STADIUM


Hendrix At Superbowl Halftime?

Posted by Jonathan in STADIUM, TELEVISION on 02-08-10    No Comments


Jimi at the first "Superbowl" via The New York Times

I mean no diss to Roger and Pete. And sure, the NFL knows us.  The Who really were a good call. But how ’bout this for a weird Web/sports tech moment? The New York Times — by chance probably — threw up a photo montage of Woodstock 40 years back. Never mind that milestone was in August of last year. But over the weekend, the NYT tossed up links to an important Who performance from back in they day: The Three Days of Peace and Love and Muck that was Woodstock.

Now, for real,  The Who rocked back then. And they rocked over the weekend. But much important to that show was who closed that show: Jimi Hendrix.  And to me, thats for a big fat Superbowl “what if.” What if this one true 20th century genius,  James Marshall Hendrix, had decided he wasn’t a drunk. Or a junkie. What if he made past 27 and into the 21 century? The NFL would have had to hire him to do halftime. And THAT would have been a heck of a show.

Go ahead. Take a listen on me: The SNW Hendrix at halftime mix. It’s goooooood.

(NOTE: Ya might have to log into playlist.com. But it should work with any browser. Send a link along and I tee you up to massive Jimi Mix. I got a ton of these tracks.)




Google Stadium? Only A Matter Of Time

Posted by Jonathan in STADIUM on 02-01-10    No Comments


Google Nexus Picture Add

Has Google decided that all this link advertising thing is oh so 1999 when it comes to sports marketing? It looks like it.

Here’s a screen grab from the decent sports blog Courtside Post. And look carefully over on the right: In the usual Google Adword location is a good old-fashioned banner ad. Click on it, and off you go to the Google  Nexus phone webpage. Of course if this weren’t Google, who would care? But because it is Google, and it’s a sport blog, is Google signaling here that suddenly good old fashioned traditional ads are what is needed to sell its cell phones to sports fans?

And why that’s important is forget beer and cars, technology companies are now one of sports biggest sponsors. And if Google is in the mix, with the economy recovering, could there be a premium paid for sports advertising? And more money could be pumped into struggling franchises. It is not a bad thought.

The question. With Barkley, Wade, Payton and Brett already spoken for, who becomes Google’s first spokesperson? Our bet… Ryan Fitzpatrick. QB for the Buffalo Bills. He’s a Harvard grad who wears a cutting edge helmet design. That’s a smart athlete that a smart company could get behind.




Living The Large NFL Life … Online

Posted by Jonathan in STADIUM on 12-27-09    No Comments


If you ever want to get into direct touch with what an utter football outsider we all are, check NFLonLocation.net. This is the online destination where the league teases top dollar advertisers and sponsors on with 4 figure access passes and special VIP events to games. Starting at a measly $3,800 a ticket, you can get box seats, hotels, and VIP access to not only this Superbowl in Florida, but next year’s in Texas. All the other events are there too: The Pro-Bowl, the international series and many others games.We went ahead and placed a request for seats. We’ll let you know what the damage turns out to be. The big question? Do these tickets include cheerleaders.




We Dare The Yankees To Win On This: Ice Rink To Come To Fenway

Posted by Jonathan in STADIUM on 12-07-09    No Comments


What tricks will Boston play to get home field advantage? How about a giant sheet of ice. Fenway Park will be turned into a pro ice rink for one day in January. Of course we can’t skate on it. That would be too much fun. The ice arena is being installed as part of the annual NHL Winter Classic, which will pit the Flyers against the Bruins on Jan 1, 2010. Actually making ice in and around the Pesky Pole and the Green Monster is no tech joke. The NHL is sending in an ice “truck”, a bunch of specialists and a whole flock of kick ass Zambonies for the job. See the whole story.




Michigan State vs Penn State: Streethub Still The Way To Score Tickets

Posted by Jonathan in INTERNET, STADIUM on 11-23-09    No Comments


As much as we love to talk up the virtues of online ticket exchanges, it is still worth noting that the good old fashioned scalper in front of the gate will not be going away anytime soon.. We spent the afternoon here getting into the game day mood for the Michigan State Penn State game and all our attempts to score tickets online led to naught. Iphone Apps we could not make work. Online exchanges could not get us tickets in the lot where we were tailgating. And with 13 minutes to game time, we went old school, hustled up an undergraduate and pro scalper into a price war . And wound up with field level, 20 yard line for $30 each. No fee. No tricky forms. No hassle. We have got to say, the human element is a beautiful thing.