This week in Sports Education News – With 14 teams on the waitlist to get a game, Court side manager Heather Campana says social weekday sport is more popular than ever. The Forbes/Wolfe Emerging Technology Report is proud to present a special four-part conversation with New York Times Bestselling Author David Epstein. A Google search for the term “plucky Aussies” returns no fewer than 2360 results. We are a nation with a seemingly eternal chip on our shoulder, forever needing to prove that we belong on the global stage. The 2014-15 State Budget includes a number of initiatives to boost the health and wellbeing of young South Australians. Sports reporters often lead their newsrooms in activity on social media. That doesn’t mean they have to like it. Mike McMahon illustration — The Record High school student athletes, like most teens in the U.S., learned use social media as a means to communicate with family friends as well as post updates about their every-day life. However, they also need to learn that one tasteless post or picture to a site could remain with them from years to come. During the last Penguins’ season, Abby L., a 34-year-old fan from Evans City, attended 14 weekday games at Consol Energy Center. She sat in the upper bowl and spent an average of $83.50 on tickets. She bought nachos, sushi and beer during her 11 concession visits and purchased nine merchandise items, including a Sidney Crosby jersey (small).
Social sport takes off
6/ 17/ 2014: David Baylis
With 14 teams on the waitlist to get a game, Courtside manager Heather Campana says social weekday sport is more popular than ever.
With family and work commitments filling up weekend schedules, more people are turning to social sport.Offering cricket, basketball, soccer and netball during the week, Ms Campana said the social games played at the Canning Vale facility had become more serious.“It is no longer about having fun it’s all about winning,” Ms Campana said.
“I have found there are a lot more games where players are exchanging words between players and their disagreements are more intense between certain teams.“I have witnessed a punch up with two women and only in a Div 3 game that is the lowest grade we have in the comp – they don’t like being pushed around, so hands and hair pulling was happening.”
How Science Is Revolutionizing Sports: A Four-Part Conversation With David Epstein
6/ 11/ 2014: Josh Wolfe – Forbes
The Forbes/Wolfe Emerging Technology Report is proud to present a special four-part conversation with New York Times Bestselling Author David Epstein.
David Epstein is the author of The Sports Gene, a New York Times Bestselling book about extraordinary athletic performance. Epstein authored or co-authored several of Sports Illustrated’s most high profile investigative pieces, including the revelation that Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003; an investigation of fraudulently marketed athletic performance and healthcare remedies (including deer antler spray); and an investigation that prompted the resignation of Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel by revealing a pattern of NCAA violations during his tenure. In ‘09, Epstein did a three-month stint with ProPublica, where he wrote about the dangers of nuclear cleanup work funded by the federal stimulus package. Epstein graduated from Columbia University in 2002 with a B.S. in environmental science and astronomy, and holds master’s degrees in journalism and environmental science from the school.
Why Australia gets clucky over plucky defeats
6/ 19/ 2014: Daniel Cherny – The Age FIFA World Cup 2014
A Google search for the term “plucky Aussies” returns no fewer than 2360 results. We are a nation with a seemingly eternal chip on our shoulder, forever needing to prove that we belong on the global stage.
Australia’s most fabled sporting triumphs are moments in which the glass ceilings of athletic pursuits have broken open. Ashes and Bledisloe Cup victories are enjoyed, but it is the America’s Cup, Tour de France and Masters breakthroughs which will endure. These are boxes ticked on the Aussie sport ‘to-do list’.
In 2003, Johnny Warren – the late godfather of Australian soccer – lamented his sport’s tolerance in a fit of frustration, “I’m sick of us saying, ‘When are we going to qualify for the World Cup?’ When are we going to win the World Cup?… Call me a dreamer.”
Funding boost for healthy kids
6/ 19/2014: Lucy Hood – South Australia
The 2014-15 State Budget includes a number of initiatives to boost the health and wellbeing of young South Australians.
Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said the State Government will deliver on its election commitments to provide sports vouchers for primary school students, double the reach of a popular cycling program and establish outdoor learning areas in preschools.
“This year’s State Budget includes $7.7 million over four years for South Australian primary
school children to receive a $50 voucher from 2015 to help pay their yearly sports club fees,”
Mr Koutsantonis said.
How do sports reporters at newspapers adapt to the Internet? Often, grudgingly
6/ 16/ 2014: Joseph Lichterman – Nieman Journalism Lab
Sports reporters often lead their newsrooms in activity on social media. That doesn’t mean they have to like it. While the rise of the Internet has obviously impacted all corners of the journalism world, if you were ranking the most affected, sports reporters at newspapers would be high on the list. Passionate fan bases have more choices than ever — some well beyond a paper’s distribution area — from which to gobble up coverage of their favorite teams. Social media has allowed journalists to build personal brands and establish themselves as experts on the teams and sports they cover. The game story has lost importance to the small update or the smart analysis.
Some have been made into stars by the new platform. But just because they tweet doesn’t mean they have to like it. Despite the promise of increased reach, there’s still a general disdain toward social media and the generation of online-first sports sites that has grown up over the past decade, according to an interesting (if admittedly small) study on the impact of trends in online publishing on newspaper sports journalists’ jobs.
Socially Responsible: Coaches, student-athletes attempt to learn do’s and dont’s of social media
6/ 21/ 2014: Laura Amato – The Record Prep Sports
Mike McMahon illustration — The Record High school student athletes, like most teens in the U.S., learned use social media as a means to communicate with family friends as well as post updates about their every-day life. However, they also need to learn that one tasteless post or picture to a site could remain with them from years to come. TROY >> A few weeks ago, Matt Harvey posted a picture on Twitter.
On the six month anniversary of his Tommy John surgery, the Mets pitching ace, perhaps bored during some down time in his rebilitation, posted a “Throwback Thursday” photo of himself, sitting in a hospital bed, with a smile on his face.
The only problem was there was more to the photo than just a smiling Harvey. There was also a middle finger. Harvey’s post showed him with his middle finger raised to the camera, broadcast immediately to more than 100,000 followers.
Big Data Helps Sports Teams Understand Their Customers
6/ 23/ 2014: Bob Cohn – Athletic Business
During the last Penguins’ season, Abby L., a 34-year-old fan from Evans City, attended 14 weekday games at Consol Energy Center. She sat in the upper bowl and spent an average of $83.50 on tickets. She bought nachos, sushi and beer during her 11 concession visits and purchased nine merchandise items, including a Sidney Crosby jersey (small).
The club has access to this information, and more, because Abby L. participates in Pens Points, a loyalty program that offers a wide range of perks and privileges in return for her dogged support. Members also enjoy a personalized game experience, further increasing their likelihood of remaining dedicated fans. Abby L. is known as a “power user,” and the Penguins want to keep her.
