• Business Tips & Topics,  Football

    Needs to be Said: The Penn State Sanctions

    The news quickly spread this morning regarding sanctions imposed on the Penn State football team. By the time I publish this blog post, you probably have already heard some of all of the sanctions imposed on the school. The sanctions include: * A 60 million dollar fine * A four year ban on bowl games * All wins by the football program, from 1998 though 2011, have been vacated. * The loss of 40 scholarships over the next four years Current players on Penn State, as a result of the sanctions, are free to immediately transfer to any school. Media reports say that the school will not appeal what was…

  • Business Tips & Topics,  Off The Path

    Swapping Clothes With Stranger Gets The Job Done

    What would you be willing to do to get a job these days?  Last week, I heard one of the best stories about what someone would do to get their first job in the sports field.  It could have been a scene right out of a Hollywood movie.  This was not one of those blog posts on the Internet that may or may not have been true.  The student told me this story while attending the Long Beach State Sports management roundtable.  If you do not know, I lead this event as the internship coordinator for the Long Beach State Sports Management program. Quick background:  The roundtable is an effort offered to…

  • Baseball

    My Time With Gary Carter

    What can I say about Gary Carter, that has not been covered since the Hall Fame baseball Player passed away.  First, let’s look at the obvious things that most people will mention when it came to his baseball career. Born in 1954, Carter was drafted by the Montreal Expos and played 17 of his 19 big league season with the them as well as the New York Mets, including the 1986 World Championship season.  He was  inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003. I always admired Gary as a baseball player, but I got to know him as a person during the one season he played under Tommy Lasorda…

  • Football

    A Picture of a Super Bowl Fanatic

    The folks at Bluekai, a Bellvue, Washington based company that takes a data-centric approach to audience targeting, posted a Super Bowl related Infographic that I thought was worth sharing.  Now, the 2012 Super Bowl still a few weeks away, and there are the NFC and AFC Championship games to be decided this weekend before we jump to the Super Bowl. I have always been a fan of stats and there are a few that are certainly worth to note from this Infographic.  How about: **  In the last decade, Anheuser-Bush spent more on Super Bowl Advertisements than any other company ($235 Million dollars) ** In 2010, 33% of Super Bowl advertisers spent (13…

  • Technology

    Get Paid Real Money For Working Out

    When you combine technology and sports related business, you have my ear.  Or in this case my eyes.  In this case, uh, maybe my legs too. Yesterday, as I was writing and researching my first blog post for 2012, I came across a start up company called, Gympact. The concept is simple.  Gym-Pact uses its site as a motivational tool to help get people who pay gym memberships to actually use it.  The concept of GymPact came from a Harvard behavioral economics class, and their pilot in Boston had a 90% success at getting people to the gym when they committed. Via a free downloadable app, Gym-Pact lets you set the financial stakes…

  • General Take

    First Five Things to Do in 2012

    The calendar officially says January 1st and that means we all have a clean slate for 2012.  Clear the cobwebs from your brain today and get ready to follow these easy steps of starting the new year off on the right foot. When we begin anew, there are many things we wish to accomplish.  Things like exercise, organization and goal setting are the first items that come to mind. Some of us make lists of things to do.  I am one of those people. So with no further ado, I present to you my mini list of the First Five Things to do in 2012. 1. Update Your Business Networks…

  • Business Tips & Topics

    World’s Most Valuable Brands in Social Media

    Yesterday morning, I was playing catch up with several of my email  in boxes when I came across an interesting social media info graphic, compliments of fellow sports marketer Joe Favorito. Joe sends out an interesting Sunday newsletter and yesterday’s version contained a link to this Infographic who’s sub header read: How Social are the World’s Most valuable brands. Now, Google, followed by Disney were listed at the top of the chart, followed by Apple, Starbucks, Blackberry and Coke (Google has nearly five million people that like their facebook page while Starbucks has more than 26 million folks). Once again, I immediately looked, NOT at the individual companies at first, but at the categories represented in the graph. Some of…

  • Media

    Transforming Old Media Guys Into Newer Techie Versions

    This morning, I received an email from an old friend of mine. I am not saying he is old, just that I’ve known him for a long time.  This gentleman is a sports writer and his email asked me to comment on his latest story which was posted on the Internet. It is not the first time he has asked me, nor is it the first time I have complied with his request.  My comments were also connected to my Facebook feed. However, today, his email made me think twice about the request. During the pre-Internet years, this journalist regularly wrote news stories, features and columns for his newspaper.  During this…

  • Football

    The Ultimate NFL Sports Agent

    It has been a few weeks since I have posted to this blog. Call it a sabbatical, call it preparing to launch the new version of this blog.   I took a little time away to take care of important matters. Now back, I have been trying to figure out what was the best topic to come back and engage you, the reader in when I returned. I had many different options of what to lead with, but after watching a taped version of 60 Minutes last week. I chose to feature NFL super agent Drew Rosenhaus. Why would I choose, Rosenhaus, who was once labeled on the cover of Sports Illustrated…

  • People

    Meet Tyler Johnson

    It’s time we profile another sport executive and this week, it is Tyler Johnson’s turn at fame and glory.  Tyler is asked 10 questions and here is a bit of his insight into the Sports Marketing and Sports Management business. 1.Tell us about the Denver Nuggets, your position and your responsibilities I’ve been with the Denver Nuggets since October 2010 as an Account Executive focusing on group and corporate sales. While I do also cross sell season and partial ticket packages, my main focus is on creating unique value added group nights and experiences.   2. Tell us what your average week is like, both in season and the off-season…