Teams Making A Difference

By, Scott Mittleman

Co Founder SF FunRaisers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               aisers

My first two articles I’ve touched on Athletes involvement in working with and creating a non-profit.  Sticking to the same non-profit theme, I would like to delve into how teams are also making a difference.

The Sports Philanthropy Project has teamed up with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in creating The Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy. 

About the Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy

The Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy is presented annually by The Sports Philanthropy Project (SPP) and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The award acknowledges sports organizations and individual philanthropies that have demonstrated excellence, leadership, and a sustained commitment toward a mission that serves and improves the lives of others. www.sportsphilanthropy.com/patterson.

To keep all of New England reading my blog posts, I am happy to report that the Red Sox Foundation received the award for 2009.  Principal owner John Henry made the following statement about the team’s priorities following the purchase of the Red Sox in 2002.  “Immediately after we purchased the Red Sox in 2002, one of our biggest priorities was to create a foundation that will have a meaningful impact on the lives of people throughout New England who are facing some of the greatest challenges,”

When a teams ownership makes being a difference in the community a priority, this commitment trickles down to the players, the fans and the community in general.  It shows that the hometown team believes in where they are from and wants to help preserve valuable non-profit work. 

The Red Sox Foundation has not only donated time and money but is truly pioneering ways to fundraise, manage donor relationships, keeping volunteers, and generating in-kind opportunities. 

With the World Series nearing an end, most baseball fans are moving onto football season while The Red Sox Foundation continues to  make Boston a better city each day.  

Check me out next week to read about who won the individual honors for The Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy

Related Links:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Press Release for Award

Featured on The Boston Business Journal Website

Video of Award Presentation

Listen to Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner’s interview during “Inside Pitch” with Casey Stern and Kevin Kennedy on the MLB Home Plate channel on SIRIUS XM Radio

Is the NCAA Too Strict?

NCAA Too Strict?

A recent case involving an Oklahoma State pitcher and the NCAA has once again demonstrated the problems with NCAA rules and how they hurt more than help student athletes. The case involves Any Oliver, who was the second round pick of the Detroit Tigers in the most recent Major League Baseball amateur draft.  Oliver was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, and was actually selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 2006 draft. Oliver hired Tim Baretta of Icon Sports Group to help with contract negotiations at the time he was selected by the Twins. Baretta was present during the negotiation with the team, which turned out to be in violation of NCAA Bylaw 12.3.2.1 that states “ a lawyer may not be present during discussions between a student-athlete and a professional team or have any direct contact (in person, by telephone or by mail) with a professional sports organization on behalf of a student-athlete.”

Oliver decided not to sign with the Twins and decided to pitch for Oklahoma State instead. During his time there, Oliver decided to change agents and sign with the Boras Corporation. Subsequently, angered by the change in agency, Icon disclosed their relationship with Oliver to the NCAA. As a result, Oliver was suspended for a year (usual suspension is to take away all eligibility), which was eventually reduced to 70% of one season. Oliver then went on to challenge the decision in the state court of Ohio where he was granted injunctive relief and the suspension was nullified. The state court of Ohio determined that the NCAA bylaw was arbitrary and capricious and that it limits the players’ ability to effectively negotiate a contract. This was a big ruling against the NCAA, however they said that they would stand by the bylaw and that it still applied to student-athletes in the other 49 states. Oliver continued with a case that sued the NCAA for damages, but the NCAA settled out of court for $750,000. As part of the settlement, the NCAA bylaw would continue to be upheld in all 50 states. Oliver agreed to the settlement because the NCAA said that they would just keep appealing the case and tie it up in courts for years.

To me, this is just another case of the NCAA bullying student-athletes and using rules that do more harm than good. There is no way for the NCAA to police all student-athletes who may be negotiating contracts as to whether they have had a lawyer present or not. The only way the NCAA finds out is if someone turns the player in, as Icon Sports Group did. Eighteen-year-old kids and their parents cannot be expected to negotiate contracts with professional teams. Also, it is foreseeable that more athletes will change their mind like Oliver did and decide to attend school as opposed to turning pro. Again, someone who is only eighteen does not necessarily know exactly what they want to do with their lives. Having a lawyer present to protect a student-athlete should not mean that the athlete loses his or her amateur status. The NCAA needs to take a step-back and look at how they can better help the athlete instead of sticking to rules that are outdated. The bylaw is ridiculous and cannot be policed. Amateur status should only be taken away once an athlete actually turns professional. The NCAA has to consider the student-athlete.

Luke Bonner: “Center” of the World

Luke BonnerThe “real world” beckons.  My days of browsing the stacks at Mystery Train Records, snacking late night on a slice from Antonio’s, and taking the Mullins Center court are long gone.  At the same time, I can kiss goodbye 8:00AM classes, research papers, strenuous exams, 6:00AM conditioning, and countless hours spent in Boyden/the cage/the Mullins Center.  Those days are over (for the time being at least).

“Reality” has officially set in.  I spent four great years in Amherst, MA, but this past May marked the end of that era.  My eligibility expired, and I finished up my final course load.  I packed up my belongings and made my way back home to New Hampshire with my degrees in tow.  I am no longer a Umass student.  Like many others, I have successfully achieved alumni status (a Umass alum entering into the workforce).

Specifically, I have entered into the industry of professional basketball.  I am sure you all remember how shocked the world was this past June when my name was NOT called during the NBA Draft.  Despite this unpleasant surprise, I refused to allow those pesky NBA General Managers thwart my desire to play basketball at the professional level.  The NBA is not the only professional basketball league in the world.  In fact, there are many leagues across the pond.  With the help of my agent, the industry of my desire has welcomed me with a passport, working visa, and a plane ticket.  I have since embarked on a quest to earn a living through basketball.  First stop: Székesfehérvár, Hungary.

Lucky for you, I am a selfless man.  Through the collaboration of some higher-ups at Umass, you will be able to accompany me along the way.  I have recently been asked if I would be willing to write a biweekly blog/column for the Umass website while I am overseas, and my answer without hesitation is an emphatic “yes” (Congratulations! You are currently reading the first installment!).

Frequently players finish their college careers and head overseas to continue with their craft.  Meanwhile, back in the states fans might be wondering, “whatever happened to that guy?”  In fact, the guy in question may be leading a very successful career playing basketball overseas.  Or, that guy’s playing career may have been quite hectic and short lived.  Entering into this industry, I have a complete understanding that there will be plenty of highs and lows throughout the experience.  It is not uncommon for American players to play for multiple teams in multiple countries throughout the course of a single season.  There are many unknowns associated with what I am entering into. This is a reality I have accepted.  The pure opportunity to experience a foreign culture, play basketball, and earn some money in the process is too much for me to turn down.

I have a lot of friends still in college who are interested in pursuing a basketball career overseas.  Other people seem to be curious as to what being an overseas basketball player is all about.  Nobody seems to really know anything about playing ball overseas until they experience it first hand.  I am willing to share all of my experiences, the good and the bad, throughout my rookie season via this new blog.  I hope that by being candid about my everything, I can help provide some perspective and shed some light on this interesting subject in an engaging/entertaining manner.

The Future of NBA Basketball in Seattle

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In 2008, The Seattle Supersonics moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City in one of the more contentious sports issues in recent memory.  The Seattle Supersonics Historical Preservation Society produced a documentary entitled Sonicsgate detailing the history of the Sonics, the issues that affected the team and the eventual move to Oklahoma City.  The movie was very rich, providing a thorough account of the financial, legal and psychological aspects of the move.  It is a must watch for those interested in sports business and want to learn the behind the scenes action of the Sonics move.  There are countless topics that can be covered from the movie, but I will focus on the future of an NBA team in Seattle.

On the surface, a team in Seattle seems like a no-brainer.  The city is passionate about its basketball, not only when it was winning (during the Payton-Kemp peak years) but also during the lean times, as evidenced by the consistent attendance of over 90% capacity (about 16,000 fans) of Key Arena.  Also, business-wise, Seattle is the largest market without an NBA franchise.

However, two recent examples show that the political drama that played out may contribute to a lower attendance figure if a team were relocated there.  Ideally, the Seattle fan base would see themselves like the Cleveland Browns fans, whose team moved to Baltimore in 1995.  In Cleveland’s case, there was no public battle.  Art Modell did a private deal with the city of Baltimore to move the team there, even with an initiative on the ballot for $175 million to refurbish the stadium yet to be voted on.  Before the move, Cleveland’s attendance was about 70,000 per game, which is about 88% capacity.  Now the Cleveland games are near full capacity, at about 73,200 per game.

However, a more apt example might be the Charlotte Hornets, who moved to New Orleans in 2002.  In Charlotte, the beginning of the end started when owner George Shinn was accused of sexual assault.  He admitted to two adulterous relationships, and the charges were dropped, but support for the team quickly diminished.  A team that in the 1990’s nearly sold out every game (capacity about 23,000) struggled to attract fans, with attendance falling from 97% to 80% capacity in one year, then down to less than 50% by the end.  Shinn demanded a new arena from the city of Charlotte in order to keep the team viable, but the city would only finance the arena if Shinn sold the team.  The result of this battle was Shinn taking the Hornets to New Orleans.  Two years later, the Bobcats began operations, but they have not been able to recover the attendance levels from their 1990’s success, with attendance being about 15,000 a game, or about 80% capacity.  (Attendance figures from ESPN)

The Charlotte Bobcats example, with some similarities to the Sonics affair, will likely make some owner more reluctant to go to Seattle.  Many NBA teams have potential to move to Seattle, including the Charlotte Bobcats, whose owner, Bob Johnson, is looking to sell the franchise due to mounting losses.  However, even if a franchise moves there, as author Sherman Alexie so aptly states at the end of Sonicsgate, “If we get a team, it’s going to be somebody else’s team…I’m going to have to break the hearts of people just like me.”  It is sad to think how this episode has tainted a great basketball culture in Seattle.

To continue this, I plan next week to look at public vs. privately financed stadiums, which is one of the issues at the heart of the Seattle Supersonics move.

Athletes Building Non-Profits

By, Scott Mittleman

An athlete with the best intentions of starting his or her own charity, may never receive the proper support to help get things off the ground.

Matthew Wade of Athletes Foundations discussed with me the current obstacles facing many athletes. It starts with their agent, who is not initially concerned with their clients work within the community. They want an athlete to be well liked and be a good citizen but not as concerned with them devoting their time and energy to building a non- profit. The need to involve the athlete in the community comes after something happens to possibly tarnish their image in the national media.

Athletes often don’t realize until later in their career that they want to be more involved in giving back. At this point, they aren’t sure about what resources to turn to or who to trust. From the start of their career, people are always hanging around athletes for selfish reasons and trying to reap both financial and social benefits.

Organizations such as Athlete Foundations are there to help steer an athlete through the process of starting a non-profit, organizing fundraising campaigns and just being the face of an organization. For companies to support and sponsor a non-profit run by an athlete, they want to see that athlete have an active role within the organization. They also want to see them investing their own money to help support the non-profit.

When an athlete dedicates themselves to their non-profit, it shows a true desire to support their cause and provides a legitimate base to build the non-profit. They need as much support and resources as possible to aid in this development.

I hope to offer a helping hand to both athletes and non-profits to benefit one another for a good cause. When a group of people work together for something beyond anything materialistic, only good things can happen.

 Thanks for reading and check out my articles each Wednesday.

For some great athlete charities check out:

Warrick Dunn Foundation: http://www.warrickdunnfoundation.org/

Athletes for Hope: http://www.athletesforhope..org/

View my current Non-profit SF Fun Raisers at www.sffunraisers.org

NFL and Globalization

I know Mondays are supposed to be an alumni/faculty spotlight here at the UMass sport blog but I wanted to put that on hold to talk about what I feel is a pretty important topic. Yesterday I watched the annual NFL London game and I had tons of different thoughts going through my head. I was primarily upset that the Patriots had beat my Titans so badly the week before, but thankful they didn’t do it in front of an international audience. Mostly I thought about how far American Football has expanded outside the US border.
Like it or not, and this is my opinion, but Football is America’s game, not baseball or basketball. Football rules the American sports arena in fans, tv ratings, and most importantly, TV money. But one area that the NFL has failed to capture as well as the other markets, is the international market. Sure everyone watches the Super Bowl, but really only for the spectacle that is the ultimate in American indulgence. Throuhgout the 80’s and 90’s, the NFL enjoyed so much success that it didn’t really need to worry about the international market. But with changes in technology has come changes in the way sport leagues need to attack fans. The US market became saturated with everything football. The NFL created its own TV network, and I can watch NFL games anytime I want to.

The NFL had tried expanding outside the US with the occasional international (usually Mexico) preseason game and the now defunct NFL Europe, but by and large the international community has been completely uninterested in American football. Perhaps it is the cultural differences, or maybe people see football as the ultimate American sport and fot that they disapprove. But whatever the reasons, it seems the international sport fan has shunned American football much the same way we have shunned soccer.

But in watching yeserdays game, I am seeing things a bit differently. The NFL seems to have taken a slow, but steady approach to building the following of American Football abroad. With programs aimed at educating international fans (nflatino.com, etc.) the NFL may actually be able to chip away at the international market that the other American Sports Leagues have already attacked. Only time will tell…

Impact of NBA Referee Lockout

“The referee is going to be the most important person in the ring tonight besides the fighters”

-George Foreman

As of today, it appears the NBA referee lockout will be over, with reports that the two sides will finalize a deal Friday, much to the relief of Larry Brown, Lionel Hollins and Stan Van Gundy.  The question is what has been learned, besides that NBA coaches do not like replacement refs?

There are two issues that strike me as important, one current and one future.  The current item deals with the integrity of the game.  The replacement referees brought to the forefront again the lack of faith in officiating in NBA games.  In the wake of the Tim Donaghy scandal, the NBA has been scrutinized in public opinion as being a “rigged” league, as evidenced by a poll showing 37% of people believe the NBA alters the outcomes of games.  Perceptions of “superstar” calls and allegedly favoring the larger markets are persistent stories (whether true or not) in the American consciousness regarding NBA basketball.  The NBA needs to address this issue in order to gain more traction with the casual sport fan market.  As a first step, the NBA has added to their web site a video rule book to be more transparent with fans, a good start in addressing this image problem.

The other issue is the upcoming players’ collective bargaining agreement renegotiation.  With the referees, the NBA wanted to cut $3.2M in expenses from the referee budget, with the referees coming in at $2.5M in cuts (depending on the final details, not yet released).  Either way, the fact the agreement will have substantial budget cuts lays the foundation for the player negotiations.  In this economy, the league will expect the players to make concessions to control the league’s budget, most likely in player salaries.  The NBA has already shown it is willing to impose a lockout (both in 1999 with the players and 2009 with the referees) if its demands are not met.  A lockout could be a major problem for the players, since their financial strength is not solid.  According to Sports Illustrated, 60% of former players are broke within 5 years of retirement, meaning the likelihood of players being able to withstand a lengthy lockout is low.  Also, the league has a strong financial position, as evidenced by its receiving a $200 million extra line of credit during a recession, although you wonder how long lesser teams like the Hornets will be willing to go along with the lockout.  Either way, if the negotiations almost caused the referees to miss the regular season, you have to expect that the future negotiations with players will be even more contentious.

Next week, I plan to move from a recent contentious issue to a past one.  I plan to review the “Sonicsgate” documentary and look at it in the context of relocation of NBA franchises.

Future of Fantasy

Relay Insights: The Reality of Fantasy Sports Participation
The start of the 2009 NFL season also marks the start of fantasy football
season, which for some devoted fans is the highlight of their football
experience.
The Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimates that nearly 30 million
people are playing fantasy sports across North America ? scanning the
waiver wire, analyzing injury reports, watching six games at once and
cheering for fourth-quarter scores by teams down by 28 points.
Most marketers may assume fantasy participants are the stereotypical
18-24, beer-guzzling, jersey-wearing, single male, and this perception may
be causing many brands to miss out on what is actually a much broader and
passionate audience.
Based on research provided by our friends at Scarborough Sports Marketing,
marketers may want to take a deeper look at engaging more with fantasy
sports participants after all.
According to Scarborough, 83.9% of fantasy participants are male; however,
women have increasingly become more interested in fantasy sports, with a
36% increase since 2007 ? bringing females to 16.1% of participants in
2009. And though 84.2% are white, Hispanics have been the fastest growing
ethnic group, increasing 27% since 2007.
If those figures aren?t surprising enough, 37.4% of fantasy participants
have a household income over $100,000 (61% more likely than a member of
the general population = 161 index), 38% have a college degree (147
index), most own their own home (73.2%) and 59.2% of participants are
married.
And while 50% of participants are ages 18-34 (164 index), the fastest
growing age demographic is the 60+ group who has increased 28% since 2007.

Meanwhile, what markets are the hotbeds for fantasy activity? The top 5
DMAs for fantasy sports participants (in order) might surprise you:
Milwaukee, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati.
So, if you are evaluating if fantasy participants are an attractive
audience for your brand, consider ways to go beyond online ad units to
engage this audience. The power of fantasy sports is in the connections
within the thousands of communities who play. Create ways to help them get
together, interact and share statistics and information, and you can score
big for your brand.

Checkout relayworldwide.com

Athletes and Nonprofits

First off, I would like to say that I am thrilled to take part in the Sports Biz Blog as a Umass Alumni. Each Wednesday I plan to post an article, where I hope to help enlighten others, as well as educate myself with current happenings taking place in sports.

Since leaving Umass, I’ve moved across the country to San Francisco, where I’ve had a career in nonprofit fundraising. My first few posts will deal with cause marketing and how athletes and the sports world can help make a big difference in benefitting nonprofits.

 Sports and nonprofits working together are not a new phenomenon. For years, athletes and leagues have been working closely with numerous nonprofits such as: The United Way, Boys and Girls Club, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and Habitat for Humanity, to name just a few of the hundreds that have received support.

 Many athletes have their own nonprofits and devote a lot of time to community service. For as much as athletes contribute, the ability for them to start their own organizations can be quite difficult.

 The reality is when an athlete wants to create his or her own nonprofit, they often run into many hurdles that prevent them from starting their own organization. Yes, it is easy to show up at events organized by their respective league or team, and lend their name to help generate attendees and donations. If an athlete wants his or her own organization, there is no one there to help with the actual game plan for success.

This led me to search out someone with knowledge of helping athletes start their own nonprofit. I found Matthew Wade, who runs Athlete Foundations in Seattle (www.athletefoundations.com), he has over a decade of experience working in sports and community relations. My next post I will go over my discussion with Matt about the current state of helping an athlete build their own nonprofit.

NFL Blackouts

Despite slumping ticket sales in many cities, the NFL has decided to keep its blackout rules in place for the 2009-10 season. The NFL blackout policy does not allow television stations to broadcast games in regions where the game is not sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff. Many teams, including Sand Diego and Jacksonville, have stated that they may not sell out a game all season, meaning that people in the Jacksonville region will not see a game all season unless they are in the stadium.The fact of the matter is, this will actually affect very few teams, and 12 NFL teams had all of their home games sold out prior to the season starting. Most of the problems we will see occur are in Detroit, Cincinnati, Oakland, St. Louis, and as mentioned before, Sand Diego and Jacksonville. The original intention of this policy was to increase ticket sales because television made it hard to get people out of their houses and into the stadium. The NFL is the only major professional sport league to have a blackout policy. This is because of the few number of games and major revenue sharing that comes from ticket sales (NFL teams split ticket revenue from games 60/40 in favor of the home team).

There was talk in the NFL offices of dropping the blackout policy because of the economy, with many cities being hit hard where fans would not have the disposable income to buy tickets. I find it hard to believe that if the NFL dropped the policy that they would have had much trouble selling out games in most NFL cities. As we noted, only a few of the cities look to be having blackout problems, with most of them being the cities hit hardest by the economic downturn. I think that, if anything, the NFL is losing more fans this year by not showing the games than they are gaining by trying to draw people to the stadium. There are certain times when the NFL needs to reevaluate its mission, and while ticket sales may be an important part of the revenue, the league is by no means in any trouble financially, and should put the fans first in this case. Keeping the blackout policy for this season is putting the league before the fans, and harming cities more that have already suffered during the current economic situation.

Random Thoughts:

Monday was one of the best playoff days I have ever seen. First, a great extra-inning game between the Yankees and Angels with the Angels taking their first win of the season. Then, we saw Jimmy Rollins hit a ninth-inning, two-run walk-off triple to put the Phillies up three games to one. I still think we’ll see Yankees-Phillies in the World Series. As a Red Sox fan, I’m always pulling for anyone who knocks-off New York.

The Patriots looked like the team from 2007. Five touchdowns from Brady in the second quarter alone and a 59-0 win. Too soon to say they’re back on track but definitely a good sign going forward. On the other side, how does a team returning 20 of 22 starters start the season winless? Something is wrong in Tennessee and I wouldn’t be surprised to start hearing rumblings of a coaching change.

Stephen Drew to the Red Sox? Do the Sox need another Drew on the team? Still, I like him as a shortstop and think that he could provide some stability that the Red Sox have needed in that position.