It's just business for the Pats

"Commissioner Roger Goodell took away a first-rounder, so the Patriots will take away your firstborn."--JOHN CLAYTON, ESPN

If you are not a Patriots fan, put your opinion aside for a second.

The Tuesday class immediately following Week 1 NFL games, we were asked if the entire "spygate" scandal would effect the Patriots organization. I was among less than a handful of others who did not raise our hands, and I warned that coining the Patriots cheaters was the worst thing that any body could ever do.

I just want to say that I wish I raised my hand with the rest of class, this spy gate scandal is going to be one of the greatest things that ever happened to the organization.I knew what the repercussions would be, I just did not realize how obvious Billy B. was going to make them and why he had to do so.

Forget the personnel that the team acquired in the offseason. I repeat, the worst thing that you could do was call the Patriots cheaters. To accuse an organization over an individual as cheaters puts a huge chip on a shoulder. That is what will drive this team in the end to winning as many games as it is in their capacity to. As long as any player for the team is on the field, they will fighton every play to force a punt or turnover on defense and to put points on the board on offense.

Why no mercy from Bill?

It's Business.

He's half a mill and a first round pick short next year, plus the Pats themselves got fined $250 k. How is he going to make it up to the organization? He's going to show how easy it is to put together a devastating team. He has to. The success of the season will bring in endorsements for years to come based alone on the performance---both for the organization and individuals.

Losing a first round pick? Forget it, the smarter free agents this year will realize what type of opportunity it is to play under this guy for just a couple years. You hear Moss talking about the team now, he turned around Corey Dillon, guys take pay cuts to play for him. Some opted out after their superbowls and moved onto bigger contracts where they achieved less on the individual level.

Bill used to show mercy, I've watched him since he became the head coach in 2000. He could have ran up the score on several other games. It's understandable if you hate a team because they succeed. Has anyone cried to strip any MLB teams of their world series titles because of steroid use? Maybe the pitchers and losing teams.

To start saying that they don't deserve any of their three titles because of a taping that was allegedly a frequent practice through the league is just bad.

Nobody wants to play for the "cheating team", its bad for the brand image that the team gives off. If the Patriots kept this image, who the hell would want to play for them next year? Whether or not they actually cheated, who would want to play for a team that is merely thought of as cheaters?

Call it rebuilding a brand, a brand that was so strong a year ago that people used to refer to this team as a "class act group of professionals." Listen to Tom Brady after Washington, saying that there is "still a lot of room for improvement..." Moss using "we" and "us" instead of "me" and "I". They are still that class act team, but now their public image damaged.

Bill will make up the financial loss to Robert Kraft. As far as the players, think of it as recruitment. Hey, nobody really ever bitches about college football teams running up the score in games---there's reasoning, the school is trying to make a name for itself as well as boost itself in the BCS standings (which brings in more $ and recruiting power).

The Patriots organization is making a statement, not to prove to everybody that they do not "cheat", but that they are who they are--the leading business franchise in the NFL***with a salary cap in place*** Last time I checked, the best Wall Street firms don't throw in "fourth string" traders because the other guys already cashed out enough money and the guy at the other company needs to make a few bucks at the end of the day. The Patriots have money to make back and a brand to that they must quickly rebuild before it is lost.

This is the professional world, there's no mercy for the competition when it comes to profit--it's just business.

ARod Opts Out of His Contract...Is He Bad For Baseball?

So a day after the Boston Red Sox win their second World Series title in four years, they're not even the biggest story in sports...let alone baseball. Why you ask, because of one man, Alex Rodriguez, and his ill-timed decision to opt out of his contract with the Yankees. Rodriguez gave up $72 million he was owed over the final three seasons of his record $252 million, 10-year deal, which he signed with Texas before the 2001 season.

But what would you do if you were him? ARod had a career year with stats that clearly indicate that he is the best player in baseball; one who will eventually break Barry Bonds' home run record. He led the majors with 54 home runs, 156 RBIs and 143 runs scored. He's highly marketable, leading the majors in All-Star votes. Rodriguez could easily be paid over $30 million a season and no one would question if his numbers made him deserving of it. It's like a businessman who busts his tail in the office, puts up some big numbers and makes his company tons of money. That man would deserve a raise and he should be pissed if he didn't receive one. ARod is deserving of a raise, but he is not deserving of my praise or anyone's for that matter.

Alex Rodriguez is a man that likes to be liked. As a matter of fact, he wants to be loved by everyone, but what a way to just shoot yourself in the foot. No matter where he goes there will be people that hate him, whether in Seattle or Arlington (and now New York). He could have stayed in New York and people would have loved him for not opting out of his contract. He could've displayed an undying dedication to one team and fans would have worshipped the ground that he walked on. But now some team will have to give away a handful of talented players just to afford one man that seems to be bigger than his eventual team... and baseball. And what happens when his team isn't winning or when he hits 30 something home runs instead of 50 something? There will be fans that hate him for being greedy and unloyal and then there will be fans that hate him for underacheiving because in order to warrant any type of praise when you're the richest man in baseball you have to hit 100 home runs and win the World Series every year.

Word to the wise ARod: pick a team and stay there! Changing teams every four years without winning a championship will only frustrate fans. You'll leave a bad taste in their mouth and people WILL NOT like you. Yeah the fans in the city of your eventual team (Anaheim, San Francisco, L.A. or wherever) will love you until you get into a slump and everyone else on Earth will probably highly dislike you wherever you go. People will love to watch you for your talent, but they'll boo you for your selfishness. What does one do with their old ARod jerseys? And is it worth buying another one or is he going to play somewhere else in a week? That whole "I just want to be liked" mentality that you carry around with you will be out of the window, so don't even try to play the "Whoa is me card." Go to a new team and produce great numbers and never win a World Series title. My only two questions to you Mr. Rodriguez...What hat will you be wearing in the Hall of Fame and What team is retiring your jersey???

Businessweek's Power 100 in the world of Sport

THE POWER 100

I don't know how, but somehow I missed this cover story on businessweek three weeks ago. Believe it or not Businessweek actually ranked the 100 most powerful people in sport.

Surprise upset?
Peyton Manning comming in at 13, while George Steinbrenner actually came in at 25. I would expect the owner of the evil empire of pinstripe


Most underrated yet rightfully deserved: Rupert Murdoch. Everyone knows what NewsCorp is, but lately the majority of business news his name has been tied in with is MySpace.

Most overrated yet rightfull deserved: Bill Beane #96. We all know Moneyball was a great book and very influential in the public understanding of major league baseball contracts, but what has Beane accomplished since then?

Up and coming: Tom Brady. Don't expect him to jump into a plethora of endorsements though, as long as he stays with Belicheck, his ego will probably be kept in check in line with team values. Expect him to jump from #70 to the 40's next year after he breaks Peyton's record. I highly disagree with the "Most Powerful Athlete" power bracket

Scariest: TIGER WOODS #2. I officially retract my statements in my other blog entry saying that Gatorade Tiger is way too risky. If Businessweek will rank him not only the highest out of all athletes, but also CEOs, VPs, owners, agents $100 mill is deginatley worth the price.

MIA: Literally, our U. MIAmi homeboy Drew Rosenhaus didn't make the list. However, Scott "King of Douche Bag Agents" Boras made #12---he does have a leg up being an agent in the only pro sport left without a salary cap. Condon made it at #90. Come on Drew, you have to find other schools besides your alma matter to recruit clients from.

NOTED: Legend status. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Arnold Palmer (PGA). These guys clearly built a name for themselves back in their hayday. Will guys like Brady, Manning, and Woods still be here in a few decades?



Top 100 List
1. Roger Goodell
Commissioner, NFL
2. Tiger Woods
Golfer
3. David Stern
Commissioner, NBA
4. George Bodenheimer
President, ESPN, ABC Sports; co-chairman, Disney Media Networks
5. Bud Selig
Commissioner, MLB
6. Brian France
Chairman, CEO NASCAR
7. Dick Ebersol
Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics
8. Phil Knight
Chairman, Nike
9. Sean McManus
President, CBS News and Sports
10. Rupert Murdoch
Chairman, CEO, News Corp.
11. Michael Jordan
Managing Member of Basketball Operations, Charlotte Bobcats
12. Scott Boras
President, Boras Corp.
13. Peyton Manning
Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
14. David Hill
Chairman, CEO, Fox Sports
15. Donald Fehr
Union boss, MLB
16. Myles Brand
President, CEO, NCAA
17. David Beckham
Soccer star
18. Jacques Rogge
President, IOC
19. LeBron James
Forward, Cleveland Cavaliers
20. Tony Ponturo
VP, Global Media and Sports Marketing, Anheuser-Busch
21. Phil Anschutz
Founder, Anschutz Entertainment Group
22. Herbert Hainer
Chairman, CEO, Adidas
23. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
NASCAR driver
24. Brian Roberts
Chairman, CEO, Comcast
25. George Steinbrenner
Principal Owner, New York Yankees
26. Theodore Forstmann
Chairman, CEO, IMG
27. Gary Bettman
Commissioner, NHL
28. Alex Rodriguez
Third baseman, New York Yankees
29. Joseph S. Blatter
President, FIFA
30. Roger Federer
Tennis player
31. Jim Delany
Commissioner, Big Ten Conference
32. Dick Pound
Chairman, World Anti-Doping Agency
33. Gene Upshaw
Chairman, NFLPA
34. Tim Finchem
Commissioner, PGA
35. Lance Armstrong
Cyclist
36. John Skipper
EVP, content, ESPN
37. Mark Parker
CEO, President, Nike
38. David Levy
President, Turner Sports, Inc.
39. Barry Bonds
Outfielder, San Francisco Giants
40. Daniel Snyder
Owner, Washington Redskins
41. Derek Jeter
Shortstop, New York Yankees
42. Tim Leiweke
President, CEO, Anschutz Entertainment Group
43. Paul Allen
Owner, Seattle Seahawks, Portland TrailBlazers
44. Robert DuPuy
President, COO, MLB
45. LaDainian Tomlinson
Running back, San Diego Chargers
46. Tim Brosnan
EVP for business, MLB
47. Jerry Reinsdorf
Owner, Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox
48. Larry Lucchino
President, CEO, Boston Red Sox
49. Ed Goren
President, FOX Sports
50. Mark Cuban
Owner, Dallas Mavericks
51. Mark Ford
President, Sports Illustrated Group
52. Bob Bowman
President, CEO, MLB Advanced Media
53. Jerry Jones
Owner, Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Desperados
54. Roger Penske
Owner, Penske Racing
55. Chase Carey
CEO, president, DirecTV
56. Jeff Gordon
NASCAR driver
57. Bernie Ecclestone
Head of Formula 1
58. Jeff Urban
SVP, sports marketing, Gatorade/PepsiCo.
59. George Pyne
President, IMG Sports and Entertainment
60. Omar Minaya
EVP of Baseball Operations, General Manager, NY Mets
61. Sidney Crosby
Center, Pittsburgh Penguins
62. Jack Roush
Founder, CEO, Roush Fenway Racing
63. Ross Greenburg
CEO, HBO Sports
64. Robert Kraft
Owner, Chairman, CEO New England Patriots
65. John Henry
Principal Owner, Boston Red Sox; Roush Fenway Racing
66. John Walsh
SVP, executive editor, ESPN Internet Group
67. Katie Bayne
Chief Marketing Officer, Coca-Cola North America
68. Eric Grubman
EVP, finance and strategic acquisitions, NFL
69. John Galloway
VP, sports and media, Pepsi North America
70. Tom Brady
Quarterback, New England Patriots
71. Tony Hawk
Skateboarding tycoon
72. Mark Steinberg
SVP and global managing director of golf, IMG
73. Maria Sharapova
Tennis player
74. Tony Stewart
NASCAR driver
75. The Maloof Family
Owners, Sacramento Kings, Sacramento Monarchs
76. Arnold Palmer
PGA legend
77. Randy Levine
President, New York Yankees
78. Shaquille O'Neal
Center, Miami Heat
79. Casey Wasserman
Chairman, CEO, Wasserman Media Group
80. James Dolan
Chairman, MSG; President, CEO Cablevision Systems
81. John Madden
NFL commentator
82. John Kosner
SVP, General Manager, ESPN New Media
83. Arn Tellem
President, WMG Management
84. Bruton Smith
Chairman, CEO, Speedway Motorsports
85. Adam Silver
Deputy commissioner, COO, NBA
86. Charlie Denson
President, Nike Brand
87. Tony Petitti
EVP, executive producer, CBS Sports
88. Kobe Bryant
Point guard, Los Angeles Lakers
89. Yao Ming
Center, Houston Rockets
90. Tom Condon
NFL Agent, CAA
91. Arte Moreno
Owner, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
92. Brian Cashman
General manager, New York Yankees
93. Joe Gibbs
Head Coach, Washington Redskins; NASCAR team owner
94. Heidi Ueberroth
President, Global Marketing Partnerships and International Business Operations, NBA
95. Earvin "Magic" Johnson
NBA legend
96. Billy Beane
Vice-president, general manager, Oakland Athletics
97. Micky Arison
Owner, Miami Heat; chairman of NBA board of governors
98. Lesa France-Kennedy
President International Speedway
99. David Berson
EVP, program planning and strategy, ESPN
100. Donna Orender
President, WNBA

NBA Global Expansion

This past week the NBA kicked off it's preseason games in an array of countries as the Orlando Magic played the Cleveland Cavaliers in Shanghai, China. The new and improved Boston Celtics played the Toronto Raptors in Rome, Italy, which was a part of the Europe Live tour put on by the NBA. In addition, the Minnesota Timberwolves played an variety of European teams in different European countries, including a team from Turkey. Although this might only be the pre-season, consumers are starting to realize to global possibilities that the NBA has started to explore.

Basketball is arguably the one sport that has taken off across the globe, even though some argue it's lost its luster here in the US, it is the fastest growing sport in China, and has seen some significant promise in Europe. No sport has shown the same global success as basketball and no league has shown as much global promise as the NBA; some may argue that soccer is the world's most popular sport, and I wouldn't disagree, but I would argue that basketball is not far behind especially with all of the marketing efforts being put behind the NBA in the international market. Soccer, unfortunately, even with David Beckham playing for the LA Galaxy has never reached it's expectations in the US, and the NFL folded it's NFL Europe League and as much as commissioner Godell wants to have the Super Bowl played in Europe, the sport will never attract the same passion from it's fans in Europe as it does from consumers in America.

The NBA just recently announced it's new subsidary, NBA China, that will be owned by the NBA and a few other parties. This should come as no surprise as China has a market that is on the rise, and was the second largest grossing country for the NBA last year only to the US, generating $50 million in revenue. This move makes a great deal of sense and I applaud David Stern for taking the initiative to explore this market

It will be interesting to see what road the NBA takes in this current expansion and how successful they actually are, but that question can't be answered till years down the line. It is obvious that the NBA will most likely be the first league to incorporate a team that does not call a North American city home. If the international appeal of the NBA can continue to grow, it should not surprise anyone that the NBA could potentially be the best International professional sports league.

ESPN-Nielson

Nielsen Media Research and ESPN are teaming up to nail down what consumers watch what sports and sport related content on various channels. They plan to track how well marketing works not only on TV, but also on the internet and through mobile devices.

The funny part about this is that they are measuring things basically "vice versa." First they want to measure what type of marketing will drive them to use on channel to the other. For example, from the TV to looking at the internet, and then measuring what it takes to go from the internet to watching a program on TV.

With marketing and advertising agencies now constantly trying to "cut through the clutter" with content being thrown at consumers from every direction, this will help ESPN nail how to target which demographics correctly using the right platform.

Uh.... Gatorade Tiger?

Are you kidding me?

OK Vitamin Water's "Formula 50" was a bit ludacris, the flavor's debut fit the time with 50 Cent at the top of all the charts, but it also helped that he had ownership in Energy Brands (Side note: When energy brands was bought out by Coca-Cola, he made over $100 million).

BUT GATORADE TIGER?

Athletes who come out with their own clothing lines, colognes, sports products, books and what not are one thing, but a major soft drink company naming not only a drink, but a group of their drinks after an athlete now? Yes, I said group.

Gatorade Tiger will be available in cherry blend, citrus blend and grape flavors.

OK Yes Tiger is one of the leading endorsers in sport these days, if not the leading, but the terms of the deal are rumored to be five years $100 million. Yes, he is an amazing athlete at undoubtedly one of the greatest golfers ever..... but naming a category of your drinks after him for a tenth of a billion dollars?

Surprising seeing AMEX dropped Tiger as an endorser after seeing a lack of return from their ads.

Gatorade also recently inked Sharpanova.

What is next, are we going to have an immediate answer from Coca-Cola's Powerade with a Shaq flavor?

I honestly could not understand how an executive could be so stupid to think that there would even be a decent ROI on the 100 mill the company was dishing out from its net worth of 5 bill.


That was until I looked at Gatorade's PR release for the brand, then I felt a little better.


I'm not enitrely sold on it now, but more so than before. I am not sure how targeting the mass market with a golfer's sweating and hydration habits will work as far as legitamacy, or how using it as a licensing agreement for an untested drink line they plan to market for the next five years will work.......

If it had been Clemson or Auburn instead of UF that had invented a thirst quencher first, would we already have Tigerade?

UM soccer on TV

Just a quick little note. I wanted to let everyone know that the UM vs. FSU soccer game this Sunday got picked up by Sun Sports. It will be on live on Sun Sports at 1 P.M. Sunday. If you want a good way to see the team in action this is a perfect opportunity.

For the Love of the Game

When you hear the name Tony Romo, what comes to mind? Maybe you think football, the Dallas Cowboys, or America's team. Maybe you think nothing at all. But when I hear Tony Romo's name words like passion, drive, and determination come to mind.

In my opinion he is one of the most, if not the most exciting quarterback to watch in the NFL. He plays with such life and energy that it's hard not to watch. This is all coming from someone who couldn't care less about the Dallas Cowboys since their reign many years ago.

Incase you have doubts about him, here is a brief background of Tony Romo's college years before his professional debut with the Dallas Cowboys. Romo attended college at the Eastern Illinois. Some of his greatest accomplishments are listed below:

• First player in Eastern Illinois and Ohio Valley Conference history to win the Walter Payton Award
• He was second in school and third in conference history with 8,212 passing yards
• selected to the Associated Press All-America third team, All-Ohio Valley Conference first team and the OVC Player of the Year

Since his NFL debut he has played great. The NFL better key an eye on this guy. He could certainly be the next up-and-coming thing in the league. Tony Romo is the only quaterback I know that can win a football game 25-24 against the Bills, while throwing 5 interceptions (2 that ended up in the endzone). Find me another quaterback who can manage to squeeze by those odds, and then we'll talk.

Looking beyond his obvious football talent, what really grabs my attention, is his passion for the game. Romo plays every game like it's his last. He lays it all on the line. You can tell he really enjoys being there, and it's not just a job. He's not there just for the paycheck. He's there because he loves football, his teammates, and the atmosphere of the NFL. There might be a handful of players that have the same on-field presence like Romo. Watching him play reminds me of young kids playing football; playing because they want to and playing because it's fun.

UM Soccer the best team on campus

What would you say if I told you that there was a team on campus that had beat 2 top-10 opponents and one of those opponents was the defending National Champion? This same team also features a freshman on a record setting pace and a senior that set a UM career record last week. Would you be interested in checking them out. Well apparently not to many would because that team is the University of Miami women's soccer team. A large percentage of the student population probably doesn't even know that we have a soccer team here much less that they are having a very successful season.

In my opinion this is all a great shame. I have been to every home soccer game this year but one and it seems like I am one of a very select few from the student body. It's free for students to get in so I'm having a hard time understanding why. Some might say that women's soccer is to slow or boring but to those people I say come and check out just one match. You won't see slow boring soccer you will see fast paced physical soccer that is great to watch and very exciting.

Earlier this year UM defeated the defending national champions the North Carolina Tarheels 1-0 in a very good game and they just last Thursday they beat the then 4th ranked Boston College Eagles 1-0 in a physical closely contested game. The Canes are currently tied for 2nd in the ACC with FSU, who they play Sunday in Tallahasee. A win there could propel them into first place if league leader North Carolina either ties or loses to Boston College on Thursday.

I won't write to much about their accolades here but I write quite a bit about the team in my own blog. I want to talk a little now about why I think the student support is so lacking for the team. I think a lot of this is due to a lack of information. Besides the athletic website the only place you can find out if their is a soccer game is on the back of the Hurricane and that page gets overlooked a lot of times. Most of this falls on the marketing department in the athletic department. They seem to show a complete lack of interest in bringing people to soccer games. In my opinion this should not be the case. In order to create a strong athletic department every team needs to be strong and not just football like the marketing department seems to think.

If you would like to check this team out yourself you only have one more chance this year. That is on October 27th at 7:00 PM. This is senior night and these girls deserve a good showing of support from the students. They play at Cobb Stadium which is right next to the baseball field on San Amaro Dr. I would also be interested in hearing other people's opinions on why there is such a bad show of student support at soccer games. Alright I'm done now.

A True Hero Honored by Five Young Men

Often times in sports today, we get so focused on the wrong things. We put winning above everything. We question which players are using steroids. We hear about another crime committed by an athlete. Players like Michael Vick and Pacman Jones are always in the headline. These are the stories that people are reading, so these are the stories that we see day in and day out in the sport landscape. ESPN and all of the major sports information websites keep the stories in heavy rotation, and I'm not saying that it's wrong, just interesting.

Well, on Thursday ESPN puplished a story about a little town, with one strong little boy, and five athletes who put that boy above themselves to honor him. Last week, in my home town at Lake Fenton High School, sophomore Eli Florence was crowned Homecoming King. Eli suffers from acute myelogenous leukemia, and has fought the disease since 2003. About a month ago, Eli was only given a few weeks to live. He is still fighting though, and he has become a symbol of strength for the small Michigan community.

The five senior athletes who made up Lake fenton's Homecoming Court decided together to give the crown to Eli. Those youmg men were football players Jake Kirk, Lucas Hasenfratz, David Bittinger and Matthew Taneyhill, and golfer Ethan Meriverta. They decided this on there own, and kept it a secret from Eli until the night he was crowned. They made a small sacrifice to brighten the life of Eli, even if it was only for one day.

Now I know this doesn't have a whole lot to do with marketing, but I thought it was nice to see a story like this make it to the front page of ESPN. We need more stories like this in sports. I for one enjoy seeing an uplifting story like this in the headlines. I just wanted to shed some light on it, and say how proud of those five athletes that I am. Finally I just wanted to let you know about a 15 year old named Eli who is a true fighter, and a true hero for one little town.

MILLERCOORS? Who will target who?

On Tuesday it was announced that SABMiller and Molson-Coors Brewing Companies would form a joint merger at the end of 2007. Miller currently stands next to Anheuser Busch as the second largest brewer in the nation, while MolsonCoors trails at number three. Anheuser Busch will still retain the highest domestic market share at 49%, the new company to be called MillerCoors will now encompass 29% market share. Just two and a half years ago Coors and Molson Brewing companies merged to increase each's portfolio and distribution ability.

Now with a new board of directors comprised of executives from both companies (*SABMiller will hold 58% share of the company, while MolsonCoors will absorb 42%) there's the big issue of antitrust beerhouse backfire that some are speculating to occur, but the big issue that I see is going to be in their marketing ventures.
Granted Miller has a strong presence in the Midwest while Coors accrues a lot of revenue from the West, but are we still going to have the trio of brands at different levels competing amongst each other for the same demographic? No way.
Think about it, now under one beer company we have MAJOR brands competing against themselves in the same categories.

Miller Genuine Draft vs. Coors Original (I take MGD)
Miller Lite vs. Coors Light (Debatable)
Miller High Life vs. Keystone (High Life)
Miller High Life Light vs. Keystone Light (Kidneystone Light has the edge on this one)
and of course ZIMA vs. Miller Chill (Zima has better brand recall, but too bad nobody drinks it)
[All the dark beers as well as the imported ones we'll just put to the side for now.]

Anyways as far as sport marketing goes, what I feel that MillerCoors is going to need to do now is divide deeper into niche marketing with all of these brands. Granted they still must continue to pursue consumers in the geographic areas where they find their brand loyalty highest, but for example having Miller & Coors Lite facing off in the NFL head to head with Bud Light just won't work. In some sports there still needs to be an minimum level of marketing that must occur, but in order to take over Anheuser Busch's market share they need to focus on one brand in certain segments. For example: Let Coor's take over the majority of football marketing, as their contract as the National Football League's "Official Beer Sponsor" goes through the 2010 season. Coors Light also has NASCAR for the next five years, let them focus on that. Have Miller focus on baseball and college football instead. Give Molson and Coors hockey.

Not only will these provide more defined segments for the company, but it will help "cut through the clutter" with all the mass marketing messages going to consumers right now with advertising. With Anheuser Busch focused on its global expansion, especially in Asia, they might just catch up to the goliath while its looking the other way. It's about building the brand long term, not the short term sales. Hopefully, this is what we'll see going on in the next few years.

Leave A-Rod Alone

With Alex Rodriguez coming off one of the better all around seasons in baseball over the last few years, we are all still being bombarded by one thing--his failures in the playoffs. Could ESPN and the rest of the media be kind enough to talk about the season he just put together, instead of his "failures" in the playoffs? Could someone please focus on the great playoff match-ups and not the stats of a player who has had a few bad playoff games? I guess that is too much to ask from a network like ESPN, who at a time where it should be promoting the game of baseball and its great playoffs, will be breaking down one of the more marketable players in the game today.

Checking ESPN.com the day before the Yankees were set to begin the playoffs, and on the front page of the site as the main headline of the day was an article titled King of Gotham?...The next month will determine if baseball's best player conquers New York...Or abdicates the throne. Instead of focusing on how A-Rod helped the Yankees reach the playoffs, we have to hear again how A-Rod has had a few bad postseason at bats.

Now ESPN is not the only one to blame, as the New York media has played a role in bashing A-Rod. I feel that without the constant scrutiny on A-Rod, this topic would never have come about. Does anyone remember A-Rod's first playoff series as a Yankee where he single handedly helped the Yankees beat the Twins? Of course not, because that wouldn't generate the buzz that his failures produce. I truly feel that all the negative media attention has turned some Yankee "fans" against A-Rod. The true fans don't hate A-Rod, but others are easily swayed. My argument not only applies to A-Rod's play on the field, but also on off the field matters. Is there a reason why we have to know when A-Rod hangs out with his family in Central Park without a shirt or why we need front page news when he was reportedly being unfaithful on a road trip?

I guess my whole point of this is why the media needs to jump on this guys back for a few hitless games. Sure, he's the games highest paid player and probably it's most recognizable player, but it is baseball, which is not the easiest sport to play. Is the pressure getting to him? It's possible, but I don't think there would be this enormous pressure on him if it weren't for the constant attention the media puts on him, both on and off the field. And I don't buy that it's the pressure of New York that is getting to him. No other player has had to deal with the stuff that A-Rod deals with. I think a lot of people may be taking for granted what a great player A-Rod is. I really believe that instead of bashing the guy, they should try to market him as a great representative of Major League Baseball like a Derek Jeter or a Vladimir Guerrero or a David Ortiz. Why can't A-Rod also be in that mix? To me, there is just no need for stories on A-Rod's failures to be shoved in our faces anymore. I think everyone should just leave the guy alone, let him play, and let him be the star that Major League Baseball should want him to be.

Speaking about marketing, the negative attention that is constantly put on A-Rod can't help the marketing of him as a great player. I feel that the negative attention is mostly unnecessary, as there are bigger and more important things that the media should be focusing on. No one in the media pointed out the bad statistics of other Yankees in the playoffs--all the blame went to A-Rod. If I were MLB, I would try my best to get this guy viewed in a more positive light to maximize his value to the sport. Having a guy like A-Rod, in a market like New York, should be an easy sell, but so far it hasn't. If A-Rod stays in NY, MLB should really try to market this guy better than they do now, or they will miss the boat and probably regret it.