STADIUM


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.





Ticket Exchange Makes Hot Market Online

Posted by Jonathan in STADIUM on 10-23-09    2 Comments


If TicketMaster and the NFL’s new Ticket Exchange is anywhere near half correct, the Web is making a heck of market in  NFL games. We have been spending some time tinkering with the leagues new ticket service. The NFL got tired of competitors like StubHub and others taking the aftermarket ticket business from them. So the major players came together to create a service. And it seems to be making a relatively liquid market: For sure, using Ticket Exchange is not cheap. TicketMaster is not shy about banging you for fees, taxes and all that nonsense. But there is something fascinating about looking at what is for sale and for what games. As of post time 2500! tickets are available for Cardinals/Giants this weekend at home at Giants Stadium. With good seats in the $85 range. Dolphins/Patriots have 62 tickets available up in Foxborough starting at about $120. And Vikings Steelers have 200 some tickets available. No game seems totally sold out. And many smaller market teams like the Raiders/Jet game out in Oakland appear to have only a few hundred tickets available. Do ticket sellers just give up trying to sell those tickets? Or is demand still high even for less than first rate games?