Target & Soccer

Let's talk about how I am an avid soccer fan, I played competitive soccer all growing up and even played two years at the collegiate level. I am also a HUGE fan of Target! I was excited when I read the article "Target laces up its cleats in a play for these consumers' dollars" by Kristina Gustafson on CNBC. Target has announced that they will become the official partner of Major League Soccer. This partnership will include airtime during broadcasts, player appearances, and ownership of certain platforms. The senior vice president of Target's Marketing team stated, "there were so many different things that drew Target to choose soccer, the fact that it is multicultural, and watched and played by many families and is continually growing in popularity." Target is trying to invite soccer fans to engage with Target in many new ways. While I agree that this is a smart decision by Target because it will promote great opportunities for advertising and expansion, I do think that it will have some negative affects among other sports fans...those that are not soccer fans.

Sponsorship and other types of commercialism affect the way fans interact with the sport. I believe that those people who hate Major League Soccer but love Target will soon experience feelings of hate towards Target, because they will negatively associate Target with the MLS. It is a gamble when taking on a sponsorship and I believe the affects can be negative or positive. Although sports and media strive for a state of synergy, problems can arise. Fans can react one way or the other. They could feel really excited because they love Target or it could go in the absolute opposite direction and Target could actually lose more business.

This is a perfect example of the investment failure Disney had with the professional hockey team. Target is eager to exploit the cross-promotional potential they will have with the MLS, although they should make sure they factor in the negative effects that cross-promotion can have on both the sport and the media. There are billions of people who watch and participate in soccer games and there are also billions of people that don't. Using sports to sell more clothes or apparel at Target is dirty, "Sports dirt", in the sense that matter is out of place that doesn't quite belong where it has been re-positioned (Billings, Butterworth, & Turman, 2015). A phrase which involves "the power or logic of the association we have with sports to other products in the marketplace to make them more appealing" (Billings et al., 2015) Target is using soccer to make them look more appealing. It has no association with soccer whatsoever, it is simply using soccer's popularity to gain success for themselves.

Along with partnering with the MLS, Target will also sponsor the US Youth Soccer Program. Having this exposure to children might ingrain in their heads early to like Target, because they will associate it to positive and enjoyable times they have had while playing soccer. Or it might ingrain in their heads to hate Target from the bad experiences they had playing soccer. These could also be some positive or negative effects of cross-promotion.

I believe that marketing cross promotions will fail. I believe that this new sponsorship might seem like it will be successful, but essentially marketers are just creating illogical connections between our positive associations with soccer and trying to find a reason that it will make Target a more successful business and increase revenue (Billings et al., 2015). Too bad people are blinded by the excitement of this new sponsorship to see that it will eventually fail, just like Disney and The Mighty Ducks. 

Book Referenced:

Billings, A. C., Butterworth, M. L., & Turman P. D. (2015). Communication and sport, surveying the field. Washington, DC: SAGE.

Fans, fans, and more fans

I bet you guys did not know there are different types of sports fans out there. You probably just thought there were fans and that is all there was to them. Just fans. Well, let me tell you, there are two different types of sports fans, not to mention three different classifications of those sports fans. A fan is more than just someone who is at a game to observe, commonly known as a spectator, rather a fan is a more devoted spectator who feels some sort of emotional tie towards the sport itself and the teams that are playing. A fair-weather sports fan is someone who usually only displays interest in their sport of choice if the team is winning, versus a die-hard fan who is devoted no matter the score, win or lose.

I would categorize myself as a fair-weather sports fan, I usually peak interest if a team I like is doing well, or wins something big. I would also classify myself as a social and focused fan. I’m there at the game because a team from the University my husband attends is playing and it is fun. My friends are there and the atmosphere is enjoyable. I could care less about the outcome of the game, I am just there to have fun and hang out with friends. My husband falls under the classification of a vested fan. He generally gets upset if the team he supports loses. During March Madness, I would rather be dead than mock any predictions he makes and I am smart to leave him alone if the prediction he makes for the championship game goes haywire.

This brings me to an article I read on Fox Sports News that was posted today, January 19^th,  about the Tennessee Titans NFL Mock Draft for 2017. A lot of football websites create their own mock drafts. Because a lot of these websites are pretty in tune with the players on each team, this makes the mock drafts they create something people take seriously. One die-hard fan made a comment about his man crush Jamal Adams and that man crush of his was reason enough for him to be his pick number 5. He also commented about being in a bromance with his top 18 pick. When a fan is making comments where he feels this strongly for the players, you know there will be some definite heartbreak if his picks do not get chosen the way he predicts.

After reading through each of the commentary on who the Titansized fans pick for their mock drafts, I can see how these people really believe that their picks are 100% accurate and are the best choices for the Titans to make. My argument to this is that these fans may believe they know a player and all his statistics, but just because a person is an excellent collegiate player does not mean they will be successful in the NFL. Professional football is an entirely different league and game than college. A player who one fan might think is the greatest of all time might get drafted and then fail immediately as a professional athlete. There are just so many unpredictable variables that could affect a player’s ability to succeed in the NFL. Having good statistics is not enough. I understand and respect the fans of the Titans but I think that their opinions are just opinions. I think people are wasting their time reading through their mock draft picks when there are so many things that should be considered that are just unpredictable.

Introduction

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog!

My name is Megan Keetch and I am 24 years old. I currently live in Orem, UT and grew up in Pleasant Grove, UT which is just 20 minutes North of where I live now. I have been married to my husband for 2 1/2 years and we both are graduating soon! We met when we were in the 7th grade and started "dating" our Junior year of High School. Both of our parents also went to High School together and live about 5 minutes away from each other. I guess you could say, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

I currently work as a medical assistant to an orthopedic surgeon and I love anything medical. My job duties include rooming patients, obtaining vitals, calling in prescriptions, taking messages, ordering labs, MRI's, and scheduling surgeries. Prior to my current job I worked in physical therapy where I enjoyed rehabbing athletes and post surgical patients. I am a certified personal trainer and spent a lot of time training high school soccer players. After graduation I plan on applying to PA school to continue working in the field I love.

You might be wondering why someone like me is taking this class? Well, what you don't know is, I LOVE sports. I grew up playing all sorts of sports. From softball to gymnastics, soccer was my absolute favorite. I played competitive soccer all growing up and actually played two years here at SUU. I quit after my sophomore year to move back home and get married and not once have I looked back and regretted my decision. I grew up always wanting to play collegiate soccer and I did. I crossed it off my bucket list and moved on to bigger and better things.

After those two years of division one soccer and after two different ACL surgeries, I can officially say I am "retired" from playing soccer. I now just enjoy playing all sorts of sports just for fun, no more competition. Except, let's be honest, I am a very competitive person and I don't think that will ever change.

Here on my blog you will find bits and pieces of sarcasm hidden throughout my application of theoretical concepts. I am generally a sassy person and sometimes it is hard for it not to come out in my writing. I promise I will stay professional and honest, but I can't promise I won't have a little bit of fun while doing it.

I am looking forward to this class, as I am not good at knowing who played what or where and which team is better than who, but I generally enjoy sports. I enjoy reading or watching them, and analyzing and exploring the issues that drive sports communication research sounds just my cup of tea.