Some Final Thoughts on World Cup
July 20th, 2010
The FIFA World Cup came to a close on Sunday, July 11, with a deserving win by Spain over The Netherlands. The match was far from pretty, but people watched in large numbers, including here in the US. According to reports (http://bit.ly/aCZQvB), over 15.5 million people watched the final match on ABC, setting a record for US viewership, while another 8.8 million watched Spanish-language coverage on Univision. There is no doubt the numbers are impressive and had the US team not lost in its first elimination match against Ghana, who knows if that number could have gone even higher.
On the heels of World Cup came news of Thierry Henry, the French soccer superstar, signing with MLS’s New York Red Bulls. Without question, the news for soccer in the US has been pretty decent of late. So, it’s probably a good time to once again ask the question (paraphrased for timeliness) I posed several posts ago. What will the interest in World Cup and the signing of Henry mean to soccer in the US at the professional level? Read the rest of this entry »
A Few Words With Chicagoland Speedway President, Craig Rust
July 7th, 2010
The NASCAR road show comes to town this weekend as Chicagoland Speedway plays host to NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races, July 9 and 10, respectively. For the past year, Craig Rust has served as President of the ISC-owned track located in Joliet, Ill. As he and his team prep for the biggest weekend of the year at the Speedway, Craig joins DeepThoughts for a quick Q&A:
DeepThoughts: You joined Chicagoland Speedway after serving as the President of another ISC track, Watkins Glen, the legendary road course in upstate New York. What has it been like marketing your sport in a larger market, such as Chicago?
Rust: It has been night and day compared to how we marketed the sport in Upstate NY. At The Glen, our two primary markets rank 80 and 82 so coming to the 3rd largest market and arguably one of the top sports markets in the country has been fun, but takes a lot more work. Chicago sports fans just have more choices within the market so we, Chicagoland Speedway, have to find creative ways to break through and get our message out that NASCAR at CLS is a must see! Read the rest of this entry »
FIFA World Cup – What will it mean for US Soccer?
June 18th, 2010
FIFA World Cup is now underway…I begin this post as I’m watching the opening match between Mexico and the Republic of South Africa. The scene is as electric as the hype has suggested it would be. Soccer is a unique sport, one that still doesn’t register completely with the rank-and-file American sports fan.
The question that is always asked leading up to the quadrennial competition – followed passionately the world over – is, “What will World Cup mean for soccer in the United States?” It’s a fair and logical question. But we feel the answer is not so simple. To be sure, there are plenty of Americans who really enjoy the world’s most popular sport. But, that hasn’t necessarily translated to love for the North American professional league, Major League Soccer (MLS). TV ratings compared to those of other “major” professional sports leagues remain inconsequential and attendance in many league markets is substandard. Read the rest of this entry »
DEEP featured in Chicago Sun-Times
June 15th, 2010
The Blackhawks remain a hot story in Chicago. The Chicago Sun-Times took up the topic of Blackhawk players and endorsement potential on Monday, June 14. DEEP President, David Paro, is featured in the article.
Chicago Sun-Times article
Betting on an Underdog Can Pay Off Big
June 13th, 2010
With the streets (and buildings) of Chicago lined with fans, the Chicago Blackhawks paraded east on Washington, north on Michigan and came to a halt at Michigan & Wacker where a rally of an estimated 2 million people were waiting for them; a number that Chicago officials say is the largest celebration the city has ever hosted. But this celebration was not just for the first Stanley Cup Championship in 49 years. It was far more. It was the culmination of the resurgence that started three years ago. Friday was just as much a “welcome back” party as it was a championship celebration. It was the fans showing their appreciation to the entire organization for “committing to the Indian”* and making hockey relevant again in Chicago; something that just five short years ago seemed impossible.
Looking back at the 2005-2006 season, the Blackhawks were a lousy 26-43-13 with 65 total points. Good enough for fourth place in the Central division, ahead of only the perennial basement dwelling St. Louis Blues. The team was being run by Bill Wirtz, zero games were televised, and the average attendance was 5,000. That was all about to change.
Read the rest of this entry »
To Coach, With Thanks
June 7th, 2010
The passing of John Wooden, a personal hero of mine, seems like a really good time to pause and reflect on whether we (as a society or the sports industry in general) live up to the standards of excellence he helped establish. On second thought, that might be a pretty depressing analysis.
I was born in southern California and though I didn’t live there very long I was a huge UCLA basketball fan. The Bruins, if you don’t recall, were pretty dominant back in the 1960s and early 70s so it wasn’t as though it was tough to be a fan. The Wizard of Westwood’s success on the court is legendary. He has no peers in any sport. Ten NCAA championships, including seven straight from 1967 to 1973; an 88-game win streak; four perfect 30-0 seasons, are some of the more jaw-dropping records the great man amassed. Read the rest of this entry »
Being Prepared for Disaster: 5 Considerations for Sponsors
May 21st, 2010
“Today marks a big win for the USOC. We are extremely proud and appreciative to welcome BP to our growing family of U.S. Olympic Partners. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the ultimate showcase of human endeavor and performance and we are thrilled to partner with an organization that has high performance at its heart.”
These were the words of US Olympic Committee CEO, Scott Blackmun when announcing BP’s sponsorship deal with the organization in February. “High performance” is likely not the term most would equate right now with BP.
On April 20th, an explosion occurred on BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico triggering a massive oil leak deep below the surface of the water. A month after the explosion, answers are still hard to come by as oil Read the rest of this entry »
Future Bright for Reality TV… Here’s Why
May 9th, 2010
Was in downtown Chicago for some meetings a few days ago and got to spend a little time walking the southern part of the world-famous Magnificent Mile, just north of the Chicago River, right near those architectural delights, the Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower. By chance, I stumbled upon a Top Chef: The Tour event in progress right there in a little side plaza off of Michigan Avenue.
All the seats under the tent were filled and many other stragglers looked on as two of the show’s “top chefs” were on hand for an exhibition and to answer questions. Read the rest of this entry »
David Paro appears on “Monsters & Money in the Morning”
April 27th, 2010
DEEP President, David Paro, appeared on CBS 2 Chicago’s “Monsters &
Money in the Morning” April 27th to discuss the business of sports marketing
NCAA DOES THE RIGHT THING
April 25th, 2010
They didn’t slay the Golden Goose after all. Several weeks ago, on this page, (Devaluing a Golden Goose: Why Expansion Will Hurt the NCAA Tournament) we wrote decrying the NCAA for what appeared to be a massive expansion of the NCAA basketball championship, one of the nation’s true sports treasures. Our problem with what was being considered wasn’t just that the tournament wanted to add teams, but with the approach to how the tournament would be structured (in essence turning the opening Thursday and Friday into a giant play-in festival). Read the rest of this entry »