IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Sports

  • Who Dat Nation

    With Super Bowl XLIV reaching nearly 100 million viewers, it’s easy to say that football encompasses a large part of American society, and even contributes to how Americans identify themselves. This may be the reason why we usually have one team that is given the title “America’s Team.” For several years this team was known to be the Dallas Cowboys; but in light of recent events, the New Orleans Saints now have the esteemed title.

    After all that New Orleans endured following Hurricane Katrina nearly four and a half years ago, the team as well as the city has made a lot of progress. It was hard not to be excited for the Saints as they played in their first Super Bowl. Fans seemed to come from everywhere, with most of the country offering their support. According to Rasmussen Reports, 54 percent of people who participated in a national survey wanted to see the Saints win, even though only 38 percent thought they actually would win.

    In an Associated Press article, Colts safety Antoine Bethea was quoted, “There’s a reason America is pulling for New Orleans, and why wouldn’t they? They’ve been through a lot. Sports tend to pull people together, so it’s commendable for New Orleans to be, as I guess you’d say, America’s Team right now.”

    Quarterback Drew Brees has contributed to the Saints image as a community-oriented team through his work in several reconstruction projects. In a Reuters article, Brees said about the game, “Our city, our fans, give us strength, we owe this to them — to Saints fans all over the country, and I think we might have gained some after yesterday.”

    Nicole Doherty

    Stephanie Saulsbury

    Lacey Inman

  • A Lesson in the Art of Persuasion: Tim Tebow’s Controversial Super Bowl Ad

    This year’s recipe for Super Bowl Sunday:  the Colts versus the Saints, chicken wings, Carrie Underwood and Bud Light.  Good football, good food, good lookin’ women and booze—perfection—until Tim Tebow and his mother grace the presence of your 52 inch, high definition flat screen talking about anti-abortion and the importance of family values.  Needless to say, the irony of it all will leave you…well, it may be a buzz kill.

    Despite the current economic state, CBS has sold out of commercial advertisement airtime for Super Bowl XLIV.  However, there are a number of big name corporations such as Pespi, General Motors and Fedex who’ve decided against dropping $2 million and some change for a 30-second ad during America’s most watched sporting event of the year.  Yet many are questioning the motives behind CBS’s approval of the Tebow’s anti-abortion ad.

    Is the network just in it for the money, or are they simply embracing their conservatism?  Either way, CBS is getting sacked left and right from pro-choice organizations whom are not at all pleased the decision.  Regardless of the network’s motives, the real threat to these disgruntled pro-choice groups is not that Tim Tebow, the youngest Heisman Trophy winner ever, is endorsing pro-life and family values.  It is that Tim Tebow, the youngest Heisman Trophy winner ever, is endorsing pro-life and family values with more than a slew of stats to back him up.

    The conservative christian group, Focus on the Family, is sponsoring the ad in hopes to spread the message, “Celebrate family, Celebrate life.”  The Tebows are the perfect poster family for this message seeing as Tim Tebow would not be here today if his mother, Pam, had followed doctor recommendations and gotten an abortion because her pregnancy with Tim was high-risk.  The ad does not mention abortion, although the underlying message is obvious; however, the persuasion tactics used in this ad are, hypothetically speaking, money.

    Rhetorical theory 101: ethos, pathos and logos.

    Tebow’s endorsement of this message is powerful and frankly, is very threatening to those who support women having the right to choose.  On Sunday, for those 30 seconds that this ad airs, audiences nationwide are going to stop, put down their beers and listen to what this well-respected and talented athlete has to say.  People trust Tim Tebow.  He is a credible source, with a logical message and an emotional appeal that will more than likely bring tears to hundreds of eyes.

    However, the bottom line here is not pro-life, pro-choice or even family values.  It is the strength of the strategy behind this advertisement.  The message is controversial and will grab the audiences’ attention.  The ad is airing during the Super Bowl, so there is no doubt viewership will be in the millions.  And the message is convincing because it is an outline of the art of persuasion with an emphasis on emotion, but does not lack in credibility and logic.  So screw the football, chicken, babes and beer.  Tim Tebow’s endorsement may be the closest thing to perfection we may find this Sunday.

    Laura Ann Klinedinst

  • Feared advertising cuts for World Cup 2010

    The biggest event in all of sports has nearly arrived, and no, it is not the Super Bowl. The 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa, will take place this summer, and even soccer isn’t without its fair share of marketing strategies. FIFA has branded itself in a very distinct way that has influenced athletes and spectators for years. However, it has been a long four years since the last World Cup, and the economy has certainly changed.

    The usual advertisers and sponsors such as Nike, Addidas, Coca Cola and McDonalds have had reservations about advertising strategies this year. Usually, companies begin producing soccer paraphernalia months to years in advance.  This is in compliance with World Cup advertising campaigns that do not allow for last minute decision making. Athlete sponsors are also arranged months previous to the event to ensure the effective selling of products. 

    According to an article on ESPN, the problem advertisers are encountering this year is that they cannot guarantee efforts in marketing will actually generate high sales. This is a legitimate concern that companies such as Castrol have taken into consideration. This company created Castrol Performance Index, which is a “quantitative analysis that computes an efficiency rating for each player during each match of the current European qualifying campaign.”  In order to effectively market this proposal, Castrol also recently announced the signing of FIFA soccer player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo as a global ambassador. Selling is further guaranteed using this strategy because the player will simply self promote the product.

    So as the World Cup draws closer, the feared drop in advertising spending may go one of two ways:

    1. Advertisers will continue to spend, realizing the World Cup still is and always will be a great opportunity to reach potential customers.
    2. Advertisers will choose to limit and reduce their campaigns, resulting in a serious decline of World Cup ad-related spending.

    Whichever direction advertisers decide to turn, this year’s World Cup will be unlike any other year, pioneering new strategies and tactics for marketing campaigning.

    Here is a MasterCard commercial from the 2006 World Cup.

    Nicole Doherty, designer

    Stephanie Saulsbury, writer

    Lacey Inman, researcher

  • Pro Tweets

    “With the 5th overall pick, the New York Jets select…” too late, Commissioner Goodell the New York Jets have already announced their pick via Twitter. This was the case at the 2009 NFL Draft held in New York City where the Jets actually tweeted their first overall selection of Mark Sanchez before the commissioner even took the podium. This is just the one of many ways in which the Twitter phenomena has taking over the world of sports entertainment.  

    Athletes from all forms of professional sports – NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and others – are on board the Twitter train. Athletes such as Shaquille O’Neal (@THE_REAL_SHAQ), Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) and Serena Williams (@serenajwilliams) are among the top followed professional athletes according to Twitter-Athletes. These professional athletes, highly acclaimed in their respective sports, have over a million followers each.

    So why are there so many followers of these athletes? Why would millions of fans seek to connect with their favorite sport idols in this mean of social media? The answer may be found in psychology. According to Indiana psychology professor Edward Hirt on SI.com, “Sports permit people to bask in reflected glory.” If they are fans of the winner, then they will feel like winners. Whether this glory is imagined or not, it feels personal when a fan is able to connect with the big-time athletes as Twitter permits. “It’s not really personal, but it feels kind of personal” according to Hirt. Twitter, in essence, forms a stronger connection between the common Joe and their favorite pro because it offers a behind-the-scenes look into the everyday lives of a professional athletes, something that is not availabe in post-game press conferences.

    In some aspects, Twitter has created a whole new social community. At one time the only way fans were able to follow their favorite athletes was on the field or court of play. Now, they can actually see into the lives and minds of athletes. Twitter has actually taken over the usual mean of fandom like fan clubs and web pages dedicated to specific players and athletes. They form a direct line of communication between the stars and their fans. Not only are fans able to show their enthusiam of sport stars by following them, but they can actually include them in their own posts with Twitter’s link feature. Athletes in turn are able to link a fan’s tweet as well. Warren Sapp (QBKILLA), NFL All-Pro defensive end, does this constantly like many of his other professional colleagues.

    The athletes themselves, too, reap the rewards of having a social media network like Twitter to express their thoughts and feelings. According to Sean Gregory and his article about the Twitter craze, it is the best form of “No-contact contact.” It allows them to speak and connect with their fans without having to go out into the public spotlight where they would be hassled by the common folk. Twitter also allows for athletes to speak without having other media outlets to speak for them. It is the whole idea of message control, according to St. Louise Rams running back Steven Jackson. “I’ll be able to say my piece instead of allowing different media outlets to portray me how they want to portray me” said Jackson.

    Twitter has become a powerful tool in social media. In terms of professional sports, it has become a channel for news, information and even entertainment. After reading a few posts by Shaquille O’Neal, one would definitely find the entertainment value. Whether or not the trend of following big-name professional athletes through Twitter continues remains a questions. It must be noted that Twitter has definitely changed the aspect of athlete/fan interaction.    

    -Jesse Bazemore