Best NFL Playoffs EVER? Just Look at the Ratings

Wow! What a weekend of NFL Football.  If you are a football fanatic, you've probably been treated to the best two weeks in football history, with OT games featuring shocking outcomes, strategy and execution. Most games the last two weeks came down to the last play, or nearly the last play.  Congratulations to the organizations of both the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams -- each deserves their place after grueling, exciting playoff games.  If you missed it, shame on you.  That was excellent entertainment!

The networks, and the NFL, are living a dream.  The more people (and more households) that watch an event on television, the more the valuable the content (games) becomes, and the networks sell the games to sponsors through advertising.  Note to sport marketing students:  It means brands can try to reach more potential consumers through football on tv - it is up to the brands to develop that relationship with their consumers as football viewers.  So, with better matchups leading to higher ratings, the NFL can increase the price of putting its games on tv:  the value of the NFL has increased significantly because of the outstanding, exciting product.  

I'm curious to see the tv ratings.  The NFL has had its ups and downs with viewership in recent years, even though it consistently brings the highest consistent rankings of any content on television.  So, I went to Sports Media Watch to learn about the TV ratings so far (this weekend's ratings have yet to be published). There are 121 million households with televisions in the US.  

A 1.0 rating = 1% of 121 million households.  Viewers are active number of people watching tv at any given time.  For comparison: The Bachelor, on ABC, earned a 0.8 rating (3.8 M viewers), for its first show on January 4; Yellowstone, the top-rated tv series streaming on Paramount and CMT, drew 10.3 M viewers, for its season finale in early January; and, for us old folks, the highest-ranked evening news broadcast is on ABC with David Muir, averaging 8.2 M viewers an evening.

The numbers are expected to be sky-high after the OT Cincy-KC game and the down-to-the-wire Rams-49ers game.   What do you think?  

TELEVISION RATINGS (Playoffs weeks 1 & 2). 

Source: Sports Media Watch

NOTE:  Rtg = % of tv households.  Vwrs = number of viewers

Ohio State out front in competitive advantage with NIL-centered "Edge" program

Here is an article from Front Office Sports on how Ohio State is taking advantage of the current lack of accountability over NIL opportunities.  Just think about what you would do if you were a high school athlete, and could possibly make money: do you choose college based on what interests your educational desires, or do you choose college based on a quick buck?   Worthy of a read-and-think:

The name, image, and likeness industry is still in its infancy, but after six months, early winners are emerging — and Ohio State athletes top the list. 

Since July 1, 220 Ohio State athletes have procured a total of $2.98 million in NIL earnings with 608 reported activities, the school announced. All three stats rank first among departments using Opendorse’s platforms.

Now, the school is implementing a program that creates a new athletic department role that could help maintain its standing.

Ohio State’s NIL Edge Team will “assist in connecting and coordinating NIL activities,” senior associate athletic director Carey Hoyt said.  The school will also assign operations directors for “virtually” all of the school’s 36 sports to connect athletes with brands.

Read more HERE.

Remaking the NCAA, Beyond Constitutional Reform

Today there is a very good article published in The Athletic about the very confusing and complicated issues in college sports caused by massive revenue, runaway spending, NIL rights for athletes, and the fact that Division I has institutions with athletics budgets from $2 million to $250 million -- in the same competitive division.  The problem is primarily with football, and the money raised from and spent on football impacts all the other sports: the revenue from football (and basketball) impacts the other 14+ other sports and other 200+ athletes at each of the 350+ Division I  members institutions, despite the budget size.  Read it here.

The discussion is important for the future of college sports. Today, I travel to Indianapolis for the NCAA Convention.  I will see some colleagues, and attend a session hosted by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics on Thursday morning, at 8 am.  The session is titled:  "Remaking the NCAA, Beyond Constitutional Reform."  The Knight Commission is the only organization that has proposed a solution to the mess in college sports, particularly from runaway spending: Its CARE Model: “Connect Athletics Revenues with the Educational Model of College Sports”). No other organization, not even the NCAA, has a plan. I know at least 70 will be in attendance, and nearly 300 have signed up to watch it online.  If you can't make it and want to watch online, link here. It should be a fascinating and important discussion. 

PAID Fort Wayne TinCaps 2022 Internship Openings

The Fort Wayne TinCaps are now looking for interns for the 2022 season. We are looking for hard working, enthusiastic, and energetic individuals who are ready to learn more about Minor League Baseball and the sports industry as a whole. See below with more details on the job responsibilities for each position. Please feel free to share this with any and all students who you may think would be interested.  The following is a brief description of the different areas that the Fort Wayne TinCaps hire interns for each season. Please send all resumes, cover letters and other information to Brent Harring at Harring@tincaps.com or Austin Allen at Allen@tincaps.com 

 

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

 

Thanks,

Austin

 

Austin Allen  | Assistant Director of Group Sales
Fort Wayne TinCaps Baseball |  Parkview Field
p. 260.482.6400 | d. 260.407.2824 www.linkedin.com/in/austin-j-allen/

2022 TinCaps Internship Positions 

The TinCaps are currently accepting resumes, cover letters, and references from students that are interested in being considered for an internship position with the 2022 Fort Wayne TinCaps. Interviews will be conducted starting in November and early December, and the expectation is to have the internship positions filled as soon as possible. Please no phone calls in regards to the status of your resume. We will contact all interested candidates for either a phone interview or update with an email for your status. 

Internship Overview 

• The Fort Wayne TinCaps offer an extensive internship program for college students and recent college graduates to gain valuable knowledge, experience, and insight in the field of sports. 
• TinCaps Internships are full-time commitments, beginning in February and concluding in mid to late August for students going back to school or the end of September at the conclusion of the TinCaps season. 
• Interns working a full season will gain valuable insight into the daily operations leading up to the start of a season and then learn the aspects of working a game-day schedule. 
• Interns should be highly motivated, have a strong interest and desire to work in the sports industry, have an excellent personality, a strong work ethic, good attitude, and the willingness and ability to work long hours, weekends, and holidays, including up to and even more than 80 hours in a week. 
• The TinCaps will review the progress of each individual intern throughout the season in an effort to cover their strengths and weaknesses within the TinCaps organization and the internship program. 
• The purpose of the TinCaps Internship program is to allow students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the operations of a professional sports organization and selecting an appropriate career. 
• The TinCaps strive to utilize all interns to their fullest capabilities based on experience, education, aspirations, work ethic and choice of area they desire. 
•  In addition to the duties assigned in each internship job description, each intern will also assist with pulling tarp; non-TinCaps game events such as high school baseball games; concerts, private parties and outside events. All interns will help with the delivery of Pocket Schedules as well. 
• All interns will be required to attend mascot appearances as both a TinCaps representative and as the mascot. 
• All interns are expected to work all home games, as well as any special events that may include but aren’t limited to concerts and Fort4Fitness. 

Internship Notes for all interns 

• TinCaps Internship pay for the season will be $1,000 per month, with the chance of commission for sales positions. Food & Beverage Internships pay $1,500 per month. 

• The TinCaps do not offer any housing. All interns hired will be responsible for finding their own housing in the Fort Wayne area. We will provide a list of apartments for interns and put all hired interns in contact for roommate situations. 

• Interns will be responsible for having reliable transportation with the requirements of pocket schedule deliveries and mascot/player appearances. 

• Non-game day hours will be from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, with the possibility of evenings or weekends for TinCaps Player or Mascot Appearances, or the promotion of the TinCaps at Community events. 

• On event days, most of which will be TinCaps games, hours expected will be from 10:00 AM until approximately one hour after the event, sometimes as late, or later than 11:00 PM. Interns will be required to work up to 80 hours in a given week during the TinCaps regular season. 

• The TinCaps will also implement a monthly schedule of events for interns to plan their schedules accordingly. 

• In addition, all interns will be required to assist with the distribution of the TinCaps Pocket Schedules to all areas of Fort Wayne and surrounding communities within a 60-mile radius. 

• In addition to position-related responsibilities, interns will also work the TinCaps Guest Service Booth during game days. 

• Also, interns will assist with the Boy Scout and Girl Scout Overnight events that the TinCaps hold each year. 

• Interns must be available to work full-time, which includes nights, weekends and some holidays during the summer. Exceptions for hires may be made for those students attending local colleges who are still taking classes during the Spring Semester. 

• 15 of our 30 full-time staff members started as interns for the Fort Wayne TinCaps/Wizards. 

*Merchandise Intern 

Overall Job Description: This internship position helps the Orchard Team Store and Sweetwater Kids Zone. Plenty of experience from running a store, to hiring and training staff members. Main contact during the season is Emma Reese. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Assist with ordering items 
• Inventory recaps and Stocking of merchandise 
• Help run the team store during the day and during TinCaps games 
• Run sales reports and monitor sales percentages and per caps 
• Hire and train gameday staff for both The Orchard team store and the Sweetwater Kids Zone 
• Help set up store layouts 
• Responsible for hiring and scheduling over 20 employees 
• Process and ship online orders 
• Personalize shirts and jerseys, and help customers in the team store 
• Go on mascot appearances both as the mascot and as the team representative 
• Other duties as assigned
  
• Skills and Abilities Required:
  
• Experience with handling money 
• Ability to handle a variety of projects 
• Ability to multi-task 
• Proficiency in working with a team 
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines 
• Willingness to work long hours 
• General knowledge of baseball 

*Ticket Office and Group Sales Intern – 2 Positions 

Overall Job Description: This internship position is stationed in the ticket office and will help in all aspects of the ticket office. Learn how a ticket office runs, and have the opportunity to learn more about group sales and season ticket sales. Main contacts/direct supervisors during the season are Kade Zvokel and Blaine Jerome. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Game day and group sales through Streamline Ticketing Software 
• Assist with Centerfield Ticket Office 
• Set up and tear down of will call (must be able to lift 50 pounds) 
• Assist with walk up and phone orders for individual ticket buyers 
• Develop and implement ticket plans and group sales opportunities 
• Oversee and sell TinCaps Birthday Party Packages, including ordering and picking up cupcakes 
• Working other ticketed events outside of TinCaps games as well as potential non ticket events 
• Customer service calls to current ticket plan holders 
• Assist with the delivery of season tickets, suite books, and pocket schedules 
• Resolve and troubleshoot ticket problems, run monetary and ticket reports, and process group
  payments 
• Work Guest Services during parts of TinCaps games 
• Work with the Reading Program Director to assist with the Reading Program 
• Attend mascots appearances both as the mascot and as the TinCaps representative 
• Other duties as assigned
  
  Skills and Abilities Required:
  
• Strong communication skills both on the phone and in person 
• Customer service skills 
• Ability to handle a variety of projects
• Ability to multi-task 
• Proficiency in working with a team 
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines 
• Willingness to work long hours 
• General knowledge of baseball 

*Marketing, Community Relations & Promotions Intern 

Overall Job Description: This internship position helps the Marketing Department with all things involving Community Relations and Promotions. Main contacts during the season are Morgan Olson and Brenda Feasby. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Assist with all mascot appearances, both as the mascot and as the TinCaps Representative 
• Implement and oversee TinCaps theme night promotions and set up 
• Oversee TinCaps Kids Club Program including ways to grow enrollment and engagement 
• Handle all donation requests during the TinCaps Season 
• Schedule and lead ballpark tours 
• Main contact for Military Appreciation Night 
• Involved with Staff Engagement Program and other initiatives 
• Very involved in on-field promotions, from finding contestants, to explaining to promotions, and
  ensuring that they run smoothly 
• Brainstorm ideas for marketing and promotions 
• Other duties as assigned
  
  Skills and Abilities Required:
  
• Great communication skills 
• Graphic Design is a plus, but not necessary 
• Ability to handle a variety of projects 
• Ability to multi-task 
• Proficiency in working with a team 
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines 
• Willingness to work long hours 
• General knowledge of baseball 

*Food & Beverage Intern 

Overall Job Description: This Internship position helps out in many different aspects of our Food and Beverage Department. Main contacts during the season are Kelly Kalsch (kalsch@tincaps.com), Kyle Hoffmann (hoffmann@tincaps.com), Michael Shidler (shidler@tincaps.com), and Bill Lehn (lehn@tincaps.com). 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Oversee the operation of a specific area including staffing, set up, operation, accountability and restocking for next game/homestand. 
• Monitor overall operation for specific area to make profitable and efficient. Provide feedback to improve operation. Adjust staffing levels, food production as well as keeping customer service at highest levels to ensure fan experience 
• Help out in all Food & Beverage departments including concession stands, bars, portable food carts, VIP Service areas and the group food operation as needed 
• Help out with special events outside of TinCaps games 
• Help count and track inventory in your specific area and increase accountability for hourly staff 
• Exposure to food preparation in kitchen area to assist with large volume requirements as needed 
• 
  Skills and Abilities Required:
  
• Willingness to jump in to all places needed in the Food & Beverage operation 
• Great communication skills – team leader 
• Ability to handle a variety of tasks in a fast-paced operation 
• Ability to multi-task as this operation has many different types of service provided to our guests. See
  the big picture. 
• Proficiency in working with a team – propose improvements to the operation as noted during actual
  operation 
• Ability to work independently – self-starter is a must 
• Ability to meet deadlines – be accountable and hold hourly staff to accountable standards 
• Willingness to work long hours 
• General knowledge of food safety and customer service. Serve Safe certified is a plus. 

*Grounds Crew Intern 

Overall Job Description: Assists head groundskeeper and full-time assistants in field preparation, set- up, and postgame clean-up for all TinCaps home games. A strong work ethic and interest in baseball is required. Prior experience in field maintenance work is desired but not necessary. Looking for individuals interested in investigating or pursuing a career as a baseball groundskeeper. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Assist with bullpen maintenance 
• Help set up and tear down for batting practice (must be able to lift 50 pounds) 
• Operate, maintain, and fix grounds crew materials, equipment, and tools 
• Additional field maintenance duties on non-gameday events throughout the season 
• Other duties as assigned
  
  Skills and Abilities Required:
  
• Ability to handle a variety of projects 
• Ability to multi-task 
• Proficiency in working with a team 
• Ability to work independently 
• Ability to meet deadlines 
• Willingness to work long hours 
• General knowledge of baseball 

*Video Production Intern 

Overall Job Description: This internship position helps the Video Production Department with video and graphic design needs for TinCaps games and special events at Parkview Field. Responsibilities include assisting with video projects for the ballpark video boards, live game broadcast and promotional content. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Assist with all aspects of the Video Production Department 
• Create stills, animations and short video features for main video board and auxiliary LED displays 
• Create short features for social media and broadcasts 
• Work on the production crew for live game broadcasts (director, producer, camera, graphics, replay) 
• Work all home games in addition to office hours during weekdays 
• Work non-gameday special events that require video staff 
• Video Prep work for special events 
• Maintenance of video equipment 
• Brainstorm ideas for marketing and promotions 
• Jump in to help problem solve potential A/V equipment issues
  
  Skills and Abilities Required: 
• Video Editing: Adobe Premiere CC 
• Graphic Design: Adobe Photoshop CC
• Video effects and animations: Adobe After Effects CC 
• Experience and basic knowledge of videography 
• Experience with Studio Equipment (i.e. Lights, Microphones, Blue Screen) 
• Preferred experience with live broadcasting 
• Preferred experience with filming sports 
• Ability to handle a variety of projects 
• Ability to multi-task 
• Proficiency in working with a team 
• Ability to work independently 
• Ability to meet deadlines 
• Willingness to work long hours
  General knowledge of baseball

Toledo Athletics Sports and Entertainment Career Fair

Savage Arena, University of Toledo

Tuesday, February 15^th, 2022

3:00PM – 7:00PM

 The University of Toledo invites you and your students to participate in the Toledo Athletics Sports and Entertainment Career Fair and Industry Networking Night on February 15^th, 2022 at Savage Arena. 

 

This event will allow employers, students, and industry professionals to share information and discuss career opportunities in regional organizations for future graduates. We encourage you to come discuss a variety of opportunities: internship, seasonal, part-time and full-time positions. This event will have organizations from Toledo, Columbus, Cleveland and Detroit.

 

Event Details:

• February 15^th, 2022 at Savage Arena located on the University of Toledo campus
• 3:00-5:00PM – Career fair event on the concourse
• Meet with employers to discuss job opportunities at their organization 
• 5:30-7:00PM – Networking night in Fetterman Gym 
• Connect with industry professionals in a more casual setting
• 7:00PM – Tipoff, Toledo Men’s Basketball vs. Kent State 

 

We look forward to your participation in the Toledo Athletics Sports and Entertainment Career Fair. Please use this link to learn more and register for the event: https://fevo.me/utcareerfair.

 

If you have questions, please contact Ryleigh Gordon at 419-530-5134 or Ryleigh.Gordon@utoledo.edu. 

 

Ryleigh Gordon

Manager, Premium Sales and Service

 

The University of Toledo

 

Department of Intercollegiate Athletics

 

Savage Arena
2801 W. Bancroft St., Mail Stop 302
Toledo, Ohio 43606-3390

Office:419.530.5134

ryleigh.gordon@utoledo.edu

Internships Available at the O'Fallon Hoots!

 Internships Available at the O'Fallon Hoots!

Jordan Burrows <jburrows@ofallonhoots.com>

Jan 14, 2022, 5:04 PM (14 hours ago)

My name is Jordan and I'm the Primary Internship Recruiter and Director of Stadium Operations here at the O'Fallon Hoots. We are a summer collegiate wood-bat baseball league located in O'Fallon, Missouri (right outside of St. Louis). 

Internships are something that every member of our front office has done and we believe it truly makes an impact not only on the education but on the student as well. Getting hands-on experience is needed in the sports industry and we offer multiple internships in multiple departments to contribute to that experience. Student Interns get to learn the ins and outs of a smaller sports organization and learn directly from all of our Department Directors, learning the basics of different roles within the Sports Industry. 

We are looking for Summer Interns currently, but we will have internships for Spring, Summer, and Fall every year. Below is a link to Teamwork Online with all of our internships. Students can view these internships and apply online if they are interested in interning with us!

https://www.teamworkonline.com/live-event-jobs/liveeventjobs/ofallon-baseball-jobs

If you have any questions, please reach out to me. My email is jburrows@ofallonhoots.com and my office phone is (636) 741-4005

Thank you,

Jordan Burrows

-- 

         

Jordan Burrows | Director of Stadium Operations

O’Fallon Hoots Prospect League Baseball

CarShield Field | 900 T.R. Hughes Blvd. | O’Fallon, MO 63366

Phone: 636-741-4005 | Web: www.ofallonhoots.com

What's wrong with the College Football Playoff? There needs to be more for athletes.

UGA victory celebration; winning the 2022 CFP championship

A MUST READ to learn about the disconnect of the College Football Playoff from the NCAA and higher education. In USA TODAY by Knight Commission Co-Chair Arne Duncan and member Jacques McClendon: "Put simply, the College Football Playoff should require that most of its lucrative revenue distributions be earmarked, for the first time, to specifically advance athlete health, safety and education."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnists/2022/01/13/college-football-playoff-system-needs-reform-help-student-athletes/9158192002/

--SRH--

Take a Tour of the Stadium: It's Yours

Photo: Protective Stadium at University of Alabama-Birmingham. At $175 million, the new stadium helped UAB to a 9-4 mark and an upset, 31-28, victory over #13 Brigham Young University, in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0

Today’s lesson is about athletics debt. I read a very good article from an individual worried about debt at our colleges, and I wanted to share my thoughts as well.  I write this as a HUGE college football fanatic.

I’ve spent much of the last decade of my life raising the red flags about the spending on athletics needlessly, warning to anyone who would listen about debt at our institutions of higher learning, specifically debt dedicated to the wonderful spectacle of sports. 

Much of my work can be seen at the Knight Commission’s College Athletics Financial Information (CAFI) database. Kudos to Dr. Michael LeRoy, a law professor at the University of Illinois, whose bailiwick is labor and employment relations, who used this database to help to shed a light on the problem with athletics debt. You can read his very good article here. Let us break debt down a bit into its tiny pieces to understand it.

Read more here:  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/take-tour-stadium-its-yours-scott-hirko-ph-d-/

The NCAA Is Not A Democracy, But Division III Schools Have An Opportunity To Fight For More

A very good article from my colleague, Dr. Karen Weaver, at the University of Pennsylvania.  For those of you at Division 3 colleges, like here at Defiance College this is a must-read about D3 using its leverage to get MORE RESOURCES ($$$) and SUPPORT out of the NCAA for its important championship experiences -- athletics is a cornerstone of the experience in small colleges dependent on tuition dollars. 

You can read more here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenweaver/2022/01/06/the-ncaa-is-not-a-democracy/?sh=5d1d04e3137c

- SRH

DC Sport Management Alumni Survey

I recently sent out a survey to Defiance College Sport Management alumni.  If you are an alumni, or know of one, and would like to help out with a revision of the sport management curriculum, or serve on a. Sport Management Alumni Advisory Group, let me know.

Two $25 VISA gift cards will be raffled off.  I'm hoping to get enough responses to complete the survey by January 15, 2022.  Participate and spread the word!  - SRH

Summer 2022 Internship Opportunity

Baseball Hall of Fame Education Department

 <education@baseballhall.org> to Baseball

APPLICATIONS DUE JANUARY 31^st  

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is accepting applications for Summer 2022 Interns!  

For more than 20 years, the Frank & Peggy Steele Internship Program has provided undergraduate and graduate students with meaningful, hands-on training in numerous professional careers. This 10-week program offers a bi-weekly stipend for all interns, and can be completed for course credit.  

Some of the positions your students may be interested in include: Development/Membership; Licensing, Sales & Marketing; and Public Programs. A full list of available positions and their descriptions, as well as the application can be found at: www.baseballhall.org/intern  

Please feel free to share this information with anyone that may be interested. Frequently asked questions about the program can be found on our website: https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/education/internship-faq  

Any further questions about the internship program or application can be sent to education@baseballhall.org  

Thank You! 

The Education Department 

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum  

25 Main Street | Cooperstown, NY 13326

Welcome to the DC Sport Management Program blog

From here, you can view all that is happening about sport management at Defiance College: classes, advising, students, alumni, jobs, conferences, and more.