Hard to believe that SBJ’s Thought Leaders retreat was over a week ago already, but some of the themes my friend and colleague Abe Madkour pointed out in his weekly column from the event continue to expand and be amplified in meetings, conversations and observations in the week and a half since the event in Deer Valley, Utah.
As we get ready to return to the classroom, even though we weren’t in a teaching space this summer, our learnings never stopped. A few of the road notes.
Little Things Matter: One of the shining moments from our FIFA World Cup work this summer was not about the stars on the field, it was the little things done far away from the pitch. In the press room…far detached from the stadium in East Rutherford, a longtime friend and industry veteran of many big events, Helen Strus, kept a watchful eye on the hundreds of media…and volunteers…coming in for match days. Did photogs need water? She and the staff found a way to make sure everyone stayed hydrated. The volunteers doing a great job? Let’s acknowledge them with images posted where media could see them. A leaky roof or the air condition too much for the European media members bundled up in sweats, let’s adjust them. Lastly, let’s make the draw board into a fun little event. So have media members place the names of advancing teams up on their own, to keep them involved.
None of which moved the needle for revenue, but they created good will in unexpected times in a high stress environment. Well done by all.
More FIFA little things. There was a lot of attention paid to cost, but alongside the cost were the things that may not have been always free, but they were worth more than the outlay. On the swag side, Bank of America killed it with their custom bracelets for each match on site. While many partners looked to harness data or dollars, BOA’s on-site promo was custom for everyone, with no ask for personal data. That attention to detail made the bracelets one of the key takeaways for those on site.
Others included Coke’s custom cups for each match…even Spain cups available AFTER the final, as well as the FIFA custom pins and scarves for each match. By the way did you know at the FIFA store you had the ability to print your own tickets for a small fee post-event. All leagues and teams take note of a key on demand service that may have been missed.
One other valuable piece of real estate that didn’t get a lot of play…. the patches that went to charitable partners during the games, “How Football Unites The World.” . For the latter stages, every player wore a that was tied to a massive initiative FIFA has around the world. The effect, and the dollars…were invaluable.
The impact of sport can be everywhere: We know about the big moments but it’s the subtle places where sport, past or present, infuses itself always becomes a teaching moment. Some examples.
The State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska is one of the most beautiful and intricately laced mixes of artwork and architecture anywhere. During a tour it was pointed out that the muralist, a New Yorker named Hildreth Meineke, decided to embed an image of basketball in the ceiling…when it was designed in the 1920’s. An unusual choice given the game hadn’t really taken its place in the Husker state at that point in a time when boxing, football and horse racing were king, and the fact that Meineke was a woman. Maybe she enjoyed watching the cagers from back home or was impressed by some early hoopers during her time around the Nebraska campus, but it was a welcome, and the only, sports image amongst the hundreds of pieces of murals in the capitol.
Three others found during our time in Boise…Falconing as a competitive sport is alive and well despite being around for centuries. We learned all about it…and its middle eastern ties during a visit World Center for Birds of Prey. How it hasn’t made it to the Ocho I don’t know. Also amongst our visit to the Basque block…the cultural hub of Basque culture in Boise that started over a century ago when sheepherders came to live…were two sports also maybe Ocho worthy. First was Basque handball. Played on a fronton where jai alai…another Basque stronghold from years ago…was also played (without air conditioning)…the co-ed matches had hard balls and little equipment bouncing off all four walls for hours on end, and with a vibrant local following cheering all on. Then another part of Basque sports culture…outdoor dirt bowling…also gave everyone a feel…literally…for how the shepherds and staff passed their time over a century ago….with great community support and influence of their own.
Evil still has influence…in a good way…Another random stop was in Twins Falls, a place where way before the sad events of the past week…had a special place in American sport, as the place where a 1970’s and ‘80’s legend…Robert “Evil” Kinevel…an influencer and creator ahead of his time…became must watch TV for the world when he tried his most unique jump as a daredevil…in a rocket cycle across the Snake River Canyon. The jump failed, the Kinevel legend grew until his career faded, but when we asked at the Visitors Bureau where the stunt took place, the helpful person at the CVB pointed out the window to a huge dirt mound in the distance. It was…and is…the ramp still in place. We made it down the dirt road and walked up the ramp with a vantage point of a daredevil, a welcome surprise from days gone by worthy of yes…an Ocho revisit.
Lastly, the multigenerational joy of sport has been on full display. From American Association home run hitting, to first experiencing the England fans at a tune up in Orlando, to handball players in Boise to scores of young people rolling in to see Dude Perfect take on the Savannah Bananas, to the Knicks run, to the thousands we watched sharing amazing fan moments at the World Cup to the multigenerational collectors at Fanatics Fest to those just enjoying the solitude of the beach in New Jersey and the lakes in Utah, to the reunions I have had with friends from grammar school, high school, college and beyond, it has been a great run of listening and learning and sharing of moments in the past six weeks that hopefully will keep building.
One thing is clearly interwoven though…sport as a unifier across ages, social statrat, income levels and all other areas…has the power to unify, and its something we will preach and keep building on into the fall.
More to come and thanks to all.
We Have Noticed A Failure To Communicate…It Is Us
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