In 2011, the Florida Marlins were the last ranked National League team in terms of both total attendance (1.52 million) and stadium capacity filled (48.8%).  Sun Life Stadium, the home of the Marlins for the past 19 years, was located in Miami Gardens, a suburb of Miami with a population of just over 100,000 and had difficulty attracting fans.  This year, however, the Marlins have a brand new stadium, some high profile free-agent signings and a focused rebranding strategy that could start to…

Watching the Oregon Ducks throttle the then-undefeated Stanford Cardinal live at Stanford stadium on Nov. 12^th was something I would never have experienced without the secondary ticket market.  I bought a ticket for $125 five days before gameday on StubHub from a Stanford season ticket holder.  I had it overnighted, only to realize that it had a $10 face value.  Nevertheless, I was thrilled with my “steal”, as other tickets in that section were going for…

One of the largest problems facing both amateur and professional golf today is the brutally slow pace at which it is played.  As the PGA Tour kicked off its 2012 season with the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu this past week, the pros returned to their incessant habits of drawn out pre-shot routines and endless practice strokes.  Rounds that used to take just three hours to complete are now creeping ever closer to five hours.  In a word: ridiculous.  Even the pros themselves agree.  On January 9^th, world #1 ranked golfer Luke Donald tweeted…

The NBA lockout finally came to an end in November and NBA fans across the country rejoiced.  However, while the league was away, Nike and its Jordan brand have been playing defense against two rising competitors in the basketball footwear market: Adidas and Under Armour (UA). According to sales data compiled by SportsOneSource, which measures point of sale data from most of the major U.S. sporting goods retailers, Nike…

This weekend may have been the last time we watch Texas battle Texas A&M while eating leftover turkey sandwiches and pie with our families. The Aggies are on their way out of the Big XII and heading to the SEC starting next year. Those that grew up hanging on every minute of the Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and Pittsburgh may be in the same boat with the Mountaineers heading to the Big XII and Pitt moving to the ACC. Now, there are even reports…

According to a recent article on Yahoo Sports, the NBA has lost its spot as the third most-attended pro-sports league in the United States.

“While the National Basketball Association players and owners continue to bicker and bellyache about divvying up the cash pie, other sports leagues pass them by.”

This might come as a bit of a shock to most people who believe that basketball is the third, if not second, most popular sport in the country.  However, with the lockout dragging on and no…

The NBA lockout has gone on for months now, and while sources close to the negotiations say that negotiations are “95% there,” each day passes with both sides at a standstill.   The lockout is devastating to the NBA from a business perspective. Without actual games, millions of dollars of revenue are lost. In contrast, from a global marketing standpoint, the lockout could actually be a blessing in disguise. With NBA players out of work, many have sought refuge in international leagues in Europe and China. Others,…

A few weeks ago the PGA TOUR distributed a press release regarding the TOUR’s plans to re-brand around its four rising stars – Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Graeme McDowell and Matt Kuchar – who are expected to drive the game in the absence of its bigger, established stars.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL (August 31, 2011) – The PGA TOUR is breaking the latest round of work for “These Guys are Good,” the longest running and one of the most recognizable taglines in sports marketing during The…