Many skeptics looked to the baseball season this year as a sort of sponsorship and ticketing armageddon…a sure sign that sports was losing its branding and dollars mojo. Yet as we look down the stretch and even back across the season, we see lots of good news for the sport in terms of community involvement, solid ticket sales in a tough economy, good stories and fan interest, along with different types of brand activation. Were there hiccup. Of course, with perhaps the biggest ones being the continued steroid issue (from the past less than the present) and the Yankees pricing and suite issues, although even there the team has been responsive to adjusting and making progress. Still, the ability for baseball teams…both minor and major…to adapt, be more innovative and present a fair and fun social product is still a huge plus, and maybe a good sign of times going forward. One of those brands that has tried to do all the right things, both on the field and off, in a very challenged economy is the Detroit Tigers. From community events, to job fairs to tickets for unemployed workers to forgoing sponsorship dollars on their centerpiece fountain and keeping the General Motors brand attached to it, to honoring announcer Ernie Harwell in a very dignified manner, the Tigers have done everything they can to make sure they are a part of all going on in a city hit hardest by the recession. Plus…they are winning…and winning with athletes who have great stories and are reflective of the community they play in. Now why haven’t more brands attached themselves to the team and the player. Maybe they are not sexy enough and are in a market that obviously is short on consumer spending. However for brands looking to make the consumer feel good and find a way to reach millions as they ride into the playoffs…probably against the Yankees at some point with all that New York and national exposure…the Tigers just might be the smartest, and best buy for a brand this season. Great story with the best still to come.
Some other good reads…the Washington Post's Leonard Shapiro had a good piece on journalist credibility when wearing team attire…the New York Times has a piece on the University of New Haven's re-establishment of football and how it happened…and the LA Times’ Kurt Streeter has a good piece on UCLA's Rick Neuheisel and a special bond he has with an opposing player this Saturday.
