sports

With sports rights owners facing an ever evolving and changing global distribution landscape, it is paramount these entities implement a diversified and integrated approach that advances their many competing objectives. We asked media executive Sal Siino how these owners are responding to this changing environment and what we can expect next. The first step is typically the clarification and prioritization of the potential goals in both the short and long term. 1 – Has the ultimate goal of sports right owners changed? No. Revenue maximization remains the ultimate goal for every sports entity. Other, seemingly universal goals are the achievement... Read More >

Professional sports, as an industry, is dependent on building up the brands of certain stars in order to sell. From Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods to LeBron James, Peyton Manning and Floyd “Money” Mayweather, sports fans gravitate toward dynamic athletes with connective personalities. Perhaps more than any other professional sport, tennis public relations and popularity lives and dies on the popularity of its top players. Duels between massive stars have always been the big ticket draw for the sport. From McEnroe, Becker, Agassi, King, Lendl and Graf to Sampras, Williams, Federer, and Nadal, generations of tennis fans have grown up... Read More >

There are no two ways about it, professional football took a big hit in 2017. Attendance at games was down, viewership was down, and overall profitability was down. Even with a bevy of outstanding games and last minute nail-biters, the NFL struggled to keep fans engaged. Between the growing frustration with new rules, and the failure to adequately address – in one way or another – the anthem protests, the NFL stumbled through the year trying to avoid the elephant in the room. Meanwhile, college football thrived. Every year we see big comebacks, huge upsets, and Cinderella teams, but this... Read More >

It’s time once again for college hoops, and, as the season looms, the UCONN’s women are once again getting all the hype. The Huskies were the AP’s unanimous number one in the first preseason poll, tying Tennessee for most number one rankings overall…at least heading into the season. And that’s where we all have to come back down to earth. There’s nothing to preseason polls but expectations and pressure. No games have been played, and now the team has to live up to what pretty much everyone believes they are capable of. Any slip will be met with surprise and... Read More >

In the NFL, injuries can happen to anyone. But when you have a team that can’t keep their QB healthy, year after year, fans begin to think the team has an albatross hanging around. Just ask Indianapolis Colts fans now that franchise quarterback Andrew Luck is, once again, going to miss the rest of the season. Luck was officially placed on injured reserve last week so he can rehab his injured throwing shoulder. Luck hasn’t had much luck since undergoing surgery to fix a torn labrum in the offseason. Since then, he has missed all of training camp, the preseason... Read More >

The Pittsburgh Steelers are rolling this year, but they may have to continue their winning ways without wide receiver Martavis Bryant. The wideout has been very vocal about his views on his current playing time via social media, and it looks like those posts are going to cost him. According to the Associated Press, Bryant will be riding the pine in the foreseeable future, because of his social media outburst. Bryant says he’s “fine,” but he’s clearly not pleased with his limited role this season. The crux of the “outburst” involved Bryant complaining that he should be benched in favor... Read More >

When he played, Mike Ditka was a presence on the field. The big tight end made defenses pay every time he ran a route. He took this strong, gruff, no-nonsense approach into his coaching days, building a reputation as a dominant winner during his time in Chicago. Despite his gruff exterior and scowling presence on the sideline, Ditka was treated as a loveable teddy bear of a folk hero, especially in Chicago. When he made the news, it was either about his team’s performance or due to the latest “Da Bears” sketch on SNL. Recently, though, Ditka made the headlines... Read More >

These past few weeks have been a PR nightmare for the National Football League. From player protests to fan boycotts, to aggravating President Trump and being pulled into the ongoing contention that is the current American political climate, the NFL is struggling to find a comfortable place for its brand and a way to deliver that brand to its fans without all the hoopla. But that doesn’t mean all the news is bad. The NFL and Facebook are teaming up to change the face of how people interact with the game. Sure, streaming will bring massive changes to the NFL... Read More >

In the modern atmosphere of professional sports, the cameras are pretty much always rolling. This is a lesson a new pro player seems to be learning every week. This week, it turned out to be two NFL players, Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton and Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown. During their week four game against the rival Baltimore Ravens, Brown flipped out on the sideline, eventually slinging a Gatorade bucket. You can bet all the sports shows grabbed that bit of film. The tirade began after Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger missed him on what could have been a touchdown play. Brown... Read More >

At this point in the MLB season, the haves and have-nots are pretty well established. Many teams are a shoo-in for the playoffs. Others are on the bubble. Then there are some who knew they didn’t have a shot before Labor Day. For those teams and their fans, the 2017 season demands some changes. Player personnel, managers, maybe even in the front office. Something isn’t what it ought to be, and pro sports isn’t a place for feelings to get in the way of business. Business demands a Better Shot Next Year. That brings us to a recent AP story... Read More >