Pro Sports Media

Need more updates? Try Small White Ball!

2008-04-22T11:57:25-04:00

Unfortunately working on great sites isn't allowing us much time to blog on the world of pro sports here, sooooooooooo we highly recommend visiting our friends at Small White Ball.com, a place where you can read about some of the stories you won't catch on the front page.

For example, how about Dustin Pedroia's acting ability? Or about Christian Okoye's return to TV? Or about live audio caught on the ice during a hockey skirmish? All this and more can be found at www.smallwhiteball.com.

Super Bowl Ads - A Video History

2008-01-29T10:59:32-05:00

With just a few days to go before the Super Bowl and what will hopefully be the New England Patriots' fourth win in seven seasons (sorry, we're New Englanders), let's shift the focus to what at least 10 of the 30-some-odd million people will truly be tuning in for.

The ads!

I came across one of the greatest sites EVER today in www.superbowl-ads.com. Quite simply, it features a majority of the best ads of the past 10 seasons and a few select commercials from the pantheon of memorable spots.

They're all here: the 1984 Apple ad, Bird vs. Jordan for a Big Mac, all the Bud Light spots and more. It even features reviews, news about this year's ads and yes, you can see the infamous "Boobgate" with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake.

Easy to navigate and with all video hosted by their site (no broken YouTube links!), Super-Bowls-Ads.com does exactly what the the name promises, providing one stop for everything Super Bowl-ad related. No, they're not a client of ours, but this site is awesome and the perfect way to break the monotony of watching two straight weeks of Super Bowl coverage.

Go Pats!

East Carolina Football: the best team ever

2007-12-10T15:00:48-05:00

The world of sports can often be a very negative one with more attention going toward the contracts, the personalities and the incidents rather than the actual game itself. It can be easy to be overwhelmed by the talking heads and the ensuing tidal wave of opinion over fact, but there are times when the sporting world gives back and does something noteworthy.

Who knew it'd be from East Carolina University?

ECU is taking on the awesomess that is Boise State (think blue turf and trick plays) in the Aloha Bowl in Hawaii. As bowl games go, both colleges get an allotment of tickets to sell to their own fanbase. If you haven't looked at a map lately, ECU is about a few thousand miles away from Hawaii and the school knew it wasn't going to burn through its allotment of 5000 tickets. So instead of giving the tickets back to the Aloha Bowl comittee, ECU did something so great that it defies all previous logic.

They asked their fans to purchase the tickets as a donation for military personnel and their families stationed in Hawaii. After the military has been taken care of, the offer will trickle down to firefighters, policemen and the rest of those that serve us every day.There are over 45,000 stationed throughout the islands who are expected to remain there for the holidays.

While the state may have their own Rainbow Warriors and quarterback Colt Brennan on their mind this month, I think the Pirates of East Carolina will get a warm welcome come December 23rd and deservedly so.

Source: Associated Press

Josh Nason is the Director of Marketing for Pro Sports Media, a leader in integrated web and email solutions for the sports world. He also writes for several other blogs on the internet.

NHIS, Pats/Colts coverage, Olsen Twins

2007-11-06T14:41:57-05:00

It's rainy and cold in the Northeast and it's been a long two weeks with the Red Sox win and Patriots' exploits. Toss in K.G. and the Celtics and it's a great time to be a sports fan.

So, why not a little venom?

The sale of NHIS - I was saddened to hear of the impending $340 million sale of New Hampshire International Speedway from the Bahre family to Speedway Motorsports Inc. for several reasons. Being based in NH, I care a lot about what happens in this state and as its largest employer, so should NHIS. I have no doubt that the Bahres had the right intentions in mind when deciding who to sell their speedway to. After building an incredible attraction in little ol' Loudon, NH, that attracts over 100,000 people twice a year for NASCAR races, they ought to. I'm not a race fan, but I understand in the pride that it brings this region. For two days a year, we matter to a percentage of the country and the financial implications of those races matter to the state.

But when I read pieces like this that have new owner Bruton Smith saying he has "no plans" to move one of the races to Vegas, I'm concerned. When I read quotes like this ("I don't think he's going to, personally. But that's only my thought.") from Bob Bahre regarding the potential move of a race from Loudon to Las Vegas, I'm concerned. Considering he had many suitors for the track (including Boston Red Sox owner John Henry's group, who have obvious New England ties), you would think Bahre would have included some sort of guarantee clause that both races remain in New Hampshire for a certain amount of time.

However, he didn't and past 2008, the possiblity of a race moving looms large. The economic impact will be felt here and not in a city like Vegas who has more money flowing through it hourly than most of New Hampshire does daily. To me, It is an inevitability that Smith will wave a checkered flag to both races eventually leaving the Granite State and we'll be left feeling like we just spun out in Turn 2 and hit the wall.

Aves at it again - Former Los Angeles King and Mike Longver favorite Sean Avery was back in the news today. This time, it seems Aves has been seen out in public with paparazzi favorite Mary Kate Olsen, according to several media outlets. Maybe she's trying to keep pace with her sister Ashley who is now hooked up with Lance Armstrong. Stick figure girls are in again?

Come on, ESPN - After Super Bowl 41.5 last Sunday between the Colts and Pats, I was stunned (or maybe I shouldn't be) at the level of media coverage the ensuring New England victory result got. After weeks and weeks of hearing about every angle, it seemed like ESPN dropped the story when the ending didn't turn out as they expected. The conspiracy theorist in me says that had the Colts won, we would be hearing a lot more about this game. To me, there is no doubt that the NFL is taking offense to the way the Patriots are simply destroying teams this season. Make no mistake that Bill Belichick is on a mission, a quiet one, but one that is geared toward destruction. And yes, this is all thanks to the Spygate media hurricane sham that was based more on opinion than on fact. As a result, there are more detractors than there are objective media types. Since the Pats won, I think the media silence that occurred afterward was quite telling (unless you were talking about the Belichick/Dungy handshake after the game).

One of the more disappointing results was on the Mike and Mike radio show on ESPN, a staple for yours truly in the office. I was anxious to get their thoughts, but instead was depressed to hear little talk of New England's big win. Instead, the focus was on the "impressive" Colts defense, how the result really didn't matter since these two teams will meet again and how irritated they were with Belichick's post-game reaction. Ugh. Guys: get over it. Belichick doesn't have to give you anything for quotes. It's not his obilgation to give the media anything they can use. He does his job and answers questions how he prefers to, in a stoic fashion that doesn't lead to bulletin board material. It's simple: he wins games, he wins championships. Stop hating on the fact he doesn't talk and appreciate how he does his job which is what he ultimately should be judged on. With the amount of coaching turnover current in pro sports, you'd think someone doing their job right would actually be revered. Much like the San Antonio Spurs, doing your job in a non-flashy way isn't cool.

And how everyone focused on the post-game handshake more than the officiating still befuddles me. I heard one national commentator (Colin Cowherd) mention the major disparity in penalites, but none of the other programs happened to pick up on it. Really? Two officials stare at a Colts player stepping out-of-bounds on a catch and call it fair and it's not brought up? Mutliple pass interference calls that didn't fit the rules and not a mention? There needs to be more ombudsmen out there to call ESPN out, similar to what Le Ann Schreiber does for them. For a $30 billion media company to only have one doesn't make sense.

Josh Nason is the Director of Marketing for Pro Sports Media and writes on various topics for Small White Ball, NasonBlog and Notes From The Lab. His views do not reflect the views of PSM, its employees or corporate views as a whole.

Analysts And The Fear of Being Wrong

2007-10-25T14:24:26-04:00

During the day, I manage catch a few minutes of sports talk radio, either on my whopping five-minute drive to the office or during the day on my work computer if I decide I need a break from music. Amazingly in the past few days, I've noticed a trend that makes absolutely no sense and is the complete antithesis of what their jobs are supposed to entail: analysts not analyzing.

Example 1: Steve Young. The Hall-of-Fame quarterback has been a football analyst for ESPN for a few seasons now and tends to be, in my opinion, a bit indignant when it comes to dealing with his fellow analysts. (If you saw the absymal ESPN Fantasy Football draft special this season, his awkward exchange with Nick Bakay was enough to make you cringe just a bit.)

With the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts both undefeated and heading toward a showdown in just a few weeks, the questions are being asked as to who is better: Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? It's a valid question and something that sports fans talk about around the country. Why? It's natural. People like to debate topics like this, especially when there are vast allegiances for both.

However, Young doesn't think so. On the Monday night edition of SportsCenter, Mike Greenberg posed the question to Young as to who his preference was. Young refused to answer the question and basically discounted the notion that people are debating this, telling Greenberg to "stop it" in such a b*tch-slap fashion that it made me a bit upset listening to it. (If you're an ESPN Insider, click here and go to the 10/24 edition of Mike/Mike to hear part of this.)

Example 2: Phil Simms. Simply swap out ESPN for CBS and Pro Football Hall of Fame for New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame in the above references and you have Simms. (Yes, there is a NJ Sports Hall of Fame.) The next day, coincedentally on Mike and Mike, Simms came on for his regular segment and did the same thing that Young did the day before, disimissing the notion that people are even debating this! Simms mentioned that he travels all over the country, talks to a lot of people and has never heard anyone bring it up. At point, he said it was even "beneath him" to answer it. Sigh. (Use that link above to listen to Simms. Two for the price of one!)

According to Greenberg, Mike Ditka, Bill Parcells and even Ron Jaworski have refused to make a choice. The question from the sports public is why? If you make a choice, it doesn't mean you dislike the other QB but rather you have a preference. Guess what, guys? That's ok! That is what you are paid to do: analyze games, personnel, situations and matchups, giving us insight into the other side of the business based on your knowledge. To refuse to comment or make a pick shouldn't be allowed, plain and simple. Do I expect the higher-ups at ESPN to do so? No, but it would be nice.

One more analyst to, well, analyze and that would be ESPN writer Jayson Stark. (Sorry to seem like I'm picking on ESPN, but seriously, they are the definitive leader in sports coverage and to look other places seems foolhardy to me.) Normally a great baseball reporter, Stark was the lone dissenting voice on who would win the Red Sox/Rockies World Series, claiming the latter would win in six games. I have no problem with that because if that's truly your opinion, you should be free to say it, no matter how crazy it might sound. The manner in which Stark defended his choice was a bit strange, essentially saying that Colorado was just as good as the Sox if not better in some categories.

A day after the Sox annihilated the Rockies 13-1 in Game 1, Stark posted this piece on how amazing the Sox were. For me and others I've connected with today, it seems strange. It got me to thinking that if Stark is wrong, will he a) admit it and b) do another column explaining just what happened and where he went askew? Often, we have these "chosen ones" telling what they think and why. More often than not, we never hear about what went into their analysis and what they were wrong on. Instead, they move onto the matter at hand and just move on with no regard for what they said to the past.

As a fan and viewer, shouldn't I expect my sports coverage to be held to some sort of accountability? Shouldn't there be some sort of tally or background somewhere where we can gauge the validity of their comments to their past results? As sports fans, we are deluged with opinions all the time. I'd like to think that the people we expect to get the pertinent information from are giving us their best efforts.

Josh Nason is the Director of Marketing for Pro Sports Media and can also be read at Small White Ball, Nason's Deal and at Notes From The Lab.

NLL Goes Under (Kinda), Dusty Roads and BC Coffee

2007-10-18T17:05:05-04:00

Three stories from the wide sports marketing spectrum, one involving the National Lacrosse League, another from the Cincinatti Reds and one from the Boston College Eagles.

The NLL Says MMMMBye For A Season - I've been following the National Lacrosse League for a year now as the big crowds, hard hits and seemingly strong game presentation are hugely appealing to me. Honestly, I've never seen a game or watched much on tv, but I was really looking forward to checking out the expansion Boston Blazers, in addition to visiting my good friend Stephanie who is now handling PR duties there.

Unfortunately, that won't be happening anytime soon. (Sorry, Steph). Earlier this week, the NLL announced they are suspending operations for the 2008 season due to labor strife. The league and the players' association couldn't come to an agreement, meaning the 14-team league, which averaged 10,283 fans last season, will not open in late-December. Yikes. We're not talking about MLB-style labor pains, but guys that make an individual maximum of $21,294 with the franchise max for unrestricted free agents at $25,553. The minimum? $6,880. Double yikes.

Despite the league's success, the players association is claiming over $800,000 is owed to them by the league and some franchises are reportedly in trouble. Because of the low salaries, most players have to hold other jobs to support themselves. Keep in mind that this is a league that was being touted as close to taking over the National Hockey League for popularity just a few years ago. Now, it faces a true test of whether it can come back at all.

The Dusty Road - On Monday amidst the furor that is the postseason, an NL Central franchise took another step toward being part of that in the future as the Cincinatti Reds hired Dusty Baker to take the managerial helm. Baker managed the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, going to the World Series in 2002 with the Giants and within a handful of outs with Chicago in the Bartman Season.

Normally, hiring a formerly successful manager would be a good thing for a franchise that has so non-descript for so long. But the feeling I get in reading some articles on the move is that this is being treated as a stagnant move by Reds' brass instead of a progressive one. Here's a wrap-up of some via AOL Fanhouse. So if you're the Reds management and trying to somehow leverage some of your popular talent like Ken Griffey Jr., Brandon Phillips and...and...and...Bronson Arroyo (sure, that sounds good), how much do you take in the popularity of your manager into account? Or with an MLB-best 24th ranked attendance, does it even matter?

BC Loves Juan Valdez: I was getting some gas the other day at an On The Run and noticed the Boston College Eagles logo above the gas pump. I'm not used to seeing this so often in New Hampshire and saw that everytime the Eagles win, people can get a free 16 oz. cup of coffee. Now, it didn't specify football (currently ranked 4th in the nation), hockey or otherwise but regardless, I was impressed. In an area that is primarily dominated by the pro sports clubs, I like the effort BC is taking to become the dominant college in the region. What a great way to get even non-fans hoping the local team pulls out a win for some free coffee.

Josh Nason is the Director of Marketing for Pro Sports Media and can also be read at Small White Ball and at Notes From The Lab.

On The Road With The Los Angeles Kings

2007-10-09T20:37:16-04:00

I write this blog entry with a full stomach as just moments ago I ate lunch on the Kings’ charter flight to Dallas…Sirloin steak and au gratin potatoes. Traveling with an NHL team is about as good as it gets.

Three games into the season and things are starting to develop for this team. Anze Kopitar has picked up his game where he left it last season – he’s a dynamic player that genuinely loves to play the game and he’s only 20-years-old. Michael Cammalleri, a former member of the Manchester Monarchs circa 2002-05, is also off to a great start as the 25-year-old ranks among the league leaders with four goals.

It will be interesting to see how this team gets out of the gates in October after opening the season with a pair of games at the O2 arena in London. Yes, that’s a long way to go for two games…but the opportunity to bond as a young club could really pay off for this team that has nine players who are 25-years-old or younger on its roster.

Charter flights are just like riding the bus only more comfortable. Just like on the bus, the players with the most seniority get first dibs on the back seats. The older guys are also the ones who bring poker chips onto the airplane, and they’re always looking to take a young rookie’s meal money for the trip.

As you move up the airplane from the back, you first find the support staff and then in the front of them, you find the coaching staff and the front office management team.

While in the air, it really varies as to what the players, coaches, front office and support staff do to pass the time. The broadcasters that travel with us usually spend the time studying the next opponent of the Kings (which happens to be Dallas on this trip). As mentioned earlier, several players pass the time with a game of poker and others read, watch movies on their laptops or listen to music.

Once we land, we’ll board a bus and make our way to the hotel. We’re scheduled to arrive in Dallas at 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday, with our game against the Stars scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. local time start on Wednesday.

Once they’re checked into the hotel, the players will look for a good place to eat dinner, and then they’ll go back to the hotel and rest easy for the remaining portion of the evening. When they wake up the next morning, they’ll prepare themselves for the game that night by having a nice (and big) healthy breakfast. Next they’ll board a bus to head to the arena for a pre-game skate.

As you can clearly see, when the Kings travel, it IS a business trip. Everything the team does is geared toward beating Dallas on Wednesday night. Hopefully that will be the case.

We’re about ready to touchdown in Dallas so I’ll say goodbye for now. To follow the Kings (and the progress of several former Manchester Monarchs) visit the official website of the Kings, www.LAKings.com.

Until next time, remember this simple axiom: Wherever you go, there you are.

NYR vs. NHL: the battle for individuality in a team sport

2007-10-08T15:21:22-04:00

I was reading an article in the Sports Business Journal today about how the New York Rangers are looking to expand their foothold in the new media area with an increased online presence, leveraging the rights they have through the Madison Square Garden Network. The SBR is reporting that the Rangers and the league are at odds over the team's ability to package and sell their digitial media in a form they want, bucking the NHL's recent move to centralize all of their online efforts.

For a company like ours that is in the interactive space, the benefits of a central source vs. an every team for themselves approach has been a running internal dialogue and one we're watching closely.

If you're a little behind on this story, essentially the NHL chose to go with one source for their teams' web design efforts, following a path blazed by Major League Baseball, the NBA and others. As a result, they are using this opportunity to sell their services at the league level and taking that ability out of the clubs' individual hands. They think they'll be able to increase revenues to the point that the total amount will exceed what the teams were doing themselves.

The Rangers are claiming antitrust violations against the league because of this and are apparently getting support from some other major-market teams. The league sees benefit in solidifying this business model, so all teams in the league can share in the success, while the Rangers and others want the ability to manage their own operations however they see fit. It's becoming a standoff and one that has major implications on the NHL's marketing future, as this is another stumbling block for a league that can't manage to have any more internal issues.

The Rangers have a lot to lose here as they are debuting 'MSG Hockey Night Live' on a new web site launched through MSG Network, which owns programming rights to the Rangers, NY Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils. When it comes to hockey in the state of New York and New Jersey, they are Queens Boulevard. Last season, MSG experimented with a Rangers On Demand service which brought in 500,000 streams in just 10 days. There's a lot to gain for MSG and seemingly not a lot to lose for the league, which needs people to actually be interested in the product. However, this would effectively bastardize the agreement they had set forth when they set off to bring everything interactive in-house. Hence, the two organizations are at odds.

Streamlining down to one look/feel/provider is a tough call and most development shops like ours would say that it's ridiculous...unless we were the ones to provide the services. What something like this does is help those clubs who aren't marketing-savvy look like they are, while limiting the abilities of the upper crust to create amazing web sites and user experiences. At the minor league level, we see issues with teams all the time due to restricting budgets and eyes that are often larger than their financial stomachs.

At the major pro levels, representing your brand with a strong online presence can mean millions in additional revenue so lest you think this legal battle is simply posturing, there is a lot at stake. The Rangers and MSG feel that the league is squandering its opportunities to market themselves and bring in revenues that will otherwise go by the wayside if teams aren't allowed to manage it their way. Considering the Rangers have an amazing attendance run despite struggling in recent seasons, I think they know what they're doing. The NHL? Well, they had a lockout two seasons ago and most fans seemed unaware the puck was dropping on the 2007-08 season last week.

One of the joys in creating web sites and interactive functions designed to provide information and increase revenue is the ability to cater to each client individually. While template-style looks and feels are appropriate in some cases, having the opportunity to let the marketing cream rise to the top is what makes successful campaigns and award-winning material just that. On the financial side, shouldn't each team in each city be the best barometer as to what to sell and what to offer?

Information provided by Sports Business Journal and New York Post.

Josh Nason is the Director of Marketing for Pro Sports Media and spent seven seasons working in the front office of the Manchester Monarchs and Portland Pirates, both of the American Hockey League.

Lots of dollars with no sense

2007-10-03T15:23:02-04:00

After being a sports fan for approximately 20 years and after having worked in the industry for seven years, there are few things that surprise me anymore. There are, however, quite a few things that make me shake my head in disgust.

To a lot of people, college basketball is a major sport. Virtually every night of the week, you can find a college game on tv, ranging from the big conferences and holiday tournaments to the obscure I-AA teams doing battle in front of 28 fans. March Madness alone is a multi-billion dollar industry and single-handedly responsible for turning office secretaries and mail room boys into ESPN-level prognosicators.

But because seeing 18-24 year olds hit the hardwood is big business doesn't mean you have to price your tickets like a Harvard education. Boston's TD Banknorth Garden is hosting the Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase in early-December, featuring games between Gonzaga and UConn and Providence and Boston College. Mind you, it's two games and not a mini-tournament. A ticket to see both games? $252.50, $177.50, $127.50, $77.50, $52.50 and $27.50.

Yikes. Again, it's college basketball. If you do the math, it's an average ticket price of $119, meaning the total gate could be upwards of $2 million. $252 for two college games? Never mind that...$77.50? It seems the promoters are pricing the day as two separate events, but come on. Talk about ridiculous!

But even worse is another TD Banknorth event (sorry, Boston) happening in November. It's even worse because the industry is boxing who needs more help than even the NHL these days, but they continue to keep charging exorbitant pay-per-view costs and praying that the industry simply takes care of itself. Boxing promoters are notorious for being shady and in the face of a growing UFC phenomenon and an apathetic audience, you would think they'd try to appeal to fans by putting some good fights on free tv. However, the industry is very short-sighted and prefers to think for the now, rather than the future.

The November event is for the finale of the ESPN series, The Contender. Initially on NBC, the show features 12 boxers fighting for a shot to become a major player and win a tournament-style competition. Essentially, it's a boxing reality show that got low ratings despite a really entertaining first season. ESPN picked it up and airs the finale fight live on tv. (I'm surprised this actually wasn't on PPV and my guess is that the idea was at least bantered around. A series on free tv with a finale you charge for seems apropos for boxing).

So the total night will be five fights: the main event, a third-place bout and three additional fights. The ticket average jumps to $151 with $302.50, $202.50, $127.50, $77.50, $47.50 as your prices. My guess is that the venue won't sell out and hopefully, these costs are to blame. It's irritating to see an industry continually blunder and stumble when the obvious answers are in front of them.

Ticket prices are an obvious flashpoint for fans upset at the escalating costs of attending sporting events. I would love to hear the justifications for these two events.

Josh Nason is the Director of Marketing for Pro Sports Media and writes for several blogs, including Small White Ball.

Manchester, NH: Sports Mecca

2007-08-27T12:52:14-04:00

Well, we're getting there anyway.

Pro Sports Media has been based in the Queen City for almost one year now and with our clients like the Manchester Monarchs leading the way, Manchester is definitely the place to be and the place to be seen.

Congratulations to our little city of Manchester, NH, recently named as the 12th-best market for minor-league sports.

The study was done by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal, who analyzed the country's 242 minor-leauge sports markets. According to the magazine, the Manchester-Nashua area (which includes our friends, the Nashua Pride) was ranked ninth in terms of the teams' tenure in the region, 18th in attendance per team and 29th for overall economic rank.

Unfortunately, we're also the most-overworked city in the country too, according to Men's Health.

Information gathered from the New Hampshire's Union-Leader.