Finding The Positives…

Even with Selena Roberts’ A-Rod book grabbing headline and now trumped by Thursday's Manny Ramirez disaster, the NHL complaining about lack of coverage on Versus and the controversy of the Coyotes going Chapter 11 , and a point shaving scandal brewing at the University of Toledo, there remains the positive news and the feel good stories that those who work on the communications and marketing side still have to find ways to push to the forefront. The two most recent ones were the triumphs of two great underdogs over the weekend, Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby and Manny Pacquaio's stunning upset of Ricky Hatton. For two downtrodden sports, horse racing and boxing, the two events within six hours of each other showed that the interest of the North American fan in the story of the underdog remains high, and how with a mass audience on a large stage, those sports can be swept back to the top of the sports world in a second. Now just as quickly they can be lost again without the proper messaging, planning and marketing spend, but with the two week buildup to The Preakness and the tremendous money and marketing dollars HBO puts into its elite boxing events, the possibility for continued growth, new brands and mainstream exposure remains high. Eventhough it is greatly diminished, horse racing, like baseball, remains the handful of sports found somewhere in most newspapers every day. On that same note, the lure of elite boxing still carries a star power unlike any other sport, especially for the casual sports fan who can still remember elite heavyweight fights and the intense loyal group that follows the sport. So rather than dwell and pile on the negative of the last three days, we look forward to seeing how boxing and horse racing can show the rest of the sports world that comebacks are important and even necessary to grow audience and create excitement, even in the darkest of days.