the Fan Gets Louder, Even at 9 a.m. on a Saturday

August 14, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

There are certain preconceptions that people, especially mainstream media, have about bloggers and those who are heavily engaged in fantasy sports , and well, many of them  may be true.  They hide behind a computer screen and never face those who they criticize…they live in their parents basement and  use the written word as a cry out to all who have wronged them in the past…they have little or no knowledge and only exist to grab some fame with outlandish and unsubstantiated rumors and on and on.

Baseball Playing The Global Card, But Do Most Know?

August 12, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

There is perhaps no more global sport on the professional level than baseball. At some level of the professional game, over 35 countries on five continents are represented, and the number grows each year.  Major league Baseball International spends millions developing players around the globe, and the results can be seen in recent weeks, when Chinese Taipei edged Australia for the World Junior title, Cuba won the World University championship, and this week the Women’s World Cup is being played in Venezuela. The coming Little League World Series will also have its global look and later in the fall millions will tune in to watch the World Series.  Yet for all its domestic success, it is basketball (this week announcing regular season games in London between New Jersey and Toronto) and soccer (with Chinese investor Kenny Huang looking to add to his work in hoops) continues to grab headlines that baseball should also have.  Why is that?

On Giving Back…

August 4, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Many people may not know what UNICO is http://www.unico.org/, but millions have been touched by their support.  The largest national Italian-American service organization with a large presence in New Jersey, the group spends countless hours fundraising thousands of dollars community by community for charities ranging from help for the elderly to cancer and life threatening disease research.

Captain Morgan Takes It Up A Notch…

July 22, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

It used to be that big tobacco was the premier advertiser in sports, with lavish commercials, promotional campaigns and funding for both traditional sports and especially for sports like tennis and auto racing.  However with the scrutiny and regulation of the industry all that money disappeared in sponsorship in North America.  At the same time the spirits industry was hamstrung in finding ways to integrate into mainstream sports. Without the ability to advertise on TV, the large pockets of liquor were left to find guerilla campaigns to reach a demo that they knew would be active in thr pursuit of alcohol, just like the demo was following and consuming beer (who could promote to the audience in any way possible).

What Value Global Events? Ask Spain…

July 16, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

As the world moves on and experts look back on what value the World Cup brought to the African continent, perhaps they should look no further than the now reigning champion, Spain. Steadily over the last few years, the Spanish athletic programs across the board have transformed the Iberian Peninsula into a world power, whether that be in sports like golf and tennis or soccer and basketball.   Why?  Probably a number of factors but two of the most important are facilities and exposure, both of which are the fruits of Spain’s ability to host and then effectively leverage the World Cup and the Olympics.  Those two events ten years apart, World Cup in ‘82 and Olympics in ‘92, provided a platform to the world and to young athletes  on the benefits not just of top level competition, but also of they ways sport can be a social unifier.

The Value Of Voices…

July 12, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 3 Comments 

Sunday sports lost one of its touchstones, as legendary public address announced Bob Sheppard passed away at age 99.  Sheppard, a gentleman, was the sound of the Yankees, the Giants, St. John’s, and was an instructor at St. John’s for many years. Like the passing of the great Ernie Harwell earloer this year and the Phillies Harry Kalas last year, another connection to the traditional brand of baseball has been silenced.  Now while many may belittle the value of a PR announcer or a broadcaster to a franchise in a google-happy and always screaming world, the value of these men when the team they worked for is viewed as a public trust as much as a brand, is indisputable.

So We Now Move On…

July 10, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

Stephen King was once asked who his audience is for his novels, and his answer was that he writes for everyone who slows down to look at accidents. It is the sense of spectacle that makes events, no matter how bizarre or contrived they sometimes seem, that draws everyone to them.  Case in point was the past week, or month, or year, and all the information, misinformation, rumors and talk about LeBron James and free agency, all of which came to a head with a huge audience on ESPN Thursday night.  So now that the world knows and is debating winners and losers, what is it that we really know today that we didn’t know yesterday about James’ move to South Beach?  Some thoughts…

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