“In full disclosure, Jalen Rose is a VaynerMedia client. We are assisting him in growing and diversifying his brand online, primarily through the use of social media.”

Yesterday, former 14 year NBA veteran and current ESPN analyst, Jalen Rose, launched a giveaway on Facebook and on Twitter. He will give one winner a signed basketball and personalized video message. The contest ends on Friday at 11AM EST/2PM PST.

We have seen social media giveaways in sports before. Last NBA season, Shaq and Paul Pierce both gave away tickets to fans via Twitter. This season, OchoCinco tried to get around the NFL’s social media restrictions by giving away tickets to Twitter followers. And a few months ago, the New York Jets gave away 39 pairs of tickets to Twitter followers for their final preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

One of the reasons this giveaway is so exciting is because it takes advantage of a relatively new platform called WildFire.  WildFire is a platform for building viral marketing campaigns (not just giveaways). It allows users to launch campaigns across Twitter, Facebook, and websites, and most importantly, it can provide a great deal of valuable metrics.

Social media giveaways are underutilized and can be very beneficial (i.e. high response rates from fans). I would advise athletes, teams, and even the leagues to get more involved. Fans and followers love free stuff, especially when there is a personal touch. Even though OchoCinco’s original giveaway didn’t work this year, he was willing to fly a fan out to each home game, hang out with them for a little while, and give them the ability to tweet for him. Now that’s personal. Jalen is adding his personal touch by filming a custom video for the winner of this giveaway. Social media is all about connecting, engaging, and being authentic. If the resources are available, what better way to do so than to make the day of one (or several) of your fans?

We hear it in sports business all the time. Passion. It seems to go hand in hand with sports and it’s paralleled in business.  You see it on resumes and ad campaigns.  Dictionary.com defines passion as a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire; and though it’s a noun to be effective in your career it must be more of an adverb.  And by that I mean, it has to have action!

Everyone I know has a passion for something.  However, it is a lot easier to say than to perform.  I tend to believe passion is something to be seen and not heard.  Think of people you know who have a great passion for what they do, I’m guessing they don’t walk around talking about it much.  I try to surround myself with people who live a passion, and don’t just preach one.  It is much easier to learn from those who live a passion.  The details and what helped them achieve their successes will be prevalent.

As sports careers go, as in life, the roller coaster goes up and down.  At times I find people, me included, need to be analytical of what their passions are and what they have evolved into.  Having a better sense of your personal passions will lead to better communication, better time management and better opportunities.   As career paths change and new challenges arise, don’t loose focus of your core passions.  If they are true to you and the organization, these challenges will fall by the wayside.  Passion has no ceiling, and those who display it will be noticed, those who talk about it, probably won’t be.

Once your passions are defined, make a plan on how to set your path of passion on fire. True passions are near the very core of who we are, and when inspired those they can lead you to exceed expectations of yourself and your organization.  In your plan, make mental check points that keep you on track.  It is when you tap into your core energy and really know what your passions are, that you can live it and be known for it.  It is hard to convey passion by simply placing it on a resume.

A former teammate of mine had a saying that we used as our defensive motto in college. I feel it applies to passion for what we do as well.  “Don’t talk about it, be about it!”

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Image by Alex Pylyshyn

Image by Marcin.Biodrowski

Here is the deal.  I am getting a number of emails, phone calls, tweets, etc from people who are having problems in advancing their career or even getting getting a job in sports.  It’s tough, I get it.  However, relationships are the most powerful thing you can develop in the sports industry (or any industry for that matter).

Let me make this simple.  Most of the time it does NOT matter how smart you are, talented you are, or how much experience you have.  However, it does matter WHO you know, and more importantly WHO knows about what you have to offer.  Think about it.  We stay loyal to those we know, like, and trust… even if someone is better than another person at a certain skill.  It is all about the RELATIONSHIPS!!!

You must add value to others.  Period!  Watch my quick video about 4 easy ways to add value to sports professionals to ensure you get a job in sports.

What do you think?  Are there other ways you can add value to sports professionals and your network?  Leave a comment below as I would love to see your ideas.

Over the next four weeks, I am going to write about the social media presence of the four major sports: the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball. Over the past year or so, each league has adopted social media in its own way, and each league has had varying degrees of success. I will grade each sport on its visibility across social media platforms, as well as content, fan engagement, and player involvement. This week, we’re talking basketball.

Visibility: B

The NBA operates powerful accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, the three largest social media platforms at this time. On Facebook, the NBA has nearly 1.7 million fans. On Twitter, they have over 1.5 million followers. And on YouTube, the league has just under 13 million channel views and 163,000 subscribers. The NBA gets high marks for operating well-known and well-trafficked accounts across these platforms. The reason I’m giving the league a ‘B’ and not an ‘A’ is because they have failed to utilize emerging platforms that can provide incredible value for them (e.g. Ustream.tv, DailyBooth). Imagine if the league embraced live video streaming. What if David Stern did weekly live Q&A’s with fans, or if season ticket holders could talk with their team’s owner once per month? With the massive potential of these lesser-known platforms, the NBA could do wonders.

Content: A

Every day, the NBA posts content across all three of its social media accounts. On Facebook, the league posts everything from links to NBA.com articles, to videos (e.g. highlight reels, behind the scenes with the players), and photo albums. On Twitter, they post similar content, as well as in-game text updates. More importantly, the NBA @reply’s the accounts of its players and teams. By doing this, the NBA is promoting the use of social media within the league. Finally, the NBA posts videos on YouTube almost every day, including highlight dunks, passes, and shots, as well as top 10 plays of the day, week or month. So, by posting exciting content on a regular basis, the NBA gets an ‘A.’

Fan Interaction: F

One of the most important things for any brand (big or small, consumer or personal) to do on social media, is interact with fans and friends. Every day, thousands and thousands of basketball fans send Facebook and YouTube comments, public tweets, and direct messages to the NBA, but the league never responds. Last night, Jerry Rabosa wrote on the NBA’s Facebook fan page, “I LOVE THIS GAME.” And what did the NBA say? Nothing. Here the league had a chance to make the day of one of their fans just by saying thanks. Unfortunately for them, they missed out. The NBA fails at fan interaction.

Player Involvement: A-

For the simple fact that the world’s best Twitter user, @The_Real_Shaq, is an NBA player, they get an ‘A-’ for player involvement. It also helps that a large number of the league’s stars are on Twitter and/or Facebook, including Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Kevin Durant, Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh. The NBA definitely encourages the players to use social media and promotes those who do. Once Kobe and Lebron get involved, it’s all over.

Overall: B

The NBA has really embraced social media. They operate powerful accounts on the relevant social networks. They provide engaging and exciting content to their fans on a daily basis. They openly promote the players and teams who have embraced social media on their own. However, the NBA can be doing more. If the league wants to be truly “amazing,” they should look into platforms such as Ustream, DailyBooth, and Tumblr, that are underused but have big upside. They also desperately need to interact with their fans. No excuses. My overall grade might seem harsh, especially because of the four major sports, they have consistently done the best job. They just aren’t pushing the envelope as much as they think they are.

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Image by Keith Allison

Image by believekevin

What’s the strangest thing someone has said to you as they’ve answered a call from you on their cell phone?

Sports ticket sales professionals call thousands of prospects a day, and many times we catch people in strange, awkward, or questionable situations. Here are some of the best examples of responses from sales prospects during actual calls that sports ticket sales reps have made to people on their cell phones:

• “I’m on a treadmill right now.” (out of breath)

• “I’m going into a CATscan.” (Aren’t you supposed to leave those cell phones outside?)

• “I’m teaching a gym class right now.” (he then accidentally blows a loud referee’s whistle right into the rep’s ear!)

• “I’m holding a baby in each arm.” (Hmm… how DID you answer the phone again??)

• “My kids are outside playing baseball.” (OK… and…?)

• “I’m waiting for AT&T to come to fix my phone, because I can’t hear anything.” (No comment.)

• “I’m on a roller coaster right now.” (Our games are WAY more exciting!)

• “I’m on a bus chaperoning an elementary school field trip.” (Well, turn that bus around to OUR place!)

• “I’m putting in my contacts.”

• “I’m out here in the rain trying to pour concrete.”

• “I’m a police officer on the way to a shooting.”

• “I’m in the library” (whispering)

• “I’m wheeling a beer.” (Our kind of fan!)

• “I’m at a funeral right now.” (Dude… you have GOT to get Caller ID!)

• “I’m a psychiatrist, and I’m with a patient right now.”

• “I’m about to get in the shower.”

• “I can’t talk right now… I have swine flu.” (Hmm…)

• “This is a bad time… I’m in a VERY IMPORTANT MEETING!” (shouting and hanging up loudly)

• “I can’t talk. I lost both my arms in a car accident.” (He really said it!)

• “I’m at work and I’m not supposed to be on the phone.” (So why did you answer?)

• “Bill’s actually out in left field right now playing softball… (screams into phone) BIIIIILLLL – IT’S SCOTT WITH THE STEEEELHEADS! BIIIIILLLLL!” (After all that, he never made it to the phone!)

• “I’m about to go into surgery.” (This was a Surgeon!)

• “I’m gonna have to let you go; my son is throwing a football at me.”

• “This is NOT a good time! I’m stuck in traffic and mad as hell!”

• “Hola, no habla English.”

• “The doctor wouldn’t be interested anyway; he’s in the middle of a rectal exam. Could you call back another time?” (Tell him to be sure to wash his hands!)

• “My wife won’t let me talk to you; she’s afraid you’re going to sell me something.” (Be afraid; be VERY afraid!)

• “I’m a little busy right now.” (woman giggling in background)

What do you do in situations like this? Should you continue the conversation, or try to politely end the call?
Unless they’re in the middle of something that just shouldn’t be stopped (like a funeral or a rectal exam!), I’m in favor of continuing the call. They answered the phone, so obviously they were prepared to talk to someone. I suggest continuing the conversation, perhaps commenting on what they just told you, and seeing if they respond favorably. Otherwise, I’d apologize and find out when a good time would be for me to return my call – and then I’ll be sure to follow up when I said I would, referencing that first awkward call as an ice-breaker.

What’s the strangest response you’ve ever received for an outbound sales call to a cell phone? Send it to me at bill@The800PoundGorilla.com, and we’ll create a follow-up to this topic in the future.

P.S. My sincere thanks to the many people who contributed their experiences to this article, including Steve Reed and Laura Culbertson (Minnesota Vikings), John Donovan (Houston Rockets), Stefanie Starck and B.J. Brown (Chicago Wolves), Paul Ratner (Golden State Warriors), Scott Frasnelly (Bakersfield Condors), John Bowers (Indianapolis Indians), and Isaac Satten (New Jersey Devils).

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Image by Kiwanja

Image by Ed Yourdon

Image by Mykl Roventine

(This is a guest article by Anita Lobo)

Sports & social media have received a lot of attention worldwide, particularly over the opportunity or threat twitter represents. However, the adoption of twitter by the athletes has been considerably slower in India.

This list presents top sports tweeps i.e. the ‘early adopters’ who actively reach out to fans and foster a community of interest and dialogue. A cross-section of athletes from varied disciplines, sports journalists, and one notable sports administrator are here – all of whom share a remarkable view from the front lines of sport in India.

1.    @chillyrathore/Rajyavardhan Rathore/ Shooting/ Olympian & multiple world-record holder:

Silver medalist, Men’s Double Trap at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. Chilly’s win at the 2004 Silver Olympics is widely regarded as a turning point in India’s performance at the Olympic & Commonwealth Games. He is an inspiration to peers as well as young sportsmen, across disciplines.

2.    @karunchandhok/ Karun Chandhok/ Racing/ Racing driver:

Won the first ever Asian Formula Renault V6 Championship and had a historic win as an Indian racer at an F1 weekend at the Spa circuit in Belgium, 2007. Karun is among the few Indian racers who are seriously pursuing a F1 slot. David Coulthard recently stated that Karun has the talent to make it!

3.    @sainanehwal/ Saina Nehwal/ Badminton/ Badminton champion:

Ranked no. 6 in the world, this young sportswoman is the first Indian woman to clinch the World Junior Badminton Championship in Nov 2008 and the first Indian to win a Super Series title [Indonesian Open/ June 2009]. In a sport dominated by Chinese shuttlers, Saina is considered a formidable opponent. She is widely recognised for being among the few Indian women & athletes who are among the top 10 of their sport, at world levels.

4.    @gokeshavan/ Shiva Keshavan/ Luge/ India’s three-time Winter Games Olympian:

Shiva was the youngest-ever Luge Olympian at the Nagano Winter Olympic Games and has represented India at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games 2002, Olympic Winter Games 2006. He won bronze at the Asian Championships, Nagano 2008-09.

5.    @coachcyrus/ Cyrus Poncha/ Squash/ Coach to India’s national team:

Among the most respected squash coaches in the world, Cryrus has been feted as Asian Junior coach of the year 2003 and 2004. He received India’s highest national honour awarded to coaches, the Dronacharya Award in 2005. He trains India’s squash team and also blogs regularly to keep together India’s small but extremely active group of squash enthusiasts.

6.    @MahendraDhoni/ Mahendra Singh Dhoni/ Cricket/ India’s national cricket team captain:

Dhoni is the most popular captain in recent times of India’s national cricket team – appealing to fans, peers and connoisseurs of cricket. India’s national team also has had a very successful win record under his captaincy. A swashbuckling batsman, Dhoni is a sponsors’ delight and recently topped a Forbes magazine list of the world’s top earning cricketers at USD 10 million.

7.    @prempanicker/ Prem Panicker/ Sports writer/ Cricket expert, Editor India Abroad & rediff.com:

A journalist for over 17 years, cricket expert and sports writer with a legendary following. Prem combines knowledge & humour with inimitable style over his tweet-stream that on any given day is a delightful commentary about sport and the quirky people who make it worth watching!

8.    @SpiceBoxofEarth/ Dileep Premachandran/ Sports writer/ Associate editor, Cricinfo:

Leading cricket writer and an expert on the game in India, Dileep is the Asian cricket correspondent for the Sunday Times (London), Inside Sport and writer for the Guardian, Sunday Times and SA Cricket.

9.    @Soumya1910/ Soumya Bhattacharya/ Sports writer/ author of ‘You Must Like Cricket’?:

Editor of Hindustan Times [in Mumbai]. Soumya’s book ‘You Must Like Cricket?’ was one of the notable books of the year for the award-winning Observer Sport Monthly magazine in the UK. Soumya juggles editorial duties around game schedules.

10.    @LalitKModi/ Lalit K Modi/ Administrator/ IPL Chairman & Commissioner:

The brain behind IPL, Lalit Modi wields tremendous power over India’s cricket establishment and has recently begun tweeting. BCCI’s gag order on cricketers prevents them from tweeting or blogging or engaging in any form of social media, without their permission. Is Modi on twitter a sign that BCCI’s gag order might change too?

11.    @satyabratadam/ Satyabrata Dam/ Mountaineering/ Adventurer:

While mountaineering isn’t a conventional competitive sport, Satyabrata is about pushing the boundaries and has inspired a wave of mountaineering and sports enthusiasts. Satyabrata has climbed nearly all major peaks worldwide, including the Mount Everest from the tough Northern face. He is the Joint Director (Mountaineering) of the Indian Navy’s Adventure & Sports division.

12.    @jdbasketball/ JD Walsh/ Basketball/ American basketball coach, spreading basketball in India:

JD Walsh is an ‘honorary Indian’ for the remarkable training programs and the community outreach he’s involved with. JD has help over 100 training camps for aspiring hoopsters and coaches, across India. He regularly conducts programs that reach out to underprivileged children and people affected by violence, through the Hoops for Health & Peace programs.

13.    @bhavikdotcom/ Bhavik Gandhi/ Yachting/ Yatchsman:

World record-holder for rowing solo across the Atlantic, spending 106 days at sea. Bhavik was voted among the top 5 sports personalities of the Year 2007 by Outside Magazine and is a RYA qualified Yacht Master. Bhavik has played an important role in changing India’s perception in the sailing & yachting world.

‘Cricket is a religion in India & that’s where the big money is’ – you’ll hear this ad nauseum about India, which is still an emerging market that offers great opportunities for sports marketing.

What’s frequently overlooked is that a diverse group of sports – golf, shooting, tennis, badminton – are attracting more fans as Indians perform better on the international circuit.

Both newbie sponsors who find the entry cost of cricket prohibitive, as well as seasoned ‘mega’ sponsors are increasingly seeing merit in spreading their risks [beyond cricket] and building brand associations with a diverse group of sports.

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Part 2 will feature sports entities i.e. marketers, news sources, and clubs that have a significant following in India.

Image by B. Sanderman

Image by Maraz Photography

Image by Flying Cloud

Image by Kirubu Shankar

Let’s face it.  Many big time athletes are starting to build and expand their brand to new audiences by connecting with fans on social networks.  Shaq and Lance Armstrong are two all-stars who are using Twitter and Facebook and seeing great results.  They are doing a fantastic job, but a lot of it has to do with their already “big brand” presence they have offline.

Even if you are not a “big time” pro athlete, actor, entertainer, or brand, there are still things you should be doing online to connect with your audience.  Luckily for us, we don’t have to think about how to implement everything online because there are experts like Amy Martin who can lead the way.  Amy works with powerful brands such as Shaq, the Chicago White Sox, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and more.   Check out the video below for a few of her tips you should be implementing to develop your (athletes) brand online.

What are some other things athletes should be doing to connect with their fans and build their brand online?  Feel free to share you thoughts in the comment section below with your top suggestions.

Most everything that could be written and discussed about in recent news that Rush Limbaugh wanted to buy into a group seeking to purchase the St. Louis Rams, has been said and documented. What’s lingered in the back of the room is the reality of why the conservative talk show host was bumped from potential investor David Checketts’ roster.

Despite what Limbaugh said on his radio show, it wasn’t his politics. It may not have even been his divisive comments that criticize groups of people that combined to create his reputation. The reason is public relations, and his name hitched to the NFL’s, didn’t make it positive.

As ProFootballTalk paraphrased, Limbaugh argued that his exclusion from the process originated with NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith. Limbaugh argued that Smith is acting as an operative for the Obama administration, and that Smith essentially scared NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell into not doing business with the talk show host.

An operative…really? The next thing we know little purple men will rule against airing Limbaugh’s show on another planet.

The only thing that influenced DeMaurice and Goodell was the image of the NFL that could be tarnished by future, critical comments. Precedent was set in 2003 when as a member of ESPN’s studio show, Limbaugh suggested that people wanted Donovan McNabb to succeed because of the color of his skin.

While controversy and divisiveness drives radio ratings, it does not sell everywhere. In Limbaugh’s case, he demands credit for them when it involves support for his show and causes.

The beauty of the United States of America is that we have individual and broad rights, including the one to lay out millions of dollars to invest in professional sports organizations. The governing bodies of these groups, however, have rights to accept or deny a buyer based on his or her background. Limbaugh’s intent to buy into Checketts’ group was controversial before the team officially posted a sales sign, which didn’t bode well for the future. The most publicly sensible thing for everybody involved was to break up before the “I dos” were recited.

This recent news has provided thousands of megabytes worth of publicity for Limbaugh and the NFL. The unfortunate part is that Limbaugh wasted no time in blaming others for the result. He must take responsibility for his words each day, not just when it’s convenient. Only then will the public relations implications of his future ventures resemble a win-win.

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Other posts on Sports Public Relations by Gail Sideman:

If you are a basketball lover then you have to know the name Mark Cuban.  It is a name that resonates with the NBA as he is one of the most recognized franchise owners, someone who cares about the well being of his players and organization, an extremely dynamic individual, and all around great business man.

Although he has led the Dallas Mavericks to become a dominating team from one that was lacking before he was the owner, the deal almost did not come to fruition.  He almost bought another professional sports team in a completely different sport.  Watch this brief video from good friend Brian Cuban (brother of Mark) below to learn the behind the scenes scoop on what really went down.

What are your thoughts about this deal?  Do you think Mark should have bought the other franchise, or do you think Dallas is lucky to have such a great owner?  Be sure to follw both Mark and Brian on Twitter as they always have interesting things to say.

I had the pleasure to meet up with Tom Jolly who is senior editor of the NY Times sports section.  Needless to say, the NY Times is a huge publication.  Funny enough though, they have seen massive growth with their online presence and are starting to see more readers online than offline (more details about this in the video below).

I was glad to hear that the NY Times has evolved during the idea of “print going dead” and has embraced other ways to attract readers, produce more (and better) content, and continue their path in being a premier news publication.  Don’t take it from me, watch what Tom has to say in this brief video below.