"Weiss, Paterno missed Rose Bowl invitations but are raking in endorsement, speaking offers." By Dan Benjamin (vol. 8 iss. 37).

Basically, the article is making a big deal out of the fact that Norte Dame's Head football coach Charlie Weiss and Penn State's Joe Paterno are getting more national publicity (endorsement related, anyways) than Texas' Mack Brown whose Longhorns won the national championship. I really don't know why this would be a shocker, granted Brown led his Longhorn team over a favored USC Trojan team for the national championship; however, star-quarterback (and a sure- fire top 5 pick in the upcoming NFL draft) Vince Young is getting all the accocalades for the victory. In addition Brown who is recieving a lot of regional attention (according to the article 126 organizations have inquired about possible deals) had the reputation of not being able to win the "big one" as Texas has been one of the top teams in country since the turn of the century but Brown always faltered against the University of Oklahoma.

There are a few reasons why Weiss is a huge amount of endorsement attention. First and foremost he is the head coach of the University of Norte Dame football team (for some reason this has a lot of clout; not exactly sure why at least, legitimately speaking) and that he had a successful first season (this was Weiss' first head coaching job, he was previously the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots during their three Super Bowl wins). Other tidbits about Weiss that makes him attractive to endoresement and/or book deals is that Weiss is a Norte Dame alumnus and didn't play college football (which as his manager/agent said makes him the "Rudy" of college coaches). In addition, according to the article, Weiss nearly died from complications of gastric bypass surgery and is raising a special needs daughter.

In my opinion, Joe Paterno is recieving more endorsement deals this year, as compared to the previous few seasons is for a couple of reasons. First, Paterno (who is 79- yearls old and has been at Penn State for over 50 years; 39 years as head coach) returned the Nittany Lions to national prominence this past season. In addition, Paterno is one of the one of the two most regonizable coaches in college football, today, (FSU's Bobby Bowden is the other)as a result of his successful record as Paterno stands fourth in career victories (354) in all divisions of play (I-A, I-AA, II, and III).

Besides the three coaches that the article mentioned, I'm sure Florida State's Bowden and USC's Pete Carroll (who's team won the past 1 1/2 national championships) is also getting alot of attention since the NCAA prohibits athletes from engaging in endorsement deals. Personnally, I have problem with that rule but it helps the NCAA control their interests (which is themselves).

"NBA will experiment with sound of silence" by Jen DuhnkeVolume 8, issue 37, page 4

This year, the NBA has taken on the theme of "Hardwood Classics", throwing in some retro ideas to mix-up the atmosphere and give the fans something different. On Feb. 26th during the Houston/Orlando game, there won't be blaring music during play nor all the fan prompts that have become a major part of an NBA game. Instead, organ music will be played along with limited sound effects.

This promotion is to happen during 52 games this season involving 11 teams. The Dallas Mavs played with no music or prompts during a game and the owner wasn't thrilled with the outcome. Last season, the Sacramento Kings turned down the volume during play for two games; Kings owner has no plans to repeat history.

Having less music, fan prompts, and even no announcers is only going to decrease the interest of NBA basketball more. The popularity of the sport has decreased drastically over the past 2 decades. I have a hard time watching NBA games and I'm a huge basketball fan! I would not be able to watch a game on television without the announcers. They add so much to the entertainment of the game. In my opinion, this experiment will not provide anything productive or attract more interest to the league.

Weis, Paterno missed Rose Bowl invitations but are raking in endorsement, speaking offers. Volume 8 Issue 37. By Dave Andrews

While Charlie Weis and Joe Paterno both failed to take their respective teams to the Championship Rose Bowl game, but they are still being awarded more attention and endorsement offers than the national championship coach this year. Notre Dame’s Weis, Penn State’s Paterno and Texas’ Mack Brown are arguably the most successful, high-profile coaches in all of college football.

Notre Dame’s Weis had success in his first year coaching the Fighting Irish, which makes him a prime marketing target. His marketing representation company has received approximately fifty calls for his endorsement services. They tell sources that he will most likely go with Big Brothers and Big Sisters as well as a national insurance underwriting group based in Atlanta. Other endorsements have Weis booked for several speeches (valued between $25,000 and $50,000 each). He is also exploring book options due to his unorthodox life by not play college football, almost dying from gastric bypass surgery and raising a special needs daughter.

Paterno on the other hand has been considering a new book, most likely an autobiography. His autobiography will include his unrevealed childhood in Brooklyn, N.Y. and a return to prominence for him and the Nittany Lions this season. Paterno has also received many more calls than usual this year for his speeches. Rumor has it that Paterno will be making a trip to IUP this year.

As for Brown (coach of Texas), he is going to be featured on the National Championship Texas Wheaties box cover and many organizations have contact him to speak after the game. “Remember, in college football you can’t utilize individual players,…that’s why coaches are so relevant.”

"Another form of fan communication is a 'great idea' for Cavs" by Corey Smith. Vol. 8, Issue 37, pg 13.

The Cleveland Cavaliers in an attempt to open the communication lines between fans and ticket holders have put a message board on their website and it acts as a switchboard for fans and the team alike. The idea is to answer all messages within 24 hours of the posting and to actually take action on as many of these as possible. This is done by a three person team that takes the postings and delivers them to the correct personnel to be answered. Although is has been tough for the organization to keep up they have been giving it a valiant effort.

Team personnel claim this is not a advertsing scheme and the return messages have nothing to do with advertsing or an attempt to sell the poster anything. Telling everyone it is just a way to get closer to the fans and learn about their concerns and things they believe are a success for the team.

I think this is a great idea and brings the fans so much closer to the team. Making fans feel like they are part of the team and can see improvements made based on their thoughts will definately draw them closer to the team. Possibly selling more tickets and merchandise of all sorts. But it needs to stay the way it is, just a message board. Not a way to post sales promotions and other things of that nature. If the fans start to see it as just another way to sell them on something it is going to lose all of its good feeling by the fans. Fans of all sorts want to be heard and when they have the ability to do it in a quick and simple manner it is great. Plus they will recieve an answer to their message. Making them feel as though the money and time they spend on the team is really worth it. As long as the idea behind this message board "fan-first, revenue-second" stays they same I think it will bring the Cavaliers a small boost in fan fair and this will show a boost in marketing.

"Aramark Suit Brings Sobering Changes" vol.8, iss.37, pg.1 &31 by Abbie Hoover

Alcohol has always been associated with sporting events, from football to marathon races. Events like the Super Bowl have an official beer. Along with the popularity of drinking before and during sporting events comes the problem of drinking and driving.

Alcohol has become a big revenue for sporting venues, but along with that comes the responsibility of trying to control how many drinks a person may have. Just recently Aramark lost a multi-million dollar law suit after a fan who had been drinking at a Giants game caused a car accident paralyzing a 2 year old girl.

As a result of the tragedy, Aramark began using a Non-profit organization to help train employees in controling alcohol consumption. There are also "Alcohol Management Teams" that wear bright shirts and patrol the stadium to find fans who need to be cut off from alcohol. Add police/security has been another way of trying to reduce the alcohol problem.

These new measures, which weren't cheap, seem to have worked. There was a 50% reduction in alcohol-related incidents in 2005. The sporting venues are doing what they can to reduce alcohol incidents, but they responsibility shouldn't be all theirs. People need to take responsibility for their actions; they are adults and need to act like it. If people would be responsible drinkers at sporting events there wouldn't be a problem.

“Rockets latest to put interactives upstairs” by Joe Chen, Volume 8 issue 37 page4

The Houston Rockets set up a new interactive area, which is pretty much smart marketing strategic for this highly competition society. Title Sponsored by The famous and large health care company, Memorial Hermann, was opened huge sky court at Toyota center . The agreement signed with this commitment to bring new type of interactive area to the arena. In addition, they offer from variety games to private party room. Moreover, they try to make fans having much fun before or during the play for obtaining additional profitable for the arena.
Indeed, since Yao-Ming and Tracy Mcgrady become the target market for all fans at Houston. Despite their team have a awfully ranking in the NBA over the season. Still, this team has their own way to attract spectator come to watch the game and enjoy it. There is no doubt that Rocket’s new invention of marketing promotes are being successful. In short, I believe that all of the sponsors are willing to boost revenue of the game. Particularly, Houston is an international city, which has more diversity development than the other city. The strategic are focused on young fans that may increase the revenue during the game.
Although the Rockets followed this idea by the other team, they have done their own breakthrough for this season. At least in this promotion seems work very well of the team, as well as bring up the great side effect for the team. This sort of effort along with new wave of this season. That can be a possibility that all sponsors have opportunity to provide their practical service or potential product in the arena in stead of only having a logo and advertisement on the board. After all, the new marketing strategic in the stadium would be turn out to be much more competitive and realistic.

“Rockets latest to put interactives upstairs” by Katie Bell, Volume 8 Issue 37 Page 4

This article is about how NBA teams are adding interactive areas to their arenas in an attempt to maximize the fan experience. Shortly after the Phoenix Suns opened a playground in their US Airways Center, the Houston Rockets decided to turn what used to be a storage space into a large interactive area. It is 8,000 square feet and is called the Memorial Hermann Sky Court. Memorial Hermann is one of the largest health-care systems in Houston and agreed to this five-year deal in order to bring a fan-friendly area to the arena. The interactive area includes a basketball half-court, a private party room, and features that let fans measure their height, weight, wingspan, and vertical jump against those of current Rockets players. In addition, the Rockets are building a new club in the upper suite level to host special events.

I think this is a smart move for the Rockets and other teams that are making changes in their arenas to benefit fans. Not only will it be popular with the diehard basketball fans, but it will also be a nice addition for families and kids. Children can get restless and may not enjoy sitting through an entire sporting event. These interactive areas will provide some extra entertainment for them. Not only is this an opportunity to bring in new fans, it is also an excellent opportunity to retain fans. Their goal is to maximize the experience and I think this is a good way to do just that.

"Aramark Suit Brings Sobering Changes" vol.8, iss.37, pg.1 by Sarah Zdesar

When you think of sporting events..major league baseball games, the NBA, and especially the NFL, one things seems to be synonymous with all of those. Alcohol consumption. I think we've all seen it or possibly been apart of the tailgaiting extravaganzas that have taken place before some of our teams big games..or not so big..in the case of my beloved Browns team, but there comes a point when a few drinks with friends becomes to much when someone decides to get behind the wheel of a car. That was the case last January when a $105 million judgment was levied against concessionaire giant Aramark regarding a 1999 case where a drunken fan that attended a New York Giants game at Giants Stadium, later caused a crash and paralyzed a 2-year-old girl.
With this very public incident and many other similar to this one that have happened over the years, it is a wonder that more actions haven't been taken in light of these recent events. Of course because of this and the fact that spectators become so unruly and out of hand when an excessive amount of alcohol is consumed. Now that is not to say that Aramark hasn't taken any precautionary methods to try to stop this raging epidemic at games. For instance a nonprofit ahocohol education program TEAM Coalition or Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management was set up to educate and train people on the proper selling of alcoholic products. Although Jill Pepper TEAMs executive director said "training your staff is the strongest deomsonsttation of commitment to alcohol management a facility can make because it takes th most time,effort and dedication." It still seems that giving this training to some of your employees is making a small dent in this large problem. Because the number of incidents involving alcohol-induced behavior decreased by 50% in 2005.
Hopefully with these trainings and other methods such as under cover agents and security, we can hopefully get this problem under control. Of course I have nothing against people having a few drinks and a good time while they are cheering their team to a victory, but the problem occurs when it is taken too far and innocent people become victims of someone elses carelessness.

"Hey, Want a Super Bowl! ad? "Volume 8, issue 37, page 1 by Heather Hileman

This article is about ABC finding people that want super bowl ads. They construed in a new way this year to go about getting those who want an ad. Instead of waiting until the week of the super bowl for the “last minute” advertisers, they deployed the idea to go after them earlier. It is astonishing to see that in the last weeks of December the 30 second commercials were going for $1.8 million when compared to the $2.6 million price tag for “prime” positions. This article states that even pre-game commercial spots are going for $1.5 million. This article also states that all but the first hour of the nearly four hour pre-game is sold out. ABC and ESPN are expected to generate around $150 million on Super Bowl Sunday.

There are mixed opinions on this year’s super bowl market. Some think it is status quo and others feel that demand is thinner than other years. One head honcho states that it may be the Olympics that has hurt the super bowl in commercial spots. However, the last five super bowls have been seen in an average of more than 81 million U.S. homes.

I honestly do not see a problem with companies wanting to buy commercial spots for the super bowl. This is the biggest reason why most people who don’t enjoy sports tune into the super bowl: just to watch the commercials. I can imagine that there will be even more people tuning into this game, since it is super bowl XL. I don’t see any reason why the “super bowl” won’t do well this year or any other year. It is a big organization and most people in this world love football.

"Detroit Super Bowl gets cold shoulder" Hospitality clients are staying away. Volume 8, issue 36, page 1, 28. by Rita Basile

“Detroit Super Bowl gets cold shoulder” Hospitality clients are staying away. Volume 8, issue 36, page 1, 28.

When one thinks about the weather during NFL football anything can be expected; snow, rain, sleet, ice, sun, and temperatures that go anywhere from below zero to temps in the 80’s or even 90’s. Weather a factor that can turn a one-sided game into a tight football game becomes part of that game, but this year the concern is the money that is lost due to the location and the weather of Super Bowl XL. This years Super Bowl location (Detroit) is turning into a nightmare for hospitality firms. The location and the weather are turning many clients away and sending them to warmer climates. I, myself, am not a fan of football games that are played indoors, but I do understand that advance planning for such a big event must be scheduled way in advance. Hospitality firms are reporting that many of their clients are not eager to go to Detroit this year. I think these people who go to the Super Bowl year after year have to realize that weather and location is a part of the sport. It should not be turning them away just because the weather may be cold or snowy. These people who are going to Vegas or the Caribbean seem to be looking for luxury and not the true Super Bowl environment. As Rich Hall, vice-president of GMR marketing states, “It is still the Super Bowl, and regardless if it is in Detroit or Miami, it is the Super Bowl.” I hope this does not lead to the Super Bowl constantly being held in warmer climates because weather is part of the game of football and I would not want to see that aspect of the game being eliminated.