October 8th, 2009
Most people fall into the fame game unexpectedly. Often they have a special talent that puts them in the spotlight whether it be in sports, TV, music or film.
I don’t know many people who actively pursue a career for fame alone. If they did then they would never make it. Fame is often a by-product of success or in some cases a necessity to achieve success.
Having worked with my fair share of ‘famous’ people I can tell you that most are incredibly uncomfortable with the fame game. Sure, they enjoy some of the perks but after experiencing the dizzy heights of fame, most would take the money and leave out the fame if given the choice.
The biggest downside to the fame game is that there is no off and on button. You can’t switch it off on a bad day. When times are good and the press positive, famous people will happily stand in the spotlight and do star jumps. But come tough times and negative press, the same people want to turn the light off and curl into a ball.
This inability to turn the light off still troubles the most experienced famous people, you only have to look at the Greg Norman / Chris Evert story. Greg has never had a problem using his fame to build a successful business empire and was more than happy to tell the world about his new relationship (picture Greg under a spotlight doing star jumps) but then it broke down. Suddenly a relationship that was everyone’s business, is now no ones business according to Greg. The game doesn’t work that way.
The point I’m trying to make is this. Whether you’re already famous or you’re chasing a career with the potential to be famous, you gotta realise that the light stays on through the good, bad and the downright ugly. If you can accept this as reality and you are comfortable to wear the consequences in the tough times then go ahead and turn that light on.
Tags: Chris Evert, Greg Norman, TV
Posted in Communication, Media, Personal Development, Strategy, golf | No Comments »
October 6th, 2009
Having the ability to think creatively gives you a massive advantage in the business world. So it would make sense that you should improve this skill set right?
Some people are good at numbers, others with words. And it’s the same with creativity. Some people think analytically, while others think differently!
I think it’s important to play to your natural strengths but I also believe a little creative flair is important to develop. If you disagree then think about the concept of ‘gut feel’. The most successful business people rely heavily on intuition for major decisions. This intuition is developed from the right-side of the brain.
The best way to develop the right-side of your brain is to exercise it. Just like you exercise a bicep to be stronger, you’ve got to exercise the mind to be stronger.
So what are the best exercises? A good place to start is the web where you can find games like this one. If you’ve got an iphone, look for apps like the Moron Test or Whack Pack just to name a couple. The phone apps are great. You can play with them while waiting for a meeting, waiting for a flight or sitting in a taxi. Try to use them once a day even for just 5mins. You’ll notice a dramatic increase in your ability to think creatively.
My personal favourite right-side exercise is to come up with witty one liner’s or quick fire jokes. I don’t have time to come up with these from scratch, so I use daily news items as the catalyst for a joke. I find this really gets my creative juices flowing and ideas come much quicker in the business world as a result.
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October 2nd, 2009
Forbes Magazine, today announced Tiger Woods as the first sportsman to break through the billion-dollar earnings barrier.
This is a staggering achievement but it’s not really surprising. If you look at my “10 Things That Make An Athlete Marketable” you’ll notice Woods covers every base and then some.
The average punter will look at the 1$ billion and shake their heads at the craziness of it. But let’s break it down. Think about the money Woods has brought into the USPGA, its sponsors and golf in general. Event sponsor rights go up, broadcast rights go up, TV advertising goes up, ticket sales go up, memorabilia sales goes up, golf equipment sales go up, membership for local golf clubs increases and we haven’t even discussed Woods’ personal sponsors yet.
Not since Michael Jordan have we seen an athlete transcend a sport and influence the market quite like Woods has. On that point, Nike must be congratulated for their ability to secure another ‘once in a generation athlete’.
Sports is big business because it attracts big business. And the big athletes get the biggest slice of the pie. And they don’t come any bigger than Tiger Woods.
Woods deserves every cent of that $1 billion.
Tags: Forbes Magazine, golf, Michael Jordan, Nike, Tiger Woods, USPGA
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September 30th, 2009
Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos has said there is next to no chance that wayward Carlton forward Brendan Fevola will be playing in the harbour city next season.
This is not surprising given the Swans recruitment policy. However it does beg the question, we’re does a club draw the line on bad boys?
Australian Cricket stuck with Shane Warne for years until a positive drug test forced them to sit him on the sidelines.
A strict recruitment policy is great foundation to build a club on and the Swans and more recently the Canterbury Bulldogs have shown this strategy to be hugely successful. But what if the bad boy puts bums on seats and wins games?
It’s a fine line, but one thing is fact. There will always be bad boys, very talented game winning bad boys and they’ll always find a club. Because on field success is to big an incentive in the money hungry world of sport.
Tags: Brendan Fevola, Canterbury Bulldogs, Carlton, Cricket Australia, Paul Roos, Shane Warne, Sydney Swans
Posted in AFL | No Comments »
September 23rd, 2009
Yesterday’s Daily Telegraph reported the poor TV ratings for last Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup between Australia and New Zealand.
Is anyone really surprised?
I mean, here we have a product that refuses to change with the times. My biggest problem is this – rugby heads forget that their game is a PRODUCT. A product that competes in the ‘entertainment space’ for your money and mine.
Rugby is no different to a product you buy in the supermarket. I don’t care how strong the brand is, how long it’s been around, how much tradition it has behind it or how many loyal customers it has. If that product doesn’t adapt and evolve over time then its competition will eat it up.
Can you imagine if Nokia stopped developing their technology? What if after building their first handset they chose to sit back for the next 50 years with the same mobile phone? Oh but that’s like comparing apples to oranges you say, or is it? Nokia would have died a quick death due to the nature of technology and the type of product but let’s be honest, rugby isn’t that much different, it’s just dying a much slower death.
Unlike most products and services, sports have the luxury of moving at a much slower pace when it comes to developing their product. Massive overhauls are not required. Sports can survive with just a few subtle changes here and there.
Rugby League is constantly reviewing and tweaking its game and cricket has embraced 20/20 so it appears some sports get it. Rugby doesn’t. It has too big an ego to look itself in the mirror and admit it has a problem.
Shame, because consumers deserve better. They deserve to buy into a product that constantly strives to be the best.
PS. Thanks to everyone who filled out the brief survey. Appreciate your responses.
Tags: Bledisloe Cup, Cricket, Daily Telegraph, Nokia, Rugby League
Posted in Cricket, Rugby, Rugby League | No Comments »
September 21st, 2009
Put your hand up if you like surveys? Hmm, thought so.
What if the survey will improve a blog you read, like this one? Would you consider it then?
I’ve put a link below to a survey with just eight simple questions. Any feedback is greatly appreciated guys.
NB. Please include any topics you would like me to cover relating to sports management in future posts.
CLICK HERE
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
manager who blows the most smoke up their butt. That manager knows they won’t achieve anywhere near what they promise but they know a signature means some income for themselves and this is usually enough to justify them lying their asses off.
