MLB

The mighty are not only falling…they’re dropping. quickly.  Honestly, what is going on over at The Upper Deck company?

The problems all begin in 2008 when Upper Deck when Konami discovered that counterfeit Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards were being sold in stores by an Upper Deck sub-distributor.  After taking action against the sub-distributor, the sub-distributor dropped the dime; “the cards were supplied by Upper Deck”.  Lovely.

via MLB

Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) and The Scotts Company LLC announced today a multi-year relationship encompassing sponsorship, licensing, national MLB-themed advertising, and local Club partnerships, that designates Scotts as the “Official Lawn Care Company of Major League Baseball.” The relationship is the first of its kind for MLBP and the largest sports relationship for Scotts, the market leader in lawn and garden care products.

Just a few weeks ago, I wrote about how Topps Inc. had been dropped by the NFLPA regarding football trading card licensing.  How does Topps bounce back?  By becoming the exclusive trading card licensor for Major League Baseball,

Now that the LCS has been set for Major League Baseball, its a good time to look back at the season that was and see what we can learn.

There are many cynics that may say President Obama can spend his time, and the countries’ dollars…doing better things than glad handing the MLS champion Columbus Crew at the White House before heading off to throw the first pitch and hang out in the FOX booth at the All-Star game. However, the man who the Washington Times called this week the “Sports Fan Chief” , was astute enough with his team to recognize early on in his run to the White House that sports is a common bond for those on the fence about anything political, and gave him, more than any other candidate, another link to a demo that may or may not have voted or listened to him at all.

The announcement in this week’s Sports Business Journal that Tom Fox will join Arsenal to run their startegic marketing is the latest in a series of moves by elite clubs and sports around the world to try and not only capture ways to engage their own fans, but to try and begin carving niches to make their brands interesting and meaningful to fans in North America, whether those fans are expats now living in the States, new fans or sport like cricket and rugby, and more importantly, brands that may be looking to activate more on a global level.

The announcement in this week’s Sports Business Journal that Tom Fox will join Arsenal to run their startegic marketing is the latest in a series of moves by elite clubs and sports around the world to try and not only capture ways to engage their own fans, but to try and begin carving niches to make their brands interesting and meaningful to fans in North America, whether those fans are expats now living in the States, new fans or sport like cricket and rugby, and more importantly, brands that may be looking to activate more on a global level.

Coming off of an epic Wimbledon for the second year in a row, it would seem that tennis, with all its global promotional arms, the power of the USTA and the other three Grand Slams, and some strong personalities would be poised to make a strong followup showing leading into the US Open Series. After all, this past week had the best team-based tennis event in the world…one that showed that the sport could be played not just as individuals or even as doubles partners, but in an event that fans could understand and experience and that each match would count for toward a season long finale, just like other sports. Yes that team format did deliver with some fun matches, a great digital play, a good experience on site for all and even some amazing press coverage.

Coming off of an epic Wimbledon for the second year in a row, it would seem that tennis, with all its global promotional arms, the power of the USTA and the other three Grand Slams, and some strong personalities would be poised to make a strong followup showing leading into the US Open Series. After all, this past week had the best team-based tennis event in the world…one that showed that the sport could be played not just as individuals or even as doubles partners, but in an event that fans could understand and experience and that each match would count for toward a season long finale, just like other sports. Yes that team format did deliver with some fun matches, a great digital play, a good experience on site for all and even some amazing press coverage.

As we head into mid-July, what has normally been a slow season for sports brand activation has unveiled a host of positive programs and good signs for sports on all levels. Starting with Mixed Martial Arts and the hundreds of brands and thousands of fans that have descended on Las Vegas for UFC 100 this weekend. The LA Times had a good look at the UFC’s success and its ability to build fans around the experiential platform that they have created and can execute for their followers, both on site and on pay per view. Great weekend for the UFC, which continues to be the only true national brand in the sport.

As we head into mid-July, what has normally been a slow season for sports brand activation has unveiled a host of positive programs and good signs for sports on all levels. Starting with Mixed Martial Arts and the hundreds of brands and thousands of fans that have descended on Las Vegas for UFC 100 this weekend. The LA Times had a good look at the UFC’s success and its ability to build fans around the experiential platform that they have created and can execute for their followers, both on site and on pay per view. Great weekend for the UFC, which continues to be the only true national brand in the sport.

One of the big problems with the team sports environment is the reluctance to work together on joint projects that could benefit multiple markets. Because the focus is so much in-market to grow ticket sales and relevance for brand partners, rarely will teams focus on projects that could be mutually beneficial to both without being an encumbrance on anything the team is doing in their area. It is viewed as a missed opportunity of focus, because in today’s marketplace fans exist everywhere, and to find ways to cultivate out of market fans, especially when your home market is a travel destination, is a mistake.

One of the big problems with the team sports environment is the reluctance to work together on joint projects that could benefit multiple markets. Because the focus is so much in-market to grow ticket sales and relevance for brand partners, rarely will teams focus on projects that could be mutually beneficial to both without being an encumbrance on anything the team is doing in their area. It is viewed as a missed opportunity of focus, because in today’s marketplace fans exist everywhere, and to find ways to cultivate out of market fans, especially when your home market is a travel destination, is a mistake.

As we head toward the All-Star break in baseball and get past the halfway point in NASCAR, it is worthwhile to point out a nice recent mix of the two…driver Kenny Wallace’s loyalty to his hometown Cardinals tied to the All-Star game. Wallace, who has shown his loyalty to the Cards by wearing Cardinals red at races, talking about the Cards on twitter and his facebook page, and even indulging in online chats about the team when he is not racing, got to go home and meet the Cards recently, throw out a first pitch and even help promote the All-Star Fan fest with some ticket giveaways, a great crossover promotion for both sports.

As we head toward the All-Star break in baseball and get past the halfway point in NASCAR, it is worthwhile to point out a nice recent mix of the two…driver Kenny Wallace’s loyalty to his hometown Cardinals tied to the All-Star game. Wallace, who has shown his loyalty to the Cards by wearing Cardinals red at races, talking about the Cards on twitter and his facebook page, and even indulging in online chats about the team when he is not racing, got to go home and meet the Cards recently, throw out a first pitch and even help promote the All-Star Fan fest with some ticket giveaways, a great crossover promotion for both sports.