With the NHL Finals moving this weekend, the league is continuing to ride their recent popularity by now effectively pushin.all the digital and in market activation pieces that they had installed throughout the course of the last year.Computer World this week details all the online activation that has kicked in, and with two strong markets in Pittsburgh and Detroit going head to head, the casual fan and the ardent one both have a community to check in with as well as some good TV numbers on Versus (good piece by Wayne Friedman on media Post).This may actually be the first time with one of the major sports where digital driven interest will fuel broadcast viewership, and it will be very interesting to see the ROI on the NHL's heavy digital play as they go into the offseason and start next. Nevertheless, great time to be a hockey fan and an NHL marketer. Newsday's Neil Best also has a solid column on the NHL's rise.
Also on the hockey front comes the confirmation that the Russian Continental League will launch with major cash in the fall. Many feel that the rising tide of another lucrative professional league will also help float the hockey ship in North America, although the last thing the NHL needs is a bidding war for talent. Still the continued fueling of non American branding into sport, whether it is American brands looking to activate abroad in emerging economies or non-American companies looking to spend money to grow their brands in North America, is a big growth opportunity for those looking to find career opportunities in the business. Another must read on the continetal sports picture comes from this week's Guardian. where David Conn takes a very important look at the amount of money, and the cost/benefit of what Premier League teams are spending in light of three clubs making the Champions League semi-finals (with Man U winning over Chelsea) this week. For those who are interested in continuing to learn about how soccer in Europe works, it is a very good piece to tag.Terry Lyons blog caught two solid pieces in the last 24 hours…first, he put a post up on a Three On Three winner-take all event this summer in Las Vegas, run by former Michigan coach Bill Frieder…interesting branding and grassroots oppt. for some brands, and a good oppt. to see if street ball can bring some players…then he has a great link to Jerry Crowe's LA Times piece on former sports pop icon Rollen Stewart (he of the ’70's and ’80's rainbow wig) and his time now in jail…lastly, Darren Heitner's Sports Agent blog has an interesting piece on the development of a new “Hoops Dream” cartoon, with some interesting branding opportunties…
