Good morning ladies and gents. I hope you had a good weekend. It's time for the 4th edition of the Sports Business Carnival. This week's edition has some great articles, so I want to thank everyone who submitted. The next edition will be published November 19, and you can submit an article here.
Here's what's in the bag for the 4th edition:
Emmett Jones from Sports Business Digest discusses how the battle between cable companies and nets such as ESPNU and NFL Network is hurting fans. So, who's right? Get over there to weigh in.
The Colorado Rockies plan to sell World Series tickets only online failed. Steven Silvers presents his take on the crisis and how companies can learn from this and remember some basic crisis management principles.
Darren Heitner from Sports Agent Blog presents, "Is Age An Important Factor In Determining Success?" He says experience, not age, is what really matters, and I have to agree with him.
Mark at SportsBiz writes that the shareholders at Cablevision have rejected the Dolans offer to take the company private. However, Mark says that shareholders "may have shot themselves in the foot in an effort to get back at the Dolans" as MSG's current shares are selling at a price that is well below the offer that the Dolans made.
Charles H. Green presents his take on the Joe Torre-New York Yankees situation and what this can teach the business world. Charles says, "Really great performance doesn’t come from the extrinsic motivation of rewards—it comes from intrinsic motivation," and this is true in the business world and in the sports world.
At Sports Marketing 2.0, Pat Coyle says that companies should look for the right mix of reach and passion when deciding on a sponsorship. Coyle asks the question, "If you had $1 million to spend on a sponsorship program, what would you spend it on?" and says that NFL team websites may be a good answer in that they can provide a good deal of reach and passion.
CNBC's Darren Rovell discusses the ongoing battle between Gatorade and Enlyten, a new company that makes dissolvable "SportStrips," which aid in electrolye replacement. Gatorade has the electrolyte replacement category through their NFL league deal, and seems to have bullied the Buffalo Bills into stopping a deal with Enlyten. Enlyten has filed a lawsuit seeking punitive and compensatory damages and an injunction that will prevent Gatorade from interfering with Enlyten's business agreements.
Brian Goff from The Sports Economist presents "The NBA: Where Hardly Any Game Matters." He analyzed how many playoff games actually mattered (the game was one where a team could win or lose the series) and found that only 30% of NBA playoff games fit this criteria. Brian wonders if the NBA should adopt a lose-and-you're-out format, similar to the NCAA, to keep things more exciting. What do you think?
Brian Berger from Sports Business Radio discusses Clay Bennett's official announcement that he intends to move the Seattle Sonics to Oklahoma City. However, there are still a few hurdles Bennett must clear before the move will happen.
Lastly, I attempt to answer the question, "Should Your Agency Blog?" Blogging is a great way to foster dialogue and spread ideas. But while there are benefits to corporate blogging (especially for sports agencies), there are a few things agencies should be aware of before they jump into the world of blogging.
That wraps up the 4th edition of the Sports Business Carnival. Thanks again to everyone who submitted an article. On another note, Surfspot, an online surfing community which was one of the sports social networks I recently mentioned, is now online. Go check it out.
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