Kaelin Clay goes Viral

As a follow up to my last post, another local blunder has made national headlines. On Saturday night, Utah's Kaelin Clay made a 14-point mistake when he dropped the ball on the one yard line in a premature celebration. The Ducks recovered and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. The story has spread across the internet over the weekend. Here's another example of the power of social media to put this kind of event at the fingertips of a worldwide audience. Click the image to watch Clay's goal line flub. 

Failing at Sports in an Epic Fail World

I went to a lot of sports events while I was in High School. Only a handful of the many I attended was memorable enough to stick with me. Some of those games are memorable because we pulled out dramatic wins or beat hated rivals. There is one that stands apart from all the rest, not because of the dramatic way we lost. 

     After a long close match-up with a cross-town rival, our high school basketball team had a narrow lead and possession of the ball with just a few seconds left on the clock. At that point, the unthinkable happened. Our player turned the ball over on an inbound pass right under our opponent's rim. They scored the quick layup before the buzzer and won the game. We were dumbfounded. In all my other memories of high school sports, I can't remember any feat, play or accomplishment by any one specific individual except one, the one who lost us that game.

     It's interesting that of all the heroic and dramatic wins I know I witnessed over my four years in high school, the only specific play I can remember was a fail. For some reason, people love to see people fail. Some revel in others' failures while other cringe, yet none of us can turn away. 

     Failing has become harder to do in today's EPIC FAIL world. Whole YouTube channels are devoted to Fail compilations where you can watch people fail in any activity you'd like to. Sports fails, wedding fails, school fails, work fails, church fails and the list goes on. And while there have always been shows like AFV where people send in blooper videos, now those videos can be shared with one click, and are even captured on a live stream. I wonder how life would have been different for my friend in high school who blew one the biggest games of his life on a blunder. 

     Last week another high school athlete made probably the biggest mistake of his football life. Jason Money of Spanish Fork High School, Utah had a mental lapse, ending with one of the most heartbreaking losses you'll ever watch. Overnight, the video of his failure had gone viral, having been seen by over a million viewers. An article in the Deseret News described Jason's experience of receiving hate mail and death threats from people he didn't even know. He then got phone calls and messages from coaches, opponents, strangers and even professional athletes who offered encouragement and support. 

      Failure can be a difficult thing for any athlete. It can be especially hard for a young athlete. Today's world of instant sharing and epic fails has made failing more common, but it has definitely raised the stakes. While the memory of that high school basketball game may be etched in stone for me, Money's epic fail is etched in something much more dangerous, bits and bytes.

How the NHL has Become "My League"

     If you've read this blog much, you've probably noticed that I am a big fan of the NHL. Although I wasn't raised in a hockey community, I have come to feel like the NHL is "my league," probably more so than any other league. The National Hockey League is one of the best sports organizations in the nation at connecting with their fans. It seems they are one of the best at looking at their organization through the eyes of a fan. In previous posts I've talked about the #hartnelldown, #myplayoffstory and other branding pushes in the NHL. I remember an advertising initiative a few years ago based on NHL fans. Their tagline was something like "hockey fans aren't like other fans." The campaign aimed at building loyalty to the NHL by reinforce a unique identity for hockey fans. 

     They league recently introduced another great initiative that is totally fan-focused. Puck Personalities is a video series on the NHL.com blog in which hockey superstars answer all kinds of questions, some about hockey, most about their personal lives and preferences. The video series allows fans to see the athletes they love on the ice in a more personal setting. I felt like I knew the players I've watched for years so much better after watching just a few short videos. 
     When fans feel connected to players, teams and leagues, being a part of the sport is no longer what they do, but a part who they are. Any business that can do that will be able to build strong fan support, and the NHL seems to be getting better and better at it! 

Links to a few puck personality videos:
Favorite Halloween Costume
Not an NHL player
Bucket List

What is your league?

SportTechie.com

Image from SportTechie.com

I love looking at communication patterns and implications in the sports world. I especially enjoy seeing how sports and technology continue to merge together. If you are interested in sports and technology, I highly recommend the SportTechie.com. I get on this site and find myself clicking from article to article because there are so many interesting insights about how technology is being used in sports performance and sports marketing. Here's a link to a great article about the best teams at social media fan engagement in college football.

Royals Reign in the Social Kingdom

 Sports and culture have always been connected. With the growth of technology and social media, that connection has become stronger and more apparent. What happens in sports affects the online world, and what happens online can have just as strong of an impact on sports. The climb of the Kansas City Royals to the world series has electrified MLB fans across the country. While late game heroics and gritty baseball have taken the spotlight, there is a parallel level of hype surrounding the team in the online world. 

     USAtoday reported that the hit song "Royals" by Lorde has been banned in San Francisco by some local radio stations until the series ends. Here's a fun example of the blending that happens between the sports and social worlds. In addition, the Royals' success has also brought to the public eye a YouTube video made before the season started, in which some Kansas City locals "prophetically" sing about the success of their team. While America will continue to love its underdog stories, the ways in which we engage and take in those stories will continue to change as quickly as the social media world does. 


Click Here to see the Original "Lorde" Video

Hockey Fights Infographic

Check out this infographic on hockey fights. It's a couple of years old but still informative, especially for looking at trends.

Worth the Fight?

     The NHL season just started this month, and while fans are following their teams with high hopes, they are also wondering whether a long standing part of the sport is disappearing. Fighting. Just yesterday, an article showed up on cbssports.com an incident in a game on Tuesday in which linesmen broke up a fight before it started. While in most settings, breaking up a fight before it starts would be tallied as a success, not everyone agrees that’s the case when it comes to hockey. If fighting is going to go away, it is not going to slip away without being noticed. Fans care about fighting. Some don’t like it. Some argue it’s as much a part of the game as the ice and the puck. Anyone who isn’t sure whether or not fans care about fighting should go check out hockeyfights.com, which provides updated fighting stats for both individual players and teams. The site even provides an opportunity for site visitors to vote for winners.

     Whether for better or worse, fighting is fading from the NHL. So far this year, fights per game is as low as it’s been in almost a decade, and steadily decreasing. Fans now have about a 30% chance of seeing a fight when they attend a game. Past and current players also agree that the use of “enforcers” to infuse physical intensity into the game is becoming less and less prominent in the league.

     Not everyone is sad about the idea of fighting disappearing in sports in general. Many see it as part of a larger problem. Sports mirrors society. Some argue it helps shape society in someways. By encouraging violence, are we setting up role models for ourselves and our kids that we will regret?

     I recently took up a part time job filming little league football games on Saturdays. I’ll admit I've been a little surprised with the way coaches and parents talk to their 7 year old kids. “I don’t care who you hit, just hit someone!” or “you need to take someone out.” As I've watched quietly from behind the camera, I’ve debated in my own mind whether this is just harmless pep talk, or whether it teaches kids that treating each other right had limit. Can we really encourage violence and fighting in sports but expect civil behavior off the field? Like I said, I’m still debating that question myself, and while I’ve always enjoyed watching the gloves come off at the rink, I now find myself asking the same question the NHL is wrestling with. Is it really worth the fight?