The Ultimate Guide to Sports Marketing

This title includes vital industry information, Internet strategies, and more. It offers an insider's look at the dynamic world of sports marketing. Sports marketing is a prestigious - and challenging - career."The Ultimate Guide to Sports Marketing", second edition, will show you how to get your foot in the door and, once inside, construct a solid career in virtually any sport-related field you choose. The first book to go behind the scenes to examine all the fundamentals - from getting that elusive first job interview to acquiring funding, negotiating contracts, managing event logistics, and more - this integrated approach to sports marketing features: discussions with top-level professionals who helped establish and define the field The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis; a proven method for identifying internal aspects and external variables that may affect your success; sample agreements for independent contractors, sponsorship, licensing, endorsements, and venues.Whether you are managing and marketing sports organizations, products, events, or even the athletes themselves, you must be able to look beyond the games to keep them functioning seamlessly. Let "The Ultimate Guide to Sports Marketing" act as both your guidebook and fingertip reference for entering - and building a career in - the exciting world of today's sports marketing. "Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise." - Michael Jordan."The Ultimate Guide to Sports Marketing" is about the fundamentals of sports marketing and event management. How can a sports event be designed to meet the needs of athletes, spectators, and sponsors? If a celebrity is scheduled to be on hand, what type of travel and hotel accommodations must be provided? How can you determine appropriate sponsors for an event - and then demonstrate the benefits of their sponsorship? Sports marketing has become one of today's single most exciting careers. The excitement of being involved with sports and teams that you've followed since childhood, the glamour of rubbing elbows with renowned athletes and celebrities, the drama of organizing an event for hundreds or even thousands of attendees - all add up to make sports marketing a thrilling, multidimensional career. At every level, event managers and marketers must share the same discipline, instinctive talent, and tenacity of the athletes themselves."The Ultimate Guide to Sports Marketing" will show you how to develop the skills necessary to manage virtually any sports marketing scenario, including: event coordination; contingency planning; logistics; working with vendors; purchasing, inventory, and distribution of goods; ticketing and admissions; safety and emergency precautions; seating design and controls; sponsor and supplier agreements; risk management and insurance; venue contracts; licensing; loss prevention; finding sponsorship; marketing licensed merchandise; alternative sport events; sports tourism; and charitable events.Because of their obvious appeal, sports marketing jobs are among the most sought-after in today's job market. But beyond the fun and games, sports marketing requires knowledge and dedication. From ideas for effectively leveraging sport celebrities and their appearances to sample scripts for banquets and presentations, and from managing concessions at Little League games to high-profile World Series promotional assignments, "The Ultimate Guide to Sports Marketing" pulls back the curtain to give you a hands-on, detailed look at what it takes to succeed behind the arena walls - where the real business takes place.

Stedman Graham is President of Graham and Associates, a leading sports marketing firm. He is also a successful author, having written You Can Make It Happen, a self help book published by Simon & Schuster. His firm has played a key role in dozens of key events, including the NBA Legends Pride Classic, the Volvo Tennis Tournament and the Walter Payton Celebrity Golf Tournament. Graham has 25 years of experience in amateur and professional sports, and writes a column for Inside Sports Magazine. He is also founder of the very well regarded Athletes Against Drugs, a not for profit organization of athletes and community leaders committed to eliminating drug abuse among the nation's youth. He has served on the Executive Committee for the LPGA Chicago Sun Times Challenge and the Advisory Board for the Crosby Golf Tournament. He is also the Director of the George Washington University Forum for Sport and Event Management and Marketing.

Lisa Delpy is Assistant Professor of sport and event management and marketing at The George Washington University and the faculty advisor for the University's Forum for Sport Event Management and Marketing. Dr. Delpy's international research on the Olympic movement has taken her to 56 countries where she has interviewed and videotaped over 500 sport event managers and participants. Dr. Delpy has attended 7 Olympic Games, raised funds for the U.S. Olympic Committee, and consulted with corporate sponsors and sports commissions worldwide.

Joe Jeff Goldblatt is the Director of the Event Management Program at the George Washington University. He has produced corporate events for Marriott Corporation, Xerox and dozens of other Fortune 500 companies. He is the author of the first textbook in the field of special even design and production entitled Special Events: The Art and Science of Celebration (VNR 1988). Goldblatt serves on the board for the Journal of Festivals and Special Events, and was the founding President of the International Special Events Society.