LPGA Needs Visionary Leader and Game Changing Support

It’s not often that an entire league of players unifies against a commissioner without any intermediary coming to the latter’s defense. Usually these disputes have two sides. Not so here, Carolyn Bivens performed so poorly nobody could logically defend her. She leaves the tour in a vulnerable situation heading into 2010 with major questions surrounding [...]

Athlete Actions Feed the Sponsorship Stereotype

One action served as a good example of why two stereotypes currently plague the world of sports sponsorship. As the public continues to criticize public companies for frivolous spending during a recession and the people cringe at the ever escalating salaries of athletes in walks Vijay Singh sporting his Stanford Financial sponsored apparel.
The same Stanford [...]

What’s In A Word: For Sports Sponsorships and Sales – Everything

Bill Sutton penned an interesting piece in this week’s Sports Business Journal that addresses a concept, which has likely hurt sponsorships more than the recession – perception is reality. Since TARP became a part of American lexicon, firms have tried to run from public affiliation with anything deemed luxury, premium, or naming rights. The result [...]

Can Jersey Sponsorships Actually Damage Long Term Revenue?

It seems that jersey sponsorship has come fast and furiously the past few weeks. First the Phoenix Mercury breaking ground in the WNBA, then Man U striking a major deal with Aon showing pro teams how much revenue potential jersey sponsorships can have, followed by rumblings of NFL teams on the verge of deals for [...]

Dolphins Stadium Naming Deal Bad for Market

The stadium naming rights market has receded from guaranteed long-term, 8-figure deals only a few years ago to this – a one-season contract with a musician’s niche beer brand. When the Dolphins agreed to a sponsorship with Jimmy Buffett licensed LandShark Lager, an In-Bev product, they showed that teams are willing to do anything for [...]

Initial Reactions to WNBA Jersey Deal: League Wins, Sponsor…

Before even raising the question, this deal was a no-brainer for the WNBA and Phoenix Mercury. A seven-figure deal for a fledgling league that’s run on a low budget in the midst of a macro-economic recession. Unless it threatens the image of the league, take the money and run – do not pass go, do [...]

Golf Needs to Revisit Business Model

Golf is arguably seeing the most direct impact from the economic recession. The higher income, older demographic of golf fans attracts a higher proportion of financial institutions as sponsors than other sports, many of which have had to pull back advertising. Not to mention that Buick and Chrysler have bigger problems than golf sponsorships right [...]

LPGA Drawing Publicity, Can Bad Publicity Be Good?

Fallout from the LPGA’s language requirement continues to be mostly negative, but not unanimously. Yesterday, the first possible major repercussion arose, as SBJ reported that State Farm may reconsider it’s LPGA sponsorship as a result of the language requirement.
Wanting its players to speak English is fine, the LPGA went wrong by requiring them to speak [...]

Nets Continue Innovative Marketing at Izod Center

Arguably the worst professional sports arena today, the Izod Center at the New Jersey Meadowlands, continues to lure sponsors with creative sponsorship packages from NJ Nets Sports and Entertainment. Brett Yormark, marketing wiz of the New Jersey Nets, who secured a post-season sponsor for a team that failed to make the playoffs, now introduces highway [...]

Poor Timing for IU

Scout.com reports that Indiana University reached an eight year extension with adidas for $21M to remain the official outfitter for all teams and coaches at the school. At $2.6M per year, the contract is an annual increase of $500k over the previous four year deal.
While lucrative, the deal comes on the heels of the Kelvin [...]