Although ESPN provides great interaction for fans, it still is not enough. ESPN hardly ever offers direct interaction with players and fans, whereas Twitter does. I think this will definitely change the face of communication, if it hasn't already. Don't get me wrong ESPN, NBC, and Fox Sports have done a phenomenal job, but I think this could really change the future for players and teams. That's how I see the sports industry advancing in the future.
The sports industry continues to grow every single day. However as it grows, the more vital sports communication becomes. Technology is constantly growing which means all of the sports communications efforts need to be up-to-date. Right now ESPN is taking the lead for the most innovated sports communication company out there. ESPN provides more news, sports, and fan interaction than any other company out there. Although, ESPN has done so well there are still so many techniques out there to use. ESPN is still the most successful to-date. However, in my opinion one social media site may be taking the future by storm. That social media site is Twitter. Over the last two years, Twitter has taken the sports industry by storm. They have provided pages for athletes, teams, sports companies such as ESPN, and many other sport outlets. The interaction between fans and these Twitter accounts have truly become one of the most popular and simplest forms of sports communication. I would predict that in the next coming years, this will be one of the MOST used applications in sports communication.
Although ESPN provides great interaction for fans, it still is not enough. ESPN hardly ever offers direct interaction with players and fans, whereas Twitter does. I think this will definitely change the face of communication, if it hasn't already. Don't get me wrong ESPN, NBC, and Fox Sports have done a phenomenal job, but I think this could really change the future for players and teams. That's how I see the sports industry advancing in the future.
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Twitter and Facebook have both revolutionized the social media industry, not just for personal use, but for business as well. Today million of users are using both of these very marketable tools. Teams and Sports Agencies can take full advantage of these techniques in five different ways that I have experienced with my company.
I have used all five of these techniques to increase our fan base. The more interactive you are with these social media sites the better. People like it when the teams/sports agency cares and if the fans feel important, the revenue rises. The best way to do this is through social media. Marketing your team in every form is important, but with the growth of these two outlets, they could be your direct way to the fans. A great example of this is JoLi Academy, they use social media to spread the word and they interact with everyone interested in their academy and programs. JoLi Academy uses Twitter to respond to fans and inquiries in regards to the academy. They also have a Facebook fan page to keep everyone up-to-date and current with what they are doing with photos and articles. This is what everyone needs to do. So start tweeting and get your business some more publicity! Crisis Management may be one of the most important aspect of Sports Communication. In today's society, once a story breaks everyone is quick to believe allegations or rumors before the real story hits the headlines. It is the responsibility of the organization to handle the situation as quickly and accurately as possible. Crisis Management take a lot of preparation and needs an organization to follow the guidelines set in place to handle a situation. The diagram below shows the order in which to take the necessary steps. Without the proper management and control of the situation the team or organization will get a bad name for themselves. This is what they want to avoid. In the case of Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, the Miami Dolphins took immediate control of the situation after the police report was filed on Johnson. Johnson was arrested for physical assault on his now ex-wife, Evelyn Lozada. Police reports stated that Johnson headbutted his wife on August 11th, 2012, and was released the next day. However, he wasn't just released from jail, he was released immediately from the Miami Dolphins because of his arrest. The domestic abuse charges, caused the Miami Dolphins to look at the charges and what it would do to the reputation of the organization. The Dolphins immediately released a statement and moved forward with their decision. Soon after Chad and Evelyn finalized their divorce and Chad released a public apology. This kind of crisis needs to handled appropriately and in the right hands. This is why following the diagram below is so important for both the organization and player. Alex Morgan, Nike Women Alex Morgan, Forward for the United States Women's National Soccer Team is not only one of the most talented female soccer players in the world, she is also a celebrity endorser for many top brands. Alex made a name for herself in World Cup Qualifying when she scored a huge goal against Italy coming off the bench to send them to the World Cup. But that's not all, Alex has continued to break records, including scoring 23 goals this year alone. Alex has made a name for herself on the field, but has also done it outside. Not only is Alex very talented, she is a very beautiful individual, which has provided her with great opportunities for modeling. Alex Morgan has received endorsement deals from many well-know companies including: Nike, GNC, ESPN Body Issue, Just Dance, Coca-Cola, Panasonic, Kenneth Cole, Bank of America, and many more. Her biggest endorsement came from Nike, where she has made a name for herself with Nike Women and Nike Soccer. Alex makes about $25,000 yearly just from playing soccer, however her net worth is about $400,000 which has come from endorsements. Now with any athlete you want to make sure that they are endorsing your products in a positive and desirable way. Alex Morgan does just that. At 23 years old, young girls are looking up to her, so companies like Just Dance and Nike little girls are going to want those products because Alex Morgan is endorsing them. But that's not all, endorsers want to make sure that the athlete is truly using their product or promoting it as much as possible. You wouldn't want a Nike rep to wear Adidas, so it's their job to stay true to their endorsement deals. Alex does just that. She also makes sure to attend events when she is not with the team. For instance, in the weeks off after the first Fan Tribute Tour game, Alex walked the runway for Just Dance. She promoted her endorsement and showed up when she was required. Overall, Alex has been the perfect athlete to endorse; she's got the look, the talent, and the success, what more could you ask for? http://celebnetworth.org/alex-morgan-net-worth-salary Check out the video below of Alex endorsing Panasonic Viera TV: In this article that I read it said there were a lot of similarities in recruiting athletes and fundraising for them. At first I didn't think there were many things that could be similar until I read the article. The first similarity that stood out was the Pool of Prospects. In both fundraising and recruiting you have a pool of prospects that you look for to either be apart of your team or donate to your team. This was a big one because it does take up the most time in regards to picking the right option for your team. Next I chose to look at Ability and Fit. The reason why is because if the sponsor or athlete doesn't fit well with your ultimate goal, than why bring them on. In the case of fundraising you want someone who is financially sound rather than someone who is not. In recruiting, you want an athlete who is fit and skilled rather than someone who is injured and can't play. These are things that you have to look for in both opportunities. The last similarity that I enjoyed reading about was the personal connections. In any situation you have to be able to connect with this person because you do want to form a lasting relationship. If a person has a lot of connections, keeping them involved would be ideal, therefore you have to form a relationship with them and their connections. In recruiting, you have to be able to find people who are inspiring or influential into an athletes life. In fundraising, you want to find someone who is well known around the community. These are just some of the similarities to look at in regards to recruiting and fundraising. To read about the other seven similarities, click here. Based on the video by CNN, I noticed the difference in media at the Olympic Games. In Beijing, it was far stricter than it was in London. A lot of the reason for this is because the government is much stricter in regards to media and television coverage. Originally, media was supposed to be allowed a lot more access to the games than what they were actually granted. The media had to go through a deeper and longer process before even being cleared. One key point to note on was that that small reporters and writers weren’t even allowed in because they weren’t big media outlets. This was much different in London this past summer. Which I will get into a little later through this discussion. Now after reading the article that was provided, I had an uneasy feeling in regards to the generation gaps in age and what viewers prefer the Olympics over others. There was a statement that someone who was in their 40’s holds a more traditional view of the Olympics than the younger generation; however I have to disagree completely. I personally hold great respects and traditional views for the Olympics and everyone around me does the same. Throughout life I have watched every Olympics possible for as long as I can remember and I always viewed it as something bigger than anything anyone could imagine. The Olympics weren’t just about the best athletes or the medals won, they were about the world coming together for one very large event. Therefore, I don’t believe that age plays a huge role in the viewers. I think it’s about the games itself. But that of course is my personal opinion on the matter. As stated above, I wanted to discuss the London and Beijing Olympics a little more in detail. The first thing is that in Beijing, the media outlet was much more subtle than it was in London. I remember I was at soccer practice one morning when I specific game was taking place (women’s soccer) and I fortunately got back to my dorm and saw zero updates on the game because things like Twitter and Facebook were hardly updating the games. It gave me enough time to sit down and watch the tape delay on TV, which was perfect for me. Which brings me to my next point, although London did a fantastic job at streaming and making sure everyone had a chance to follow the games or athletes, the results were often given away before the tape delay even aired. Twitter and Facebook became social media outlets during the Olympics. Although it was great to be able to live updates, it was awful not being able to watch some of these events live. The one thing that really stood out, negatively, for the Olympic Games was the tape delay of the opening and closing ceremonies. I read an article about how the ratings went down quickly the minute the Olympics decided to promote Animal Practice’s pilot episode before the closing ceremonies even ended. This left people unnerved and very unhappy. I personally watched the live-stream so I was familiar with what was cut out and I can truly say it was not very appropriate to cut all of that out. Now the last thing I would like to discuss were the interviews. Bob Costas did a fantastic job from his headquarters; however I don’t think there should have been so many interruptions during the games for these interviews or flashbacks. I think that would have been the perfect opportunity to have live events playing rather than things from the past. I know it is tradition and a part of history but I do believe it took up far more time than needed to be. However, I still think that London did a much better job than Beijing in terms of broadcasting. Overall, the Olympics were a complete success and I was still grateful for all of the media coverage. NBC really pulled through on this one. Associated Press. (2012, Aug 13). Nbc halts olympics for new show animal practice. Retrieved from http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/entertainment/NBC-halts-Olympics-for-new-show-Animal-Practice- Barry, M. (2012, Aug 12). Olympic media fails; london 2012 coverage goes faster, higher, fail. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/12/olympics-fails-london-2012-fail-coverage_n_1770907.html?utm_hp_ref=sports Hiestand, M. (2012, Aug 12). Nbc's london prime time coverage on pace to best beijings. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/story/2012-08-12/NBC-London-prime-time-coverage-to-best-Beijing/57012046/1 Rivenburgh, N. K. (2003). The olympic games: Twenty-first century challenges as a global media event. Sports, Media, Culture There are many new techniques and software that can be used in information technology for all forms of athletics. Some of the newest forms are internet databases, iPod or iPhone applications, new forms of broadcasting such as cameras, television channels, and instant replay technology, there are social media sites like the newly popular Twitter, but there is one new form of technology that most people haven't heard of, and that's Paciolan. Paciolan is a database or software that helps you control ticket purchases throughout the season. The Paciolan software allows a team to store information on ticket buyers in the system and provides only the best available seating to ticket buyers. This software allows ticketing sales consultants to form relationships and bonds with their clients by knowing their preferred location and trying to work with them to find the best seating available. But that's not all, Paciolan actually has a built in stadium map that marks seats that are filled, and allows you to see open seating to provide quality information to the ticket buyers. Paciolan has a lot of benefits too, for instance:
Last night I attended ASU's Women's Soccer first game of the Sun Devil Desert Classic against Houston. The game itself was one sided with ASU dominating the ball control, however on what seemed like an unfair call the ref gave Houston a penalty kick with 3 minutes left in the game. That penalty kick determined the results of the game, but if you ask anyone in the stands they would say ASU won that game. After interviewing a few of the players from the game, I came home to do a match report. I was able to finish the report an hour before the deadline. However, I was stressing about the deadline because I knew I wouldn't be home until 9:30pm. Once I got home I went straight to work on the report. I finished at 10:55pm leaving me an hour before the deadline hit. It was a relief but also made me appreciate sports writers that much more. I can truly say rushing home to make a deadline is not the easiest thing in the world but I did get it done and I was truly proud. One thing I would definitely recommend to anyone doing a match write-up/report is make sure to take notes. I made notes on when the goals were scored. When a specific player was making a notable run and how the goalkeeper did. This is something I would recommend to anyone. When I was doing the write up those notes truly helped me get the job done correctly. I also was glad that I recorded the interviews I had with the players because it was much better being able to quote them rather than have to reference back to what they said. Overall this was one of the best assignments I have had to do. I really enjoyed it because I was able to watch something I loved and do a write up on it. It was a great experience. A very special thank you to Steve Rodriquez, Shane, Jasmine Roth, and Nina Brueggemann for the interviews. Until next time. Go Devils!! Throughout the last few days the 2012 Paralympic Games have been taking place and what an exciting show it has been. Gold Medals have already been handed out to many talented athletes, but one ceremony stuck out to the fans and viewers at home, as well as the medalists. This medal ceremony was for Great Britain's Discus Thrower Gold Medalist Aled Davis. According to Huffington Post (USA), Vancouver Sun (Canada), and Mirror News (UK) this ceremony was the headline story of the Paralympic Games thus far. The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton has attended numerous games from the 2012 London Olympics to the Paralymics. When asked to hand out a medal she was more than happy to do so, especially for a Great Britain Gold Medalist. Aled Davis included that the Duchess was "such a lovely person (Mirror, 2012)," which seems to be extremely true. Kate has supported Great Britain in almost every competition that has taken place in these games. Then to give a medal out, how much more lovely could she get. Davis also stated how big of an honor it was to receive his medal from the Duchess herself. Throughout my research on Global Sports Reporting I noticed that a lot of the stories led back to the Paralympics and Kate Middleton, so naturally that was the headline I was drawn to. The article itself had almost identical content for all three news stories. Each one was very similar in the context overall. The one thing that I did notice was the difference in similar stories that were on the side of each article. For instance, in the Huffington Post the headline stories that were similar were as followed: It's Mexican Wave Time Again!, Kate Middleton attends Rowing Competition, Obama reacts to Eastwood's Speech, and The NFL is back. These articles were very sporadic and not really something I would read. Now when it came to Mirror's site I noticed they had articles that went more like this: Liverpool Transfer News, Brad Guzan Attitude towards Given coming to Aston Villa FC, and Prince Harry Picture Scandal. These were a little more sports related but not by much. The advertisements were the same for all pages, I could tell they were aimed to market better for my benefit. For instance on all three pages there was an advertisement for Norton Internet Security Renewal discount, which just hours before I was searching for. I could tell it was tailored to fit me and that was not something that I particularly liked. Overall I thought that searching these global news articles was very interesting. Who wouldn't love reading up on the Paralympics and Kate Middleton? Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more sports reporting soon. Check out the articles here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/03/kate-middleton-paralympics-medals-rowing-2012_n_1851690.html#slide=1464076 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/kate-middleton-presents-paralympics-gold-1299754 http://www.vancouversun.com/Photos+Kate+Middleton+2012+Paralympics/7181796/story.html Over the years, sports coverage on television has expanded to a whole new level. Based on Paul Pederson's book, "Television brought events live to fans and visually captured the key moments and plays (Pederson, 2007, p. 59, col 2, par 2)." This was a huge development for sports. Two perfect examples of this are: the 2011 Women's World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics. In 2011, Women's soccer took a dramatic turn when the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team defeated Brazil in the Quarterfinals in double overtime and penalty kicks to move forward to the Semi's. They later would make it to the finals but fall to Japan in penalty kicks. However, the world didn't see that as a loss, they saw it as a team who was determined to win and prove something to the world. It was the headline of every sports channel and newspaper around. The U.S. didn't win the cup, but they won the hearts of new fans everywhere. I attended a game in November here in Phoenix not long after the WWC, and let me tell you the atmosphere had changed drastically since the last game I had attended. Instead of their only being about two-five thousand people there, there was close to 18,000 in attendance. This made the experience that much better for me. Now, the next example of television changing sports is the recent 2012 London Olympics. With NBC being the main broadcasters fans across the world, including myself, were able to watch every event possible. From their coverage on TV to their online streaming. The face of the Olympic's coverage had changed greatly since 2008. I, among many other fans, were able to watch every one of our favorite events and see the replays later if we didn't catch it live. This provided some of the most in-depth coverage of any sporting event tournament. It was a huge step in the right direction. Now, sports coverage isn't always pretty. There are time were ESPN, FSN, NBC, or other sports channels will air information about an athlete that could be viewed as a negative implication. For instance, the incident with Hope Solo right before the Olympics, stated that she had used an illegal substance in her prescription, however was not sanctioned for the incident because she was clearly unaware of what was in her menstrual medication. This caused rumors all around the media that she was doping and possibly ineligible to play in the upcoming tournament. The rumors spread like wildfire, but were soon extinguished by the team manager and Hope Solo herself. Situations like this can ruin an athletes reputation, but of course makes great television. With that said, television coverage has changed sports all around the world, therefore providing the best sports coverage possible for any fan. I think without it, sports would not provide the same level of entertainment for those who can't attend games. Pederson, Paul. Miloch, Kimberly S., Laucella, Pamela C. (2007) Strategic Sport Communication. Chanmpaign, IL. Paul Mark Pederson. |
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