Controversy and Scandal… Good or Bad for Sports?

A few weeks ago, I’m sitting in the UC and the group of people next to me is reliving the two 53 yard field goals made by Nick Folk (the first one negated by a last second Bills timeout) during the Cowboys- Bills game (October 8, 2007). The controversial attempt at “freezing out” Folk generated a lot of talk about fairness and what attracts people to watching sports. Back to me sitting in the UC; one of the people said sports today is all about controversy, not the actual game and people get tired of it. Someone else in the group disagreed, saying sport fans thrive off controversy. It occurs to me that both people are right.

First, it is important to differentiate between controversy and scandal. Controversy usually refers to plays or calls during a game while scandal usually refers to events outside the game. For example, the last second timeout during the Cowboys- Bills game or the late Browns field goal that bounced off the uprights and then fell over the crossbar are controversial. Situations like Spygate, Isiah Washington, Pacman Jones, and Dennis Franchione are all scandals.

Controversy and scandal have both drawbacks and positives. When one team is constantly surronded by controversial calls, the average fan begins to think about things like conspiracy theories. Unless they are true die hards, they may become discouraged and lose interest in the team. For someone not devoted to the particular team, there may be increased interest to see what interesting things happen in the next game. Some people say that controversy causes people to lose interest in the game because they just want to watch for the love of the game. I think controversy makes the game more interesting and challenging. It gives people something to talk about and a chance to commiserate or celebrate. Scandals, depending on what they are tend to turn off fans but when they motivate players (like the Patriots this season) it makes for spectacular games. Also, minus a select few, I think the majority of athletes do it because they love the game and competing.

To me, it's part of the game and watching teams overcome negativity makes it worthwhile-- as a consumer and a marketer. I watch because I love sports; controversy and scandal ups the ante, attracting attention therefore ultimately they are good for sports. So the next time I'm sitting in the UC and I overhear someone talking about how sport is all about controversy and not about the game, I can tell them controversy helps sport.

Brady's a Babe

Recently, Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady was approached by Calvin Klein to be the new face of the CK underwear line. Rumor has it; there is a $1,000,000 deal in the works. If you were Brady, would you take the deal? First, let’s analyze Brady’s situation a little closer.

• 3 Super Bowl titles




• Playing for the best team in the NFL




• Current record is 9-0




• Dating Giselle Bundchen, a Victoria Secret Angel

Life isn’t exactly bad for Tom Brady. So why not expand his resume, and add underwear model to the list. If the price is right, Tom Brady should take the deal.

Playing the role of the supportive girlfriend, Giselle thinks it’s a great idea. In fact, I don’t know any woman that would object to such a decision. But what would this do to his image? Would it affect his career? Looking back, there have been many other people who had to make a similar decision. Michael Jordan was the poster-boy for Haines. Later, Kevin Bacon joined Jordan in the Haines campaign. It is very common for athletes, actors, and actresses to make these types of transitions.

I am all for Tom Brady working for Calvin Klein. If anything it will be a memorable experience. Who would have thought Giselle would have such an impact on the future of Tom Brady?

And In Other NFL News...

Contrary to ESPN, and most other major media outlets, there were other football games played last week besides the Colts and Patriots. Other NFL teams were in action, and no the Super Bowl was not played last week. After about two weeks of buildup, I woke up Sunday morning looking forward to watching my team, the Detroit Lions. As I was watching Sunday NFL Countdown, I became so frustrated that I had to change channels. There were countless segments about a certain "big" game, and about one minute of coverage for every other game. Don't get me wrong, I understand the significance of two undefeated teams facing each other so late in the season. There were some important implications, and the game turned out to be pretty entertaining. I just thought that some of the other NFL stories of the past week deserved more than a thirty second spot of attention. So I wanted to shed some more light on a great weekend of football action.

Many teams continued great years by improving their records and proving doubters wrong. The Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Cleveland Browns all added another win this week, and continued to shock fans. The Packers improved to 7-1 after finishing 8-8 last year, and Brett Favre beat his 31st NFL team. The Lions destroyed the Denver Broncos and improved to 6-2 for the first time since 1999. This comes after a disappointing 3-13 season last year. Finally, the Cleveland Browns improved to 5-3 after defeating the Seattle Seahawks in overtime. All three teams have made vast improvements from last year, yet they did not get very much attention for their accomplishments.

There were two NFL records broken this week. First, San Diego Chargers defensive back Antonio Cromartie broke the record for the longest play in NFL history. He ran back a missed field goal by Minnesota's Ryan Longwell for a 109 yard touchdown. Cromartie broke the record of 108 yards that was shared by Devin Hester, Nathan Vasher, and Ellis Hobbs. There were also two other plays of 100 yards on Sunday. Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Glenn Holt of the Cincinnati Bengals each ran a kickoff back for 100 yards. It was truly a day of big plays. The other record broken this week was the record for most rushing yards in one game. Rookie running back Adrian Peterson ran for 3 touchdowns and 296 yards, breaking Jamaal Lewis' record of 295 yards. These are just a few examples of other news around the NFL. This was a great day in NFL history, unfortunately it was not very well covered. Sure, we got some highlights, but the bulk of the coverage was on the big game. It just would have been nice to see some of these stories covered more thoroughly. Thanks ESPN.

Colts Vs. Patriots: The Real Super Bowl

The much anticipated match up of the Indianapolis Colts vs. the New England Patriots is this Sunday and if you plan on watching the Super Bowl this February, you should watch this game as well. This game features by far the two best teams in the National Football League. No teams have come even close to match either the Pats or Colts so far this season. The so called "experts" thought the Cowboys would be a test for the Patriots, but they slammed them down, making them look like a pee wee team. Last week, the Colts faced what was thought to be a challenge in the Carolina Panthers, but handled them no problem.

The Patriots (8-0) have destroyed all opponents in their wake so far this season, coming off a 52-7 thrashing of the Washington Redskins. Brady to Moss has become a modern day version of Young to Rice. But don't forget about the other team in this game of the year. The Colts are undefeated as well (7-0) and have started out just as strong. Peyton Manning has been his same old self passing for 13 touchdowns and 1833 total yards on the season. That is the norm for this high powered Colts team, but what has been unexpected is their defense. The most points they gave up all season was 24 to the Texans on the third week of the season, but the past 3 games, they have given up a whopping total of 28 points. Their real test this season will be against the Patriots, who have yet to score less than 34 points.

The game should produce fireworks on both sides of the ball, with the two best quarterbacks of the century matching up head to head. Ratings will most definately be through the roof for CBS, as this game has been hyped since the begining of the season. Now with both teams coming in undefeated, the match up has made up good fodder for pundits all across the nation. If I were a company looking to advertise during the Super Bowl, I would highly reconisder putting my money towards this game instead.

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.

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.

How does the Patriots organization bounce back?

It has been a full week since the world exploded for the New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick. The hype surronding the espionage shows no sign of dying down. The harsh penalties imposed by Commissioner Goodell only serve to further amplify the questions surronding the Patriots organization, especially from a marketing perspective. Although Belichick's gruff attitude has made him a less than popular guy around the country, in Foxborough, he is a God and I'm pretty sure a big seller of the famous New England Patriots sweatshirt. Will this cheating scandal ruin Belichick's image of a role model for young kids? I would say yes, if I was a parent I would not endorse merchandise, a team, or a person cheating because it is not a good example for kids.

The marketing department for the Patriots needs to find a way to put the scandal in a positive light in order to counteract the damage this negative publicity has had on the organization. I wonder what sort of a plan they will come up with because I would have assumed that Robert Kraft would distance himself from Belichick. Interestingly enough the opposite has happened with Kraft and the rest of the organization standing behind Belichick. The organization seems to have no problem with Belichick and is confident in his ability as he is rumored to agreeing to a five year extension-- albeit before the scandal but there have been no rumors of the extension offer being rescinded. I think it will be interesting to see how many fans turn out for the first game in Foxborough against the Chargers tonight and how many people watch the game.

Cheating obviously is something that cannot be controlled in sport. It is only possible to catch a few and set them out as examples and hope that it serves as a deterrent. I wonder what effect the new marketing strategies all of the NFL-- not only the Patriots-- will have to implement in order to attract fans, new and old, to a sport with the image of cheating.