Sports Appeal and Marketing

People spend time and money on sports because they feel excitement and are entertained by the competition and spectacle of sports.

Sports marketers sell sports,

games, and services to

these fans.

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Sports Appeal and Marketing

The two major components of sports marketingsports marketing are:

sports marketing all the marketing activities designed to satisfy the needs and wants of sports consumers

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The marketing of sports

Marketing through sports

A Brief History

In 1923, Wilson Sporting Goods signed professional golfer Gene Sarazen to a deal that lasted until Sarazen passed away in 1999.

William “Bill” Veeck was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for his innovations in sports marketing.

Linking athletes to corporations was the brainchild of agent Mark McCormack.

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Careers in Sports Marketing

Examples of jobs in sports marketing include:

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Scriptwriter

Producer

Ticket agent

Luxury-box sales

representative

Food and merchandise

sales representative

Group-ticket sales

Operating an e-tail business on an electronic channel—the Web—can be costly, due to design, delivery, returns, and operating expenses.

Though Many larger dot-com companies crashed in the 1990’s, small stores like Harris Cyclery of West Newton, Massachusetts, actually increase sales using a basic Web site. Today, a third of Harris’s bicycle business rides in on the Web to get hard-to-find parts and personal service.

Describe an e-business’s home page to your class after viewing one through marketingseries.glencoe.com.

From X-Games to E-Tainment

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TV station in Bristol, Connecticut, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network evolved into ESPN, Inc. Then ESPN.com became the hub of ESPN on the Internet, covering sports business news, also offering video games, e-tail stores, ESPN magazine, and more.

For more information on sports and entertainment marketing, go to marketingseries.glencoe.com.

The cyber-revolution has positioned the Internet as a major channel for sports marketing. Case in point: ESPN Internet Ventures. From its humble beginnings in 1979 as a small cable

Variety of Sports

Sports and sporting events can be classified into the following categories:

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Amateur

High school

College

Professional

Amateur and Professional Sports

Sports consumers are not attracted only to professional sporting events. A sports consumer finds interest in the sport and not just the classification or level of sport.

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Amateur Sports

High school, college, or any recreational player is considered an amateur amateur athleteathlete.

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amateur athlete a person who does not get paid to play a sport

Amateur sporting events attract a large number of fans, attention, and money.

High School Sports

The goal of the National Federation of State High Schools Association (NFHS) is to make sure that students benefit from a balanced educational and athletic experience.

In many communities, high school sports are a source of pride and part of tradition.

Regional influences affect the popularity of sports in the United States.

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College and University Sports

Sporting events at the college level are very popular and extremely competitive in all regions.

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NCAA a national organization that governs college athletics and oversees important decisions pertaining to athletics

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAANCAA) posts its guidelines and rules on its Web site at www.ncaa.org.

Professional Sports

The income of a professional athleteprofessional athlete is paid for by his or her employer, who is the team or organization.

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professional athlete an athlete has the will and ability to earn an income from a particular sport

Professional athletes also have the opportunity to earn income from endorsements.

Professional Sports

Teams in professional sports are considered fully functional businesses.

It is the main purpose of teams to get the best players in order to win events and attract fans who will purchase tickets and merchandise.

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Other Categories of Sports

Other categories of sports include:

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Olympic Games

Athletes with disabilities

International sports

Women’s sports

Extreme sports

Olympic SportsThe first Olympic game was held in 776 B.C.

The Olympic Games grew and continued to be played every four years until they were abolished in 393 A.D.

The Olympic Games were revived in 1890.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC),

plans the games and oversees issues and

decisions.

The Amateur Rule was overturned in 1986.

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The Wide World of Paralympics

The Paralympic Games are Olympic-style games for athletes with disabilities.

In 1968, Eunice Kennedy Shriver organized the First International Special Olympic games.

Special Olympics currently serve one million people in more than 200 programs in more than 150 countries.

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International Sporting Events

Popular sports around the world include:

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Soccer (the World Cup)

Biking (the Tour de France)

Cricket

Rugby

Each of these sports provides entertainment to the sports consumer and new challenges to sports marketers.

Women’s Sports

The status of women in sports has advanced in the 20th century.

As early as 1932, Olympic gold medalist Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias not only excelled at most sports, she was also an impressive sports promoter.

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Women’s Sports

On June 23, 1972, the enactment of Title IX, the Education Amendment, advanced girls’ participation in sports.

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Women’s Sports

On June 23, 1972, the enactment of Title IXTitle IX, the Education Amendment, advanced girls’ participation in sports.

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Title IX a law that bans gender discrimination in schools that receive federal funds

Women’s amateur and professional sports organizations have taken substantial steps in involving women in sports.

Extreme Sports

Extreme sportsExtreme sports are relatively new to sports-marketing efforts.

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extreme sports sports that involve nontraditional, daring methods of athletic competition

Corporations have begun to market products toward a new target market by promoting extreme sport drinks, clothing, and other merchandise.

Sports Categories

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Sports

Paralympics

Amateur

High School

College

Professional

Extreme

Recreational

Olympics