Four Marketing and Branding Observations from Super Bowl LIII

(Seven Minute Read)

Super Bowl LIII came and went last Sunday and it brought the 2018 NFL Season to a bit of an unremarkable end. New England won their sixth championship in the last 18 years, further cementing Tom Brady and Bill Belichick as the best Quarterback and Coach of our generation, respectively (If you don’t agree with that statement, I welcome any arguments otherwise). Throughout this week, the admittedly mediocre on-field play by both the Patriots and Rams on Sunday has been reviewed and critiqued by numerous sports pundits, analysts, professionals, fans and more.

However, after watching replays of the game on NFL Network this week, I wanted to bring a different perspective to this year’s Super Bowl. Therefore, below are four observations I made on the marketing and branding elements of the game, including its presentation on CBS and impact on social networking platforms. Please note that this does not cover all the partnerships and activations surrounding the league or in Atlanta for the two weeks leading up to the game, but instead simply what I saw during the game’s four-hour window itself.

1. Super Bowl Hashtags

For today’s generation, sharing their thoughts on social media platforms during a large-scale event has become standard to build camaraderie across the entire globe. It is estimated that 78% of the Super Bowl audience engages on a social media site during the game, discussing topics like the game, commercials, halftime show, etc. However, it seems that the NFL was lacking in their promotion of the game’s social media or hashtag campaign.

Throughout the day on Sunday and into Monday, the top five hashtags were all related to the Super Bowl, which shows the obvious interest the game has around the world. However, the NFL appeared to only “trademark” two of these trending topics, #SuperBowl and #SBLIII, as official hashtags of the game, confirmed by the game’s logo appearing after users used said hashtags in a post. Given that so many other users used alternative hashtags (#SuperBowl53, #SuperBowl2019, #SuperBowlLIII, #atlsbLIII), including myself, should the league do a better job at promoting the game’s official hashtags for future years? During Sunday’s game and the numerous replays this week, I did not hear nor view the broadcast mention to “share the game on social media using the hashtag #SuperBowl and #SBLIII”. This has become commonplace on most televised events, especially in sports, with teams sometimes having their social media usernames and/or a specific hashtag within the broadcast’s camera angles (see the example below from the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, with their Twitter handle in the top right corner).

In addition, has the game’s popularity and notoriety surpassed the game’s need for a number at the end, at least on social media at a minimum? Some championships, like the Ryder Cup and NBA Finals, no longer include the year or a numeric connotation when discussed on social media, so perhaps the league has outgrown the use of an official hashtag that included the Super Bowl’s numeric tally? The statistics below from Tweet Binder seems to prove exactly that.

Perhaps in the future, with the help of the game’s broadcast and media coverage leading up to the game, the NFL could reduce any more confusion and simply promote a singular #SuperBowl hashtag moving forward.

2. A Nationwide Rams Bandwagon? Not in Atlanta

Once the Patriots-Rams matchup was confirmed, the Patriots continued promoting their “underdog” messaging by exclaiming that the entire country was rooting against them. After all, the team has built a championship dynasty where the franchise has had nine Super Bowl appearances over the last 18 years. “Patriots Fatigue” was a much discussed topic throughout the playoffs and the weeks prior to the game.

NBC Sports Boston and Darren Rovell further discussed this narrative by posting a nationwide map where using “geotargeted Twitter data”, they were able to measure the rooting interest for Super Bowl LIII and the clear advantage the Rams had across the country. Los Angeles seemed to acquire “bandwagon” support for this one week, but it did not seem to translate to their fans attending the game itself.

During ESPN’s pre-game coverage, the network’s ticketing partner Vivid Seats displayed a graphic that expected Patriots fans would fill two-thirds of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium that evening.

They seemed to be right as during the game itself, the crowd noise was significantly louder when it benefited New England, i.e. when Los Angeles had the ball. Throughout the broadcast, CBS’s sideline reporters would comment on the difficulty Sean McVay had with communicating play calls with Jared Goff. Then in the third quarter, an audible “Brady, Brady, Brady” chant began to fill the stadium, drawing a reaction from CBS’s Jim Nantz and Tony Romo.

While the entire narrative that the Patriots attempted to build for themselves was that no one wanted them to win their sixth championship. Well clearly their fans took this rally cry to heart and journeyed to Atlanta to give the Patriots a significant home-field advantage this past Sunday.

3. A Statistics/Analytics-based Super Bowl broadcast is coming…

This year’s Super Bowl broadcast barely surpassed the 100 million viewership plateau, giving the game its lowest viewership over the last decade. While this represents about a 5% decline in viewership, I have always found it impressive that a single network would always be able to hold the entire country’s attention. However, the newest generation of fans have moved towards the use of a second screen while watching the game. Whether they are discussing the game on previously mentioned social media platforms or looking up more game statistics and details, fans appear interested in a more robust game presentation.

We have seen some advancements in recent years to appease these desires during large-scale sporting events. For example, FOX Sports has placed live microphones on head coaches to be featured alongside the commentators during BIG EAST college basketball games and ESPN2 broadcasted a “StatCast” event during the 2018 National League Wild Card game alongside their primary ESPN broadcast.

Perhaps no other event presentation has shifted towards this model more than the College Football Playoff Megacasts. By making use of all the network’s broadcast mediums, ESPN presented the primary game broadcast, ESPN2 utilized additional on-field camera angles and reporters with their “Field Pass”, ESPNU featured prominent college and professional football coaches providing their own commentary and even the DataCenter on ESPN GoalLine, a statistics-based broadcast that kept viewers informed with the game’s figures and analytics. With the success of this Megacast model and fans’ increased interest in more and more immediate information, championship events will need to incorporate more of these innovative broadcast methods to remain relevant amongst this new viewership.

Personally, I found myself wanting more of these statistics and analytics featured during the Super Bowl especially when at one point, I wondered aloud how many catches and yards Julian Edelman had at that point of the game. By the end of the game’s conclusion, I had my phone constantly in my hand, following live statistics and replays on Twitter and the NFL app. On top of that, I also enjoyed CBS’s use of Amazon AWS to measure passing statistics and completion percentages as Romo was discussing Tom Brady’s efficient play over the season.

Given the league’s partnership with Amazon AWS and the resulting development of Next Gen Stats, I believe we are close to a similar Super Bowl presentation built around this platform.

Such a broadcast could easily be featured on the primary broadcaster’s secondary cable network (CBS-CBS Sports Network; NBC-NBC Sports Network; FOX-FS1) and give those interested a more detailed viewing experience around the biggest game of the year. With more and more player and on-field data becoming available for fan consumption, I know I would be interested in seeing if the NFL could make such a broadcast would work. Their recent publishing test of real-time data at this year’s Pro Bowl shows that the league has taken notice and it could be used to gauge its potential use during a future Super Bowl.

4. The Rams brand is a confusing one…

So what is the Los Angeles Rams brand?

In full disclosure, this is a little pet peeve of mine because I have been fascinated by this franchise’ inconsistent brand since its move to Los Angeles and featured my original observations in a blog over two years ago.

There appeared to be some miscommunication on what branding elements the Rams wanted to feature both leading up to and during the game. It started only an hour after the team clinched its spot in Super Bowl LIII, when the team’s Twitter account confirmed that they would be wearing their throwback uniforms for the game.

Such a decision was not that much of a surprise, as the fanbase widely praised the move, and this year’s Madden 19 video game had already adopted this jersey scheme as the team’s primary home uniform.

Almost immediately, NFL Network started to use the team’s yellow-horned helmet logo from 1994 throughout their coverage for the next two weeks.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium appeared to update all of their digital graphics with the logo, as well the league’s apparel partners Nike, Fanatics and New Era had the helmet logo featured across all of its Super Bowl LIII merchandise.

 

It had appeared that the decision did not cause the league’s major partners many issues… Except until the game actually started.

For those that don’t know, the team’s primary logo is the one below with the navy and white color scheme.

The Ram head was part of a full redesign that occurred in 2000, after the Rams won super Bowl XXXIV while still in St. Louis. Once they moved out to Los Angeles, the team updated the “New Century Gold” with White on their logos and helmet horns, as a tribute to the original LA Rams from 1964 – 1972.

Sep 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The white and navy logo and colors were used throughout the regular season across most apparel, graphics, branding elements, etc. for obvious reasons as it was the primary scheme of the franchise, even though the Rams had worn their royal blue and yellow alternates six times during the regular and postseasons. However, when it comes to the Super Bowl, consistency in how the Rams’ brand is presented must be an important consideration, right? CBS did not seem to get that memo…

As the on-field product featured the Rams in royal blue and yellow, CBS’s graphics continued to use the Rams primary logo in navy and white colors. A couple of the transition and “Yards to Go” graphics attempted to integrate yellow into these broadcast elements, but it seemed to create more of a distraction.

Multiple times, I was asked why the Rams had so many logos and colors associated with them during the game –

1. The Yellow-Horned Helmet, evoking memories of their 1999 Super Bowl victory

St. Louis Rams Kurt Warner plays in Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans at the Georgia Dome on January 30, 2000 in Atlanta Ga.. The Rams defeated the Titans 23-16. (AP Photo/Tom DiPace)

2. The Royal Blue jerseys not matching the Navy Helmet, which is another thing I did not understand from the team’s mid-90s uniforms, including in Super Bowl XXXIV

3. The White and Navy Ram on the broadcast graphics, as previously mentioned

4. The “Skeleton Ram” on the coaching staff’s apparel, which comes from the team’s primary logo in 1970

It just seemed like an inconsistent mess. As someone with a strong passion and interest in sports marketing, I have to wonder why the NFL would not bypass its team branding standards in order to produce a consistent presentation of the Rams for the Super Bowl of all games. In my personal opinion, it does not look good for the league and especially for the Rams, when all of these elements seem thrown together at the last minute. Sure, I understand that it might be expensive and difficult to make such creative updates within a two-week period, but you have to think the league would want to pull out all of the stops for this game.

In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed this different approach towards reviewing the Super Bowl and I hope to do similar posts for the next round of sports championships! Until then, I look forward to 2020 when the Rams will introduce their new brand, messaging and uniforms alongside the debut of their new stadium.

Kyrie Irving Trade confirms a surprising trend for NBA stars with Signature Shoes

With the blockbuster Kyrie Irving trade to the Boston Celtics now complete, I began to think about was how it could affect Kyrie’s signature shoe line with Nike. Irving’s stock has risen both on the court and off in the eyes of a basketball fan/consumer, thanks in large part to his performance in the 2016 playoffs and this championship winning shot.

While his former teammate LeBron James has dominated the shoe market since entering the league, Irving’s shoe like with Nike quietly gained a prominent following during the shoe’s early years because of its many colorway options/partnerships (Krispy Kreme below) and being one of the cheaper signature shoes ($120 on Nike.com).

The Kyrie shoe series’ sales have also showed that being the “sole star” of a team does not affect sales, given that James and Irving have been on the Cavaliers for three seasons now. The same can also been seen for Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, who even though they were both Golden State Warriors this past season, still were #3 and #4 in signature shoe sales respectively.

The NBA is now at a stage where the belief is that TWO star players (minimum) is required for a team to win a championship. This has led to movement amongst top players around the league, especially players with Signature Shoe deals, which would have been unheard of just a decade ago.

Look below at the Ten NBA Players with Signature Shoe lines with Nike/Jordan, adidas or Under Armour and how each player has or is rumored to be moving to a new team, just in the last two seasons! –

LeBron James – Nike – Cleveland Cavaliers (Rumored to leave in 2018)

Kevin Durant – Nike – Golden State Warriors (Left Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016)

Kyrie Irving – Nike – Boston Celtics (Traded from Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017)

Paul George – Nike – Oklahoma City Thunder (Traded from Indiana Pacers in 2017)

Carmelo Anthony – Jordan – New York Knicks (Currently Rumored to be on the Trading Block – Houston/Portland)

Chris Paul – Jordan – Houston Rockets (Traded from Los Angeles Clippers in 2017)

Derrick Rose – adidas – Cleveland Cavaliers (Left New York Knicks in 2017; Traded from Chicago Bulls in 2016)

Kobe Bryant – Nike – Retired last season (Los Angeles Lakers)

Damian Lillard – adidas – Portland Trail Blazers

James Harden – adidas – Houston Rockets

Stephen Curry – Under Armour – Golden State Warriors

This means that over half of the top NBA stars have had a new place to call home over the last couple seasons. That is not even counting the Signature Shoe lines of ANTA (Rajon Rondo, Sacramento to Chicago to New Orleans), Li-Ning (Dwayne Wade – Chicago from Miami) and Beta (Dwight Howard – Houston to Atlanta to Charlotte), respectively.

It is clear that the current shoe consumer does not care whether Signature Shoe lines are given to players that are the “clear leaders” of their team and carries the entire franchise to success. The only one from the list above that you can seriously consider this scenario for is Lillard, but unfortunately, his club is not good enough to reach the top-tier of the Western Conference right now. Perhaps Irving has such an opportunity, if he is considered the “leader” in Boston opposite of Gordon Hayward. The media and pundits say so, but we won’t know until the season starts in October!

Overall, I thought this was an interesting observation within the Sports Marketing segment, given that I wonder how these shoe companies will react in their marketing initiatives when such trades occur. For example, with Paul George traded to the Thunder, where he is clearly the second option behind Westbrook (signed with Jordan, but no signature shoe yet), how will this affect his PG1 shoe line and the company will advertise it compared to the Kyrie or LeBron lines?

The landscape of the NBA continues to change, but all of the movement by the league’s star players has not seemed to affect signature shoe sales in the way I would have thought. Now we shall see if the Kyrie shoe line separates from the rest of the pack, depending on how Irving performs in Green and White.

Thanks for reading!

Nintendo – Third in Sales, but First in Hearts

With this latest blog post, I wanted to go into a different direction and share something that I had been working on in one of my Graduate School classes. My classes has been the primary reason for the lack of consistent blog posts so far in 2017, but I really enjoyed the Brand Culture class I took last quarter and wanted to share a piece of my work from it. The final paper consisted of each student looking a “brand community”, analyzing what connects them to a particular brand, how they interact with one another, etc.

I was trying to determine how to tie this project in with a sports brand that has a strong community following, but none that I could think of really paired well with the material learned in class. So I decided to focus on an industry I still have an interest in, even at this age… video games.

Earlier this month, Nintendo released their latest home gaming console, the Nintendo Switch. Over the last decade, Nintendo has fallen behind Sony and Microsoft in the “Gaming War” that has taken place within the industry. However, those persons that love Nintendo and always purchase anything new from the company are just as passionate as ever for the Nintendo brand. Even though they are in 3rd Place in the home console sales, the brand’s fans impressed me for their loyalty, spirit and belief that the company will continue to produce gaming experiences worth playing.

Below is a link to the research paper I wrote. Please feel free to leave comments and thoughts on what I wrote, whether you are a fan, player or just want to read an interesting research paper!

Nicholas H Bennett_MKT 542_Nintendo Brand Community

 

How adidas could play a role in the Steve Alford-Indiana rumors…

With UCLA taking on Kentucky this evening for a spot in the Elite 8, the stories surrounding the Bruins this week were one of two subjects, Lavar Ball, father of point guard Lonzo Ball, or head coach Steve Alford and his position’s uncertainty.

The news surrounding the head coach is that he is one, if not the top, candidate for the head coaching vacancy at Indiana University, Alford’s alma mater. Not only that, but this morning FOX Sports College Basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb reported that a deal between Indiana and Alford “is done”.

The “Alford hire” at Indiana can be seen as the “prodigal son” returning home. After all, look at all of the accolades Alford accomplished within the state –

• 1983 Mr. Basketball – New Castle High School
• 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist
• 2-Time All-American – 1986, 1987
• Big Ten MVP – 1987
• NCAA Championship – 1987

With all of his many accolades, this hire for Indiana would seem like a no-brainer on paper. But apart from the PR/ethics concern caused by his actions while at Iowa regarding former player Pierre Pierce, there is also the concern of money… Alford’s current contract with UCLA calls for a buyout cost of $7.8 million dollars if he were to leave for another job. Add this to the $4 million dollars Indiana will owe former coach Tom Crean in his buyout, and you have a total of $11.8 million dollars the Hoosiers would owe in sunk costs before cutting the first paycheck to their new coach.

However, some of the rumors surrounding Alford this week brought up a very interesting action that could be taken, one that revolves around a certain three-stripped brand that could make a difference whether Alford is hired at Indiana or not.

Last May, UCLA announced that Under Armour would become the university’s athletic apparel provider, starting July 1, 2017, in a record deal that would bring UCLA $280 million dollars over the next 15 years ($18.7 million per year). This will mark the end of an 18-year partnership the school previously had with adidas, who appeared unwilling to continue in the apparent bidding war that was taking place among the “Big Three” apparel providers.

On the other hand, Indiana renewed their partnership agreement with adidas in 2015, a deal that will keep the Hoosiers in adidas apparel through the year 2024.

This brings us to the issue at hand… adidas will be losing one of their flagship programs to Under Armour in a couple of months, but the possibility of “stealing” UCLA’s coach and bringing him aboard another of the brand’s banner schools, along with the fact that it is Alford’s alma mater, creates a marketing opportunity that could means millions to adidas.

Which brings us to today, where reports suggest that many industry experts believe that adidas is expected to pay the $7.8 million dollar buyout in Alford’s contract, in order to make sure a potential Alford-to-Indiana deal goes through. To quote the article from SportsBusinessJournal, adidas would “love to return the favor [i.e. UCLA leaving the brand for Under Armour] and help Alford leave UCLA.”

Welcome to the BUSINESS of college sports, especially within the ongoing war of Nike-adidas-Under Armour that is being fought over university athletic programs. Not only are the agreements between these apparel providers and universities increasing in value, but also the way each company is conducting business against their competitors, meaning that this industry has now evolved to levels unheard of only a couple years ago, when the logos first started appearing on jerseys.

Now, we will wait and see what happens after tonight’s UCLA-Kentucky matchup, especially if the Bruins are eliminated. As we have already seen in Tournament play, a Bruins’ loss could mean a press conference in Bloomington on Saturday…

The “Ceiling is the Roof” as the Jordan Brand Continues to Grow

With the NCAA Tournament’s first weekend in the books, we now have only 16 teams remaining to compete for the coveted national championship, starting this evening. Given the tournament’s enormous exposure, it not only represents a branding opportunity for the participating schools, but the apparel providers that outfit the programs on the court. Out of the 16 teams remaining, Nike once again dominates the market by outfitting 12 of those teams, with adidas and Under Armour both with 2 each.

However, within their 12-outfitted programs, two of the Nike schools on this list are underneath the company’s Jordan Brand, North Carolina (MJ’s alma mater) and Michigan (in their first season under the Jordan brand). The 2016 calendar year, along with the beginning of 2017, has been a year that has seen the Jordan brand expand beyond just the basketball court and seemingly looking to break away from being just another Nike in-brand.

Let’s start with the most recent and biggest move the brand has made in the last year… Moving into the sport of Football.

It began in July of 2015, when it was first announced that Michigan would not be renewing their apparel contract with adidas and were returning to the Nike brand that were partners with the Wolverines from 1994-2007. This was seen as a huge coup for Nike to take back such a prominent collegiate brand and excited the Wolverines’ fan base that were starting to question the adidas brand as the school’s “maize” began to become a much brighter yellow.

One month later, an announcement on Twitter rocked the Sports Business world as Michael Jordan himself announced that Michigan Football was going to feature the “Jumpman” logo once the Nike deal was in place on August 1, 2016. Before this announcement, the Jordan brand had not been appeared within any prominent sports setting other than a basketball court. Analysts began to ponder why Nike would make a move like this now with the Jordan brand? Could this be the beginning of an expanded use of the brand?

After the Michigan deal was announced, more and more Jordan brand deals began to come to fruition. Brazilian soccer/futbol star Neymar became the first player in the sport to partner with Jordan. In a sport that is dominated by two clothing brands and led by the sponsorships of Cristiano Ronaldo-Nike and Lionel Messi-adidas, this partnership could be considered the most notable non-Nike or non-adidas within the globally loved sport. The brand then celebrated the new partnership by releasing a special edition Brazil jersey, with the Jumpman logo emblazoned where the Nike swoosh would be.

                     

We also saw a bit of Jordan in Major League Baseball this year, specifically in the playoffs and on the feet of the Cubs breakout star Javier Baez. The picture below show Baez and his Air Jordan 1 baseball shoes, in Game 1 of the NLDS, where his solo homerun helped the Cubs to a 1-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants. For the remainder of the postseason, his flamboyant style of play and shoe choice became a talking point among league followers and furthered the Jordan brand’s reach across a sport other than basketball.

But back to the aforementioned Michigan deal, as once the football season began, the Jordan-Michigan partnership began to reap its benefits. The Jumpman logo featured prominently on the uniforms, sideline polos and equipment and of course, head coach Jim Harbaugh. Derek Jeter, the former New York Yankees shortstop and Jordan brand partner, had his “RE2PECT” sloganed shirts given to Wolverine players. MJ himself was the honorary captain of the Wolverines in the season opener.

The partnership was bringing an incredible amount of notoriety and publicity to the program in just the first few weeks. It even spawned another Nike in-house brand to enter the football market, when Lebron James and his “King 23” brand designed football cleats for Ohio State University before its encounter with Michigan, adding another wrinkle into the already contentious rivalry.

Now, with the success of partnering with their first football program, Jordan appears to be slowly looking into expanding further. Earlier this month, the brand announced that they would be partnering with his alma mater’s football program, North Carolina, confirming that the brand is looking to build on their success with Michigan. MJ joined UNC personnel and staff to make the announcement during halftime of the Duke-North Carolina game on March 4^th, the scene of his now infamous quote of “The Ceiling is the Roof”.

This is a move that indicates to the market that the Jordan brand is a rising star in the industry. The fact that Michael himself is involved with all of these announcements is a strong statement that he wants “Jumpman” to become as iconic as the Nike brand that launched it. His competitiveness and need to be the best shows me that he may intend on having his brand break out on its own, potentially adding a fourth competitor to the “Big Three” of Nike, adidas and Under Armour.

Now, with both Michigan and North Carolina in Sweet 16 matchups tonight and tomorrow, the Jordan brand will be front and center with two of the top stories in this year’s tournament. It is also a great excuse for CBS/TBS to talk about the brand’s expansion and growth this past year. Now just imagine if both of these schools make it to the Final Four…

Sooooo, now what for Ronda Rousey and her brand?

It has been about two weeks since Ronda Rousey’s devastating loss to Amanda Nunes in the UFC 207 Main Event and the only things we have heard about the MMA Superstar is a statement following the fight and how her Venice, CA home was recently vandalized.

Rousey was at one point the most popular woman in the sports world, featured not only on sports publications, but in national media and Hollywood as well. She was setting a new path to success, unseen by anyone in sports before her! However, the loss to Nunes plus her previous 2015 loss to Holly Holm has placed Rousey in a very awkward position at this point of her career.

So, the question is, where does Rousey go from here?

 

Return to MMA

The popular phrase is “everyone loves a comeback”, right? Especially in sports! Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali and Michael Vick are just a couple examples. The question in this case for Rousey is whether this fight versus Nunes was her “comeback”?

However, it is not completely unheard of for someone to make their way back to the top of a sport after rough seasons/fights. Quarterbacks in the NFL have rough years before coming back to have an MVP year soon after, i.e. Matt Ryan this season. PGA Tour golfers come back from injuries or long winless streaks every year, i.e. Vaughn Taylor or John Daly. Even UFC fighters have been able to come back from horrible injuries or terrible losses, like Dominick Cruz.

Rousey needs to decide whether she wants to pursue another fight. The UFC will still definitely use her as a top promotional figure within the company given her history, probably headlining another pay-per-view event. Rousey was the primary reason that UFC 207 drew over one million buys and I believe she still would be a popular draw for the UFC, at least for one more fight.

UFC 207 was basically her obligated title fight rematch, but what if she was able to work her way back towards another title shot against Nunes? Just like what TJ Dillashaw has done in the Men’s Bantamweight Division! Rousey could very well build her reputation as a feared fighter, but she NEEDS to win her next fight in order for it to even have a chance.

 

Move to Hollywood 

Before her UFC 193 loss to Holly Holm, Rousey was making her transition to Hollywood as one of the few “bad-ass” women in the industry. She starred in The Expendables 3, Fast & Furious 7 and Entourage, along with setting up lead roles in multiple movies. Rousey even had her own autobiography published, My Fight, Your Fight. She was the “it” girl!

Then Holm’s kick to the face took her down in the eyes of the average consumer.

Two movies she was set to star in, Mile 22 and Road House, all of a sudden went on hold with no update as of this moment. She went into “hiding” after her first loss, admitting that she contemplated suicidal thoughts at the time. Everyone didn’t know what she wanted to do next, not her Hollywood agent, Dana White or seemingly even herself.

This fight versus UFC 207 was not only supposed to save her reputation as an MMA Fighter, but for her Hollywood potential as well. After two fights where whether was beaten pretty badly by her opponents, are moviegoers going to view her as a legitimate threat to Michelle Rodriquez or as a member of Sylvester Stallone’s mercenary group?

Could this perception be built back up through Hollywood avenues? Maybe! But it remains to be seen whether Film Studios and Directors want to take that chance. Gina Carino has maintained a nice niche for herself in Fast & Furious 6 and Deadpool, but she never became the “female Steven Seagal” that many thought she could be.

Has/Will the same thing happen to Rousey?

 

WWE

The other possibility for Rousey after this loss would be to make a move to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Now, I know what you are thinking, the “fake” sport that is basically a soap opera with more action? However, WWE has proven that they can take a former UFC top draw and return them being perceived as a “beast” in the public eye, with Brock Lesnar.

In addition, Rousey is a known WWE fan! Her nickname “Rowdy” came directly from former wrestler, the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. When she was at the top of her game, her group of friends were know as the “Four Horsemen” of MMA, a name of a former top wrestling stable that include Ric Flair. She also used to post reaction videos of herself watching big WWE moments.

Then, there is the fact that she participated in a segment at Wrestlemania 31, with her Fast & Furious 6 co-star The Rock, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. WWE officials, including McMahon have said nothing but positive things about Rousey and seem interested in the possibility of working with her in the future, even before UFC 207.

If Hollywood is unable or unwilling to restore Rousey’s reputation as a feared badass, the WWE might be another route for her to go.

 

Final Thoughts 

It seems that Rousey’s fellow fighters believe that her best move would be to retire from MMA. Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping, who himself is starting to enter Hollywood, believes that she has “done it all. She took over the sport. She was the face of the sport. She’s a massive celebrity now…. Walk away.” But will the UFC let her?

The sport is in a weird spot, as many of their top draws have either had major problems or in an unknown position. Conor McGregor seems to be pursuing a fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jon Jones and Brock Lesnar were both suspended due to PED use and CM Punk was overwhelmed in less than a round. They need a fighter who can draw PPV buys and market their sport around!

I believe that Rousey would still have drawing power for at least one more fight, but she would need to win!

While WWE would be a good alternative for her and as a fan, I would love to see her work with some of the top women (and men) in the company, I don’t think that would be enough for her. She has experienced being on “top of the world” and given what she has done, she deserves a chance to get some of that reputation back.

So what would I do?

The UFC should give Rousey an opportunity at one more fight in the late spring or early summer. Ronda can take it and call it her “retirement” fight. The UFC can then bill this PPV as a “Thank You” to Rousey for all she has done for the sport, which should definitely draw enough buys to be a success for the company.

Rousey would hopefully win in her final fight, proving that she still has the “badass” still in her, which she could then use to get her Hollywood career going again. The Roadhouse remake that she is set to start in reportedly will film in the Summer, so what better way to begin the movie’s hype machine than with a final victory in the Octagon.

But it all comes down to Rousey and if she can mentally overcome these two losses. Time will tell whether she can.

Why is the Rose Bowl a bigger draw than the Playoff Semifinals?

Wanted to make a quick observation before the College Football Playoff bowl games begin later this afternoon –

Yesterday, I read a USA Today article that said that the Rose Bowl is actually drawing a higher ticket cost than either of the two CFP playoff games, commanding an over 30% premium on the secondary market. It got me thinking about why this would be? The Rose Bowl brand has built up this game as one, if not the most popular bowl game every year. But with the creation of the Playoff and the Rose Bowl not a semifinal game this season, the average fan would assume that it would not be as popular on the market as it is.

So, I wondered if the participating programs and their brands themselves are affecting it? A quick personal analysis is below –

 

Peach Bowl

#1 Alabama

This is the Crimson Tide’s third straight appearance in the CFP, including one national championship last season. The university’s fan base expects to be in the national title game every season, so the diehards are not focused on the Peach Bowl semifinal. They are not going spend their money on this game, when they believe they will advance to play for a title the next week. This is allowing the average Alabama fans an opportunity to see their team compete in a significant game, but it does bring the ticket costs down for the semifinal.

#4 Washington

The Huskies are in a New Year’s Six/BCS bowl game for the first time since the 2001 Rose Bowl, in addition to having a chance of winning a National Title! So, I am very surprised that many of their fans are “not” driving up the price of this ticket. The Huskies have a chance to not only advance to the Title game, but also beat the top brand within the sport. So, the only thing I could think of would be the cross-country travel that Huskie fans would have to take in order to see this game? Yes, it is a long trip, but having a chance to play for a National Championship seems like an opportunity to make a moment to last a lifetime. I am surprised by the potential “lack of interest” in this game for Washington fans.

 

Fiesta Bowl

#2 Clemson

While the Tigers have been growing their brand successfully under Dabo Swinney, the problem is that Clemson is still not known as flagship brand in college football. The Tigers have an appearance in the National Championship, a Heisman finalist in QB DeShaun Watson and become one of the top programs in the ACC. However, with the Fiesta Bowl’s ticket prices not being up to par with the Rose Bowl, I wonder if Tigers’ fans are in the same situation as Alabama fans? In that they are expecting to be in the Championship game again this year. Or, it could be that the fan base only cares about beating one team this season (Alabama) and simply views Ohio State as a simple roadblock, even though this maybe the most competitive bowl game of the season.

#3 Ohio State

The Buckeyes are a flagship brand within the sport and are back in the College Football Playoff after a year away? So, why would this year’s Fiesta Bowl have less demand than last year’s meeting versus Notre Dame? I wonder if there is fatigue for Ohio State fans having to go back to Glendale, AZ for the second year in a row. Another reason could be that last year’s game against the Irish featured two of the greatest programs in the sport’s history. Lastly, the Buckeyes have experienced a championship in the CFP Era and probably expect another one this season. Saving money for the title game sounds very familiar when you compare the Columbus fans with Alabama and Clemson this season.

 

Rose Bowl

This game consists of two top programs that are looking to make their way back to the top of the sport after a rough couple of years.

#5 Penn State

The Nittany Lions program has had a rough couple of years. A surprise conference championship has lifted the Penn State brand back into the eyes of the average college football fan. A victory in the Rose Bowl can officially announce their national championship aspirations to the rest of the New Year’s Six participants. James Franklin has done a great job of building this program back to success over the past three seasons, with great recruiting classes that paid off this season. A win over another former flagship program in USC will help solidify their Big Ten Championship this season, even without a CFP appearance.

#9 USC

Clay Helton was on the hot seat earlier this very season, after a 1-3 start by the Trojans. They are not coming into Pasadena on a roll, winning eight straight with a freshman QB, as well as an upset of CFP participant Washington. The USC Trojans are a flagship college football brand, but after the struggles it has had under Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian, it needs a marquee victory to cement itself as a championship contender in the eyes of college football fans. A victory like this, could begin their rise back towards a title and becoming the top sports draw in Los Angeles once again.

The Brand Impact of the College Football Coaching Carousel

Merry Christmas Everyone!… Here’s a picture of a Dancing Santa for your amusement.

You’re welcome!

Anyway…

The College Football regular season is over and we are now in the middle of Bowl Season. Sure it is always a lulled time before New Year’s Weekend, when the best bowl games take place.

However, this period has seen plenty to analyze from the perspective of College Football Branding, thanks to this year’s “Coaching Carousel”. When Willie Taggert was named the head coach of Oregon earlier this month, he talked about how impressed he is with the brand that Oregon Football has built and how this brand is ready to win a national championship. “The unique and innovative qualities that the Oregon brand poses over the national landscape provide us with the opportunity to be successful at the highest level on a consistent basis,” Taggert said at his press conference.

The brand of the Oregon Ducks has become synonymous with innovation and success since the turn of the century. So when their head-coaching job became open after firing Mark Helfrich, I wondered why 90 – 95% of coaches wouldn’t throw themselves into the mix? How did Oregon’s opening compare to the other openings with College Football?

So I took at look at the 17 FBS (Division 1) Head Coach openings and wanted to rank them based on their program’s brand notoriety, in my personal opinion, both before and after they hired their new coach. Below are my rankings –

 

17. (Before Coaching Hire 16). San Jose State

The Spartans hired Brent Brennan, who previously worked at the university for 5+ years, so they get a guy that has experience with the school. However, there is just nothing special to me about this hire. Especially for a team that has had a losing record over the past four seasons, including making a bowl with a 5-7 record.

 

16. (15). Georgia State

– The reason why they are higher on the list than San Jose State is because the school will be switching to an Under Armour school starting next school year. A new apparel provider and new head coach can help the football program begin a brand revamp for next season.

 

15. (13). Nevada

– Another hire that doesn’t really do anything for me in my impression of the Nevada football brand. Right now, all I know them for is as Colin Kaepernick’s alma mater. However, they went to bowl games in 2014 and 2015 with their previous coach Brian Polian, Bill Polian’s son. So, they fired a guy with a football pedigree for Arizona State’s offensive coordinator… As a representation of the Wolfpack’s brand, this is a move down in my book.

 

14. (17). Florida International

– Before this past month, I could not tell you where Florida International was located in the state? (It is Miami by the way) The Panthers made an impact by hiring former Miami and North Carolina head coach Butch Davis to take over the program. With the rise of the other mid-tier Florida schools like South Florida, Central Florida and Florida Atlantic, FIU made a move by hiring a guy who has experience recruiting in the state and it give the Panthers some brand recognition given Davis’ coaching history. It deserves a rise in my rankings thanks to this move!

 

13. (12). Fresno State

– Athletics Director Jim Bartko had talked about how important it was to find a new coach that had Fresno State ties after one of the worst stretches in Bulldog Football history. Hiring former QB Jeff Tedford sounds exactly like the type of coach Bartko is looking for. The Bulldogs have gone through a very rough stretch over the last three seasons, going 10-28 after winning two straight Conference Championships in ’12 and ’13. The alma mater of the Carr brothers has developed a great brand reputation over the years thanks to their consistent success. Having an alumnus take over the program is a positive, but we will see if Tedford can be as successful as his first eight years at California.

 

12 (11). Purdue

– Purdue has had a problem maintaining a presence for their brand in the Big Ten since Joe Tiller left the school after the 2008 season. They have not qualified for a bowl game since 2012, let alone ten years since they have had a better regular season than 6-6. In the crowded Big Ten Conference, the Boilermakers did not do their brand any favors when they were not able to secure a “bigger” name that they were rumored to be after, Les Miles and PJ Fleck. However, their hire of Jeff Brohm from WKU is great for the program, who has said that the challenge of building back up the Purdue brand was one of the reasons for taking the job! Coming from a program with a successful program pedigree over the past decade with such an impressive offensive mind (45.1 PPG this season; 2^nd in the Country), this should bring a sort of firepower and fear to Purdue’s offense that they have been missing (100^th in the Country).

 

11. (10). Cincinnati

– Why would a program that has a new Under Armour apparel contract, 9+ wins in seven out of the last ten years, and a previous coaching tree featuring Mark Dantonio (Michigan State), Brian Kelly (Notre Dame) and Butch Jones (Tennessee) be this low on my list? Under Tommy Tuberville, it feels like the program has regressed, dropping from 9 wins in his first two years, to three straight bowl losses and a 4-8 season this year. The Bearcats are a long way away from their previous accomplishments under the three coaches listed above. But their new coach, Luke Fickell, comes from Ohio State learning under Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel. He even has head coaching experience, taking over the 2011 Buckeyes after Tressel resigned due to the fallout of an NCAA investigation. Fickell has bided his time and learned from some of the best coaches in the sport, waiting for his opportunity to lead a program. Is he the one to lead the Bearcats to non-Power 5 dominance and New Year’s Six appearances? We shall see, but his pedigree is a plus for the Cincinnati brand!

 

10. (14). Florida Atlantic

– Do you remember a time where the announcement of the new head coach of the Florida Atlantic Owls was the top story on Sportscenter? Or that their first commitment is a top story on ESPN.com last week! Yes, Lane Kiffen is known as a “pariah” by some in the NCAA and within the minds of College Football fans. But this is a coach that will receive constant national attention, allowing Florida Atlantic to become known to the casual college football fan. The former Oakland Raiders, Tennessee and USC head coach also has a chance to turn FAU into the Florida chapter of Alabama, considering he “intends” to hire some Crimson Tide personnel once the CFP has completed! With regards with turning the Owls into a national brand, this was the biggest hire during the 2016-17 coaching carousel.

 

9. (7). Indiana

– Maybe the reasoning is a little harsh, but my primary reason for Indiana falling is because they could have done so much better than Tom Allen. Look at some of the names that were/”could have been” on the market at that time – Strong, Fleck and Miles were on the market, but didn’t even get a chance to interview. I understand that they wanted to keep the program’s momentum after making their second Bowl appearance in a row since 1991, but IU seemed like it would be a job some of these coaches would be very interested in. I understand why they hired the “in-house” Hoosier, but I just wonder if they settled too quickly…

 

8. (8). Western Kentucky

– Look at the last three head coaches of the Hilltoppers and where they are at now – Willie Taggart (South Florida; Oregon), Bobby Petrino (Louisville), Jeff Brohm (Purdue). A combined record of 54-34 between these three coaches. The WKU brand has become a job that is desired for coaches who are ready to take their next steps towards a Power 5 job, as confirmed by their hiring of Notre Dame OC Mike Sanford. Look for Sandford to be up for a Power 5 job within the next 2-3 years based on the WKU reputation.

 

7. (9). South Florida

– I believe that Charlie Strong did not get enough of a chance at Texas. He helped give Louisville a brand revamp when they were known only as an offensive specialist under Bobby Petrino, to being efficient on both sides of the ball. Strong has always been an excellent recruiter, had the respect of the players he coached and always had a goal of turning his players into “young men”. Ever since the first day Strong was hired at Texas, he was facing an uphill battle after one of their biggest boosters claimed that Strong could be a great “coordinator” for the Longhorns… Strong will get his chance to continue the momentum built at South Florida and their 10-2 season. Strong’s history at Florida and recruiting expertise will only help him make his mark in this football rich state. The question will be whether the Bulls will start to compete with Miami, Florida and Florida State with Strong leading their program.

 

6. (6). Temple

– Temple’s profile as a football brand has risen higher than I think the program expected over the past couple of seasons. Winning 10 games over the past two seasons, two conference championship game appearances (one title) and rising to the national stage after ESPN’s College Gameday visited Philadelphia for their ESPN Saturday Night Football matchup with Notre Dame. They lost the game, but they opened many national eyes. The average college football fan forgets that the previous Owl coaches Al Golden (Miami) and Steve Addazio (Boston College) built this program, but Rhule helped them rise to national respect. Now, they have a significant enough brand where Florida’s DC Geoff Collins is becoming their head coach and Under Armour has a great relationship with the school. The Owls are built to stay!

 

5 (5). Houston

– The program decided to go the safe route by hiring internally, their OC Major Applewhite, the side of the football that led to much of their success over their Kevin Sumlin and Tom Herman eras. These coaches returned the Cougars as a recognizable brand across college football, but the question will be whether Applewhite can maintain this momentum? The Cougars could have risen in my rankings if they took a chance on another finalist (look at how much Florida Atlantic’s profile has grown in the past week), but they made the safe call and are giving a staff member, and Texas legend, his first head coaching opportunity. If Applewhite can use his reputation in the state to successfully recruit top talent, the Cougars’ brand momentum can continue to grow, even outside of the Big 12.

 

4. (3). LSU

– LSU is still a top brand name, but I don’t think they are as much of a major player in the College Football landscape as the Baton Rouge fans think they are. Case in point, the two coaches they went after, Jimbo Fisher and Tom Herman, declined the job. The Tigers are still looking up in the SEC to Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Georgia, maybe even Texas A&M in brand recognition. They just haven’t been able to win that much in the last decade, especially this season. With so much hype at the beginning of the year, they lost their first game to Wisconsin, Leonard Fournette was injured for most of the year and then there was the Florida game fiasco. Which they ended up losing anyway! LSU has a long way to go and we will see how Ed Orgeron performs after actually finally getting an “interm” tag removed.

 

3. (4). Baylor

– Wait, I have put Baylor this high even before their new coaching hire? After everything that has come out about the program in the last year? True, but any football fan knows about the Baylor brand in today’s landscape, both for the scandal and on-field performance. Which means that this vacancy was going to result in a lot of coverage and analysis of their chosen coach. The Bears needed a coach that has the respect and coaching prowess to build back the brand’s reputation in the eyes of the casual fan. I believe they have done that. Matt Rhule is coming off an impressive turnaround of the Temple program that included a Conference Championship, 10-win seasons and a “Saturday Night Football” appearance in the last two seasons. This is exactly the type of “good” hire that the Bears’ brand needed, both on-the-field and off, with fans in Waco agreeing.

 

2. (1). Oregon

– Oregon’s brand isn’t greatly affected with the hire of Willie Taggart. What they have built in Eugene given everything from their uniforms, marketing strategy and Nike partnership, Oregon football is built to last and overcome an occasional 4-8 season. I think it is a good hire, but not the great one that would keep the Ducks at the top spot in my eyes for two reasons. One, rumor has it that Phil Knight was willing to donate $10 Million Dollars (!!!) to help with the coaching search, which I believe could get ANY coach he really wanted. Secondly, yes Taggart led South Florida to a very impressive 10-2 season after an 8-5 year in 2015. But his overall record with the Bulls was still 24-25 in four seasons there; so he wasn’t exactly dominate in the American Conference, including the lack of a conference title. That said, I will be very interested to see what type of culture Taggart will bring to the Ducks.

 

1. (2). Texas

– Plain and simple, Texas got the guy they wanted in Tom Herman. It is who the boosters have been drooling over for the past year and he is a “Texas Guy”, being a former Graduate Assistant at the school. They have one of the largest Nike contracts in the College Football market and produce the second-most athletics revenue within the entire NCAA. These numbers will not change for the foreseeable future and these factors is what led to me putting them number one on my list of the notable brands needing a new head coach.

Battle of the Brands – Championship Weekend

We are finally here!

The most important week of the College Football Season begins tonight with the MAC and Pac-12 championship games. Eight titles games will be played between tonight and tomorrow, along with the pseudo-Big 12 championship being determined in Oklahoma.

As a follow-up to my earlier blog post during the season, I am taking a look at the representation of Nike, adidas and Under Armour in each championship game and how their schools could impact the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six bowl games.

To reiterate, these rankings and thoughts are my own perceptions of how each brand is performing during this college football season.

 

Brand Rankings

1. Nike
   1. Guaranteed Championship – SEC, Big 12, Pac-12, ACC, Mountain West
   2. Possible Championship – Big Ten
   3. Top 10 teams in the CFP – Nine (9) if you include Michigan
2. Under Armour
   1. Guaranteed Championship – American
   2. Possible Championship – Big Ten
   3. Top 10 teams in the CFP – One (1)
3. adidas
   1. Possible Championship – MAC, Conference USA
   2. Teams in the CFP – None (0)

 

Implications in the Playoff and/or New Year’s Six

 

Nike

• They are the dominant brand in College Football again in 2016 and barring any surprising results over the weekend; they are in line to represent all four teams in this year’s Playoff for the third straight season!
• The main problem Nike will have this weekend is the “in-fighting” that will take place could remove the brand’s flagship programs from Playoff contention.
  • SEC – Not a lot of drama for the swoosh in this game… Alabama could lose this game (which they won’t) and would most likely still be in this year’s Playoff. Florida, without a conference championship since 2008, is still one of the top brands within the sport.
  • Big 12 – Both teams need to win this game and have a lot of help in order to have a chance to get into the Playoff. Both are fighting for the right to call themselves the best team in Oklahoma. Both teams are represented by Nike. This will still be a great game and it will determine the Big 12 representative within the New Year’s Six bowls.
  • Pac-12 – Washington have put themselves into a position to make the College Football Playoff, after dominating Colorado in the Pac-12 Title Game last night 41-10. With this victory, it would take a blowout in the Big Ten Championship for there to be a chance the Huskies drop from #4. In addition, their performance last night over a top-10 team could make them a viable contender to beat Alabama in the eyes of the average college football fan… and perhaps in Nike’s eyes as well. Now, they simply wait until this evening to see if they are assured all four teams in the CFP are Nike affiliates.
  • ACC – In my opinion, this is a Red Flag game for Nike executives. Clemson has become a flagship program for the apparel provider over the past couple of seasons, making the championship game last season and Deshaun Watson’s rise into one of the best players in college football. However, this could all be undone if the Virginia Tech Hokies, with a first-year head coach no less, play well enough to pull an upset in Tampa, FL. This is a Clemson team who seems very susceptible to such a loss, almost losing in last season’s ACC Championship, losing to Pittsburgh this season and the Tigers should have lost versus NC State as well, but were saved by a missed FG as time expired. Nike officials will be nervous watching this game on Saturday night because it could mean a lost opportunity at another playoff appearance by a premier client.
  • Mountain West – Bragging rights go to the winning school and a bonus from Nike (and maybe a championship logo) for winning their conference. Other than that, not really much more to discuss for wither Wyoming or San Diego State.

 

Under Armour

• UA has the only opportunity to end Nike’s run as the only apparel provider featured in the College Football Playoff.
• It also has a chance to provide a great, feel-good story in this year’s Cotton Bowl, depending on the result of the highest Non-Power 5 champion.
  • Big Ten – The only non-Nike school with a chance at making the College Football Playoff is Wisconsin. However, after last night’s result in the Pac-12 Championship Game, the Badgers need to not only win tonight’s Big Ten Championship, but also do so in a convincing fashion. Quite frankly, they need to have a performance not unlike Ohio State’s 59-0 win two years ago that inserted them into the CFP. Not only that, but the Badgers probably need Clemson to lose in the ACC Championship to have a chance at getting in! However, no matter what happens tonight, UA have got to be extremely excited in Wisconsin’s performance in their first season with the apparel provider.
  • American – In my opinion, Navy’s performance this season may very well be the best story of the year. Ranked #19 in the country, the once college football powerhouse seems to have broken through with what could be a 10-win season and a shot at a New Year’s Six bowl. Western Michigan’s victory last night might have eliminated their chance at the Cotton Bowl, but a 70 point performance like they did last week could keep them in the running for one more week. While many bowl officials are rooting against Navy tonight due to the chaos it could cause, I am sincerely rooting for the Midshipmen to make it close because I believe this would be good for the brand of College Football to see Navy in such a prominent bowl game.

 

adidas

• MAC – “Row the Boat” indeed! Congratulations to the Western Michigan Broncos on completing a 13-0 season last night with a conference championship. The program has received prominent national attention through a College Gameday appearance; PJ Fleck being thrust into the limelight and adidas has provided a great amount of support to the program with a new branding and uniform combinations. Now all that remains is for the team to wait for Sunday’s rankings to come out.
• Conference USA – This is the first season that Louisiana Tech has been under the adidas banner and both have already been rewarded with a conference championship game appearance. It won’t do much from a national perspective, but if the Bulldogs are able to win later today, this has the makings of a profitable relationship for both brands. Especially if LSU continues to remain in the mid-pack of the SEC.

 

Lastly, I want to give a quick nod to Russell Athletic, whom represents two championship game participants this weekend with Ohio (MAC) and Western Kentucky (Conference USA). The only other prominent program that I am aware of that has a partnership with Russell is Georgia Tech, so having two of their three largest program partners in a title game this season is a coup for the apparel provider!

Overall, it seems that Nike’s dominance in the College Football Playoff is likely to continue for a third straight season, barring any unexpected results this evening. But adidas and Under Armour both have a chance to crash the Swoosh’s party over the New Year’s Six weekend.

Fort Wayne 71 – Indiana 68… How does this impact the Mastodons’ Brand?

I know that some of my good friends are not going to like this latest post, but Tuesday’s upset is something I could not not comment on.

For the first two weeks of the College Basketball season, Indiana, one of the standard-bearer brands within the sport, has risen to #3 in the country and became a contender for a #1 seed in March. But Tuesday night, the Hoosiers were stunned by their university “distant cousins”, (Indiana-Purdue) Fort Wayne 71-68.

Indiana will be fine, taking this game as a potential wake-up call for the rest of their non-conference games, including North Carolina next week. Fort Wayne will try to harness this momentum leading to Summit League conference play, a conference where they are expected to contend for an NCAA Tournament birth.

I want to briefly talk about how this Fort Wayne victory will affect their program’s brand going forward and how this win could impact the Mastodons’ national notoriety.

I’ll start off by saying that Fort Wayne receives the distinction of pulling off the first, completely unexpected upset of the 2016-17 College Basketball season. A victory this significant early in the season led to #FortWayne becoming the #1 trending topic on Twitter, top billing on ESPN and the evening/morning SportsCenters and numerous articles from ESPN, Yahoo, FOX Sports, 120Sports, and more announcing to the world who the Mastodons are.

So who are the Mastodons? –

• Their full name is Indiana University Purdue University in Fort Wayne, IPFW.
• However, they have rebranded their athletics program solely under the “Fort Wayne” name, taking place just this season. This officially recognizes the university as Fort Wayne, which is an initiative that their conference has tried to install since 2012.

• Their head coach, Jon Coffman, is in his third year as HC, but has been with the school since 2011.
• The Indiana game was played at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, but it is not their everyday home arena!
  • The Hilliard Gates Sports Center is the Mastodons’ normal venue for home basketball games, holding only 2,700 spectators.
  • Allen County Coliseum is the primary events’ venue in the city, hosting various concerts, local D-League and minor league hockey teams.
  • This game was moved in order to accommodate the expected attendance, 13,000, which looking at the broadcast was over ¾ in the favor of Indiana.
• Fort Wayne has made a postseason tournament the last three seasons, the CIT in ’14 and ’15, along with the NIT last season.
• They are the defending Summit League regular season champions and are the projected favorites to win the league this season.

Secondly, the fact that Fort Wayne was able to have Indiana come to them for a game is remarkable in this day-n-age of College Basketball. In today’s landscape, the flagship brands of the sport are not willing to visit the smaller schools in their states or regions and give up a potential “easy” home win. Especially when many of these smaller schools are open to taking a payment to play in these games. Coach Coffman acknowledged the Hoosiers’ willingness to make such a trip in his post-game interview, in a very classy statement towards Coach Crean.

Representatives from the city of Fort Wayne, IN, the second biggest city in the state, talked about how important this game was for the city throughout the days leading up to this past Tuesday. The fact that the game was sold out, over 7,000 bought by Indiana, had the city talking about the added revenue this game will bring to the city. From the local restaurants, hotels and other local business that will see successful days due to the visiting Hoosier fans. Coffman’s quote about the city remembering Indiana’s visit for the next 50 years is very true, when you think about what this visit gave to Fort Wayne.

Lastly, I want to look further at what this victory can do for the Fort Wayne program.

One, it solidifies the Mastodons’ brand identity update to “Fort Wayne” through such a national story and social media campaign. That leaves only the local Indiana natives calling the school by its former name of IPFW.

This win gives the Mastodons a moment that the program will be able to use in their marketing strategies for a long time, maybe even the 50 years that Coach Coffman mentioned above.

In addition, they are now a focus on Fort Wayne through the remainder of this season. Fans will keep an eye on the ESPN Bottom Line when their games’ scores appear and follow them as they make their way through the Summit League season. If they follow through as the conference’s preseason favorites and make the NCAA Tournament, you can expect them to be a top “bracket-buster” when March rolls around.

Fans have a tendency to remember these “bracket-busters” for multiple years to come. We all still remember Florida Gulf Coast’s Sweet 16 run from a couple years ago and their “Dunk City” moniker. The Bryce Drew three to help Valparaiso upset Ole Miss in 1998 remain on highlight reels and commercials 18 years later. And Butler’s success over the last decade, including two consecutive national championship game appearances, led to their brand gaining entrance into BIG EAST Conference in 2013.

Fort Wayne’s victory will be remembered through the month of December, but it has a chance to be remembered well past if they are able to make the NCAA Tournament. Which could lead to a number of notable events for their program, things like an updated Nike contract and uniforms or Coach Coffman being on the some coaching job radars this off-season.

Lastly, not only was this a win over a Top 5 team in the country, but also this was against the state’s flagship collegiate program and brand! As an assumption based on my observations, the Hoosiers are the favorite CBB team within the state of Indiana. Evidence of this was obviously by how much crimson was worn at the Allen Coliseum on Tuesday.

This victory was not a “Little Brother over Big Brother” moment. Purdue can be considered Indiana’s little brother within the state. This was not a Michigan State defeating Michigan on the football field or NC State over North Carolina on the basketball court. This was a victory by the distant cousin over the “head of the household”, from a brand perspective. Heck, Indiana University actually helps oversee the overall university operations of IPFW, but I digress back to the athletics perspective.

Think about if Northern Kentucky beat Calipari’s Kentucky? Or Florida Atlantic upsetting Florida or Florida State?

You can’t can you? College Basketball is one of the few sports that have the potential for something like this to happen! I would only hope a game like this doesn’t discourage the premier programs like Indiana from taking on challenges like this. A moment like this not only benefits the smaller program, its city and the entire NCAA landscape.

Congrats to Fort Wayne on the victory and I hope to see this brand rise throughout the season. Congrats to Indiana for being willing to play a road game like this and I hope this loss doesn’t deter other schools from doing so.

And congrats to all of us because College Basketball is back! We missed you!