MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014
PAGE 16
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MARKETING
College football can learn from Sporting KC
The Wall Street Journal published a story this past week that has somewhat gone untold until now — how multiple schools in major college football conferences reached out to Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City for help with marketing strategies.
Soccer's popularity is growing in the U.S., but why it is growing is now more clear. MLS franchises, Sporting in particular, understand exactly who their target is and how to market to that target.
It's not surprising considering the success of Sporting's marketing tactics. Since rebranding in 2010 and opening Sporting Park in 2011, Sporting KC's average game attendance has risen by about 10,000 in less than five years.
The athletic departments looking for answers in the journal article
included the University of Florida, Oklahoma State University and Pacific-12 conference officials. Why is a business that averages around 75,000 fans per game in the SEC asking for marketing assistance from the MLS, a business which averages around 18,000 per game?
Half-full student sections is becoming a commonality in college football. At the University of Florida, the attendance in the student section sunk to a mere 66 percent in 2013,
according to the Journal article. A story in ESPN earlier this year said that the University of Arizona sold a little over 10,000 seats to students, yet half of those seats were empty on game days.
The reason Sporting has had success marketing to the under-30 crowd is because they continue to energize the supporters' experience and are in tune with how they can fulfill their needs and wants, like free WiFi at Sporting Park and the embracing of the team's local Kansas City identity.
The World Cup watch parties at the Power and Light District in Kansas City, Mo., hosted by Sporting, were young-adult oriented, and it was evident by the number of people who packed the "Kansas City Live!" mosh pit. Just this weekend, Sporting's two best players, Matt Besler and Graham
Zusi, signed four-year contract extensions. Both said their decision to stay was in large part because of the fans and the atmosphere Sporting has built around both the supporters and the players.
Zusi told The Kansas City Star, "the vision and direction of this club is something I want to be a part of for a long time." This all goes back to advertising. The vision Zusi mentioned is Sporting's fan base is something worth sticking around for.
That's the main reason college football has turned to Sporting for help: they're not succeeding in marketing toward young adults, but a large portion of Sporting's audience is the kind that college football is hoping to draw to their stadiums.
Edited by Emma LeGault
COMMENTARY
Wiggins would benefit from James as mentor
I was sitting in a subway station in the nation's capital when I got the news—The King was returning to Cleveland.
In an instant, I, along with the rest of the sports world, became immersed in the social media hysteria and the immediately famous "I'm Coming Home" letter. I was so absorbed in the situation that for a moment I lost track of where I was and what I was doing and almost missed my train.
But I couldn't help myself, I could see it already. Kyrie Irving was bringing the ball up the court and quickly passing it off to James on the left wing. He was driving the paint, drawing the usual double coverage. Before the defense could react, out of the corner of his eye, James spots former Jayhawk Andrew Wiggins flying towards the basket just in time to throw a lob to the rookie for one of his signature alley-oop slams.
There is no doubt that James' move
in free agency means big things for the Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland, but the inevitable rewards could be just as great for Kansas former freshman phenom Andrew Wiggins.
Before the acquisition of James, Wiggins was joining a mostly young squad on a rebuilding team—now the Cleveland Cavaliers are among the favorites to win the NBA title. In his decision letter, James expressed his desire to be a mentor to developing young players. With him by his side, Wiggins could be guided toward and reach his potential far
Who better to mentor the young star? As a former number one pick himself, James has stood in the same shoes that Wiggins is standing in now. Their freakish athleticism is remarkably comparable and their shared habit of constant success could help the Cavaliers bring the city of Cleveland its first championship in a major sport since 1964.
However, the addition of James could mean something else entirely for Wiggins—a trade. The Cavaliers reportedly willing to exchange Andrew Wiggins for older, proven talent, and all arrows are pointing towards Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves. If Wiggins were to end up in Minnesota, he would be immediately expected to be a major contributor on a chronically mediocre team and would most likely miss out on any significant mentoring opportunities.
earlier than expected.
How do you place value on a player
that nas yet to prove himself in this league? The Charlotte Hornets faced a similar situation to the one Cleveland is facing now in 1996. The Hornets had just drafted a remarkable young talent, Kobe Bryant, but decided to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers before the season began. The Lakers got Bryant and five championships over the next 14 years while the Hornets got a player by the name of Vlade Divac. If you've never heard that name before, you're not alone.
There is no denying Wiggins is going to be a star in this league. With or without James, he will rise to fame like the many number one picks that came before him.
Life is all about decisions. Cleveland must choose their path wisely, or spend the rest of time wondering what could have been.
Edited by Emma LeGault and Tom DeHart
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