As noted in Sezario Ch. 1, advertising is the primary revenue generator for both sports teams/leagues and media outlets. What are two of the most effective advertising strategies? And what are two of the least effective/most annoying aspects of sports commercialization? Offer specific examples to support your points. Finally, is sports too commercialized? Why or why not? Limit: 13 responses
Gage Kilborne
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say the sports industry has blossomed over the past 20 years from where it was when our parents used to watch sports. The big reason for this sports boom was due to the advertisements of the teams and athletes. As a result, we see teams increase in net worth over the past 50 years and no team has taken a bigger advantage at this than the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones bought the franchise for just $150 million and the team is now worth over $5 billion. Jones increased the team's wealth by spending money on advertising and reaching out to the community to increase fan interest. Jones also spent money on adding luxury boxes to the stadium to have more wealthy fans attend the games in style. This is the best advertising strategy to spread the team's name as many people around the world now know the star as the team of the NFL. Some other teams who followed suit with what the Cowboys did are the Steelers, Yankees, Lakers, Celtics, and Red Sox to name a few.
The second-most effective way to advertise a sport is by having the sport play in a foreign territory. The perfect example with this is the NFL, they have started playing international games as a way to increase fan interest internationally. The NFL has sent teams to London, Mexico City, and Germany to name a few and as a result, the NFL has noticed a fan increase and if it wasn't for Jeff Bezos, the international NFL games would have probably been expired at this point.
Gage Kilborne 2
DeleteA few advertising techniques that I personally think are starting to get a little bit annoying are the Super Bowl Commercials. The commercials seem light-hearted and fun to keep the non-football fans interested but in recent years, the Super Bowl Ads have been sluggish and not as good as they were in years past. This makes people wonder why companies would be willing to spend $10 million on a 60 second commercial that many people consider annoying is a waste of money in my book.
The second advertisement strategy that I find as annoying is sports betting. I am normally one who likes to gamble every now and then at a casino, but when you add gambling into the mix it applies more pressure to the athletes and teams. Many coaches claim that they don't pay attention to the statistics but that is false, everyone on the team pays attention to the predictions on tv and finds out where they stand on the money line, if they are not favored to win, there is more pressure to pull off an upset, but if they are favored to win, there is pressure for them to meet certain expectations. Not only does sports betting have a negative impact on the participating teams, the fans who partake in sports betting can fall into gambling addictions which will cause mental health problems to occur for the fans as a result and they could draw at risk of losing everything.
Ourand, John. “Streaming, Betting Companies Bolster NFL Ad Market.” Sports Business Journal, 2022, https://sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2022/01/24/In-Depth/NFL-ad-spend.aspx.
Robinson, Charles. “There's Reason for NFL to Fear Jeff Bezos. but It's Not Big Enough to Keep Him out, Especially If London Is in Play.” Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo!, 2022, https://sports.yahoo.com/theres-reason-for-nfl-to-fear-jeff-bezos-but-its-not-big-enough-to-keep-him-out-especially-if-london-is-in-play-025042019.html?guce_referrer=ahr0chm6ly9xdwlubmlwawfjlmjsywnrym9hcmquy29tlw&guce_referrer_sig=aqaaamwart6pi8kf55qswkvnjy0hjmx_qshvwdsapeee8fwl6u9l876eybsldmmfvkd8voq4wqeegbabnehfe_zapeyva_2auiasuteyrc9p5atzbh4qoudt4d8ryuewvlzvwjqtliuve-jnlwthx29g6lozhpp1hbdiaddclwvlkvr1.
Steinberg, Brian. “NBC Seeks Record $6 Million for Super Bowl Commercials (Exclusive).” Variety, Variety, 16 June 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/super-bowl-commercials-price-record-1234998593/.
Rita Sherban
ReplyDeleteWhile advertising is the predominant money maker for franchises, the two most effective forms are apparel and broadcast rights. According to Michael Serazio, “…all Americans spend money at least once a month on sports, contributing to nearly $70 billion worth of tickets, broadcast rights, sponsorships, and apparel” (Serazio 13). Apparel is important in sports because it represents fan support. In 2020, when Tom Brady announced his move to Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers saw a 1200% increase in merchandise (Ciccotelli). Fans rushed to get their hands on a Brady jersey not only to show support to their home team, but also to the newly signed quarterback. By purchasing a new jersey, Buccaneer fans symbolically showed their loyalty and ushered in a season for the football team. Even when players are set for retirement, merchandise can still support a franchise. When Derek Jeter announced his retirement, “23% of New Era’s MLB business has been Yankees-related…” (Richmond). This devotion to a player, and a team is symbolic of the faith that fans have in their teams. While apparel helps franchise revenue, broadcast rights are of the utmost importance.
NFL Sunday Ticket and ESPN+ could be the most valuable broadcast packages sport fans have on their televisions. “…just a few years into the new millennium, the explosion of networks dedicated to airing sports content meant that viewers could pig out on some 645 hours per week” (Serazio 16). Currently, as I write this, my brothers are parked on my neighbor’s couch, watching the Bengals and the Chiefs, because my neighbor has NFL Sunday Ticket and we don’t. DirecTV’s contract with Sunday Ticket is up in 2022, which will probably get picked up by ESPN, making Disney a juggernaut of entertainment. When Disney absorbed ESPN, the company accrued $10 billion in earnings, garnering the title of, “the most valuable media property on the planet” (Serazio 17). With the decline of modern television and the slow progression towards streaming, television stations like ABC and Fox cling to the ratings that sports grant them with. “…sports programming is said to be “keeping the lights on” at ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, accounting for more than one-third of all ad sales” (Serazio 17). Broadcasting rights may be more valuable especially in the age of a pandemic where people are less included to go out and mingle in large crowds. Having access to any sports game not only entrenches fans into an already cult-like following, but once again reiterates the devotion fans have to their teams, even if it means shelling out eight dollars a month. While fans will live and die for their teams, there are some aspects of the game that can be nauseating.
Sherban (cont.)
ReplyDeleteThe most annoying aspect of sports is what Serazio dubs as “irrational exuberance”. Professional and collegiate fans alike are persuaded that sports are the main revenue generator for the city or college and therefore costs should be allocated to the teams for the betterment of the establishment. However, this is far from true. “…of 340 Division I colleges, only 23 athletic departments actually operated in the black…” (Serazio 20). To subsidize the athletic department, student costs are typically the route institutions take. However, this is unfair to many students who are not scholar athletes. From my personal experience, Clarkson University sought to renovate Cheel Arena, for the Division I men and women’s ice hockey teams. The students were told that this was not only a great opportunity for school, but also contributed economic benefits as well. The renovations totaled about $40 million dollars. However, most of the facility was strictly for the ice hockey teams and boosters. The rest of the student population was essentially told to “kick rocks” are they were denied access to a new training facilities and limited amount of time on the ice. Average students are consistently pushed to the wayside. The deficit in Rutgers athletic department ate into library costs as well as other amenities (Serazio 20). This type of devotion to sports can feel isolating especially to the people who do not participate in sports and is also a reflection of our society as we are willing to pour thousands of dollars into games than into academics.
The least effective sports advertising strategy is sponsorship. While Nike had a big boom in the 90s, largely due to the success of the Chicago Bulls, more precisely Michael Jordan, sponsorship is too risky of a market. While Jordan and Nike had successful sponsorship careers, Jordan was not a risky player to sell. He was not very political, he was a favorite among young basketball fans, overall, he was someone fans could morally get behind. On the other end of the spectrum is Tiger Woods. When Tiger Woods first emerged into the public arena, companies like Nike and Buick were quick to grab him for sponsorship. However, when news of his infidelity and car accident surfaced, companies withdrew their offers and started pulling their ads. Sponsorship is risky because it’s connected to the moral conscious of a player rather than their stats. More recently in 2016, Nike wanted to drop Colin Kaepernick as a sponsor before they decided to capitalize on the movement Kaepernick was representing.
Ciccotelli, J. (2021, May 3). Tom Brady joining Bucs led to 1,200% increase in merchandise sales in 2020. Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10001847-tom-brady-joining-bucs-led-to-1200-increase-in-merchandise-sales-in-2020
Richmond, S. (2014, September 23). Derek Jeter has the best-selling MLB Jersey of all-time. FanSided. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://fansided.com/2014/09/23/derek-jeter-best-selling-mlb-jersey-time/
Serazio, M. (2019). The power of sports: Media and spectacle in American culture. New York University Press.
The most effective advertising strategies have come almost naturally for both sports teams/leagues and media outlets. In chapter 1, Sezario talks about how sports are emotional and there is almost nothing rational about them. When such activities have that emotional response, they can build a following and those fans are loyal like no other due to that religious-like aspect created among the community. One of the most effective forms of advertising is apparel and branded merchandise. People love to be a part of something and represent it. Jerseys, hats, sweatshirts, and T-shirts are all ways for the fans to be connected with each other, the team, and players, but they are also walking billboards for these sports teams/leagues. “Within the United States, nearly a quarter of all Americans spend money at least once a month on sports, contributing to nearly $70 billion worth of tickets, broadcast rights, sponsorship and apparel” (Serazio 6). This is a major contribution to the overall worth of these industries and only helps them thrive. Wearing team/sports apparel says something about the person wearing it, that they are a part of this community. Seeing a simple B on a hat may not mean much to anyone who isn’t a Boston Red Sox fan because it is a singular letter just in a particular font often the color red but not always. Other members of the Boston Red Sox fan base recognize their own because of this specific merchandise made just for Red Sox fans. Another effective advertising strategy is the way the sponsorship and brands work with the teams, players, leagues etc. A stamp of approval by a company that says this person/team/sports related deity represents us as well as you, your team, your city etc. Athletes or teams working with a popular activewear company like Adidas or Nike are successful in the promotion of each other. It is often a very beneficial relationship for all the parties involved.
ReplyDeleteSome of the most annoying advertising strategies that are used in sports commercialization is where sports are being broadcasted. Different leagues and games belong to different stations or platforms which makes the accessibility harder for the fans. THR refers to a deal made that Thursday Night Football games will be moved from Fox to Amazon (Weprin). Sunday and Monday night games are still on cable networks but what if the team that one identifies gets a Thursday night game. They will now have to make sure that they have an Amazon subscription in order to access the game. This conversion from cable to other streaming platforms is not seamless. Also involving Amazon parallel the previous addition of those other big companies that buy stadiums and rename them. Another least effective strategy is sports betting. Whenever money is involved, people get more attached, more emotional and this type of involvement can lead to a number of outcomes. People may place money on teams and when they do not perform as well as the better hoped, there is a tear created in the relationship between the overall sport, team, or player and their target market group. Sports betting is more accessible because there is a wide market of sports and collections of trusted websites to process the gambling. Yes, it is more convenient and accessible but when fans are gambling on certain things, attitudes towards teams, players and leagues can change.
I think sports are too commercialized from a fan point of view or someone not knowing of the industry. A simple game has become a multi-billion-dollar industry that creates content by the minute to make a quick buck. From a business standpoint why would you not commercialize everything you possibly could in an industry that has so many people in their grasp.
Part 2
DeleteSconlan, Charley, et al. “Home.” Oregon Sports News, 4 June 2020, https://oregonsportsnews.com/why-sports-betting-is-taking-over-the-gambling-industry/.
Serazio, Michael. The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture. New York University Press, 2019.
“Streaming, Betting Companies Bolster NFL Ad Market.” Sports Business Journal, https://sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2022/01/24/In-Depth/NFL-ad-spend.aspx.
Weprin, Alex. “NFL Inks Rich New TV Deals with Disney, Fox, NBCUniversal, Viacomcbs and Amazon.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2021, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nfl-new-tv-deals-abc-fox-nbc-cbs-amazon-4139552/.
Robert Fritz
ReplyDeleteAdvertising in sports is an interesting topic now as sports betting is becoming legalized in more in more states by the month. But with that the two most popular forms of advertising in the sports business remain in apparel and in broadcast deals. The NFL is king in American sports and the data backs that up “By 2016, league games accounted for 60 of the top 100 Nielsen scores and Super Bowl XLVIII set a record with 112 million viewers, which was broken only by Super Bowl XLIX, naturally, which saw 114 million Americans tuning in.” (Serazio 7). NFLs ability to generate mass numbers in its viewership is why broadcast deals still remain at the top in terms of the best and most popular forms for advertising. Other sports realize this, and the NFL still has a leg up on the competition in this area due to things like NFL Sunday Ticket and Redzone. The MLB has its own service in MLBtv which allows people in out of market locations to watch teams play, the NBA has the same deal with its NBA League Pass. NBA has deals to broadcast games on TNT, ESPN, and ABC while MLB has deals with TBS, FOX, ESPN, and ESPN+ for their broadcasting rights. The NFL recently signed a new broadcasting deal that included Thursday Night Football going on Amazon Prime and ABC getting to televise two future Super Bowls but the big part of this is in an article written in the Hollywood Reporter by Alex Weprin is that this new NFL broadcasting deal is over $100 billion in the 11-year agreement. The obvious second most popular form of advertising in sports is apparel. Sports apparel will always remain at the top form of advertising with every team seemingly having 4 different types of jerseys to wear and sell each year and that doesn’t include the all-star jerseys that will come around. Also having sweatshirts, hoodies, shorts, socks, hats, masks all these different things it is not wonder that apparel is one of the best and easiest forms of advertising in sports. Two of the least effective or most annoying aspects of sports commercialization are sports tying themselves to a cause/group and sponsorships. Sponsorships are annoying because it feels gimmicky like when I’m watching a game and I hear “here’s a sideline report brought to you by AutoZone” it just sounds weird and useless. My gripe isn’t with players being sponsored its with all the extra stuff that can just be what it is with out a company name and logo next to it. Another thing is when sports tie themselves to a group or cause not because its inherently a bad thing but because it’s not believable. When these sports leagues and teams do it, it feels like its for show. Like how am I supposed to believe that the NFL stands with this cause or group when they have lied about the impacts of football on ones health for decades and barred people from treatment because of the injuries sustained from football. Is sports too commercialized obviously but its how they make money and expand their brands and audience base.
Archer, Todd. “Jerry Jones' Maverick Ways Changed NFL's Business Model.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 1 Feb. 2017, https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4758043/jerry-jones-maverick-ways-changed-nfls-business-model.
Serazio, Michael; Serazio, Michael. The Power of Sports: 23 (Postmillennial Pop) (pp. 6-7). NYU Press. Kindle Edition.
Weprin, Alex. “NFL Inks Rich New TV Deals with Disney, Fox, NBCUniversal, Viacomcbs and Amazon.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2021, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nfl-new-tv-deals-abc-fox-nbc-cbs-amazon-4139552/.
Ethan Carrión
ReplyDeleteProfiting off of sports in ways that are unrelated to sports have always been part of the watching experience. Before games were even televised there were hot dog vendors at baseball games and pie salesman at European soccer games. Since sports have become televised, companies have been flocking for the opportunity to advertise their products in front of the thousands if not millions of fans watching from around the world.
One of the most famous ways that companies have chosen to advertise their products is during the Superbowl commercial breaks. The Superbowl is largely regarded as the biggest and most watched sports game in America. For this reason, the Superbowl’s ad-slot prices have been rising every year. In 2022, NBC is attempting to purchase a record-breaking $6 million dollar time slot. (Steinberg) Though $6 million may seem an absurd price to pay for 30 seconds of ad-time, it is not too far off the $5.5 million time slot that CBS bought in 2021. (Steinberg) Super bowl commercials are possibly the greatest risk a company can take when advertising in sports. Many people watch the Super bowl solely for the commercials due to the reputation they have built up. This can be fantastic for the companies advertising as they have a guaranteed audience for their ad.
Though super bowl ads are certainly the advertisements that American viewers tend to obsess over the most, it is not always about how large an audience the advertiser is reaching, but rather how many of the people they have reached are they able to influence. One tactic that has shown promise in advertising is the guerilla advertising tactic. These ads are created with the intent of not being noticed, or at least realized. The plan for guerilla advertising is to make the advertisement hit so close to home, or be so personal, that the viewer forgets that they are being sold something. These ads focus on coming across more as possibly-sponsored stories rather than ads. Despite being less obvious as an ad, as Michael Serazio states “And it is paradoxically more persuasive and less apparent than ever before.” (Serazio 115)
Now, these tactics use proven and effective marketing strategies to get viewers to buy their product. But one way these companies may not be helping their relationship with consumers is through naming arenas. Nowadays almost every stadium has a sponsored name, from the People’s United Center to the AT&T stadium. Though the idea of getting the name of the company into people’s heads certainly works, the advertisers may be ignoring what context their company is being thought of in. For example, maybe the fans are not grateful to AT&T for building the Cowboys stadium, rather they resent the company for taking away their old stadium name.
Ethan Carrión continued:
DeleteAnother misstep companies advertising in sports may make is exclusive interviewing from a company. Many companies nowadays have bought the rights to be the first outlet to report news. The issue is that since the paying company must be the first to release the news, they are bottlenecking information until it is released at their convenience. Fans are invested in their sports, and in time will realize what these companies have been doing, not allowing exclusive access, but restricting access to make their information seem exclusive. This will likely have a negative impact on the relationship between the company and the fans.
Though analyzing the effectiveness of advertising is useful to see how viewers are being affected, it seems as if advertising has become too large a part of sports. In the NFL and the UFC there is more time spent watching commercials that the actual game! (Mann)
Mann, Jeffrey. “Killing the Casual Fan: The over-Commercialization of American Sports.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 2 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/50550-killing-the-casual-fan-the-over-commercialization-of-american-sports.
Steinberg, Brian. “NBC Seeks Record $6 Million for Super Bowl Commercials (Exclusive).” Variety, Variety, 16 June 2021, variety.com/2021/tv/news/super-bowl-commercials-price-record-1234998593/.
Serazio, Michael. The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture. New York University Press, 2019.
Shannon Goria
ReplyDeleteSports have moved from being just fun, recreational games to now one of the largest money-making industries in the world . With advertising now being the primary revenue generator for both sports teams/leagues, two of the most effective advertising strategies include selling merchandise/apparel and broadcasting rights. In terms of selling merchandise with the sports totem or team logo, many fans remain religious to their teams and support them through wearing merchandise that relates to their team. Sports fandom serves as a way of feeling a sense of “belonging and affiliation” (Serazio 27). So many fans wear their team colors on game days for good luck and hang flags in support which brings about a sense of community. Selling broadcasting rights is also an effective advertising strategy as new agreements have increased the average value of popular sports teams to around $3.4 billion (Ozanian, 2021). In fact, the NFL just made a deal of TV rights for $10.3 billion a year starting in 2023 with the MLB making $1.84 billion and the NBA $2.6 billion (Ozanian, 2021).
One of the least effective aspects of sports commercialization includes some teams trying to label themselves as being a “big league” team in a “big league city.” This is actually non-beneficial economically. According to leading scholar of sports economics Robert Baade, these high construction costs actually decrease tourism and rent revenues (Serazio, 12). Even hosting big games such as the Olympics only puts the city more in debt as promoters can only offer immaterial items such as “improved national spirit and mood” (Serazio, 13). Another annoying aspect of sports commercialization includes the plethora of commercials and advertisements during televised sporting events. Nowadays television broadcasters such as NBC seeks out $6 million for Super Bowl commercials than only last 30 seconds (Steinberg, 2021)!. As you can guess this means NBC will load up as many commercials as possible during big sporting events just to increase profits. These commercials tie away attention from the game. On top of this, I also find small advertisements around stadiums and arenas to take away some of the natural beauty of the playing field where games take place.
I personally think that sports are too commercialized as I feel as though nowadays individuals within the sports community as predominantly in it for the business aspect in terms of making a profit off of the players and the games. Sports are no longer only seen for the skills and talents of the athletes but also for money in terms of how to sell more tickets and increase the costs of merchandise and food/drinks at games. In fact, it was even found that alcoholic beverages brought in the third highest amount of money at games which is crazy! (Gentrun, 2022). Games have also slowly increased in time over the years with too many commercial breaks and even back in 2017 NBA playoffs games lasted three of more hours! (Mann, 2017). This time has remained an issue even now with fans even joking about “football time” and how an hour is really 2 hours. And now with fans’ attention span decreasing over time, how are they supposed to watch the whole game when it’s now such a huge time commitment (Mann, 2017). Sports are supposed to be something fun to watch that bring a sense of community with fans who have a passion for the same sport. They aren’t supposed to be about money but about talent and skill.
Mann, J. (2017, October 2). Killing the casual fan: The over-commercialization of American Sports. Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://bleacherreport.com/articles/50550-killing-the-casual-fan-the-over-commercialization-of-american-sports
ReplyDeleteOzanian, M. (2021, May 14). World's most valuable sports teams 2021. Forbes. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2021/05/07/worlds-most-valuable-sports-teams-2021/?sh=4a3db23c3e9e
Serazio, Michael. The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture. New York: NYU Press, 2019.
Steinberg, B. (2021, June 16). NBC seeks record $6 million for Super Bowl commercials (exclusive). Variety. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/super-bowl-commercials-price-record-1234998593/
Above is Shannon Goria's citations!
DeleteDalton Rice – Blog #1 Part 1
ReplyDeleteSports media has become as big as the game itself. Major personalities like those at ESPN, ABC, and FOX such as Stephen A. Smith, Joe Buck, Skip Bayless and Tony Romo make millions of dollars from just talking about the games they are watching and discussing the biggest storylines in their respective sports that they cover (Healy, Audacy). The deals that are made for these companies to have the rights to broadcast games with commentary have reached over 9 figures. That’s a lot of money to just show a game with some talking heads on your television channel. There is much more to it though. Just recently, Pat McAfee signed a massive four year, $120 million deal with FanDuel, an exclusive partner with the NFL. McAfee is a former NFL punter, but has become one of the faces of sports media with his daily livestreams where he interviews NFL personalities and constantly plugs his major sponsor. Television personalities are just the tip of the iceberg in this industry, people like Pat have opened many doors that have cracked open the wallets of companies hoping to get their piece of the revenue pie.
Advertising is a huge part of sports and there are many important players, no pun intended, that help draw in crowds that make TV stations, streaming platforms and owners millions and in some cases billions of dollars. Starting in 2023 and presumably ending in 2033, Amazon will have exclusive rights to broadcasting Thursday Night until the deal ends (Sherman, Young, CNBC). With stations like ESPN, Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS all having major ownership in broadcasting rights, there is so much money in just the game of broadcasting alone. The players and coaches on the field are walking (or running) dollar signs and these television deals show exactly why players like Patrick Mahomes are able to sign decade long, half a billion dollar contracts.
When it comes to how players are paid, there are many ways that money comes in for teams to retain their talent and lure in those lucrative free agents. Corporate sponsorships, TV contracts, ticket sales and merchandise sales are the most profitable ventures for teams owners to pay their athletes.
Merchandise sales are a big source of profit in all of sports. Fans love to flaunt the colors of their teams and wear the names of their favorite players on their backs. Whether its mugs, vanity license plates, kitchenware or bed sets, you can find any piece of apparel with your team’s logo on it. From March 2020 to February 2021, NFLPA license merchandise generated $2.1 billion in sales (Janoff) which contains a decent amount that goes back to teams and players for royalties that are estimated at around 12% to 20%.
When it comes to things that I consider “annoying” there are a few that stick out, but to stick with the prompt I have picked out two.
DeleteFirst, commercials. Commercials are insanely aggravating. There is no reason why I should have to watch the same exact ad with the same voice over the same clips multiple times over say a 30 minute span. Most people won’t freak out in excitement when they see a Super Bowl ad or an NBA Christmas matchup. If you care enough about a sport, you already know when these games are happening. These leagues pay tons of money to run a 30-second or minute long ad to get them on major television networks. I agree with Gage’s post in this thread. It feels like a total waste of money.
The most annoying part of the commercialization is commentators who do not belong. I have not watched an NHL game in years because of the quality of broadcasters that are employed to speak over a beautiful game that I grew up playing and loving. With football, many of the color commentators are just lifelong broadcasters that have made a living by giving unique insights. There are a handful of former players, but for the most part they are unbiased and are genuinely good at describing what is going on during a play. Hockey is the exact opposite. Every person that is on TV nowadays for the NHL is a former player and they are extremely biased towards their former teams. You can definitely tell and it makes it hard to advertise a game that has had trouble growing for years now.
above comment is from Dalton Rice!
DeleteDylan Sommer
ReplyDeleteAdvertising has served as an efficient method to get fans engaged with the game. Sports teams and media outlets alike all understand the importance of getting people to spend their time and money on sports-related products. The two of the most effective advertising strategies that they have utilized have been sports merchandise and broadcast deals. Fans show their faith in their teams by purchasing as much memorabilia as they possibly can. For Michael Jordan fans, they would go out and purchase his sneaker brand “Air Jordan” even though they were just ordinary sneakers. In Chapter 1 of The Power of Sports, he says “the power and allure of those $100 Air Jordans are wholly imaginary and symbolic rather than material and functional…fans worship, blindly, at this altar of sports myth” (Sezario 13). Now, many NBA players have developed their own sneaker brands with sports apparel companies like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armor. Fans are entranced to purchase their favorite player’s shoes and fall for the advertising trap. According to a Sportico.com article, “the retail performance business was $600 million in 2020…a dozen NBA players will earn $8 million this year from their shoe deals” (Badenhausen). Shoes are not the only piece of clothing that fans are limited to as they can purchase jerseys, hats, sweatshirts, and even socks. All sports teams have to do is stick a logo on an item and it becomes merchandise. With merchandise being an easy and beneficial way to advertise, sports teams have taken advantage of that strategy and use it daily. Another effective advertising strategy has been broadcast deals. Major media conglomerates capitalize on the opportunity to get rights to broadcast certain sporting events. For instance, the NFL recently made new deals with Disney, Fox, NBC, CBS, and Amazon. According to the Hollywood Reporter, “NFL games are consistently the most popular and most-watched programming on television, making the renewals a top priority for media and entertainment giants ” (Weprin). The media outlets understand the NFL’s role as entertainment and were quick to jump on the chance to broadcast the games. NFL games are the most profitable of the Big 4 sports as it has the ability to take over days like Super Bowl Sunday. Ultimately, broadcast deals are a major component of sports advertising.
On a different note, the two most annoying aspects of sports commercialization are sponsorships and sports betting. From the player’s standpoint, sponsorships are a great way for them to make quick and easy money. However, from a viewer’s standpoint, it is annoying to see the same commercials and advertisements played over and over again. For instance, Progressive and State Farm always have commercials that run during NFL games where they have a quarterback acting abnormally. Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Baker Mayfield make a fool of themselves on the screen, and it gets annoying after a while. Another annoying aspect of sports commercialization is sports betting. Sports betting apps promote gambling for fans and give them a slim chance of getting every prediction right. The apps are designed to be addictive, and the cost outweighs the price after a while. Overall, sports betting is only beneficial for the company unless the fan miraculously wins.
ReplyDeleteWith sports taking over all ways of life through their advertising processes, it is safe to say that sports are too commercialized. People lose the meaning of the game and focus more on the economic side of things. Originally, sports were for people’s enjoyment and entertainment, but now it is seen as a business that revolves around the concept of making as much money as physically possible.
Works Cited
Badenhausen, Kurt. “Jordan, Lebron, Durant Headline NBA's Biggest 2021 Sneaker Deals.” Sportico.com, Sportico.com, 23 Apr. 2021, https://www.sportico.com/personalities/athletes/2021/jordan-lebron-durant-nbas-biggest-2021-sneaker-deals-1234627985/.
Serazio, M. (2019). The power of sports: Media and spectacle in American culture. New York University Press.
Weprin, Alex. “NFL Inks Rich New TV Deals with Disney, Fox, NBCUniversal, Viacomcbs and Amazon.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2021, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nfl-new-tv-deals-abc-fox-nbc-cbs-amazon-4139552/.
Dylan Sommer Part 2
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, the two most annoying aspects of sports commercialization are sponsorships and sports betting. From the player’s standpoint, sponsorships are a great way for them to make quick and easy money. However, from a viewer’s standpoint, it is annoying to see the same commercials and advertisements played over and over again. For instance, Progressive and State Farm always have commercials that run during NFL games where they have a quarterback acting abnormally. Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Baker Mayfield make a fool of themselves on the screen, and it gets annoying after a while. Another annoying aspect of sports commercialization is sports betting. Sports betting apps promote gambling for fans and give them a slim chance of getting every prediction right. The apps are designed to be addictive, and the cost outweighs the price after a while. Overall, sports betting is only beneficial for the company unless the fan miraculously wins.
With sports taking over all ways of life through their advertising processes, it is safe to say that sports are too commercialized. People lose the meaning of the game and focus more on the economic side of things. Originally, sports were for people’s enjoyment and entertainment, but now it is seen as a business that revolves around the concept of making as much money as physically possible.
Works Cited
Badenhausen, Kurt. “Jordan, Lebron, Durant Headline NBA's Biggest 2021 Sneaker Deals.” Sportico.com, Sportico.com, 23 Apr. 2021, https://www.sportico.com/personalities/athletes/2021/jordan-lebron-durant-nbas-biggest-2021-sneaker-deals-1234627985/.
Serazio, M. (2019). The power of sports: Media and spectacle in American culture. New York University Press.
Weprin, Alex. “NFL Inks Rich New TV Deals with Disney, Fox, NBCUniversal, Viacomcbs and Amazon.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2021, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nfl-new-tv-deals-abc-fox-nbc-cbs-amazon-4139552/.
Mikala Morris
ReplyDeleteIt isn’t a secret that sports has bloomed into a multibillion-dollar industry. It has because something that is loved by so many individuals and at times can bring many together. Though the sports industry has not always been then massive, but it has had factors to help propel it to where it is today. The main factor as to why is has brought in so much revenue is due to advertising. However, the two most effective ways of advertising that is used is broadcasting rights and selling merchandise. Broadcasting can help teams and leagues increase their revenue because it helps to get them noticed more, drawing in new fans and bringing in more money. Many individuals have looked into this strategy and its effective, Ozanian stated, “The NFL recently licensed a decade of TV rights for $10.3 billion a year starting in 2023, and 80% increase over the current deal. MLB will get an average of $1.84 billion a year from its national media deals beginning next season, a 19% increase” (2021). As for merchandise, this is an effective strategy because fans want to feel a sense of community when supporting their teams. A way to do this is by wearing the names, mascot, or colors of their favorite teams in hopes to show their support and to prove their loyalty with that organization. Serazio supports this notion of fans wanting to belong by discussing that fans want to feel as though they are a part of a distinctive group (p.27) and a way to do this is by wearing apparel to represent one’s beloved team.
Every year during the Super Bowl it is known that there will be many different commercials shown for companies to help bring more attention to their products. Although, for these companies it is a smart business decision but for sports fans it can be seen as very annoying and takes away from what we are wanting to watch. Sports. In a recent journal they found that from ads, promos, etc that it accounted to over fifty minutes’ worth of commercials during the Super bowl and that could be a link for as to why last year’s Super Bowl had the lowest view rating since 2007 (Steinberg, 2021). By allotting a great amount time to advertisements it can take away from the excitement of the game. Another annoying strategy for is sports betting. Now I do like to pick a team to win when I am watching and will sometimes go against what a friend wants to make it a competition but when putting money on the game, I feel as though it takes away from the sport and the athletes in general and just becomes about making money.
I do think sports is becoming too commercialized and taking the attention off what it should be about. Nowadays when you watch a game, majority of the time it feels as though you are only watching commercials about new brands, food, team apparel when sports should be about the talented individuals who are playing it and how they play the game.
Ozanian, M. (2021, May 14). World's most valuable sports teams 2021. Forbes. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2021/05/07/worlds-most-valuable-sports-teams-2021/?sh=4a3db23c3e9e
Serazio, Michael; Serazio, Michael. The Power of Sports: 23 (Postmillennial Pop) (pp. 6-7). NYU Press. Kindle Edition.
Steinberg, Brian. “NBC Seeks Record $6 Million for Super Bowl Commercials (Exclusive).” Variety, Variety, 16 June 2021, variety.com/2021/tv/news/super-bowl-commercials-price-record-1234998593/.
Clever Streich (Part 1)
ReplyDeleteCommercialization continues to play a big role in sports media, as major teams and organizations, as organizations employ different strategies and approaches to maximizing profit. One of the most effective advertising strategies used by organizations is the sale of in-game television commercials. For larger events such as the Super Bowl, which saw 114 million American viewers for Super Bowl XLIX (Serazio 7), advertisers fight for attention by purchasing ad spots, which are treated as an essential part of the multimedia experience that encompasses the Super Bowl’s identity. In 2022, these ad spots are more expensive and valuable than ever. According to USA Today, “ad inventory for the Feb. 13 game has been virtually sold out since September and the top price for a 30-second spot has hit a record $6.5 million. (Lacques)”. This record increase in price illustrates the effectiveness of in-game advertisements for sports organizations, as well as the coveted nature and high demand for a Super Bowl ad spot. Another effective strategy is through the promotion of team merchandise. This not only creates a psychological effect amongst the fan who wears a team’s uniform, as a team’s success can enhance one’s own public self-image and sense of worth (Serazio 28), but also leads to profitability for teams who can create partnerships with players and other corporations. This contributes to the $170 billion sporting goods industry (Serazio 13), as sponsorships with players such as NBA player Michael Jordan allow for fans to believe they can fly “like Mike,” through branded Air Jordan shoes (Serazio 13).
On the other hand, one of the most annoying aspects of sports commercialization that has trended recently is the increased focus on sports betting. Betting on games has been legalized within 18 states and the area of Washington on mobile platforms, and is seeing a new record in profitability in states such as New Jersey, with 21.6 billion dollars being wagered to the state alone (Tracy). However, unlike merchandise or Super Bowl advertisements, there is no guaranteed return on investment for the user. Sports betting is simply as the name suggests – a gamble on potentially receiving money from the result of a game. This lack of return causes gambling to be amongst the troubling and addictive recent advertising trends in sports media, as Axios speculates that February 2022 “will almost certainly break the record for money wagered on sports nationwide” (Tracy).
Clever Streich (Part 2)
ReplyDeleteSmaller cities’ need to overhaul and conform to sports for revenue is another annoying and ineffective aspect of recent commercialization. As mentioned in Michael Serazio’s The Power of Sports, “stadia and arenas make almost “no significant impact” on cities—providing, at best, a minor bump to the local economy” (Serazio 12). Communities will make large economic investments and changes to their culture in order to accommodate franchises, which can be economically ineffective. Parks such as Turner Field in Atlanta will be scrapped after less than 20 years of use in order to make way for a new stadium (Serazio 13), leaving old structures for obsolescence. This unnecessary turnover of stadiums shows the stress that is placed on cities for hosting commercialized sports teams.
Sports surrounds us in all aspects of life, and are becoming too commercialized. With the overall value of sports increasing $70 billion in worth (Serazio 6), consumers are investing at a rapid pace, as one-quarter of all Americans spend money within the sector of sports at least one time a month (Serazio 6). Sports will continue to be forcefully commericalized at the benefit of sports organizations, and at the detriment of the individual fan.
Works Cited
Lacques, Gabe. “Super Bowl Ad Sellout: NBC's Top 30-Second Spots Selling for Record $6.5 Million as 'NFL's Never Been Stronger'.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 19 Jan. 2022, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/Ad-Meter/2022/01/19/super-bowl-ad-slots-selling-record-6-5-million-nearly-sold-out/6584175001/.
Serazio, M. (2019). The power of sports: Media and spectacle in American culture. New York University Press.
Tracy, Jeff. “Sports Betting Headed for Record Month after Legalization in New York.” Axios, 10 Jan. 2022, www.axios.com/sports-betting-record-month-new-york-864df462-08ab-439a-bd5d-03191c801a9b.html.
Charlie Windels
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating to me how much the average sports fan is influenced by sports advertising without even knowing it, a lot of the time when we think of sports and their advertising we just think of athletes in certain commercials promoting a brand. However it is much more than just that. We as fans are influenced by many different styles of advertising whether it be a bud light cam on the jumbotron at one of the games or simply the name of the stadium for example Heinz Field. It is interesting how much a sports game can influence our daily lives sometimes without us even knowing. One quote I found from Serazios' book that emphasizes this point is that “Advertisers ask for sponsored reads to seem more natural in the conversion.” (Serazio 124) I thought this was extremely interesting because when we think of advertising, oftentimes we think of something that is very forced and somewhat of an annoyance depending on what the advertisement is. However, the style of advertising Serazio mentions in the book allows for a more natural way of advertising with sports and famous athletes. In a way it allows for an effective but less annoying and natural way of advertising because sports bring enjoyment to many people.
Another good strategy that Serazio mentions in the book is that advertisers use and is seen time and time again in the sports world is this idea of deepening and building a relationship with consumers. This is ultimately in my eyes one of the best strategies because it will keep the consumer coming back for more. This technique is seen many times throughout the sports world through teams and individual athletes trying to grow a brand. A lot of the time with advertising in sports the ads aim to be relatable to the general public while also being attention grabbing. Because many sports are team based and many people grow up playing sports this can be a very effective way to promote a product or sporting event.
Next I wanted to focus on bad advertising techniques. One that I think is mentioned a lot that is very clear is repetitiveness. One reason people love sports so much is because it is unpredictable and you don’t know what is going to happen on the next play. With the superbowl there are way too many commercials that are all repeated over and over again. I think that is part of the reason why this past year the NFL “drew an average of 96.4 million viewers — the smallest audience for the game since 2007.” Overall I think not just the NFL, but other sports as well need to do a better job at managing gameplay with the amount of commercials that are shown during an event.
Another thing is that sports betting, as fun as it seems, can be very dangerous. The U.S. has had many discussions in the past about banning sports betting because it almost turns into an addiction for some. I find this to be concerning as I have heard many stories of people betting what they can’t afford. I also think this takes away from enjoying sports, it almost makes them hard to watch as less focus is on the game and more focus is on making or not losing money. Despite this, advertisements on sports betting and winning big are constantly shown during game coverages.
Serazio, Michael. The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture. New York University Press, 2019.
PARRY, WAYNE. “Sports Betting Ads: Industry Weighs How Much Is Too Much?” ABC News, ABC News Network, 2021, https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/sports-betting-ads-industry-weighs-81525358.
Steinberg, Brian. “NBC Seeks Record $6 Million for Super Bowl Commercials (Exclusive).” Variety, Variety, 16 June 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/super-bowl-commercials-price-record-1234998593/.