It's after Thanksgiving, and these six turkeys are still around to read about what is going on in sports business. So, what's been happening?
1. New Commissioners, New Marketing Directions for NBA and MLB?
The National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball have new commissioners, Adam Silver and Rob Manfred, respectively. It just so happens that both brands are also in play for marketing agencies to court. What should be the marketing priorities for the NBA and MLB as they begin new eras under the leadership of Silver and Manfred? How will selection of agency partners play a role in shaping the future of these brands?
With New Commissioners, MLB and the NBA Rethink Their Marketing, Andrew McMains, Adweek
2. Parking is a Bear of a Problem, but App Solves Problem
The live sporting event has become vulnerable as rising costs and time investment lead many fans to question the value of attending in person versus consuming indirectly on TV or online. Another sore spot is parking- the cost to park a vehicle and convenience (or lack thereof) of finding parking reasonably close to the venue dissuade many would be attendees. One way to overcome the parking challenge is to enlist technology. The Minnesota Wild have done just that, partnering with Parking Panda to enable fans to use an app to search for parking options and even reserve a space. If Parking Panda or other similar services spread nationally, it makes one wonder what are other ways in which technology can remove impediments to direct sports consumption.
Minnesota Wild, Parking Panda to Let Game-Goers Reserve Parking Spots, Katharine Grayson, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal
3. Is the NHL Interested in Developing a $100M Product?
A projection that a new product could generate $100 million in revenue is an attention getter, to say the least. That is the estimate that a World Cup-style hockey tournament could generate for the National Hockey League and its players. The projection is all the more interesting as the NHL weighs the benefits of allowing its players to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. The feeling is the NHL is not so interested in having its season disrupted by a tournament that it does not control in a country that is not important to the league in terms of building a fan base. Should an NHL-operated World Cup become the premier global tournament for ice hockey, just as FIFA World Cup is for soccer?
4. Big Five or Bust? Are Mid-Major Football Programs in Jeopardy?
Creation of the College Football Playoff and expansion/realignment among the big five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) may be widening a divide between the Big Five and the "Little Five" conferences (American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, and Sun Belt). Will some institutions in the little five group decide that dollars spent on football could be better utilized elsewhere? One institution, C-USA member University of Alabama at Birmingham, has apparently come to such a conclusion. Disbanding the football program appears imminent. Will other institutions evaluate their financial commitment to big-time football now that the Big Five conferences have in effect broken away from the rest of the NCAA's Football Championship Series (FCS) schools?
UAB Prepared to Shut Down Football Program, Dan Wolken, USA Today
5. Is the NFL Television Product Too Good?
Good TV programming attracts viewers. In turn, larger audiences attract advertisers and drives up bidding for broadcast rights. The NFL has mastered this formula; some observers believe it has done so too well. The financial requirements of attending an NFL game, coupled with safety and convenience woes being cited more often as negatives to attending games, could have the unintended effect of the NFL become a made-for-TV product. Is the popularity of the NFL so great that it can weather dissatisfaction with attending games, or are changes needed to make in-person attendance more compelling than watching from one's sofa?
Television is Killing the NFL Stadium Experience, Christian Romo, SportTechie
6. Real Madrid Tweaks Badge with New Sponsorship Deal
Signing a new corporate partner often garners more than mentioning snippets from a press release, but a change to the badge of Real Madrid was driven largely by its association with a new partner. The club announced a partnership with the National Bank of Abu Dabhi, then adapted its badge to remove the cross at the top (see before/after picture below). The change was thought to be an attempt by Real Madrid to not offend Muslims, an audience likely to be attracted through the new partnership. This case makes for interesting discussion- to what lengths should a sports property modify its brand identity or other marketing assets to win favor with a sponsor?
