Another Winter Olympics has come and gone, generating a lot of news worthy of discussion along the way.  Our interest, as always, is focused on a sports business perspective and the lessons the Games provide that can be shared in the classroom. 

While there are a number of highlights from the Games worth recapping, we will focus specifically on those lessons that will translate to topic areas you are likely covering in class. 

Broadcast rights

NBC paid a record $2.2 billion for U.S. broadcast rights to the Beijing and Vancouver Olympic Games.  Prior to the Vancouver Games, NBC publicly suggested they would lose $250…

It is that time of year again…Super Bowl season!  For educators who teach business and marketing, this is a time of year where you can have a lot of fun in the classroom, all while conveying some powerful messages that support valuable business/marketing lessons.  After all, what better way to validate all your time teaching students about advertising than to point out that companies like Pepsi, CareerBuilder.com, Audi and Bridgestone just invested $3 million each for a 30 second spot during this year’s big game.

Among the topic areas that are relevant in the classroom (many relating specifically to our non-traditional…

There has been an awful lot of banter in the sports talk world of shifting the post-season model in college football from a series of bowl games (all 34 of them) to some type of playoff format.  Personally, I can see the arguments for both scenarios, but I think we all know a major factor in any decision that will be made will relate to dollars.

As many of you will inevitably be dissecting this argument in class, I thought I’d try to provide some resources to help fuel the discussion.  With that, I present to you in this week’s blog…

In the last blog post, we discussed the marketing efforts of Stanford football to expand their fan base.  Today’s post reviews another collegiate football program and their marketing strategies.  The Virginia Cavaliers campaign for this football season is the “Power of Orange” and provides an excellent case study in the efforts to build tradition.  Obviously, building tradition is often influenced by success on the playing field, and Virginia has certainly elevated the program’s status with the hiring of former NFL coach Al Groh back in 2001.  Heading in to this season, Groh’s record at Virginia was 51-37 and the Cavaliers had been…

I realize this post is a little overdue, but while Semi-Pro is dying a slow death at the cinema, Jackie Moon is still pitching Old Spice and Bud Light every hour on ESPN.  I have had this post on my “to do” list for over a month and figured now might be the time to dust it off and get it online.  Somehow seeing Ferrell in those ridiculous shorts in an Old Spice commercial last night while watching Sports Center provided the inspiration to wrap this up.  So, here goes nothing…

Okay, okay.  I admit it.  I am an absolute sucker for statistics and numbers.  But, as they say in American business, knowledge is power…and power is money.  If those worn out cliches are tried AND true, the NCAA is likely rolling in the dough right about now. 

I have spent the last two weeks or so absorbing every possible commentary relating to the business of March Madness.  There have been numerous reports estimating the number of viewers watching the tourney, the cost to American businesses and economic impact in various markets.  I’ve seen numbers identifying the amount of time consumers devote to…

As a lifelong Packer fan growing up in the great state of Wisconsin, I’d be remiss to avoid commentary on today’s news regarding Brett Favre’s retirement. Yet, because this is a BUSINESS blog, it would be pointless to ramble on about Favre’s many great accomplishments. You know, like holding the NFL records for most consecutive starts (253…275 including postseason), most wins for a QB, most TD passes, most completions, most yards…Favre pretty much owns the NFL’s passing record book. Oh, and let’s not forget that Favre is the leagues ONLY three time winner of the league MVP award. Only Johnny…

Back in the late 1980’s, the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers brought home two straight championships.  After the victory parades were over, Pat Riley (the team’s coach), trademarked the phrase “three-peat” so he could cash in on licensing fees if the team went on to win a third straight title.  Unfortunately for Riley and the Lakers, the Detroit Pistons would crush those hopes by beating them in the finals in year three. 

In the early 90’s, the Chicago Bulls (led by Michael Jordan) would capture those elusive three straight championships for a “three-peat”.  Riley, however, was one step ahead and earned millions…

As the holiday season revs up, so does the sports marketing machine.  Of course, there is no better time to entice consumers to tap into holiday budgets and buy tickets and team gear as the perfect holiday gift.  Many promotions range from simple “holiday” ticket packages to combination gift packages that feature tickets, concessions AND merchandise.

This week’s post features a sampling of what types of promotions are being offered in the sports business world in an effort to generate revenue during the heaviest period of consumer spending in the calendar year.

RAYS HOLIDAY PACK

The Tampa Devil Rays (Major League Baseball) package…

This week’s post was inspired in part by David Beckham’s quote last week and also from a post a few weeks ago regarding the business of sports (”this is a business…”).

Last week, David Beckham commented that he has never played soccer for the money. Specifically, he said “People say that’s easy for you to say because you’ve got the money. To be honest…the game is important to me. I’d play for free.” Keep in mind the soccer superstar signed a $250 million contract with Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy last summer.

Around the time of the signing, President and CEO…