Hall of Fame Voting: A New Brand Through The Power of the People?

January 5, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

This month two of the strongest, if not the strongest, Halls of Fame will reveal their 2010 selections, the Baseball and Football Halls.  The annual selection issue always operates under stealth and the very tight control over the voters, and usually has more than enough intrigue, suspicion, and debate.  However with an ever shrinking number of potential voters on the baseball side, and the need for more overall recognition on the football side, could changes in selection be in the offing? The baseball side, which includes only votes by those in the Baseball Writers Association of America, is suffering from the loss of so many fulltime newspaper  jobs recently and may have to add other segments, especially broadcasters, in order to keep the legitimacy of those who actually cover the sport on a fulltime basis intact.  That of course does not also reflect the ever-growing and more influential bloggers choices, or for that matter, the input on some level of the fan.  One interesting move this year was a vote by the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, a group of the top bloggers in the space,  to announce their Hall of Fame choices and the reasoning, in advance of the actual Hall vote.  It wasn’t in any way disrespectful, and it showed professionalism and great forethought, and could be a foreshadowing of a group that could be influential in coming years.  The opening up of fan debate and blogger interraction also gives rise to the notion that the voting system could be tied to a partner, with a full digital integration platform.  With the right safeguards put into place, and by providing all the right information, such a system could bring added revenue, more interest, more innovation and even greater visibility to the Hall, at a time when all institutions are looking to grow fan base and visitors year-round.

Sports As A Social Unifier…And Disappointment When Politics Enter The Field…

February 18, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

One of the great lessons sports teaches is that many times political and social boundries can be overcome through play on the athletic field. baseball gave us Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier, and last year in an Olympic tuneup, four nations who have few political ties as a group…Chinese Taipei, China, Japan and Korea…met in baseball and opened the door for future positive relations. So it was very disappointing to see events unfold this week at a women’s tennis tournament in Dubai, when Israel’s Shahar Peer was denied a visa to compete in the event. Harvey Araton’s column in the New York Times went into great detail about the incident and the long-range ramifiactions the political move could have on sports in the region, especially for tennis and golf. Even more evidence of the damage was the withdrawl of the Wall Street Journal as a sponsor of the event, and it will be interesting to see if any players of note take a further stand in support as the week unfolds. Tennis players have been usually apolitical and the Tour has followed the dollar into some interesting regions of the world in recent years, so while a stand by players would be surprising, it could have the effect of unifying a sport which is sometimes viewed as fractured. In addressing the issue, Tour CEO Larry Scott took a strong and cautious approach, which was the prudent thing to do. A knee-jerk move to cancel the event outright could have turned the promoters into winners in a politically charged region, and could have cost players travel and prize money, as well as putting some sponsor deals in jeopardy. By playing through, the sport has taken a high road position and can let those behind the scenes see what the prudent road will be going forward. The biggest brand damage in the long run may not be to the one tournament, but could be in drawing high quality events…from rugby to golf to basketball…into the Emirates going forward. The other interesting area to follow will be on Emirates companies looking to grow their brand abroad, and whether a backlash against those events that may partner with such companies (such as horse racing) will face a public outcry. In a time when most of the world is hoping for social change, the denial of an athlete to ply her trade because of nationality is disappointing, and shows that there are still ways to go to have true unity in sports across the board. Kudos to the WTA for their stance thus far, with the hope that they follow through on the issue an deliver a penalty for the event that is worthwhile and sends the right message for all sports.

Hitting The Minor Homers…

November 26, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., the minor league drum beating for great activation in baseball continues, as Ben Hill’s Minor League baseball blog singles out the best promotions of the past season, and rewards the Ogden (Utah) Raptors as the team with the best minor league promotions of the year.  In a struggling global economy, sports and entertainment brands of all sizes can continue to look to American baseball’s minor leagues as a source of inspiration and innovation not just for the offbeat, but for the ability to engage the consumer and produce quality and affordable entertainment on a nightly basis.  The baseball minors also do a great job of year round activation and engagement with their fans and business partners, squeezing every opportunity to keep the casual fan interested with the brand even when the games are not going on.  In many ways that is the secret of their local success…since most times teams do not have year-round marketable players to build a brand behind they need to sell the experiential.  It is a great lesson that those in higher ranks are continuing to adapt to, and Hill’s columns give great insight into the sports best practices.

Winning Matters: Ask the Red Bulls

November 15, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With a large, diverse cultural base and one of the most fervent grassroots soccer communities anywhere, Major League Soccer had hoped since it’s start that the New York franchise would be one of the cornerstones for driving the growth of professional soccer in the United States.  After all, the only piece that the defunct North American Soccer League had working in a positive direction was its New York franchise, the Cosmos.  However the then-Metro Stars now Red Bulls have always struggled both on and off the field to attach with fans, get media attention or build stars.  Even with a far superior outreach this year, the initial coverage has been a very steady increase,  but still nowhere near the coverage of any of the other local teams both on and off the field of play.  However into the fray pops a huge upset playoff win agianst Houston last week, and the Red Bulls, now one win away from the MLS Cup Championship game.  The unexpected playoff run, in a city that hast seen one championship since the Yankees in 2000, comes at a great time for the club and for MLS, as now all the pitching and good will the team has built with the media over the course of the season is ready to pop.  It also comes at a time where the Red Bulls are finishing a stadium of their own, Red Bull Arena, and it gives them a great chance to tell the league story of affordability in a time where discretionary dollar is lacking.  Some of the examples of the key storytelling where in Saturday’s New York Times, where Harvey Araton went through the value plan for the Red Bulls, USA Today, and in the Bergen Record, where Stefan Bondy had a solid profile on the young fans who have been following the club around for years, usually in anominity.  Now does any of this happen without the improbable playoff run?  No.  However it is a very good example of building contacts, having the right story lines in place and being able to strike when the moment arises.  Being prepared for the sunny day in tough times, is just as important as rainy day prep, and the Red Bulls have scored big time this week in taking advantage. 

Sports and Politics…Obama Throws Support While Athletes Support Him…

June 5, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

We have periodically looked into the opportunities Senator Barack Obama has seized upon by associating himself with a sports culture, largely the very fickle male demo which does not get into the political mix.  Whether it was playing hoops with SI’s Scott Price or on HBO Real Sports or giviving his Final Four predictions, the Senator has done a more than admirable job, even more than sportsman Senator John McCain, of trying to come across as a guy who guys could like and vote for.  In the last few days, we have seen the politics as sports issue swing both ways, both positive.  First, with the great news that Chicago stayed in the race for the 2016 Olympics, there was a great Chicago Tribune piece on how Obama’s White House run (being a Senator from Illinois) could help the 2016 bid process and become a potential positive factor in his campaign and potential presidency.   Then, the Philly Inquirer had some humerous and some thoughtful insights from African American athletes on Obama’s potential nomination.  Again, the issue of a run for the White House, let alone any political issues, are very rare to enter the sports section in a positive way.  Here are two varied examples of a positive interplay between the two areas, which gets more people thinking about their given right to vote and could make for more spirited debate and interest in the system amongst the sports fan.  No downside to either issue at all.