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I recently was a judge at the National Sports Forum’s 2012 Case Cup competition, involving eight MBA sports management programs. The case this year was to elevate interest, attendance and ratings around an NCAA championship event outside of the men’s basketball tournament. Each group had 24 hours to develop its findings, and the presentations by all the students were exemplary. It’s an educational day watching them tout their ideas and solutions.

This year’s winning team, from Ohio University, won as much for offering the “big idea” as it did for detailed strategy and activation. The idea has been bandied about for years, combining the men’s and women’s Final Four into one basketball “weekend mecca,” a center stage of collegiate basketball excellence. The Ohio University team didn’t offer this naïvely; the students outlined the challenges and the constituencies opposed to this idea. The case they made was so compelling that it would make any longtime opponent at least rethink the possibility.

I understand where many of the coaches, on both sides of the bench, would oppose this idea. I understand the logistical and cultural challenges, as well. But if you think of possible target markets — Houston, Indianapolis, Detroit, Atlanta, St. Louis, for example — where the men could play in a stadium and “in the round,” while the women play at a big league standard arena in the same city, in a city with enough hotel rooms, combining media resources, sponsorship activation and fan festivals, it sounded more and more compelling — and possible. Even though the Final Four sites have been determined through 2016, here’s hoping the students get a chance to present their idea to the NCAA in Indianapolis. Perhaps it’s an idea ready for a fresh look.

The Case Cup also reminded me of a point one top TV executive involved in collegiate sports expressed recently when asked what he spends a lot of time thinking about. He said: “What sport is going to be the next big college sport, after football and men’s basketball? That’s what I’m really trying to figure out.”


Talking to one team president recently reaffirmed the thought that one of the biggest issues facing sports teams, leagues and venues is constant connectivity. More and more fans are feeling discouraged from their in-venue experience when it comes to accessing stats, data, photos and video from their smartphones. It’s such a vital part of the personal experience now that fans expect quick connectivity, and they become understandably frustrated when they don’t have that at a sports event. It’s a complex issue. Older buildings aren’t fully equipped. Who owns the building can be a factor, as well as what carriers are in the market and willing to pay for “space.”

In the next few weeks, SportsBusiness Journal will be taking a closer look at the problem and possible solutions, so if you have a story to share, contact us.


A number of takeaways from a new corporate and industry survey, which featured research responses from 50 sports sponsors/advertisers and 50 properties, released at the National Sports Forum by Ohio University and GMR Marketing. Greg Busch, GMR’s executive vice president of client management, said that after analyzing the research, he was “cautiously optimistic” about the state of sponsorship spending going forward. “The first wave we will see will be a reinvestment in activation rather than in acquiring new properties,” Busch said. In addition, he said brands will be going with “fewer, bigger and better partnerships, but there will be additional investments in the long run if brands find the right property.”

Some other facts of note: 92 percent of brand marketers plan to spend an equal amount or more in 2012 compared with last year, and areas of sponsorship growth are college and high school sports. From the not surprising figures: Brands will be greatly increasing their spending on digital, social and mobile marketing. For me, a surprise was that social media was ranked third highest when brands were asked what they wanted in their sponsorship packages. Some would argue that social media integration is an activation, not a want, like exclusivity or player interaction or experiential/access elements. But, the fact that it is third on the list says a lot about its importance in today’s mix.


A discussion of top team ticketing executives showed that influencer events continue to be a strong sales and retention tool. One executive stressed that teams today need to do a better job of becoming part of consumers’ lifestyles and follow those interests whether that means creating events around food/entertaining/cooking, leadership, social events for families, or any type of event that offers a new experience. These events can offer significant value for current and prospective fans.

Another executive stressed that his organization is taking a long look at how to build value into being a season-ticket holder, believing that many properties in sports have done a poor job of what they are actually selling. “We are selling a social experience,” the executive said. “Not a game. There is so much more to it and we need to do a better job telling that story.” Another executive chimed in on the frustrations of highlight and statistical limitations within a venue during a live event. “We shouldn’t be having fans pay money to be at an event and have far less information than someone does 100 miles away.” 

As always, please let us know if you have your own questions, thoughts or comments on any of the above.

Abraham D. Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

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“Since its inception, the Sundance Film Festival has been showcasing sports films,” said David Courier, the Sundance program director. “‘Hoop Dreams,’ arguably one of the best sports films of all time, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994 and won the Audience Award.”

Following in that theme, the 2012 festival, which ran Jan. 19-29, premiered three sports documentaries: “China Heavyweight,” “Bones Brigade: An Autobiography,” and “The Other Dream Team.”

More from Sundance: Click here

You never know what to expect upon entering the theater for a Sundance film. These films haven’t been field-tested, so you are seeing it with many of the cast and industry members. It’s a bonding experience to see a film for the first time, listen to the audience’s emotions and have the opportunity to ask questions after the film.

Here is a roundup of three great films that are prime for distribution.

Coach Qi Moxiang trains young boxing prospects, while keeping hope for his own aspirations.  Photo by: COURTESY OF SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

■ “China Heavyweight”

Imagine growing and harvesting tobacco on your parents’ land in rural China. Then imagine an opportunity to escape that life and train as a boxer in an effort to be an Olympic champion for your country. Coach Qi Moxiang, a fighter himself, offers that opportunity to many young men and women in central China as he travels from school to school to find the best boxing prospects. He trains them, and sometimes with them, to prepare for his own fight.

But this world documentary goes beyond the sport of boxing. It is an observational look at the central Chinese culture and its people. Athleticism is a mark of pride for the people. Coach Qi develops the skill of the sport, as well as competition, in each of his beloved subjects. His strong work ethic makes him endearing to an audience that gave him a standing ovation when he was introduced after the credits rolled. Qi traveled to Sundance to watch the movie for the first time with the entire crew.

“You use boxing as a means to leave the city of Huili to be an Olympic champ or a boxing king [like Mike Tyson or Oscar De La Hoya],” he said, through a translator, during the post-film question-and-answer session.

“China Heavyweight” is an intimate look at the power and connectivity that sport has in a culture you may or may not have a connection to, but you will after you see this film. Boxing was once banned in China. Today, this sport reflects a greater concept about the heart of the people and their everyday endurance.

Archival footage and first-person accounts chronicle the rise of the Bones Brigade. Photo by: COURTESY OF SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

■ “Bones Brigade: An Autobiography”

The Sundance experience usually includes a wait. The Bones Brigade, the skateboarding team featured in the film, was right at home. They signed movie posters for all those waiting in line for the film, like they were in a skate shop during the ’80s. The hospitality continued on the screen with old clips and pictures, some of which were submitted by the skaters and some by fans. Director Stacy Peralta, who was also the team’s scout, mentor and coach, expertly crafted a story showing the spirit of this innovative team, how they motivated each other, how they worked harder to debut new tricks, but most of all how they did something that gave them identity through sport.

“Even if you don’t skateboard, it is such an inspirational movie to see,” said Mike McGill, inventor of the epic trick called the McTwist. “And if you are someone who enjoys skateboarding, it is phenomenal. It archives all of our camaraderie and all of the trials and tribulations we went through to get to where we are today.”

Skateboarding is an individual sport, but you see in the film that the team spends a lot of time together. The primary Bones Brigade members are Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero, Tony Hawk, McGill, Lance Mountain and Rodney Mullen.

“I wanted to find a bunch of young kids that no one had ever seen,” Peralta said, “so I could develop them — and that was the six kids, which included Tony Hawk. And I started by sponsoring them when they were 13 years old with the idea that someday I would turn them pro, make them a [pro] model and help them with a career in skateboarding.”

Each skateboarder is highlighted and has his own backstory, and the skate community gravitated to each one for their respective personalities and maneuvers. Mountain may not have been the most talented skateboarder of the crew, but he projected a tenacious drive that pushed you to achieve your goal, too. Mullen was such a phenomenal flat-land skater that you knew you were watching greatness at every competition. And like a fictional movie, these larger-than-life characters provided the Bones Brigade journey the individuality and talent that still resonates with audience members today.

The journey of the 1992 Lithuanian national team combined freedom with rock ‘n’ roll. Photo by: COURTESY OF SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

■ “The Other Dream Team”

A sports film can bring people together by speaking a universal language that allows the viewers to feel emotion, which could be surpassed only by experiencing that moment in the actual setting. “The Other Dream Team,” directed by Lithuanian-American Marius Markevicius, is an excellent example. The film chronicles the journey of the 1992 Lithuanian national basketball team via fresh interviews and historical footage. It was a team of individuals with personal struggles, but on the hardwood, they were a team representing 3 million people as one.

“There is a new market for sports documentaries,” said Jon Weinbach, the film’s producer. “You can’t script what Sarunas [Marciulionis] and that team did and their journey. They essentially went from the faces of the Soviet sports machine to the faces of freedom.”

This brave story offers a visual understanding of these players as members of the Soviet national team, when the KGB followed them or took their passports while they were on the road. You see the turning point for these sour moments when, with the help of many, including the Grateful Dead, they raised enough money to play. These funds, coupled with independence, allowed the team to represent Lithuania at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. With all due respect to the American Dream Team that captured gold in these Games, this bronze medal win for Lithuania was greater than that gold and brought the country together through sport and tie-dye.

“These guys are your modern-day patriots that I look up, too,” said Donnie Nelson, responsible for signing Marciulionis to an NBA contract with the Golden State Warriors. “And for me to have a chance to help them from a coaching perspective and to introduce them to the Grateful Dead … this whole thing has truly taken on a life of its own and it is truly one of the great sporting rock ’n’ roll stories in modern day history.”

Molly Mazzolini (molly@infinitescale.com) has been attending Sundance Film Festivals since she moved to Salt Lake City in 1998. She is a partner at Infinite Scale, an official provider of the look of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

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