Post by 50yardfan on Dec 3, 2010 9:22:50 GMT -5
by Jerry Hewitt - It is said the ethical man knows it is wrong to cheat on his wife, but does it anyway. The moral man knows it's wrong and doesn't. One might ask what that has to do with indoor football, or professional sports in general. Actually everything. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion in many fans' minds that championships at the minor league level are more often bought than not. Few accuse ownerships who practice giving better players more in the way of benefits than their league allows as being unethical. This is how you win championships, and often one can't compete without breaking the rules. That seems to be the mindset of some ownerships, at least. Unethical? Maybe not, in my opinion, but morally wrong. I raise my cup of coffee this morning to those teams who play within the rules, win or lose.
My real topic this morning has to do with attendance and the economy. Last season showed a drop in attendance over much of the landscape and it is up for argument if that was the result of the economy or just poor marketing. In my opinion, I think it's both. In tough times teams have to get more creative with their marketing, offer fans more reasons to spend their entertainment dollars with them instead of other things available in the area. Teams which increase their marketing budget might see attendance rise, and those who just continue with business as usually see a decline and blame the economy.
2011 doesn't promise us an economy much different than what we had in 2010. Politicians will continue to argue about the best ways to fix it and block each other's efforts to get things on the right track. That is Washington and business as usual and something teams can not control.
My guess is that most teams need to add 20% to their marketing budget, that's for the teams which have a budget. Yes, a marketing budget and plan isn't part of every team's strategy even though I think most if not all will say they do have one. Be that as it may, ticket sales will continue to be a hard sell. A team that can actually hold on to their 2010 attendance numbers might be considered ahead of the game, better anyway than more decline.
There is no magic bullet in helping out attendance numbers and even turning a losing franchise into a winner won't solve all the problems. I realize that some teams and even some fans think a winning record is the answer to all of a team's economic woes, but that is far from the truth. Nobody is saying that a winner isn't more attractive to fans and sponsors than a loser, but not everyone can win, and winners are made on and off the field. As I said, there is no magic bullet here, just a few brain cells and hard work.
I still find it amazing that no matter how long this sport has been around that some teams and even some leagues tend to look at things from a Monday through Friday, 9-5 perspective. This is a business, not the $8 billion a year one like the NFL, but still a business that requires the time spent as needed. Those teams that subscribe or at least understand that this is a 24/7 deal much of the time, especially in the marketing and public relations department, will see dividends. Those who don't will just blame the economy or the losing season on the field. This isn't rocket science, it's a business and for a business, any business, to succeed it needs dedicated ownership and employees.
I can see a lot that is wrong with our economy and the biggest problem is being people not working together towards a common goal. How is the way our elected officials behave any different from teams in any league? Common goals and cooperation along with hard work and dedication are what is needed for success. It is time for ownerships to stop taking their lead from Washington and actually work together to continue to build this sport.
Nothing has changed over the ten plus years on what it takes to breed success in this sport and for the most part nothing needed actually obtain it has changed either. Teams are stuck with the cards dealt as far as the economy goes, but it's how the cards are played that might mean the difference between playing in 2012 or calling it a day after 2011.
My real topic this morning has to do with attendance and the economy. Last season showed a drop in attendance over much of the landscape and it is up for argument if that was the result of the economy or just poor marketing. In my opinion, I think it's both. In tough times teams have to get more creative with their marketing, offer fans more reasons to spend their entertainment dollars with them instead of other things available in the area. Teams which increase their marketing budget might see attendance rise, and those who just continue with business as usually see a decline and blame the economy.
2011 doesn't promise us an economy much different than what we had in 2010. Politicians will continue to argue about the best ways to fix it and block each other's efforts to get things on the right track. That is Washington and business as usual and something teams can not control.
My guess is that most teams need to add 20% to their marketing budget, that's for the teams which have a budget. Yes, a marketing budget and plan isn't part of every team's strategy even though I think most if not all will say they do have one. Be that as it may, ticket sales will continue to be a hard sell. A team that can actually hold on to their 2010 attendance numbers might be considered ahead of the game, better anyway than more decline.
There is no magic bullet in helping out attendance numbers and even turning a losing franchise into a winner won't solve all the problems. I realize that some teams and even some fans think a winning record is the answer to all of a team's economic woes, but that is far from the truth. Nobody is saying that a winner isn't more attractive to fans and sponsors than a loser, but not everyone can win, and winners are made on and off the field. As I said, there is no magic bullet here, just a few brain cells and hard work.
I still find it amazing that no matter how long this sport has been around that some teams and even some leagues tend to look at things from a Monday through Friday, 9-5 perspective. This is a business, not the $8 billion a year one like the NFL, but still a business that requires the time spent as needed. Those teams that subscribe or at least understand that this is a 24/7 deal much of the time, especially in the marketing and public relations department, will see dividends. Those who don't will just blame the economy or the losing season on the field. This isn't rocket science, it's a business and for a business, any business, to succeed it needs dedicated ownership and employees.
I can see a lot that is wrong with our economy and the biggest problem is being people not working together towards a common goal. How is the way our elected officials behave any different from teams in any league? Common goals and cooperation along with hard work and dedication are what is needed for success. It is time for ownerships to stop taking their lead from Washington and actually work together to continue to build this sport.
Nothing has changed over the ten plus years on what it takes to breed success in this sport and for the most part nothing needed actually obtain it has changed either. Teams are stuck with the cards dealt as far as the economy goes, but it's how the cards are played that might mean the difference between playing in 2012 or calling it a day after 2011.