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FastCompany just released its 2010 top 10 list of the Most Innovative Sports Companies and the Worldwide Leader in Sports, ESPN, was at the top of the list. Below is the top 10 list and here is a link to the full article.
Top 10 Most Innovative Sports Companies (by FastCompany)
1. ESPN
2. Indian Premier League (IPL)
3. Sportvision
4. MLB Advanced Media
5. AEG
6. Populous (formerly: HOK Sports)
7. Cleveland Cavaliers
8. Turner Sports Interactive
9. Cisco Systems
10. Spyder
The Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily have published their list of the top 25 football announcers for 2009. The list includes football commentators from both college football and the NFL. Twelve panelists from the SBJ & SBD rated the announcers to produce the rankings.
Top 25 Best Football Annoucers for 2009:
1. Gary Danielson – CBS
2. Cris Collinsworth – NBC
3. Al Michaels – NBC
4. Phil Simms – CBS
5. Kirk Herbstreit – ABC/ESPN
6. Troy Aikman – Fox
7. Ron Franklin – ABC/ESPN
8. Verne Lundquist – CBS
9. Joe Buck – Fox
10. Jim Nantz – CBS
11. Mike Tirico – ESPN
12. Brad Nessler – ABC/ESPN
13. Brent Musburger – ABC/ESPN
14. Jon Gruden – ESPN
15. Daryl Johnston – Fox
16. Ron Jaworski – ESPN
17. Greg Gumbel – CBS
18. Sean McDonough – ABC/ESPN
19. Todd Blackledge – ABC/ESPN
20. Dan Fouts – CBS
21. Bob Papa – NFL Network
22. Mike Patrick – ABC/ESPN
23. Chris Fowler – ESPN
24. Gus Johnson – CBS
25. Dick Enberg – CBS
Here are the guys that are rated too high:
* Buck – He’s in the top 10 based on his baseball rep. He’s solidly average in football.
* Gruden – It would be “outstanding” if he could expand his vocabulary.
* Gumbel – Living off his brother’s rep. He’s okay, but not top shelf.
* Fouts – Top 20, really? Proves no one is watching those AFC West games on CBS.
* Papa – Who gets to see him broadcast? Time Warner still doesn’t offer NFL Network.
* Enberg – Great career, but listing him is more of a ‘lifetime achievement award’.
Here are the guys that need to be rated higher on the list:
* Franklin – Could easily be the top college football guy on list.
* Musburger – Polarizing figure, but he’s great for the game. Getting old, but still comedic gold.
* McDonough – Always solid, would be rated higher if he were more of a “name”.
* Johnson – The panelists not only rate him too low they slight him with “Youtube generation” comment.
Here are some key names that did not make the list:
* Erin Andrews – ESPN (Put a lady on the list)
* Bob Davie – ESPN
* Dan Dierdorf – CBS
* Ian Eagle – CBS
* Bob Griese – ESPN
* Kevin Harlan – CBS (Should make top 25 in future)
* Craig James – ESPN
* Andrea Kremer – NBC
* Jesse Palmer – ESPN (Should be in top 25 in future)
* Tony Siragusa – Fox
* Dick Stockton – Fox
PS – Could some production assistant at ABC/ESPN do Mike Patrick a favor and get him a better photo?
I don’t usually promote on behalf of the Worldwide Leader (mostly because they don’t need me to) but I think their new “30 for 30″ series is worth watching. And not just because Bill Simmons (aka: the Sports Guy) was responsible for getting the series made. ESPN launched this new series of sports stories that detail important sports moments over the past 30 years. The concept was to select a subject that was well known, but then tell the unknown story behind that topic. Each of the documentaries will be directed by feature films director.
I watched the first one this week called King’s Ransom which was directed by Peter Berg. Kings Ransom was the story of the trade that sent Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to Los Angeles. Director Peter Berg really got into the behind the scenes dealings and emotions that helped to pull off the deal. He also focused on the pain, anger, anguish that Edmonton fans felt after their star player was traded. He exposed the role that Gretzky played in making the deal happen. He even wrapped it up neatly in the end with most agreeing it was a trade that had to be made. Even thought the deal hurt the Edmonton Oilers and their faithful, it was still a trade that had to happen.
The ratings on this first installment were not stellar, but I think it’s a series that is worth watching. As sports fans we often only hear the big stories in the media. This program, modeled after HBO Real Sports, tells the less known story. That’s personally something that I love. Here are a few of the future episodes that I’m looking forward to watching:
* Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL – airs October 20th
* Muhammad and Larry – Oct 27
* The Legend of Jimmy the Greek – Nov 10
* No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson – 2010
* Jordan Rides the Bus – 2010
* June 17, 1994 (story of OJ Simpson’s run from police in white Bronco) – 2010
* Steve Bartman: Catching Hell – 2010
* One Night in Vegas – 2010
* The Best That Never Was – 2010
Complete list here at ESPN’s 30 for 30 website.
My only complaint about the series is that they are going to make me wait 9 months to see all of these great features.
Who is the top sports media site on the web today? Yahoo Sports according to ComScore ratings (August 2009) of the top sports sites on the web. Although a large portion of that traffic is due to Rivals.com which accounts for almost 1/3 of Yahoo Sports 29 million number. So Yahoo seems to be getting some value from the $100 million they spent to buy the Nashville company in 2007. Rivals has a strong network of college fan communities, although it could be weakening since the top Rivals brass has now exited stage left. But for now Yahoo is on top of one key internet category, who are the other top sports sites?
Top 10 Sports Media Sites (August 2009)
1. Yahoo Sports (includes Rivals.com)
2. ESPN
3. NFL Internet Group (includes all team sites)
4. Fox Sports (includes Scout.com)
5. MLB.com (which counts traffic from all team sites)
6. Fantasy Sports Ventures
7. CBS Sportsline
8. Fanhouse
9. Sports Illustrated sites (includes FanNation)
10. Stack Media
Honorable Mention: NBC Sports (includes Pro Football Talk)
The game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and USC Trojans on Saturday, September 12th, 2009 was the most watched college football matchup in the history of ESPN. ESPN reports that over 10.6 million people watched USC defeat Ohio State in a thrilling game in Columbus, Ohio.
The USC/Ohio State game was the highest rated cable broadcast since Florida State played Miami in 1994. The highest rated regular season game in 2008 was the Texas Longhorns versus Texas Tech Red Raiders, which tallied a 7.5 rating and had over 8.5 million households watching. USC versus Ohio State, in Los Angeles, was the 2nd highest rated regular season game in ‘08, which over 7.8 million viewers.
PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are at it again; battling tooth-and-nail for the lead position to quench consumers thirst. This time the fight is with their sports drink division, which matches up heavyweights Gatorade and Powerade. The current dust up started with Powerade’s new campaign launch, which directly attacked Gatorade as the “incomplete sports drink”. Powerade is using a heavy buy on ESPN and outdoor to support their message of superiority to Gatorade.
Now Gatorade is striking back, but not in the form of an advertising campaign. Gatorade is seeking legal action to stop Powerade from what G calls, “false advertising, trademark dilution, deceptive acts…and unfair competition.” Gatorade refutes Powerade’s claim of superiority in having two additional electrolytes. Gatorade also wants the court to prevent Powerade from using “distorted” depictions of Gatorade bottles in their advertisements.
If nothing else this gives the lawyers at PepsiCo & Coca-Cola something new to clash over. My guess is that Gatorade wins in preventing Powerade from using their direct brand marks in the campaign, but doesn’t prevail in stopping Powerade from claiming to be more “complete”.
The best line in the AdAge article was from the Coca-Cola spokesman who said, “We stand behind our product and are prepared to defend the role that Powerade plays in hydrating consumers.” I loved the part about “hydrating consumers” because it is typical PR guy speak to use while defending your brand.
By the end of the week you will know every fact about every player on the four teams that are playing in the 2009 NCAA Final Four. If you do not read them in your local newspaper or online, then you will hear about them on SportsCenter or from CBS during their broadcast.
But let’s examine one area of these programs that might not get covered by Dick Vitale on ESPNews. Where is the money behind each program. What are the partners that are generating the revenue needed to drive these powerful programs? Let’s look at the brands supporting the teams in the Final 4.
We will reveal 4 key ingredients in each team’s sports brand:
1. Who handles their marketing & media rights.
2. Which company has their shoe contract.
3. Where they rank on list of college licensing (CLC 2008-2009 data).
4. Their team & athletic department sponsors.
Connecticut Huskies
Marketing partner: IMG College
Shoe contract: Nike
Licensing rank: 53rd
Sponsors: AT&T, Coca-Cola, Dunkin Donuts, Nike, People’s United Bank & Toyota.
Michigan State Spartans
Marketing partner: N/A
Shoe contract: Nike
Licensing rank: Did not rank top 75.
Sponsors: Alltel, Nike & Pontiac
North Carolina Tar Heels
Marketing partner: Learfield Sports
Shoe contract: Jordan Brand by Nike
Licensing rank: 8th
Sponsors: Capital Style, Continental Tire, Domino’s, Eye Care Associates, Jordan Brand, United Healthcare & Verizon Wireless, Wachovia.
Villanova Wildcats
Marketing partner: ISP Sports
Shoe contract: Nike
Licensing rank: 71st
Sponsors: Anthony Travel & Nike
Nike's big at the 2009 Final 4
One brand that has already won big at the Final Four is Nike, because they have endorsement deals with all four schools that qualified. UConn, Michigan State and Villanova are Nike schools, while UNC is with Nike’s Jordan Brand. Last year Nike only had two schools in the Final Four (Memphis & North Carolina), while rival Adidas had the UCLA Bruins and eventual National Champion Kansas Jayhawks. This year Nike won’t be sharing the spotlight with anyone, so expect to see them roll out some support behind their four schools.
So as you watch the games this weekend, remember that these sponsors helped to fun the programs. Sponsorship dollars are huge towards creating a successful program.
The detente in the sports drink war between Coca-Cola and Pepsi is officially over, and Coca-Cola’s Powerade is coming out swinging. Powerade has launched their first major marketing campaign since 2001 and the current campaign paints a target squarely on the back of chief rival, Gatorade.
The new Powerade campaign mocks Gatorade as being an “incomplete” sports drink because it lacks a couple of the electrolytes that Powerade has in their new formula. The campaign will become the first advertiser to take over the cover of ESPN The Magazine, which it will do with a cover flap that says “You wouldn’t want an incomplete cover. Don’t settle for an incomplete sports drink” next to a Gatorade bottle. The inside flap of ESPN will show a Powerade bottle with the tagline, the “complete sports drink”.
This campaign is a bold move for Powerade, taking a ‘challenger strategy’ by clearly singling out their competition. But it a strategy that parent companies Coca-Cola and Pepsi have engaged in before across other beverage categories. In this case Powerade has very little to lose by comparing themselves directly because has over 75% market share in the sports drink category (compared to 22% for Powerade).
And there may never be a better time for Powerade to attack because Gatorade is in the midst of a rebranding project. Making their move while Gatorade transitions their brand might allow Powerade to capitalize on some consumer confusion; getting people who suddenly don’t associate with the Gatorade brand to reach for a Powerade instead. Sun Tzu said in “The Art of War” that “all warfare is based on deception.” Powerade seems to be taking a cue from him in this war for sports drink supremacy.
Tale of the Tape: How does Gatorade versus Powerade stack up? Parent company: Gatorade is PepsiCo. Powerade is Coca-Cola Company. Founded: Gatorade in 1965. Powerade in 1988. Marketshare: Gatorade has ~ 77%. Powerade has ~ 22%. Calories (main product): Gatorade has 158. Powerade has 195. Official sports drink: Gatorade has MLB, NFL & NHL. Powerade has Nascar, NCAA, PGA & US Olympic Team. Top endorsers: Gatorade is endorsed by Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning & Tiger Woods. Powerade is endorsed by LeBron James, Ryan Howard and Venus Williams. (View complete list of endorsers.)
