Grounded In Reality

Few would argue that the Internet and blogs (as platforms) lend themselves rather well to facilitating the ability to share personal perspective. So, in that spirit, we’ve got a one-word opinion of Buzz Bissinger we’d like to share: blowhard.

If you haven’t been keeping up with the latest scandals to rock the sports blogging world, you may have missed the recent HBO special on the role of the Internet in the broader world of sports journalism, society and, well, seemingly everything else in the world. Earlier this week, Bob Costas welcomed Deadspin founder/editor Will Leitch to join what was likely pitched to him as a “panel discussion,” alongside renowned author H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger of Friday Night Lights and (somewhat out of left field, or whatever the appropriate football-related pun) Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards. What ensued on “Costas Now” was an ambush that bared no resemblance to any sort of discussion.

However, somewhere between the venomous expletive-laced tirades of “old-school Buzz” lies infinitely fertile ground for countless discussions relevant to modern media, blogging, the role of the Internet and what it all means for PR, marketing and the like. Instead of launching into a dissertation on the topic, take a look for yourself at some of the very cogent, passionate and revealing sentiments from some of the most popular sports blogs on the Web including Fire Joe Morgan (also featured in HBO segment intro), Every Day Should be Saturday, Awful Announcing and Leitch himself (also here). Mainstream journalists have also latched onto the story from Richard Sandomir at The New York Times to Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star (alas, it’s on Barnhart’s…[gasp]…blog!).

So, take a read and form your own opinion. The number of angles from which can tackle this debate are infinite, but one thing is clear for PR professionals. The writing is (and has been) on the wall. Whether anyone likes it or not, blogs, if not the prevailing new media, represent a channel that cannot be ignored. Of course, we all already knew that. Wonder what kind of week Bissinger’s PR folks are doing today? Talk about an interesting “fly on the wall” situation.

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Steve Bonsignore
GCI Sports

Late last week, Paul Walker spoke to the New York office about crowdsourcing and the general open source mentality that is further perpetuating itself in marketing communications, interpersonal communication and technology development. I got a chance earlier in the same week to witness a unique model of the “open source philosophy” in action.

On February 12, I attended a Sports Marketing 2.0 Summit in New York City hosted by Pat Coyle, Executive Director of Business for the Indianapolis Colts. The concept of a sports marketing summit itself is not unique. How it came together, though, is distinctly “2.0.” Nearly 60 communications and technology professionals met in Manhattan, many of them for the first time. Most had come to know Pat through his blog at PatCoyle.net which discusses issues in sports marketing now that “fans are in charge.” Pat also created his own companion social network at Sportsmarketing20.com using a platform from Ning.

Over the course of a half day, there were panel discussions on measurement, engagement, communication and socializing that included representatives from a host of technology, sports and marketing entities from Rick Wolf (Business Development, RotoWorld/NBC) to Takkle.com CEO David Birnbaum to Hooman Radfar, founder of widget giant Clearspring Technologies. Conference attendees included ad agencies, companies developing social networking platforms and technologies, email marketers, as well as representatives from individual teams (New York Jets, Washington Redskins) and leagues (NBA, NFL).

Overall, it was a great learning experience and more (albeit unnecessary) evidence that the environment for marketers has changed. Many discussions centered on how to engage consumers online, how to measure engagement, how corporate sponsors can integrate content and monetize their online efforts and ways we’re interacting with certain technologies. A solid summary is offered by event attendee Brian Litvack from wRECK Sports here.

Below are a few other interesting examples of engagement referenced during the course of the day. I’ve got a complete list of attendees and would be happy to further discuss with anyone interested.

Dunder Mifflin Infinity: virtual home for fans of NBC’s “The Office”

Takkle.com: bringing the challenge concept to life with high school athletes

NBA.com Suns: an NBA franchise offers fans a peek inside the locker room

MyColts.net: Online community for Indianapolis Colts fans

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Steve Bonsignore
GCI Sports