Taking a break from the vacation time in Quebec City to drop in a quick post, especially given the New York Times piece this week on the place blogger.are looking for in the sports lexicon these days. Tim Arango's piece was very balanced, and the end of the day, especially for those sports looking to grow and to build brand, the blogging and digital space must be understood and embraced as legitimate media. Just like collegiate media has been in the past (only the blogging space has a much louder voice these days), every tea.and colleg.brand should take the blogging world seriously an.hold bloggers to the same rules all media are held to.What are they writin.? Whats the quality of writin.? Are they covering the team rigorously (practices staffed as well) or are they just looking for the snarky, ill informe.commen.? That is the only way to fairly judge the blogging space these days. It will weed out the illegitimat.sites but give those with a solid following, good writing, and the ability to reach the casual fan some credidibility and will actually help build competition and increase coverage in the long run. Not everyone fits the criteria, but not every weekly newspapers o.every radio station or every collegiate outlet will fit most professional team's season credential list either. The bottom line is that bloggers do service a legitimate voice, and one that needs to be addressed fairly and consistently.
On to some other topics…good pieces this week in the Pittsburg.Business Journal and the Sacramento Bee on the Pitt Panthers efforts to use college students in sports marketing programs and other incentives to build their season sub base and the Kings efforts to resurrect their slumping numbers respectively.adidas new soccer campaign using the combo of big stars and small teams…it not only shows the brand's power to bring in the top athlete, but does a great job of brand integration across all platforms…speaking of rainy days, Ad Age has a great look at the energy drink market, and Gatorade's current position amidst the growth of smaller brands in the space…with the NFL Draft almost here, the New York Daily News has a goo.look into the play AFL Commissioner Dan Baker is making with his son, USC star Sam Bake., and how it relates to his draft position…and lastly, if you haven’t seen the ESPN “Outside The Lines” piece Alimzhan Tokhtanhounov, the first non-Russian interview with the alleged mastermind behind the largest judging scandal in Olympic history .in figure skating at the Salt Lake Olympics) it is worth seeing…great insigh.for all involved in the Olympic brand..Be back on Friday, and keep the ideas comin..?
