"Putting cheeks in the seats"

If I were part of a college or professional level sports team I would look at what would be the best way to bring in a crowd.  For the question of would I rather sell 10,000 tickets at $2 each or 1,000 tickets at $20 each, my answer would be to sell the tickets at $2 each.  The reason I would bring the ticket price down to $2 is because even though the tickets them selves won't make much of a profit it will bring people in that could possibly spend money on merchandise or concessions while enjoying the game.  The sound of a $2 ticket is very irresistible and I can see tickets for that event going fast. 

Orioles vs. Rays Sept. 28, 2010

Also, as a college level player I like seeing people in the stands.  Having that extra edge over your opponent at your home stadium can help motivate the team and give them a boost.  I recall a time this past season (2010) when the Tampa Bay Rays had an issue with filling seats.  They were in an important game that could have clinched a playoff spot against the Baltimore Orioles and they had approximately 12,500 fans fill the 46,000 seated stadium (approx. 27% attendance).  Two specific players, Evan Longoria and David Price, bashed the fans for the "embarrassing" showing.  You can't entirely blame the fans for this one.  The ticket management team for the Rays should have done a better job promoting the game.  It's not like the team was bad, if they were good enough to clinch a playoff spot it shouldn't be to hard to get fans to come out and watch them.  They ranked 22nd out of the 30 teams that are in the MLB for attendance that season. 

It's important to fill seats.  It will bring in people that will spend more money, create a buzz in the stadium, and make players happy.

Grandstand Manager's Day

Bill Veeck has changed the promotional game for sports entertainment.  He had fun new ways to get people interested in his team.  One of these promotions he used is called, "Grandstand Manager's Day".  During one of the games when he was with the Cleveland Browns on August 24th, 1951, Veeck decided to let a portion of the fans decide how the team should play certain scenarios.  He gave the fans signs that said 'yes' on one side and 'no' on the other.  The publicity director held up signs that read steal, bunt or change pitchers and then the "manager's" would flash their response of 'yes' or 'no'.  The Browns won the game 5-3 which snapped a four game losing streak.

This stunt worked because it got people involved in the game.  The team was doing poorly that season and attendance had dropped so any way to intruige fans to come wouldn't have hurt .  The "manager's" felt as if they were a big part of the game and the feeling that they could change the outcome of it increased their participation.  As a baseball fan myself I think this would be a fun idea for a manager to do these days.  I don't see it happening any time soon.  There is to much money in the game to let fans call the shots.

Another stunt by Veeck: A 3 ft. 7 in. batter

Bauer Hockey

Niklas Kronwall using stick, gloves, and pants by Bauer.

Bauer Hockey is a household name for people that know and play the game.  Nike bought Bauer in 1995 for $430 million and then sold it to a group of investors from Canada for about $200 million back in 2008.  Bauer now includes brands such as, Vapor which is mostly known for their skates and sticks, Supreme, Flexlite, Re-Flex and then later in 2008 they bought up rivals Mission-ITECH.  They also have a Lacrosse company named Maverik.  Bauer plans on entering the stock market which means it will be offering IPO's (initial public offerings).  The process is still under review so prices for individual stock have not been determined. 

Stars- Bauer Premium Integrated Neck; protects the neck from cuts by skates and stick by using a Kevlar brand fiber.

Cash Cows- Skates, Sticks, normal hockey equipment

Question Marks- Premium Integrated Full Length One Piece

Dogs- Roller Hockey Equipment.

Super Bowl Ads

The Super Bowl is a wonderful time for company's to advertise their products.  The amount of money it took to get a spot for a commercial this year, which was 3 million for every 30 second, can add up rather quickly when trying to get a lot of air time during this event.  A cheaper way to get your company's name out there is to get a banner that is located throughout the stadium.  When watching the Super Bowl it was obvious to see the advertisements that were plastered in between the different levels of seats.  Company's such as Miller Lite, AT&T and Pepsi were some of the ones that were the easiest to see.  Every time the game was going to go to a commercial an ad or an announcement was made.  Company's were sponsoring this event so they got air time with out having to do commercials.

The Wings take the ice tonight (2/11/11) against an Original Six team, the Boston Bruines.  The Wings have been in sort of a slump with thier past 10 games going 5-5. Their last game was against the Nashville Predators where they lost 4-1 and then after got bashed by head coach, Mike Babcock, for putting on a heartless performance.  Many teams wouldn't see .500 as bad, but the Wing's have to live up to another standard that they are well capable of achieving. 

They have finally gotten one of their key players back, Pavel Datsyuk.  In his first game back on Febuary 7th, he had two shots on net with a goal and an assist for the night.  He scored this goal doing one of the things he does best and that is back-checking.  The Wing's won 3-2.  Datsuyk's goal: First game back .  The Wing's are beggining to become healthy again with most of the guys time table to come back to be within the next few weeks. 

All-Star Break

With the All-Star break still in effect until Wednesday, the Wings are using this  time to recoup their injured players.  For about the past month hey have been without one of their top players Pavel Datsyuk. They haven't been as stellar as they were when he was in the line-up.  Having this as a weapon on your team is a key component. Not only is he a great offensive player he is an exceptional offensive defensive player.  He is one of the best in the leagues at back checking and stripping the puck off of players that don't even expect it.


The Wings are also planning on getting back some other key players such as: Brad Stuart, Todd Bertuzzi, Dan Cleary and recent addition this year Mike Modano. 


With February being a short hockey month for the Wings and now half of the season left, it would be nice if the Wings picked up the momentum with the players returning.  But as a legit Wings fan I can't be mad at where they are right now.  Making the playoffs is the main goal for right now.  Obviously, taking the top spot in the league is great, but extending the regular season is where we want to be.