According to a 2003 article in Forbes, sports blogs are "few and meager." They explain use as being unimportant and somewhat trivial. According to the article no one is reading them, and bloggers will never be able to compete with Web sites and cable TV.
I imagine if an article ran nowadays about sports blogging, it would be singing a different tune. Blogs in general are everywhere, and sports blogs seem to be a major source of sports information. Use however, seems to be coming from middle aged individuals. Just from asking around, it seems no one in my age group - 18-23 is using blogs at all. In fact, of the ten people I questioned, 0 said they even know how to access a blog and 0 said they had ever read a blog.
But blog use is up and young creators of blogs are coming into large sums of advertising money.
Sports blogs too are becoming increasingly popular, providing users a chance to link to hundreds of sports stories and articles from around the world, and view photos and videos of relevant sports news and information.
As for this blog, it seems to fall into the meager category Forbes talked about four years ago...
Because its fresh and newsworthy and it has to do with sports I had to include the following clip and story...
Just so you don't feel bad, here is the story that clears up how he survived.
All the best,
ben
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Manuel loses cool...
This season has been anything but easy for Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. His team, picked by many to win the National League East division, is currently in last place in the division and NL MVP Ryan Howard is on the bench with a leg injury. On Thursday they were able to pull out a victory, but not without Phillies fans expressing their dissatisfaction with Manuel. One group of fans held signs that read "Hey Pat (GM Pat Gillick), Phire Charlie! Save Our Team!"
Following Wednesday night's game, Manuel apparently had enough. While taking questions following a 5-4 loss to Washington, Manuel got into a verbal altercation with a local reporter:
How do the Phillies save face from this incident? Well, it doesn't really appear to be a huge issue. Coaches have exploded as long as the game has been around and no one will ever live up to the Ryan Leaf explosion:
But the Phillies really don't have much work to do to clear this particular issue up. To me it is really simple - start winning. Winning will lighten everyone's spirit. The fans will be happy, the players will be happy, the front office will be happy, and Charlie Manuel will be happy.
From a PR standpoint, this really doesn't present much problem. Manuel has been around the game to earn the right to vent every now and again. He didn't really offend anyone and probably has learned his lesson. Keep your eye on the Phillies though, if they don't heat up, Manuel may be out of work...
All the best,
ben
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tim Duncan ejected for ...
This past Sunday, April 15, San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan was hit with two technical fouls that ultimately led to his ejection. Whats troubling is that Duncan was sitting on the bench when he received both technicals and apparently was ejected for laughing at what he thought was a bad call.
As you can imagine, after the game the media jumped all over the story, quoting Duncan as claiming referee Joey Crawford wanted to fight.
"He looked at me and said, 'Do you want to fight? Do you want to fight?"' Duncan said. "If he wants to fight, we can fight. I don't have any problem with him, but we can do it if he wants to. I have no reason why in the middle of a game he would yell at me, `Do you want to fight?"'
While this seems to be a case of 'he said, he said' what is commissioner David Stern supposed to do. He's got an argument between one of his best referees and one of his biggest superstars that has received national attention. Stern decided the best way to handle the situation was to suspend long time ref Crawford at least until the 2007 NBA Finals. At that point it appears the two will meet to discuss Crawford's possible reinstatement.
While on the face, this may seem like a brash decision by Stern, it seems to me to be rather appropriate. Stern must demonstrate his ability to handle situations like this that inevitably arise in professional sports contests. What he ought to do though, that it doesn't appear his has done, is fully investigate what actually happened. It doesn't appear he has gotten the full story from Crawford and may be missing some very important information.
I think his decision is the right move, but he may want to thoroughly look into the altercation. What was really said between the two and what will this mean for refs in the future...
All the best,
ben
As you can imagine, after the game the media jumped all over the story, quoting Duncan as claiming referee Joey Crawford wanted to fight.
"He looked at me and said, 'Do you want to fight? Do you want to fight?"' Duncan said. "If he wants to fight, we can fight. I don't have any problem with him, but we can do it if he wants to. I have no reason why in the middle of a game he would yell at me, `Do you want to fight?"'
While this seems to be a case of 'he said, he said' what is commissioner David Stern supposed to do. He's got an argument between one of his best referees and one of his biggest superstars that has received national attention. Stern decided the best way to handle the situation was to suspend long time ref Crawford at least until the 2007 NBA Finals. At that point it appears the two will meet to discuss Crawford's possible reinstatement.
While on the face, this may seem like a brash decision by Stern, it seems to me to be rather appropriate. Stern must demonstrate his ability to handle situations like this that inevitably arise in professional sports contests. What he ought to do though, that it doesn't appear his has done, is fully investigate what actually happened. It doesn't appear he has gotten the full story from Crawford and may be missing some very important information.
I think his decision is the right move, but he may want to thoroughly look into the altercation. What was really said between the two and what will this mean for refs in the future...
All the best,
ben
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Imus out of bounds
In case you haven't heard, we have come across more unacceptable behavior by a renowned broadcast journalist, Don Imus. Imus, a member of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame, made several disparaging remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team prior to their national championship game with Tennessee. In case you haven't heard...
Following the comments, several organizations called for immediate punishment and, in the case of the National Association of Black Journalists, his immediate firing. CBS and MS NBC have suspended Imus for two weeks, but according to the NABJ, they need to finish the job and let the national syndicated radio host go.
Showing more forgiveness than the NABJ, the Rutgers women's team has agreed to meet with Imus and attempt to come to some sort of mutual understanding.
This situation arises quite frequently when dealing with radio hosts such as Imus. Known for his caustic attitude and politically incorrect rhetoric, Imus draws lots of listeners, but often tip-toes on the line bordering offensive. How does the radio station react to save face, while at the same time looking out for their best interests?
It is a tough situation. CBS and MS NBC must do the right thing, and I believe they started in the right place. They suspended Imus for two weeks and have offered numerous apologies, including an apology from Imus himself. Where to go from here is a tough PR v. business decision. Restoring their image would call for a firing, but restoring their bank accounts would not. I feel like they could effectively restore their image and keep Imus on the air. Perhaps begin with a longer suspension. Show
America that you do not, in any way, condone such language. Next make it very clear to Imus (as I imagine they have done behind closed doors) that this type of language is utterly inappropriate and will not be tolerated. Also, perhaps CBS and MS NBC could allow spokespersons from concerned groups such as NABJ to come on their airways to discuss their side and how they feel. They may also want to try to get some opinions from the players/coaches Imus offended - lets hear their side and see how they plan to move forward from this, because if they can, we ought to be able to as well.
All the best,
ben
Following the comments, several organizations called for immediate punishment and, in the case of the National Association of Black Journalists, his immediate firing. CBS and MS NBC have suspended Imus for two weeks, but according to the NABJ, they need to finish the job and let the national syndicated radio host go.
Showing more forgiveness than the NABJ, the Rutgers women's team has agreed to meet with Imus and attempt to come to some sort of mutual understanding.
This situation arises quite frequently when dealing with radio hosts such as Imus. Known for his caustic attitude and politically incorrect rhetoric, Imus draws lots of listeners, but often tip-toes on the line bordering offensive. How does the radio station react to save face, while at the same time looking out for their best interests?
It is a tough situation. CBS and MS NBC must do the right thing, and I believe they started in the right place. They suspended Imus for two weeks and have offered numerous apologies, including an apology from Imus himself. Where to go from here is a tough PR v. business decision. Restoring their image would call for a firing, but restoring their bank accounts would not. I feel like they could effectively restore their image and keep Imus on the air. Perhaps begin with a longer suspension. Show
America that you do not, in any way, condone such language. Next make it very clear to Imus (as I imagine they have done behind closed doors) that this type of language is utterly inappropriate and will not be tolerated. Also, perhaps CBS and MS NBC could allow spokespersons from concerned groups such as NABJ to come on their airways to discuss their side and how they feel. They may also want to try to get some opinions from the players/coaches Imus offended - lets hear their side and see how they plan to move forward from this, because if they can, we ought to be able to as well.All the best,
ben
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
MLB Opening Day
This weekend the 2007 Major League Baseball season kicked off with a prime time rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series between the NY Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals. Sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the Mets crush the 
Cards, I began to wonder how difficult it might be to do PR for a professional baseball team. The season is long, the players are sometimes dull and their is little parity between the elite and the bottom feeders. In my head, I conjured up what I thought would be the top 5 toughest teams to represent - not teams I think would be the worse to work for, just the toughest. Below is my latest top-5 that is based, in no way, on my hatred or love of any particular team.
No. 5 - Kansas City Royals - For obvious reasons I think the Royals would be
extremely difficult to represent - they have no big bat, strong arm or outstanding glove and they haven't been good since I've been alive. How easy would it be to get media coverage for a team like this? Who would care what the club is doing outside of the ballpark and who even knows what they do inside the ballpark? To me, KC is just a dead end...
No. 4 - Tampa Bay Devil Rays - For reasons similar to those outlined above, I can't
imagine the fun I could have spreading the good word about Tampa Bay. The biggest difference here though is that Tampa has NEVER been good, ever! Plus they play in Tampa Bay, a largely retired community that doesn't care at all about their team. Tampa, along with their fellow Floridians from the South, have always struggled with attendance and fan support. The only way to change that is win, something Tampa Bay hasn't been able to do in the club's history.
No 3 - Boston Red Sox - The reasons for putting the Sox at No. 3 are very different
from the reasons mentioned above. This season the Sox have made a $103.1 million investment in Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. How can a PR rep win in this situation? Since Matsuzaka arrived the media has covered him like a blanket. And every interview with any of the Red Sox players is centered around their pitching phenom. I think I would get pretty tired of having to arrange interviews so that players could talk about one thing: Daisuke Matsuzaka. Adding to the challenge is the attention the Japanese media has given the rookie. That makes my job even more difficult trying to accommodate and do business with members of the media from an entirely different culture. Although very rewarding, that task alone would be tough...
No 2 - New York Yankess - It seems everyone in New York has a difficult time
performing under the watchful eye of George M. Steinbrenner and I would imagine the PR people are no exception. The New York media is also been known for being some of the toughest in the business. Throw in the always talked about Jeter-A-Rod debate and you set yourself up for quite a large task.
No 1 - San Fransisco Giants - This one is real simple: Barry Bonds. Bonds has been
the biggest lightening rod sports has seen in a while. The media is obsessed with him and fans are infatuated with him. Whenever the Giants travel, Bonds is greeted with signs, costumes and sometimes props that demonstrates some people's distaste for him. And the media jump all over it. I think it would be a difficult job to handle Bonds and his assortment of interview requests and death threats (which he has received) along with his quest for the Hammer.
Cards, I began to wonder how difficult it might be to do PR for a professional baseball team. The season is long, the players are sometimes dull and their is little parity between the elite and the bottom feeders. In my head, I conjured up what I thought would be the top 5 toughest teams to represent - not teams I think would be the worse to work for, just the toughest. Below is my latest top-5 that is based, in no way, on my hatred or love of any particular team.No. 5 - Kansas City Royals - For obvious reasons I think the Royals would be
extremely difficult to represent - they have no big bat, strong arm or outstanding glove and they haven't been good since I've been alive. How easy would it be to get media coverage for a team like this? Who would care what the club is doing outside of the ballpark and who even knows what they do inside the ballpark? To me, KC is just a dead end...No. 4 - Tampa Bay Devil Rays - For reasons similar to those outlined above, I can't
imagine the fun I could have spreading the good word about Tampa Bay. The biggest difference here though is that Tampa has NEVER been good, ever! Plus they play in Tampa Bay, a largely retired community that doesn't care at all about their team. Tampa, along with their fellow Floridians from the South, have always struggled with attendance and fan support. The only way to change that is win, something Tampa Bay hasn't been able to do in the club's history.
No 3 - Boston Red Sox - The reasons for putting the Sox at No. 3 are very different
from the reasons mentioned above. This season the Sox have made a $103.1 million investment in Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. How can a PR rep win in this situation? Since Matsuzaka arrived the media has covered him like a blanket. And every interview with any of the Red Sox players is centered around their pitching phenom. I think I would get pretty tired of having to arrange interviews so that players could talk about one thing: Daisuke Matsuzaka. Adding to the challenge is the attention the Japanese media has given the rookie. That makes my job even more difficult trying to accommodate and do business with members of the media from an entirely different culture. Although very rewarding, that task alone would be tough...No 2 - New York Yankess - It seems everyone in New York has a difficult time
performing under the watchful eye of George M. Steinbrenner and I would imagine the PR people are no exception. The New York media is also been known for being some of the toughest in the business. Throw in the always talked about Jeter-A-Rod debate and you set yourself up for quite a large task.No 1 - San Fransisco Giants - This one is real simple: Barry Bonds. Bonds has been
the biggest lightening rod sports has seen in a while. The media is obsessed with him and fans are infatuated with him. Whenever the Giants travel, Bonds is greeted with signs, costumes and sometimes props that demonstrates some people's distaste for him. And the media jump all over it. I think it would be a difficult job to handle Bonds and his assortment of interview requests and death threats (which he has received) along with his quest for the Hammer.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Sports Internships
As the summer has somehow begun to peak its' head over the horizon, students in the sports/PR world have begun to look for the best and most promising internship in the sports industry. As someone who has been through the hustle and fuss ot trying to land the greatest internship in the world, I have a few thoughts on the topic.
Last summer I got the internship of my dreams working with the Atlanta Falcons. My experience there is something I will NEVER forget, but it also served as a pretty good wake-up call.
Below I have compiled my TOP 5 most surprising things about having an internship with a professional sports team:
5) The People: I got an opportunity to work with some of the most amazing people, including Falcon personnel, players, coaches and members of the media. I met so many different people from all walks of life and had to adjust to communicating with such different people.
4)The Unpredictability: Going into an internship with a sports team, I expected some degree of unpredictability, but I wasn't quite prepared for what awaited me. I never knew what was going happen on any given day, or what my bosses would ask of me.
3)The Rush: Here I am referring to both the adrenaline rush and the time table you are sometimes put on. In the world of professional sports, when someone wants/needs something, they want/need it immediately. You are expected to have it ready on time and done correctly. Secondly, I am referring to the adrenaline rush you experience walking onto the field at the GA Dome, or working and eating side-by-side with the greatest athletes in the world. It is a larger than life experience that almost knocked me to my knees.
2)The Scope: By this I mean the scope of the game. I never realized just how big the game of professional football really is. It is a monster that is much, much bigger than the game played on Sunday. There are so many legs on the machine that must work in unison in order for the organization to be successful.
1) The Time: The time commitment made by individuals in the world of professional sports is amazing. As an intern I worked long, long hours, but the guys and girls working full time put in an insane number of hours and sacrifice and lot to help the organization. It is no doubt a year round job that never really lets up...
Best of luck in any and all internship/job searches
All the best,
ben
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Pacman in trouble?
Adam "Pacman" Jones, the Tennessee Titans' first round draft pick in the 2005 NFL draft is making headlines again. Unfortunately for the Titans it's because once again, he has ended up on the wrong side of the law. Since joining the Titans in 2005, Jones has been arrested five times and been considered a "person on interest" 10 times. Yikes!
The most recent incident occurred at a Las Vegas strip club where a shooting on Feb. 19 left three people injured and one paralyzed. Jones was questioned by police for his involvement and released.
Some of his proudest moments have been a felony arrest for obstruction of justice, charges of marijuana possession and assault. After all of this, it makes you wonder. What is the NFL supposed to do? Well, according to NFL spokesman Michael Signora, the league is reviewing Jones' behavior under the player conduct policy.
His behavior is under review? In how many other professions could you be arrested five times, including arrests for marijuana and assault and not face termination?
The only punishment he has served was a one-game suspension handed down by the Titans, not the NFL. The league is yet to make a decision on what to do with Jones. It makes it difficult when a top player in the league spends more time talking with police than he does communicating with his head coach.
This past year was the NFL named a new commissioner to fill the shoes of Paul Tagliabue. Roger Goodell, the new top-gun in the NFL, has a chance to flex some muscle and show the league he means business. He has a chance not just to make an example of a young player, but maybe to do some good in his life. Sit him down and explain to him the dangers and consequences of his actions - that is, if there are any consequences. This sure is a great way to start. And he comes from a Public Relations background, beginning his NFL career as a PR intern. I would have thought somewhere along the way he would have been taught how to handle a situation like this.
nice job...
all the best,
ben
The most recent incident occurred at a Las Vegas strip club where a shooting on Feb. 19 left three people injured and one paralyzed. Jones was questioned by police for his involvement and released.
Some of his proudest moments have been a felony arrest for obstruction of justice, charges of marijuana possession and assault. After all of this, it makes you wonder. What is the NFL supposed to do? Well, according to NFL spokesman Michael Signora, the league is reviewing Jones' behavior under the player conduct policy.
His behavior is under review? In how many other professions could you be arrested five times, including arrests for marijuana and assault and not face termination?
The only punishment he has served was a one-game suspension handed down by the Titans, not the NFL. The league is yet to make a decision on what to do with Jones. It makes it difficult when a top player in the league spends more time talking with police than he does communicating with his head coach.
This past year was the NFL named a new commissioner to fill the shoes of Paul Tagliabue. Roger Goodell, the new top-gun in the NFL, has a chance to flex some muscle and show the league he means business. He has a chance not just to make an example of a young player, but maybe to do some good in his life. Sit him down and explain to him the dangers and consequences of his actions - that is, if there are any consequences. This sure is a great way to start. And he comes from a Public Relations background, beginning his NFL career as a PR intern. I would have thought somewhere along the way he would have been taught how to handle a situation like this.
nice job...
all the best,
ben
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