Rangers’ Dad Trip Great Access and InSite Into The Team…

January 19, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It is a program that is growing in the NHL, and if it continues to go well may be copied by other leagues more often…the New York Rangers, like a few other NHL teams, picked a road trip and had the players’ fathers accompany them for a little bonding and giveback.  Now many teams will disappear into a “team building” opportunity during the long season…an unscheduled trip to Disney, bowling, a movie…but few times are the media and the fans given insight into such private moments.  However the Rangers, took a more public step in explaining the reasons and benefits of inviting the fathers along on a recent road trip, and by doing so gave the fans a look into the private lives of many of the players, especially those who are younger and don’t get much everyday exposure in a crowded media market.  Now each sport does create those special bonds between father and son over the long period and long hours on the road through the development time of young pro players, but hockey has a pretty unique isolation…with baseball probably the only sport similar in the U.S…where young players leave home at a very early age and much of that bonding time can be lost.  This special trip is a smart one to help the players have that special time at a great point in their careers,  and by letting the media and the public in for some glimpses, builds added human interest into a very long season.  Nice access, great story lines, great break from the everyday for the NHL.

Rotohog.com finds ways to help winners fulfill the American Dream

October 17, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Usually we think of rotisserie play as a small cash payoff for the winners but lots of fun for all involved…that is the appeal of fantasy gaming, to put you in the drivers seat with as many options as possible, and make you the person in charge of your own sports team, competing against friends and in the case of online gaming, thousands of others.  Rotohog.com is an emerging player in the space, and even gave a husband/wif combination of winners in their fantasy baseball game this summer a chance to use that success to purchase a good chunk of the American Dream…namely a new home.  Darren Rovell had a good piece today on the winners and how they combined their earnings, even in this down economy, to move from apartment to brand new house.   Good example of how even in this economy, fantasy sports can bring a solid distraction with the hope of better opportunities for those who play well.  Nice piece, well played out function.