There was a lot happening this week in the sports world, including drama over the Michael Phelps bong photo, discussions about which Super Bowl ads worked and which ones didn't, National Signing Day and a potential Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger. Here are some interesting stories about these topics, in case you missed them earlier this week:
Super Bowl Ads
Russell Scibetti from the Business of Sports shares his picks for Super Bowl Ad winners and losers. Also, here's an interesting post from a UNC business school senior about what makes a Super Bowl Ad super.
Michael Phelps
Caught by the camera for taking a bong hit, Phelps was suspended by USA Swimming for three months. CNBC's Darren Rovell says this is a joke. Kellogg's announced that it won't renew his deal when it expires (but it might have decided that before this whole thing came out), and Sports Media Watch writes that his day's as America's golden boy are fading fast.
The Economy's Effect on Sports
Dominic Perilli wrote a great article at SportsAgentBlog.com about the effect of the economy on sports. The outcome is that sports aren't as recession-proof as you might think
NJ Nets Creative Promotions
Brian Gainor at Partnership Activation writes about an interesting promotion the NJ Nets are doing to give local CEOs a chance to win 2-months free sponsorship next season by participating in the Metropolitan Madness Basketball Challenge in March. Nets exec Brett Yormark is also teaming up with his brother Michael and the NHL panthers in a promotion to allow fans of either team to cash in unused season tickets for a seat at the other team's games.
National Signing Day Thoughts
Marc Isenberg, author of Money Players (the book and the blog), provides some interesting thoughts on National Signing Day and how the process could be improved to better help/protect student-athletes.Side note I'm very pleased that the Tar Heels are ranked by Scout and Rivals as having a top 10 recruiting class. Big things are coming for UNC football.
Marriage of Live Nation and Ticketmaster?
The Wall Street Journal announced that Live Nation and Ticketmaster, two of the largest players in the sports and entertainment ticketing industry, are close to a merger. Russell Scibetti provides some thoughts about what this could mean for venues, teams and other ticketing companies.