sports

The annual bacchanal of basketball we call March Madness is about to begin. This celebration of college hoops is not only a major distraction for much of America, but it is also a major money maker and a huge opportunity for schools at every level to make an impact. There are many ways in which colleges and universities can ride March Madness into PR nirvana, but here are several of the biggest opportunities. Larger schools like Duke and UNC have an opportunity to cement their legendary status and to one-up their rivals. A few weeks back Duke edged UNC in... Read More >

5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian discusses the 'Marshawn Lynch Conundrum', one day removed from the Super Bowl and official end of the NFL Season. Last week, in advance of Super Bowl Sunday, Seahawks' running back Marshawn Lynch was up to his old tricks. He is constantly and persistently doing whatever he can to avoid talking to the media. Any media at all. The NFL took action by fining Lynch $50,000 last year and later imposed a second $50,000, letting it be known his antics wouldn’t be tolerated. Except Lynch seems to have found a loophole and he’s running with it. He is... Read More >

A single commercial being run on this year's Super Bowl would cost roughly $4.5 million for just 30 short seconds of airtime. In 2014, it was only $4 million for a 30 second ad. The Super Bowl is known for reaching millions upon millions of viewers across the globe. This year specifically has a couple new surprises and definitely changes that the other years didn't have. The battle for which company has the best commercial is always competitive, especially since advertisers try to capitalize off the time of the year when people actually sit down and look forward to watching the... Read More >

The super bowl enjoys a long history in America of drawing a massive viewership across all demographics, and provides an excellent way to brand and market a product. However, that instant access to viewers comes at a price. In the last couple years, that price soared to millions of dollars for a 30 second ad, and continues to get more expensive. A 30 second ad in last year’s Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks cost 4.5 million dollars, with that number expected to rise in 2016 to over 15 million. Times Have Changed The first... Read More >

If you live in or around New York City, then you know the entire city has been abuzz for the last few days with the first official visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to NYC.  The excitement generated by the two was evident as New Yorkers endured the gloomy weather to get a glimpse of Prince William and Catherine as they made their way through a packed itinerary. On the list was taking in a basketball game, the Brooklyn Nets versus the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclay Center on Monday night, which drew a lot of attention both from... Read More >

The Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson stories have been major PR hits for the NFL, and the players in the NFL seem to have already written off the league office. These players will continue to play, but it appears that they do not trust the league. However, the league is taking an even bigger PR hit in the American public eye. What Has Happened? People who watch the NFL do not seem to trust the league or its owners. When people watch the NFL, they see a violent that has violent players. People are wondering if the violence is a... Read More >

With the removal of Clippers owner Donald Sterling, both the NBA and fans coast-to-coast were waiting to hear from “other owners.” That group has been the constant focus for the “rest of the story” during the entire debacle about an owner making racist comments, which were recorded in private and then broadcast to the world. As the story broke and then as it played out and snowballed, media continually reported that it would be pressure from other owners that would eventually push Sterling out of the NBA causing a Crisis PR situation. But, for the most part, there was little... Read More >

Once again, NCAA college basketball March Madness is upon us. Across the US, people are filling out brackets, and teams are chasing destiny. What happens will be life changing, not only for the young men playing the game, but also for the fans who pour their heart, soul, and money into the game. [caption id="attachment_48610" align="aligncenter" width="750"] NCAA titles - courtesy Wikipedia[/caption] In this article, I reveal 4 ways March Madness creates a wide open jump shot for savvy marketers. 1 - Competition brings people together: Nothing brings people together quite like having something to strive for. March Madness not... Read More >

It's pretty sad when some epic heroes start to fade out. No doubt the demands of baseball stardom these days, somehow influenced Alex Rodriguez to toy with things that enhance performance, just to keep up. The latest news of A-Rod's bout to keep on keeping on though, just seems whiny to me. Last week baseball's most prolific active homer champ lawyer-ed up and filed two lawsuits in connection with his 211 game suspension and the injury that sidelined him recently. The first, filed in New York State Supreme Court, alleges Major League Baseball and commissioner Bud Selig somehow dealt the slugger... Read More >

I will never forget an NFL moment when two highly touted football superheroes met in an explosion of energy at the goal line. La Raiders superman Bo Jackson just ran over "The Boz", that's it. When you see a running back run over the top of the most hyped linebacker in football, it has an effect. Interestingly, Bo Jackson (read this) did not have a destiny to become the NFL's greatest ball carrier, a rare hip injury took him down. As for Brian Bosworth, a bad case of half ass narcissism ruined his career in football. Now "The Boz" is all... Read More >