Sports Books Worth Reading And Giving From 2009

December 20, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

I will be the first to say I am not a strong critic, nor do I read every book out there. However I do read a great deal and try to figure out what are the books that teach me something, even of some of the most public of figures, that I didn’t know before and what can I take away from this that can apply to work, personal life or friends, colleagues or family. Also, what do I think are just really well written stories. So below I have highlighted a list of some of the books I have gotten to and enjoyed, and others may enjoy too. Some are on most people’s lists…some are a little more obscure, but all are well written and have great value. I also have to admit I have not read Bill Simmons’ book or Chris Ballard’s on the NBA, or the Agassi book or my friend Jon Wertheim’s book on tennis this year. That is my bad, but that’s what the holidays are for. These are also in no particular order, other than Marty Appel’s name started with A and thats the first one I thought of. Feel free to send along other suggestions to me at fatherknickerbocker1@yahoo.com

MLS Cup Sets Template For Future Soccer Success…

November 24, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

One of the most significant games in the history of professional soccer took place in the Pacific Northwest in the late summer of 1977, when the New York Cosmos, led by the legendary Pele, won their first North America Soccer league title by defeating the original Seattle Sounders 2-1 in Portland Oregon. This past weekend, perhaps the most important game since then in the evolution of professional soccer in the United States again took place in the Pacific Northwest, where a crowd of over 40,000 saw Real Salt Lake defeat the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 on penalty kicks to take the 2009 Major League Soccer title?

Becks Back To Europe…Good Or Bad For Soccer In The US

October 23, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As David Beckham’s management team ponders a temporary or permant shift back to Europe…this time for AC Milan…the LA Times has a piece on the value that he has brought to the Galaxy and whether or not its time for the legendary star to go back overseas.  The piece raises lots of questions about what Beckham actually brought to the sport in this country and did the lack of success hinder progress for the franchise or MLS.  There is no doubt that Beckham made a splash for soccer for the short term in this country that got MLS water cooler talk they would never have gotten last year otherwise.  It brought people to stadiums, moved the league off the sports pages and hopefully continued the gradual awareness or conversion for the sport in this country.  The problem is in this 24/7 world people look for the quick fix, and the staff at MLS and Soccer United Marketing have spent years slowly building and nuturing a brand to avoid the quick splash and flameout that has followed so many spectacles in sports and entertainment (read the MMA piece below).  Was the Beckham situation…an aging star with lots of masters to serve…the best for MLS?  No.  It would be much better to get…aka pay for…a young star to grow, and those things are slowly happening.  But to deny that Beckham’s presence moved MLS up the latter, broiught in much needed funds and media exposure would be silly, and hopefully there were thouands of kids exposed to him and the MLS brand that may not have gone to a match before who now have a better affinity to the pro game…almost as much as they have to playing soccer in local towns nationwide.

Playing On The Global Stage

October 18, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Businessweek this week put out their Top 100 Power Brokers In Sports, and in that was a Top 25 worldwide (meaning outside the U.S.).  The list is a great one for anyone to have on hand as sports becomes more global, and continues to show the domination of motor sports (notably F1 despite its financial issues) and soccer as the world players.  In an Olympic year, the key Olympic players also move up the list, and the presence of Yao Ming (the only basketball element) and Lalit Modi show the continued diversity into the Far East and the power the Indian and Chinese markets will have going forward.  One interesting aspect is that there are only four names probably…David Beckham, Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer and Yao…that the casual sports fan in the United States may know.  The smart marketer or ardent fan will at least know almost all, but as brands expand (no names from the Middle East made the list, something that will change in the future) both globally and into this country (as non-American brands look to capture the sports marketplace here) this list and its offshoots will become increasingly more valuable, and the crossover from this list to the largely American 100 will become much bigger.  The entire list as well as the features can be seen here. 

LT Campaigns For Top Fantasy Pick…An NFLer who gets it…

July 20, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With NFL training camps just around the corner, the  NFL fantasy drafts can also not be that far away.  Although not as statistically steeped as the MLB Fantasy leagues, the NFL drafts are still highly competitive, very lucrative, and because of the gambling aspect that is so heavily tied to NFL games, can be even more high stakes.  It is a tough space for brands to activate with because of the volatility with injuries in pro football.  However it is a great way to market athletes directly, especially to find ways to grow brand outside of the home market.  One athlete who has seized upon that opportunity this year is Chargers star back LaDanian Tomlinson, who is actively running a campaign geared towards those who play the fantasy leagues to make himself the number one pick in the top fantasy drafts.  The move is especially smart for LT, one of the most versatile and durable stars in the NFL but who suffers a bit from playing in a small markiet (San Diego).  However by taking the active approach, his PR and marketing team has cast him in a different light, which will open himself up to more water cooler talk by the casual fan, garner ancillary national and out of market publicity (clip here is from Fox in New York) and will expose him as a personality for brands to partner with.  Like Chris Bosh’s YouTube campaign, this plan sets LT apart out front of training camp, and gets the casual and ardent fans thinking about him in a time of year where there thoughts were elsewhere.  Great execution and strategy by a growing star.  

Give Them Liberty.

July 19, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With all the choices of leasure time activity in a major market during the summer, the WNBA is always challenged to find ways to attract the casual fan.  However this weekend, there will be a spectacle worthy of near record numbers, brand exposure and good will.  The Liberty will play the Indiana Fever outdoors at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens on Saturday night.  All the elements of the game…the build-in of the court, the first practice, the fan festival around the game, the additional sponsorship…have been pitched and placed perfectly, ranging from multiple local and regional stories in publications which coverage can be hit and miss on, to a great visual piece in USA Today.  The followup visuals and trade pieces coming out of the game will also garner great ancillary exposure and will get the WNBA, already enjoying a banner season, even more attention going into the Olympics.  Well planned, well pitched and well placed, even going against a Yankees home game, the AVP Crocs event in Brooklyn and the great David Beckham playing at Giants Stadium, all in the same day.

Obama Pulls Out of NASCAR oppt, while (Cindy) McCain Pulls In…and BAM Racing Wins

July 14, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Update on yesterday’s post…apparently Senator Barack Obama has pulled out of the potential NASCAR opportunity, with one report saying the campaign was worried about the issues if the car didn’t win the race or crashed…while Cindy McCain, the wife of Senator John McCain, made an IRL appearance this past weekend, grabbing a photo opp. with Danica Patrick and taking a spin in the pace car in Tennessee.  Smart move, no pain and no crash.  However the winner in all this political “racing” this past week were the smart folks at BAM Racing, who garnered some great exposure by offering the advertising spot to both  candidates and playing through a three day news cycle despite not landing either candidate.  Good forward thinking move by  the sales and PR folks at BAM.  The interesting play from the Obama camp was the riskward factor for the ad spend.  If the car did not do well, the feeling apparently was that the loss for the long term would outweigh the benefit of race day exposure.  Interesting view on public perception in an area where the Senator is trying to raise his approval rating.

Two Tales, Same Ball…MLS Thrives, MISL Crashes…

May 31, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

This week was a big week for soccer in the United States. No matter how you feel about England’s win with David Beckham over the U.S., the sport of soccer in America benefitted and is growing on the outdoor side expontentially with each passing week, as highlighted by the Houston Chronicle piece.  The industry bible, The Sports Business Journal, named MLS their League of the Year this week for their growth, sponsor activation, vision and proactive stance to promote the game on all levels.  The Philadelphia Inquirer had a good piece this week on the bright future for expansion into the area, and we touched on the lucrative and diverse jersey sponsors MLS has announced in recent weeks as well. Soon friendlies will begin to draw even more attention to the regular MLS matches , and a series of other iniatives, including a four on four Futbolito event and other grassroots efforts will reach out to futher address all of the passionate and fringe interests of the game.  MLS spends the dollars, finds and activates the sponsors, effectively uses the digital space and has embraced the Hispanic audience, while growing at the grassroots level.  All those pieces are what is needed to succeed as a viable property in the U.S. today.  The next step will be true growth of individual stars, which will be very exciting to see as well.  On the other side of the same ball, we saw the very disappointing dissolution of the Major Indoor Soccer League this week.  Like the AFL, the MISL has always had the potential to be an indoor offseason home for the soccer fan, with lots of upside for economies of scale, quick action, and grassroots player growth.  However the league, despite the longtime efforts of Commissioner Steve Ryan, could never get the teams to activate properly in their home markets, and without that committment to spend and match return with business and media partners, the reliance on tickets and “free” expsoure (publicity) doomed the concept.  For those who are just casual fans of the sport of soccer, MISL seemed to be a very American alternative…fast, exciting and high scoring (ala the AFL or indoor lacrosse).  But unless the teams make the financial committment to work together and find ways to grow, the soccer success in this country will remain outdoors.  Still, a great week for a great game.