A Trend Turned A Necessity

In the making of a social media lifestyle, no one could of predicted that this trend would lead to a major social communication make over for the sports industry. The takeover started with MySpace, then Facebook, and now, the most dominant of them all, Twitter. Twitter has single handedly taken over the sports world and how professional organizations and athletes communicate with its fans, how it shares promotional and or marketing strategies, and they even use this trend to share personal decisions and thoughts. Twitter has become the one stop shop for anyone who wants to communicate anything to anyone.

            There is a good side and a bad side to this trend. The good side is that this trend gives fans and friends know what is going on in the heads of some of their favorite players and or teams. This is access to thoughts and decisions like no other because instead of waiting or never knowing what the typical athlete does on a daily basis, what they think about certain world news, or even there whereabouts, Twitter gives first hand access to all of these possible interest. In particular, take now retired NFL Safety Brian Dawkins who has recently tweeted his plan to retire instead of the traditional breaking news report that are usually reported by a reporter from an inside source. Via NFL.com, “Dawkins didn't announce the end of his career with a showy press conference. He said it all on Twitter:’ The Lord has blessed me to play in the NFL for 16 years. I would like to thank the Eagles & the Broncos 4 believing in me. I would like 2 thank all my teammates & Coaches that I have been blessed 2 go to battle with. Along with u, the fans 4 helping make my career 1 that i have enjoyed tremendously. In other words. I am announcing my retirement from the NFL,’ Dawkins wrote.” (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d828858ab/article/brian-dawkins-will-be-remembered-for-leadership?module=HP11_headline_stack). This in itself is a true testimony on how serious Twitter has taken over the voices and actions of the past. Athletes can now speak for themselves, which is something that they never have had the casualty to do before.

Courtesy of NFL.com

            But like most things, there is a bad side to anything with this big of a following. Twitter can also become a self-disrupting tool that portrays even the negative thoughts and or actions of a professional athlete or organization. Having a voice is great, but in the sports industry, its only really great when you have something to say that people agree with. Sharing negative thoughts about the government, world news, or even fans/teammates can cause a massive breakdown in image or perception of those who share such thoughts and ideas. Once the send button is pressed, that message can never be deleted in the minds of those who report and read it so being conscious of the potential problems that can follow is detrimental for anyone who uses or owns a Twitter account.

            It is safe to say that Twitter is not going anywhere. Its presence is dominating and is only getting stronger by the tweet. It is a great tool for anyone who wants to connect with the masses but that connection can be cut short if the message paints a nasty perception of who a person is or claims to be.

The Bigger Picture

The National Football League has gone through so much grief and obstacles in the last year and a half. From the NFL lockout to the new collective bargaining agreement, the NFL has had to recommit its brand and image to fit the morals and social responsibilities it once had promised its fans, followers, and sponsors. This is not only a business commitment, but a financial one as well because of the affect of negative imagery through the eyes of those who spend their hard earned money. As if last’s offseason was not enough, this offseason has brought forth an even worse taste to those who follow and play the game of football.

St. Louis Rams newly acquired Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams, who was recently the Defensive Coordinator of the New Orleans Saints, has caused quite a stir within the league and its image due to his role in a “bounty” program within his years in the National Football League. The bounty program was a way for Greg Williams to motivate his defensive players to cause havoc on the football field by offering illegal financial rewards for big hits, interceptions, fumble recoveries, sacks, and the worse of these was causing injuries to the opposing teams players. This in itself is unethical and illegal by any league standards.

Greg Williams has single handily cause a huge black cloud to sit over the NFL shield, which is exactly what Commissioner Rodger Goodell aims to protect. This bounty program has cost Greg Williams his job, and even a potential ban from the NFL. Those who participated and/or knew of this program have also been punished. Head Coach Sean Payton, Assistant Head Coach Joe Vitt, and General Manager Randy Mueller have all been independently suspended and fined.  The NFL clearly stated that any form of a bounty program are illegal and will not be tolerated by any means. And because of these rule violations, the NFL will suffer more than the names of those who were punished because it is the NFL who has to speak for the decisions its employees and executives make.

From a financial and branding standpoint, this has to hurt the NFL’s progress in rebuilding a trustworthy brand after last season’s lockout. Will the NFL lose money or fans? That is up for debate. But the game of football will be hurt because of the negative imagery that programs like this gives parents and young athletes who already had fears for their health.

Developing A Business Plan

In developing my own business plan, I have gained much knowledge from many business plan experts. Daymond John and David Gumpert are two experts that I have found to be very helpful when examining ways to improve my business plan. The two key ideas that both of these experts emphasized to extremely important are passion and effort. I plan to incorporate these two ideas into my business plan by using more passionate verbiage and making my passion seep through the ideas, research, and structure of my business plan. Daymond and David also emphasized the importance of preparation to go with passion. About.com stated, “One of the most powerful ways to support your passion is with proper planning” (Gregory, 2011). I know that with a great idea comes an even better preparation with all successful business plans.

            Some changes that I have made in order to deliver these ideas were developing a better sense of how I promote and describe my ideas throughout the business plan. This change has made it easier for my ideas to flow out and build a more interesting business plan. Walt Goodridge of Website101.com relates to the idea of expressing passion in a business plan as he stated, “You need to become what I call a “Passionpreneur” and turn your passion into profit! “Passionpreneur” is a word I created to describe someone who has used his or her passion as the basis of a passion-centered business” (Goodridge, 2009). I really feel that Goodridge’s term “Passionpreneur” is exactly what Daymond and David see in their business decisions as well as what they look for when looking over a business plan.

            I personally consider the company description and marketing strategy of a business plan to be the most important. Reason being, these two sections will tell the potential investors who, how, what, and why for all of their financial and marketing questions/concerns. Knowing the market and delivering a new or existing need and want are detrimental for any successful company. A great idea is only a waste of thought without knowing who will want and need the new service or product. Allbusiness.com states, “The most important part of the plan is where it says specifically what is going to happen. The core of a business plan is the collection of detailed dates, deadlines, responsibilities, and commitments” (Allbusiness.com, 2005). These reasons alone are why Daymond and David have become highly successful businessmen as well as experts in their respective field. I plan to continue to use expert knowledge in the development of my business plan because utilizing resources like these are easy to obtain and extremely helpful. 

Resources:

Gregory, A. (2011). Is having a passion for business enough?. Retrieved from http://sbinformation.about.com/od/startingabusiness/a/passion-for-business.htm

Goodridge, W. (2009, Febuary). How to have passion for business: Do what you love as an entrepreneur. Retrieved from website101.com/home-business/how-passion-do-what-you-love-entrepreneur/

Allbusiness.com. (2005, March 9). What is most important in a business plan? what do i really have to cover?. Retrieved from http://www.allbusiness.com/business-planning-structures/business-plans/3505-1.html

The Experts View

In any business plan development, it is important to take notice and advice from those who review and fund business plans for a living. These people are often referred to as venture capitalist, angel investors, or simply, experts. Entrepreneur.com states, “These individuals look for companies that exhibit high-growth prospects, have a synergy with their own business or compete in an industry in which they have succeeded” (Entrepeneur.com, 2012).  In examining two recognized experts, I found many similarities that are very beneficial to the development of a business plan and the ideas that follow it.

            My first recognized expert, Daymond John, is the CEO and President of the clothing line FUBU. Daymond helped launch the clothing line in 1994, and shortly after 1998, FUBU hit $350 million dollars in revenue. Daymond now works on numerous venture projects as well as a keynote speaker for his business mind and experiences.

            My second recognized expert is David E. Gumpert. David has had a wide range of business experiences ranging from co-founder of NetMarquee, an Internet marketing firm, to writing two highly read business books about business plans and business success guidelines. David has had constant success in his business ventures and practices.

            Both Daymond and David have had great success in their business decisions, but both have two different roads to their victories. They know what it takes in order to not only succeed with a business plan, but to also build from that success in order to stay relevant and ahead of the curve. Passion and effort are two key components that both David and Daymond look for in a business plan. These traits are important because they will work as the backbone of an idea, whether good or bad. With passion and effort comes risk and taking chances. Most people, or better yet business plans do not attempt taking chances for the fear of failure. Both David and Daymond believe that chances have to be taken in order to accomplish a goal. Daymond for example took a serious chance that could have had himself and his mother living on the street if his passion was not standing strong behind his idea. “In need of start-up capital to keep up with demand, Daymond and his mother mortgaged the home they collectively owned for $100,000. Soon, the home was turned into a makeshift factory and office space.”(Boomdigital, 2012). Risk like these make great success stories when passion is the focus of why people take them.

            According to David, acting on an effort is more important than simply planning. His quote, “Act, don’t plan” (Gumpert, 2003, paragraph 13) describes his view on why business plans are more than just a plotted list of ideas that may or may not turn into funding, but rather, actions are better fit for a cause and reaction in the pockets of potential investors.    

            Both of these experts share similar views but from different minds, which make their respected components of importance even more valuable when developing an effective and passionate business plan. Tim Berry’s “8 Factors That Make Good Business Plans” backs up these ideas with his seventh factor in the development of a business plan, “It gets people committed” (Berry, 2009). Commitment brings forth effort and effort can only be measure with passion and that is why these experts are outlined with success and their passion keeps them committed to helping others reach their dream.

(Youtube, 2008)

Citations

Entrepreneur.com. (2012). A guide to angel investors. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/52742

Boomdigital. (2012). About daymond. Retrieved from http://daymondjohn.com/about/

Berry, T. (2009, Febuary 18). 8 factors that make a good business plan. Retrieved from http://timberry.bplans.com/2009/02/some-key-questions-on-business-plans.html 

Youtube. (Editor) (2008). Fubu founder daymond john interview [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79a3nTDmeNo

Lin-Sanity or Insanity…

If you haven’t already heard, there is a new phenom in the sports industry named Jeremy Lin who plays point guard for the New York Knicks. Lin has recently taken the sports world by storm, or shall I say, the sports world has taken him by storm, with a lot of helpful winds from social media. Nicknames such as “Lin-sanity”, “Mr. Lin-credible”, and “Super Lin-tendo”, have grown from the depths of social media and into the platform of the sports industry. In most cases, this story would have been the talk of the town for a week or so, but with social media, there is no telling when or if this story will ever die down.  Every sports channel, talk show, and radio personality brings this story up at least four times per show, which can begin to get overwhelming, at least for those living outside of Taiwan and New York.

            Social media has two faces. The first face is obviously that of having a strong positive influence on how others perceive you and how you want to be recognized, both professionally and socially. The second face has to do with the negativity that can come from a social media presence, either self-inflicted or from an outside source. In Jeremy Lin’s case, too much attention can end up burning out his welcome to the hearts of sports fan within America. Similar to Tim Tebow and the whole Tebowmania movement, outside sources can sometimes overdo it and can cost them more than they help.

            Social media has become a dangerous game of stardom roulette where being too famous can lead to becoming an annoyance to others. This is particularly sad for good guy athletes who do not ask for such attention. Tim Tebow was victim to this attention bug that bit him extremely hard and now has its teeth sunken into Jeremy Lin and the Lin-sanity movement.

 And to make Jeremy’s social bug bite bigger, here are some of Jeremy’s social media outlets.

https://twitter.com/ - !/jlin7

http://www.facebook.com/jeremylin7

Also, Check out these links to learn more about Jeremy Lin and his rise within the sports world:

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP3ba67ee16b1a499a82d5f8cc193da96f.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/opinion/brooks-the-jeremy-lin-problem.html

References      

Rosenburg, M. (Photographer). (2012). Tebow comparisons not fair to jeremy lin; he's much better story read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/michael_rosenberg/02/14/lin.tebow/index.html

From Rags To A Super Bowl...

            It was only a few months ago that the state of the National Football League was in disarray and a cloud of confusion lured over the hearts of fans. But with the breakthrough of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the first play from scrimmage, this season for NFL fans, players, and owners has been a true rollercoaster without much safety harnesses. And now, we can set our sails on the biggest game of the year, the Super Bowl.  

            Although every Super Bowl has its own drama and theme attached to its build up, this Super Bowl however, has a unique competitive make-up that the past could not have scripted itself. The New England Patriots and the New York Giants will be playing for the title this year and both share a familiar past in recent Super Bowl history. If you can recall in 2008, the New England Patriots were on their way to an undefeated season before they ran into the Giants in the Super Bowl and suffered the most important loss of their incredible season. And unlike most Super Bowl matchups, this rematch has an interesting tale behind it that will leave most fans forgetting about the devastating idea of never having a 2011 NFL season. Seems too good to be true, or perhaps it is an entertainment force of nature that knows how to capture the hearts and minds of its fans.

            The NFL has done something that most companies, organizations, or corporations can ever imagine, and that is to damage their customer’s trust, only to later rebuild their product that was focused on reconnecting with their fans and television sponsors in order to bring forth a better and stronger product. This weeks Super Bowl will give proof to this because the league has brought this year’s Super Bowl to life within the fans and their football experiences. For example, this season alone has brought forth more Super Bowl sweepstakes and prize give-a-ways than the last three years combined. More sponsors have joined the NFL in hopes to ride the momentum train straight to top of the media and sports world. This is no longer a game played by great athletes; instead, this is a dynamic force of entertainment that most people find hard to resist. And come Sunday’s kickoff, this force will reach new levels of sports, media, and entertainment.   

Check out this link below in order to learn more about this years Super Bowl:

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/44

Lets Get Ready To Rumble...Maybe..

In a world of social media and constant media coverage, it shouldn’t seem unheard of to have a professional athlete call out another athlete in the way that Floyd Mayweather did Manny Pacquiao, but in this case, it caused a stir. Fans from all over the world have been waiting for some progress to a potential fight between the two superstars but for years, nothing has come of the so-called talks between the two sides. But now with Mayweather calling out Pacquiao personally, maybe things are turning for the best. Mayweather stated in a tweet, "Manny Pacquiao I'm calling you out let's fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see" (Rafael, 2012). This sounds like something that should have been done a long time ago but as we all sit in anticipation for this fight, we’ll take what we can get.

This potential fight does have some uncharacteristic built-ups that are not similar to main events of the past. For example, Pacquiao is a political representative for his country, well-liked athlete by nearly everyone because of his humbling personality and he is considered professional singer, depending on whom you ask. Now looking at Mayweather, he is bound for a jail sentence right after the potential fight due to a domestic violence charge, he has never lost a professional fight, to which his cocky persona shows that, and he is flashy and arrogant with his money, i.e. Money Mayweather. The two fighters are so different but that is what will draw the big ticket. “Mayweather has to make a fight happen by the end of May, as he’s going to prison on June 1. The judge actually postponed his jail time so Mayweather can go ahead and fight on May 5, a date he has saved up at the MGM grand for quite sometime now” (Gerakis, 2012).

The sports world wants this fight, but the boxing industry needs this fight because of its dying ratings and sponsorships. This fight would be the fight of many people’s lifetimes and would hopefully rejuvenate the boxing world one punch at a time. 

 

(Courtesy of Youtube.com)

Sources: 

Gerakis. (2012, January 21). Mayweather vs pacquiao – the phone call. Retrieved from http://sportige.com/mayweather-vs-pacquiao-the-phone-call/

Rafael, D. (2012, January 11). Mayweather calls out pacquiao for may. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7447532/floyd-mayweather-jr-calls-manny-pacquiao-5-fight 

Youtube/ESPN. (Editor) (2012). Mayweather wants pacquiao on may 5, 2012 [Theater]. Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zBefj_yYIw&feature=related

Check out these other sources for more information about this potential fight:

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/sports/scratch-guerrero-mayweathers-list-plus-koncz-says-no-may-5-pac-floyd


http://sportige.com/mayweather-vs-pacquiao-the-phone-call/

http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/1/19/2719167/mayweather-vs-pacquiao-phone-conversation