"I offer this challenge to parents: Go an entire weekend voicing nothing but encouragement and praise."
USA Lacrosse Magazine Editor-in-Chief Matt DaSilva talks about his experience as a lacrosse parent and the state of youth sports today. 👇
Steve, in my twelve years as an official, I have had the good fortune of having relatively few of these kinds of encounters. My experience suggests that the coach and the program sets the tone. However, parents have come to exercise outsized influence when they move their athlete to other programs because of perceived slights in playing time, etc.
Coaches need to be humble, acknowledge the need and value of officials and parents need to let their athletes deal with their own situation.
"Better yet, thank them (the officials) afterward for doing a job almost no one wants to do anymore due to the sportsmanship epidemic."---> This; perfect way to sum it up!
🏀 She Shoots - She Scores! 🏀
NCAA basketball tournaments are underway, and Numerator surveyed nearly 500 consumers to find out their tournament-watching plans. Here’s what we found:
⛹️♀️ 30% of consumers plan to tune in to the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
The top reasons for watching the women’s tournament include:
🎉 They like the social aspect (32%)
🏀 They generally enjoy watching women’s college basketball games (31%)
⛹️♀️ They like watching specific players (23%).
⛹️♀️ Among those consumers who like watching specific players, the favorites were Caitlin Clark (79%), JuJu Watkins (26%), Angel Reese (23%), Paige Bueckers (21%), and Aaliyah Edwards (17%).
⛹️♀️ When asked how much they agreed/disagreed with the statement "Caitlin Clark has had / is having a positive impact on women’s sports," 59% of all NCAA tournament viewers somewhat or strongly agreed, 19% neither agree nor disagreed, 3% somewhat or strongly disagreed, and 19% did not know of Caitlin Clark.
#Numerator#MarchMadness#NCAAbasketball#basketball#MarchMadness2024#survey
With all of the buzz around NIL opportunities for NCAA athletes, there are some items college hockey players need to consider before entering into such deals. While it can get fairly complex, we took a high-level look at some of those items in our latest article below. #nil#ncaa#collegesports#hockey#sportslawhttps://lnkd.in/g_zhmPEq
IT'S MARCH MADNESS!
Listen, I get that not everyone is well versed in the art of basketball. Check out this guide to all things March Madness, and tag me in your brackets. Who do you think will take home the victory? #TheNewmannGroup#RogueValleyRealEstate#SouthernOregonRealEstate
Over 92k packed the stadium to watch college volleyball at the University of Nebraska. Largest attendance globally for a women's sports event in history.
From a marketing perspective two things stick out for me:
* This wasn't just a random one-off event. This was a showcase of a commitment to a program for years, developing athletes, a culture for the sport, and fan base. It takes time but in long run the rewards and possibilities are endless.
* It was terrific to see this event marketed as "Volleyball Day in Nebraska". Too often, marketers lump women's sports all together. (If I had a nickel for every time I hear execs say phrases like "we are focused on basketball, hockey, soccer, and 'women's sports'..."). This leads companies to invest in one sport with female athletes versus several with male athletes. There are a multitude of sports with female athletes to consider investing in, that can be good platforms to engage a core audience.
Good recap article here (although as of this post, the article did not mention who Nebraska's opponent was, which was Omaha...)
President, The Pollack Group | Global Leader in PR & Communications | Transforming Brands through Strategic Storytelling | Author & Keynote Speaker| Worldcom PR Group Global Chair| USC Annenberg Adjunct Professor
Basketball fanatics will spend more than a full day — 36 hours — completely consumed by the sport during March Madness in 2024.
Between watching games (13 hours), creating brackets (three hours) and discussing it with family and friends (five hours), a survey of 2,000 basketball fanatics ages 21+ revealed that during the three weeks of March Madness, nothing else matters. And that’s not even counting the time they’ll spend engaging with online content (five hours), watching highlights (five hours), and placing bets (three hours).
Data also shows that March Madness can take precedent over their daily routines and social events. In fact, more than one-quarter (26%) admit they’ve skipped work, while one in five have canceled dates (17%) and even birthday parties (17%) just to ensure they don’t miss the action on the court.
Lifelong or bandwagon, more than three-quarters (76%) of respondents have a favorite team they're rooting for this March, and 59% of those fans believe their team has what it takes to make it to the Final Four.
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Tipico - North America, results also revealed that an astounding 88% of fans are likely to stay loyal to their team and will watch every second of their games, even if they’re losing big.
Taking that a step further, die-hard fans will also sport their team’s apparel while watching other games (47%) and passionately always root against their rival (41%).
In fact, respondents are more likely to hope for a miracle (46%) or stay confident until there are no other options (45%) when their team is losing, compared to leaving the room (10%) or putting on a different game (9%).
But everyone has their limits — if their team is down by 19 points in the second half, the average fan starts to give up hope that they can win.
The survey also found basketball fanatics are willing to spend a whopping $570 on their overall March Madness experience this year.
This year, 39% of basketball fans plan to place bets on the tournament this year.
Not only that, but they’re also planning to win more than in previous years. The average bettor has won about 46% of the bets they’ve placed in the past, but this year, bettors plan to average winning 59% of their bets.
In total, bettors plan to claim an average total of $261 this year. This may be why 46% of basketball fans are more likely to place bets during March Madness than any other time of the year.
However, few fans are willing to throw loyalty out the window for a shot at a higher payout. Only 24% admit they have placed bets against their favorite team and that they would do so again. More than half (54%) say that their loyalty to their favorite team runs so deep that they have never placed bets against their favorite and never will.
https://lnkd.in/gvZfPHSZ
LinkedIn Sports Challenge Day 22 🏆: Highlight inspiring stories of sports orgs that have forged unique partnerships. What made these stand out?
It’s hard to overlook the Premier Lacrosse League and Boardroom’s Street Lacrosse Activation in NYC earlier this month.
Why is it iconic:
1. All-Access Pass: Street Lacrosse tears down barriers, can make the game inclusive as pick up basketball. Just sticks and a ball.
2. Star Power: Kevin’s Durant renowned “Build It and They Will Ball” court shines as the venue fusing basketball’s aura with lacrosse’s energy. KD’s prior investment in PLL bridges two athletic realms seamlessly.
3. Community First: With STX, PLL pledges to arm their East Side Community School with lacrosse gear.
In essence, the synergy between PLL and Boardroom encapsulates how sports partnerships can be more than just branding - they can be game-changers.
Paul RabilRich Kleiman#LinkedInSportsChallenge#LinkedInSports
Exciting news in the world of women's professional sports: Athletes Unlimited has announced that all four of its leagues - basketball, volleyball, softball, and lacrosse - will be featured on ESPN platforms this year. This landmark multiyear rights renewal not only showcases the growing appeal of women's sports but also marks a significant step towards greater visibility and accessibility for female athletes.
The upward trend in viewership numbers, with lacrosse and softball experiencing notable increases, reflects a growing audience and a deepening appreciation for women's sports. Time to change perceptions and acknowledge the incredible talent and entertainment these athletes bring to the table.
We should take note of these developments and consider how we can contribute to this positive momentum. Whether it's through strategic partnerships, innovative marketing, or simply tuning in to support, there are numerous ways we can help amplify women's sports.
#WomensSports#ESPN#SportsLeagueshttps://lnkd.in/gccnF5T4
Combining passions for Sport, Business and Teaching, I want to provide high school students with a unique opportunity to learn about the exciting and growing world of Sports Business.
Continuing the topic of College Sports - this time Women's Volleyball is in the news. Back in August, University of Nebraska-Lincoln women's volleyball hosted Omaha in Memorial Stadium in front of a record crowd of 92K+ people. Fast forward to this past Sunday Nebraska were again at the center of a women's volleyball moment. The University of Texas at Austin defeated Nebraska in the National Championship game live on ABC with 1.69M viewers.
Combine that with the amazing ratings from the 2023 Women's Basketball Final Four and there is more than a trend here. We have an ARRIVAL.
So, the assignment for this topic is to research these moments. What are the commonalities? What are the key factors for success? Then - - take a sport like Soccer. The Men's and Women's FINAL 4 in Soccer struggles for attendance, TV ratings, etc. How would you apply your learnings from recent history to advise other sports, like Soccer, to make a dent in this space?
Again - - pulling from the news real-life, modern, relatable examples to drive understanding of key business topics - Marketing, Promotion, Media, Sponsorship, Fan/Consumer Engagement, Pricing, etc.
#sportsbusinesseducationFuture Business Leaders of America, Inc. (FBLA)SporticoJoe PomplianoScott SoshnickJohn NotarFox School of Business at Temple UniversityUniversity of Oregon Lundquist College of BusinessPortland State University - School of Business#SportsManagement
The most influential people in sports, media and finance start their day with JohnWallStreet. I am its founder. Sign-up for the free e-newsletter at johnwallstreet.com/subscribe
The Premier Lacrosse League assigned each of its eight clubs to home markets prior to the start of the 2024 season.
The barnstorming league made the move in an attempt to begin building ‘generational fandom’ (think: the love for ones’ team gets passed down). It believes tying clubs to geo-locations is the surest way to cultivate an impassioned fan base and simultaneously grow its business.
“Our goal is to create true foundational fandom that starts to elevate and move lacrosse into the upper tier of sports consumption,” Jerod Laughlin (SVP of growth, PLL) said.
Early indications suggest the league is headed in the right direction.
Performance Through Week 5
-Onsite merchandise sales are up 38% YoY
-Attendance up 15.9% YoY
-App users (+46.6%) and user sessions (+98.8%) are both up YoY
-Social media views have increased YoY at the league (+49.61%) and team (143.49%) levels
-PLL Play youth tournament participation has risen 21% YoY
#strategy#sportsbiz#lacrosse#local#NewYork
cc: Randall FriedmanRyan Dastrup, PhDJacie BrandesTom BradyLong Ellis IIIMichael Rabilhttps://lnkd.in/eZDQcE6n
As an award-winning author and executive coach, I foster measurable improvement in leaders and their organizations.
3wSteve, in my twelve years as an official, I have had the good fortune of having relatively few of these kinds of encounters. My experience suggests that the coach and the program sets the tone. However, parents have come to exercise outsized influence when they move their athlete to other programs because of perceived slights in playing time, etc. Coaches need to be humble, acknowledge the need and value of officials and parents need to let their athletes deal with their own situation.