Yes it would be great to be a professional athlete. It would be great to be able to play a game that I love–like baseball–against the best competition, in big stadiums, and get paid a lot of money.
Today’s posting is about the future and how sports will be changing.
Hey professional athletes you are going to want to get used to:
- Smaller crowds. Yes most baseball stadiums now are getting smaller so that is an obvious statement, but also the percentage of paid seats will be dropping like a rock and very fast!
- Smaller contracts for anyone who isn’t a star. Yes Lebron James, AROD and other big name stars will get their money. But the professional athlete who isn’t a perennial all-star will be signing for less money and less years for sure.
- Not only will crowds be smaller but it will also be TOP heavy. Meaning that most of the fans will be in the less expensive seats which are higher and further away from the action which is a very funny and interesting crowd dynamic.
- Teams’ and leagues’ patience for athletes getting in trouble is over. Team and league penalties for first time offenders will be more strict and repeat offenders will not be tolerated. One of the main reasons is that fans are beyond tired of this kind of stuff and feel if they are going to be paying big prices and going to games they want athletes to stay out of trouble.
- Flying commercial! Yes, I said it. I think struggling sports teams will be forced to make drastic cuts and I believe that some of them will go back to flying commercial. I remember flying in 1988 back from NY with the Boston Celtics. It was really cool.
Maybe some of those points are obvious and maybe some you haven’t thought of.
- What do think of my thoughts?
- What else do you think will happen?
I look forward to your comments.
As the month of May quickly approaches, it reminds me that I graduated college 25 years ago! Wow a long time ago. During that time a lot has happened with many changes. I have gotten married, have three kids and moved a number of times. No matter what changes have happened, one thing has always been constant. I have always worked in the Marketing Research Industry. Like most, my arrival to the industry came by surprise–frankly a pleasant surprise. You always dream (or at least I did) about working in the same industry for your entire career (have you done the same thing?) and to be able to do that for twenty-five years is something very special and something I am very proud of. Here is why I love the Marketing Research Industry:
I realize the economy has forced people to change a lot of things about their behavior. In the past many people I know have given lots of money and time to charities, schools, religious affiliations, sports teams and industry associations. With what is going on in the world people may have to cut back their financial donations. But I hope they still have some time to give to charities.
For as far back as I can remember we have had a pet. Always a dog and always loved the dog. Played with the dog for hours when I was growing up and still have a dog named Boston right now. I think if I come back as a dog I want to be her. She goes to the groomer every week to play with her friends and take a bath. Gets her haircut every two weeks, gets her teeth cleaned every other month (she has bad breath) and most recently had to have a small operation to remove a cyst. She was put under but came through like a champ and is doing great.
In less than thirty days it will be Mother’s Day. What better way to start to get into the mood than to talk about your mom?
Over the past month I have presented at a number of conferences. Most of the slides are customized, but one that I always use is about Tiger Woods. I pull out the Dallas Morning News Sports section from June 10th, 2008.
I am sure that title got your attention! Usually when I go to conferences or talk to industry contacts, the conversation is about, sales, strategy and motivating the team. Recently there is an additional topic that seems to make it into the mix: Accounts Receivable. Questions are being asked like:
So there I am on a Saturday. The sun is shining, the weather is beautiful and the kids are out on the baseball field playing catch. It is opening day of T-Ball and my 5 1/2 year old is out on the field with a huge smile, baggy pants and a glove in his hand.
How Connected Are You To Social Networking Sites?
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009For me I have a Facebook (123 friends) page and with every day get a little more comfortable. With LinkedIn (184 contacts) I haven’t really used it that much. Only dabbled. What am I missing? YouTube has been a good resource for including videos in presentations. For me I like to mix it up a bit and drive home a point with a video. Plus it allows the audience a chance to get involved with the presentation a little bit more. I have just started to use Twitter and kind of like it. I have about 64 people I am following and 141 followers. It is quick and allows you to stay connected to friends and information.
I look forward to reading your comments.
P.S. Feel free to include links to your social networks in your comments.
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