Colgate Men's Hockey vs Union

Tonight the Colgate men's Hockey team fell to Union at home during their final regular season game.  Currently the Raiders are ranked 5th while Union remains in first place after their win tonight, also clinching the Cleary Cup.  Although it was a great match in the end Colgate fell 4-3.  Union scored first to make it 1-0 about six minutes into the game.  During the second period Colgate was able to rally back by coming from behind and hanging on to a 2-2 after a power play goal.  Unfortunately Union answered with a goal about 20 seconds after Colgate giving the a 3-2 lead.  Union found the back of the net again during a five minute major power play. Austin smith was able to add to his first period goal with a second goal in the third period making it his 34th goal this season and 52 regular season points. Despite their efforts Union was able to clench the Cleary Cup after they scored on an empty net with 28 seconds left in the game.  Union will get to host the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals which will take place on March 9th.  The Raiders have earned a bye and will have two weeks off from play, who they will face in the quarterfinals is yet to be determined.  The winners of the ECAR playoffs will be headed to Atlanta City for the finals.  Although I an still fairly new to the Raider Nation, the men's team has made it to the tournament the past 3 years.  MVP Austin Smith is having a fantastic season, he is on the all-time scoring list with 155 points.  

Today was also senior day for the men's hockey team.  We honored 9 seniors that have played and worked hard in their studies and athletics.  They were recognized during the start of the 1st intermission.  They are great kids and will be missed dearly, the world is now their oyster.

When reporting a story there are a number of things that could potentially hinder getting a story reported quickly and accurately.  Personally, I was not there specifically to report on the event because I was the event manager.  That being said when I was not able to be in the arena I would ask people how it was going.  Having the right information such as score, penalties, and the overall tone of the game it can make things a little tough.  In the press box there are outlets for reporters and programs in order for them to be as well informed about the players and teams as possible.  We also make sure they have wifi connections in order for them to get information out as close to real time as possible.  This includes live stats, social media, and internet access in order to research any other information that ma be needed.  Although  I had to help break down various things in the arena from a day full of events I was still able to get home in time to post the event.    The original event I had planned to cover was the Mens Lacrosse game, but after much snowing and shoveling it was postponed due to our lovely lake effect snow here in New York, so I was not able to attend.

Penn PR or Lack There Of

Penn State clearly dropped the ball when it came to crisis management with the news of the sexual abuse scandal flooding every possible medium.  I am sure the university was aware of the charges for Sandusky were going to be considered the court well before it became breaking new to the public, yet they still had no solid contingency plan.  As I remember from my undergraduate public relations studies, when dealing with crisis management is important to try to get some kind of response out within an hour of the news being released to the public.  Even when the perjury charges for Tim Curley and Gary Schultz were floating around the Penn State communications team remained silent.  Despite being aware of what was going on there was clearly no preparation, of which they had plenty of time to do.  Their lack of action leads me to believe that there was an assumption of Paterno's status it would eventually just go away despite the innocent victims involved.  

It seemed that the only plan of action on the communications side was to avoid the media all together.  There was no response to any of the allegations,  Joe Paterno canceled his weekly news conference 30 minutes before it was scheduled to begin.  The public quickly became uneasy about this and and began expressing themselves what the University should have been doing.  Their silence was loud and unappreciated by fans, viewers, and alumni.  When there is no response from an organization in a situation like this its easy for the public to begin to alter their feelings or ideas towards it.  If they are not being reaffirmed by apologies or notified of improvements in policy or procedure then the image of the organization can become tainted very quickly.

There are 5 important steps to handling crisis management which include, research, assessment, chain of command, notification, and control.  Penn State dropped the ball in all of the areas.  Knowing these charges were going to come out to the public there should have been a "crisis team" that was constructed and dedicated to policing the scandal as it unfolded.  The team should have assessed all of the possible situations that could have potentially happened in order to prepare at least a spokes person to address the public. There also needed to be a clear chain of command to report to and obtain information from.  Taking these simple steps could have cut some of the backlash that university has dealt with due to their loud silence throughout the situation.  

Media Release

    

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

Contact Information:
Nathalie Carter
Event Director
123-456-7890
http://usatf.org

The 2012 USA Track & Field Indoor Championships Makes its Way Back to Albuquerque, NM

Albuquerque, New Mexico will be the host of the 2012 USA Track & Field indoor championships on February 25th and 26th at the Albuquerque Convention Center.  Hundreds of the nations best track and field athletes from Team USA will be fighting for 400 National Championship title spots and $130,000. This will be the third consecutive year that the final event of the Indoor Visa Championship series has taken place in New Mexico.

Finalists will of the Track & Field Championships in New Mexico will also have the opportunity to qualify for the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey in March.  The IAAF championships is an international state where Team USA qualifiers will compete against elite athletes from more than 160 nations.  This is a yearly event that will take place March 9th - 12th.  

Tickets for the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships can be purchased through the University of New Mexico ticket office (505)925-5858, or online at www.unmtickets.com

General Tickets

Two Day Chair Back                            $25

General Admission 2 Day                      $20

Single Day                                            $15

General Admission/Single Day              $12

Senior/Student Tickets

Two Day Chair Back                            $22
General Admission 2 Day                     $18
Single Day                                            $10
General Admission/Single Day              $13



For more information on the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships please visit www.usatf.org

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Media Kit to Include:

*History of the Championships 

*Highlight record holding athletes

*IAAF Championship Qualifying Info

*Media Guide

*Fact Sheet 

*Media Release

*Statistics top contenders 

Recruiting & Fundraising

"Recruiting is like shaving, if you dont do it everyday it will show."  I dont know if it could have been said any better than that, and yes the same goes for fundraising.  Recruiting and fundraising must be done over time in order for them to have positive results.  Both certainly take a lot of management and nurturing over time.  The article referred to other various similarities which included

1. A pool of prospects - finding students or donors that will help you reach your goals

2. Qualifying the pool of prospects - determining height and skills vs affluence with an institution

3. Ability & Fit - a walk on vs someone that may want to donate but not have the funds

4.Contact with the prospect - sending recruiting letters vs sending fundraising information via mail

5. Research on your prospect - evaluating a prospective student athlete vs checking resources on how to communicate for funds (networking, alumni, etc.)

6.Personal contact with the prospect - In both cases this would be calling and talking wanting to play for the school vs donating to the organization

7.Personal connections- finding references that confirm the skills or the donation potential of the prospects

8.Personal visit to make the hit - prospective student athletes taking an official visit and being offered financial aid vs meeting with donors for a verbal agreement

9.Final Stage - Signing a national letter of intent (NLI) vs getting the check

10. Stewardship - maintaining relationships is always crucial in keeping consistency within any program.  In this case sending positive information about the team to a prospect vs sending tangible clips for donors to see what their money is going towards

11.The continuous process - students involvement during their academic year at an institution vs donors who may have unlimited commitment

I have never really thought about the comparison as it pertains to retaining but it does make sense for the general selection and retention process to be similar.  Just as a coach wants to build a strong team with smart kids that improve over the years so does an organization that is raising money.  Only in this case you look for donors that can be entice to want to give more over time for an infinite amount of time.  In both cases they are building programs that will be consistent in their success, which would ideally attract other to want to be involved.

 

Tim Tebow - Jockey

This is the first Sunday with no football in a long time, and in memory of that I am highlighting Tim Tebow and his as he has begun to dip into the wonderful world of endorsements.  Tebow is not doubt one of the most popular players in the NFL following he numerous come from behind wins and his unforgettable playoff performance.  It was only a matter of time before companies started knocking on his door, especially with his clean image that adds even more appeal.  Tebow currently has endorsement deals with Nike, FRS, EA Sports, and his newest addition that has been made public, in between him crashing Twitter pages and Tebowing, is his latest venture with Jockey.  This endorsement has raised some eyebrows given that he is selling an underwear collection which is usually associated with a limited amount of clothing.  Unlike previous Jockey endorsers, Tebow refused to pose solely in his underwear.  This has given Jockey an opportunity to alter their marketing strategy while still reaching out to the male and female audience despite Tebow not dropping his trousers (which I really respect him for standing his ground).  

Previous athletes such as David Beckham are known for showing their body.  Given the terms of working with Tebow the new approach is to market layers.  I think this is actually good for Jockey because they are able to capitalize on his celebrity with more versatility because they can highlight various pieces opposed to just underwear.  

Jockey was still able to come up with ads that were tasteful and still showed a little skin.  In one of the Jockey commercials Tebow is seen for about 2 seconds with his shirt off.  Even though it is a short shirtless clip there is a lot of buzz about it which is great for company.  Needless to say Tebow has done wonders for the brand.  Despite the marketing spin that was once thought to pose a problem, the "Tebow Effect" has driven up sales for both men's and women's products.  Specifically, the stay cool have underwear have now become the fastest-selling collection in 135 years of history.  His fan base is huge, appealing to men and women of all ages. The Jockey Facebook page has welcomed more the 2000 new fans and get thousands of hits everyday. 

  

FRH Energy Drink

                                                                                                                                                                            

Tebow's other main marketing money maker is with FRS (video link in above).  This is a drink developed by health scientists to produce and sustain energy.  Tebow is known for using FRS chew on the sidelines during game which made it easy for him to market the product, which actually began when he was a Heisman Trophy winner.  During his playoff run her wore an FRS hat while on camera and their was an immediate 500 percent increase in their web traffic.

Boom! Nike Commercial                                      

EA Sports

Tebow has also endorsed Nike and was the cover of EA Sports game while he was still a Gator.  He is very selective about the companies that he decides to market to, and from the research that I did none of them really disclose the amount that he makes from them.  He is been able to maintain his standards while still being able to capitalize on marketing opportunities.  Some critics claimed he would not be that successful because of the pro life Super Bowl commercial from last year, but I dont really see the correlation.  He has been able to use his platform to do great things and market himself in a positive way benefiting himself and the companies that he is working for. 

Olympic Media Coverage

The 2012 Olympics in Beijing supported more than 25,000 journalists of various languages.  Censorship was a major factor in hosting these game.  Journalists needed to have a visa and credential to gain access to the lavish media center.  A major issue of hosting in this country was the censorship that would be enforced by the government.  Because there was such a rigorous process to gain access independent and and smaller media outlets were not able to afford, or obtain the necessary documentation to get to Beijing in order to cover the games.  Despite this lavish media center there was still issues Olympic officials later admitted that that the only uncensored websites that journalists had access to were Olympic related.  From my understanding the orginal deal was that there would be no restrictions for their reporting.  After doing some additional reading it was also suggested that the internet was very slow, possibly in an effort to discourage people from using it all together.  As a journalists I could imagine the frustration in trying to quickly post stories or highlight events that were taking place.

 This year the Olympics are preparing for the games in London.  With all of the technological changes there are a number of variable to consider in hosting this event.  Needless to say, times have changes, and the Olympics seem to be face with a number of challenges that could potentially take the event from international status that it once had.  There was a point when these games symbolized peace and the joining of various cultures and nations.  I think one of the biggest challenges is keeping the authenticity of the event as time goes on.  Viewers used to tune in with the intentions of watching various countrys participate in a specific sport.  Given all of the available television channels with dish and satellite tv access to these types of competitions have become a dime a dozen.  Because there are so many championships that are seen over time (example: the World Series, World Cup) it takes away from the desire to see another "championship" deemed event.  Not to say that people will not watch, but the motivation and desire may be lower in this case.

Another huge challenge for the games is balancing the amount of power the given to sponsors and the influence of television.  Between television rights, player endorsements, sponsors of the games, and those that pretend to be associated using every thing but the likeness of the logo to generate revenue.  An issue in the past was the amount of commercials that happened during the opening ceremonies.  The essence of the ceremony is lost when there are commercials every few minutes.  Despite efforts to remain clean and have no advertising during the actual events there is really no way around it.  In countries that use broadcast systems its harder to identify the format and commercial decor that is in the broadcasting.  Its clear that corporations have become dictators when it comes to global advertising.  Corporate logo placement and use, endorsements, merchandising, and promotions have become a huge part of these modernized Olympic Games, that were once never really an issue.  As this the revenue side of marketing the Olympics continues to trickle down it effects the performance of those participating.  Big money endorsement go to those that are at the top of their game.  I honestly believe this is one of the reasons that performance enhancers have made their way into the games.  A way of securing addition income has tainted the image of the international event as well as the participant.  But again that driving factor become dollars signs which is not what the games were founded on.

Sports Information Technology

Technology has continued to improve the way various profitable industries function, the sports industry I believe is one that has utilized these technologies in unthinkable ways.  While I was being recruited for college there was no website to upload information to other than crating a profile page for yourself.  After coaching club soccer and working for Georgia Soccer Association I have become an avid user of a site called soccerincollege.  This site is used by potential student athletes, soccer clubs, college coaches, and tournament directors.  The site allows you to view players and teams located in every state, their profiles including high school information and GPA's, and positions.  Tournament directors are able to post their registration info and websites for easy access.  Each team that registers automatically uploads their players, jersey numbers, and coach information.  They also have a facebook page which allows users to post comments through the message board.

Currently I work as a compliance administrator at Colgate University, so I work with NCAA software pretty much all day everyday.  The NCAA no longer accepts infraction claims in the mail, they are all submitted online.  Weather is student athlete reinstatement, secondary violations, or requests for various wavers, they all must go through the system.  The nice thing about the site is the daily updates on the status, which allows you to follow where each case is.  There is also a very in depth system that allows you to find various legislation that may pertain to your case.  Another great feature are the previous cases and outcomes that are stored.  For example if I have an infraction that needs to be reported and I question the degree of punishment that should be applied I can search similar cases and see other school handled similar situations.  In addition to all of the great information found on the compliance side of the NCAA site there are newsletters and articles available to keep administrators up to date on virtually any kind of changes that may effect colleges and their recruiting or even highlighting students for community service projects.

There are also various ticketing services that I am sure have made many peoples lives easier as they track tickets for various events.  I was able to experience tracking thousands of tickets using a massive excel document to going to a wonderful system called Spotlight.  I used the system to track tickets, post prices and events, send tickets to clients, and so much more.  The system shaved hours off of my daily ticket managing and eventually I was giving sessions on how to use the system to our sales teams.  It was so much easier to manage and transport tickets to clients all over the country using the system because clients were able to print tickets opposed to having UPS tickets and depending of a third party to make deliveries.  There are thousands of different software programs that have not only strengthened the quality of work that is done in the industry but has also creating numerous jobs for people that may not have a specific interest in sports but can still have a hand in the industry.