The National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) released its annual State of the Industry Report resulting in $9.45 billion in estimated visitor spending at U.S. sporting events in 2015, an increase from $8.96 billion in 2014.
The study led by Dr. Heather Lawrence, Associate Professor, Sport Management, Department of Sports Administration at Ohio University, surveyed the NASC membership for the annual report.
If you thought investing in sports (your NCAA bracket notwithstanding) was going away anytime soon, then take a look at this new project headed for Northwest Indiana.
By the end of March, ground is expected to be broken on a 15-acre lake that will be part of a $75 million sports resort project in Portage. The lake will have an island that will feature an adventure climbing tower and a cable wakeboard park.
It’s part of a development triggered by interest from the National Rugby Football League. The complex is being considered, according to the Indianapolis Star, as the league’s NRFL Academy.
But first it has to be built. And when it’s built, according to the report, the complex will have a movie theater, indoor water park and 150-room hotel. Plans also feature a campground for guests to stay.
In addition to the NRFL Academy, the project’s organizer, Catalyst Lifestyles, also is proposing a 17,000 sq...
Veteran SMU women’s basketball coach Rhonda Rompola recently announced that she’ll be retiring after the season, ending her 25-year tenure as the Mustangs’ head coach. It’s been a successful career for Rompola, with seven NCAA tournament berths and a career record above .500.
Now normally, news about a coach retiring wouldn’t spread much past the sports pages and fan websites. But Coach Rompola didn’t hesitate to say why she’s retiring and THAT’s what making news far beyond campus. It’s not because she’s tired of the sport: She’s tired of the players.
“Kids are not as coachable as they were years ago,” she told the Associated Press. “I see kids sometimes talking back to their coaches and it’s like a way of life. I’m just being honest. The rules and everything they get, they haven’t taken time to appreciate. I was happy to have a scholarship. Kids nowadays are ...
If your children’s grandchildren have an opportunity to play the game of soccer without fear of concussion, you might just have Brandi Chastain to thank.
Chastain may be best remembered to our generation as the player for Team USA whose penalty kick gave the U.S. the 1999 Women’s World Cup. In the future, she may be remembered as the player who helped keep our youngsters safe when they play sports.
Chastain, you see, announced last week that she is donating her brain to science—specifically, to the Massachusetts-based Concussion Legacy Foundation. Researchers there are studying the postmortem human brain and spinal cord tissue in hopes of diagnosing and treating chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE, caused by repeated blows to the head, has been found in the brains of countless football players. But as of now, only seven of the 300+ brains donated for research are from women. And none of them has shown signs of CTE.
...
The idea of crisis plans for your team, event or venue is to try to think of anything and everything that can happen, and make sure you have a correct response to every scenario you can come up with. auction-gavel-2
But too often, no one takes into consideration 1) demanding parents and 2) litigation at the drop of a gavel.
When his 16-year-old son didn't get the most valuable player award, Michel Croteau didn't get mad, he tried to get even. He hired a lawyer and sued his son's youth hockey league to the tune of more than $200,000. Croteau claimed his son Steve should have been the MVP since he had the most goals and assists in the league. When he didn’t win, daddy claimed that Steve was so embarrassed, he wanted to quit hockey.
This isn’t an isolated case. In the year the Croteau lawsuit was filed, 2013, parents filed more than 200 non-injury-related sports lawsuits against coaches, leagues and school districts in the Uni...
You have done your research. You are prepared and organized. You know what to do when you get to Grand Rapids. But what about what not to do? Below are 6 things to avoid doing during your appointments in the NASC Sports Marketplace.
1. Don’t weigh the event owners down with a lot of promotional material.
2. Don’t be pushy. Instead understand their needs first before beginning the sales approach.
3. Don’t race through your appointment. Instead listen to what the needs of the sports rights holder are.
4. Don’t try to sell something that won’t work in your community.
5. Don’t overstay your allotted time. Instead meet with them at one of the networking events.
6. Don’t dominate the conversation in Event Overview Appointments.
No matter your membership category, become familiar with the organizations you want to be sure to meet in Grand Rapids. As appointment time in the NASC Sports ...
National Veterans Golden Age Games - Event Webinar sponsored by MGM Resorts International
Join Jeanene LeSure from National Veterans Golden Age Games as she discusses their RFP for the 2020 Golden Age Games and what they look for in a host destination. If you are unable to join us on the 14th, you can download the webinar recording from our Webinar Archives (login required).
Date: Monday, March 14, 2016
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Register Now
Starting Your Own State Games - Best Practices Webinar
Join Eric Engelbarts, National Congress of State Games membership chairman, as he discusses how your CVB or Sports Commission can leverage your existing sport director relationships to build an event that you own and operate that can contribute to your mission of ‘heads in beds’ and act as a potential revenue source for your organization. Engelbarts most recently started the State Games of Michigan as a signature event of the West Michigan Sports Commission. The State Game...
Sometimes we request an appointment, and due to the large amount of requests made, the appointment request is unable to be scheduled. Luckily for us, there a lot of opportunities available during the NASC Symposium to meet with anyone even if you do not have an Individual Appointment with them.
Solutions:
Attend as many events that NASC has to offer – education sessions, opening and closing luncheons, happy hours and other activities that are offered throughout the week. While attending these events, use this as an opportunity to find the event owner you need to meet. Mix and mingle and meet with other event owners and peers in the industry, too. They may have insight into the event you are interested in and could introduce you to exactly who you are looking for. Check out all of your opportunities here.
Contact the individual/organization you were hoping to meet prior to the Symposium and see if they have time to meet with you personally. Look at the sche...
The coach of a California high school girls’ basketball team was suspended two games for a big win.
And we mean, big.
Arroyo Valley High School defeated Bloomington High School, 161-2 last month. And it’s not first time Arroyo Valley had won by large margins. The Hawks had scored more than 100 points twice before, but this 159-point win created enough backlash that the school felt it needed to act and suspended Coach Michael Anderson for the two games.
Not that benching the coach made much of a difference. In the first game without Coach Anderson, Arroyo Valley won, 80-19. The Hawks were coached by Anderson’s 19-year-old son.
For his part, Anderson said he talked with the Bloomington head coach before the game, explaining that this was the Hawks’ last game before league play and that his team was going to play hard. “I wanted to let him know there was no harm intended,” Anderson told the Orange County Register, “and that i...
Building relationships within your community is essential to the success of sporting events you host. From venue support, event management, volunteer recruitment, fundraising and sponsorships, your local community holds the resources that rights holders look for when awarding events.
How do you begin?
Visit all prospective venues in your area. Get to know everything about them, build a relationship with their staff and learn who books their events.
Why?
A venue is usually the most critical component to a successful bid.
Their customers may become prospects and customers of yours.
Get to know all of the local clubs and sport organizations.
Where to find them?
Local news
Referrals
Google Alerts and Search Engines
Relationships with local venues
Club listings on national websites (i.e. National ...