As Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt and the “Redeem Team” continue to bask in Olympic glory and dollars, and sports from golf and rugby to baseball and softball try and fight their way back onto the Olympic sked for 2016, hockey…well the NHL…appears to be undergoing their own version of brand soul searching, trying to determine if the value in Olympic association is worth the schedule disruption, brand exposure and ancillary dollars after Vancouver 2010. Dave Goetzel in Media Post had a good look at the issue,.which could bring the NHL more ancillary income with its own World Cup but could rankle those at its TV partner, NBC, for 2014. Still the uncertainty of planning such events so far in advance…the Olympics may not be with NBC at that point, nor for that matter, could the NHL be, and no one knows what the current NHL CBA will have to do with player participation or if major NHL sponsors who are not Olympic sponsors could lose out on valuable exposure…sometimes may be worth the risk in a broad branding play. And unlike the NBA, who gets to grow their offseason value in the summer Olympics, the schedule and momentum disruption the NHL must endure may make the “Olympic experience” not worth the Herculean effort. Interesting story to be played out, especially as the major leagues look to get every bit of ROI and dollar coming back to the brand in a challenged economy.
Some other good reads…former MLBer Doug Glanville had a really good op-ed piece about family and baseball in the Sunday New York Times…Kevin Dupont has a good look at how the Bruins are rebuilding their on-ce brand in the Boston Globe…the Sacramento Bee has a good piece with the Kings Geoff Petrie on the hiring of agent Jeff Levien as assistant GM…and si.com makes his pitch for Usain Bolt as SI's Sportsman of the Year…?
