Paul Swangard Quotes (30 Quotes)

They've realized that the next generation of fans wants sports delivered any time, anywhere. They're astute in remembering that in every arrival of new media, sports has always been second to porn as the most compelling content.

The general feeling is that firms are trying to be more selective about the number of athletes with whom they have relationships. You have to remember that, for the most part, the industry is young and learning how to measure success and get the best return on its investment. The emerging trend is the use of entertainers and retired athletes to market these products.

Clearly in an era in which most athletic departments are told to be self-sufficient, they should look more like the way a business is structured.

The Cadillac dealership deal is an obvious and natural connection. But it's like a building that has a naming rights deal. It might prevent him right now from other deals,

There are still categories that are probably not going to want to attach their name to Kobe whether he rekindles all of that interest and excitement. ... It's no accident that a company like Nike that wants to target kids with their basketball shoes would be on board, whereas family-consumer brands that are more like McDonald's and Sprite are probably still a little reticent to come back into the fold.

I don't know if we'd call this a renaissance, but I think he's certainly coming back to life both on and off the court. He may never get back to where his potential was two or three years ago, but there was always the sense that he could rebuild some of that equity. ... It's clear he's well on his way.

Teams are realizing that it's not their business to be in broadcasting.

That's what folks thought Kobe could become. It was such a shock to the system what happened in Colorado.

That helps from a budget-planning perspective and brings expertise to the college level that professional sports teams have had in-house for decades.

Finance 101 will tell you, if you take the value of her figure skating revenue streams and discount it, this is a multimillion-dollar disappointment.

The Seahawks are a wonderful story. If you look at that franchise now, it's a success story for him.

The good news for NBC is that China is a bigger story than any athlete. The significance of those Games will draw the casual viewer because it's China. ... You are talking about 1.3 billion people and a country that is using the Games as a statement of its place in the global economy.

The NHL has taught us that the players need to understand that this is about extending the revenue opportunities to keep the dollars flowing. If you want to make millions, (you) have to do some things that are creative. It's about as saturated a marketplace for sports today than we've ever seen before.

It's not about bringing the loyal fans back. They're probably at the doors now. It's the casual fans that will make the difference between teams being profitable and not being profitable.

News of the deal broke on Oct. 5, when Adidas announced the partnership at its Investor Day in Germany, and sports business mavens took notice. To have historically the No. 1 soccer brand in the world invest in your league as a key sponsor is a great legitimizing statement to the league at a time when it's looking to expand again, ... My initial response when I first heard of the deal was that sixth-year MLS commissioner Don Garber and his group are sort of hitting their stride. The long-term approach to building a soccer league with managed and realistic expectations has really begun to show its dividends.

Fans of college football, particularly those who are spending a lot of their dollars, see things less as fans and more as investors. It does beg the question What point do we damage what was a tradition-based event I think you can have the best of both worlds.

The notion of what it represented is not a bad idea in 2006. This idea that someone is willing to pay for the Olympics when they want it, how they want it.

You want to be using the off-season to generate momentum. And nothing has happened, from the stadium issue on down, to give much acceleration to that momentum. For every step forward, it seems like they've taken two steps backward.

I suspect they realize that whether you love him or hate him, you want to watch. As for other companies, there's just too much to lose to tie their brand equity to Barry right now.

While not unprecedented, it takes us into a potentially new era. It's sort of the last bastion in American sports. We haven't been willing to accept it. I'm not sure if that's right or wrong, it's just not been done.

Companies realize there's a growth possibility in the lifestyle category not necessarily for athletic use, but because it looks good.

When you're flipping the channels on a Sunday and see his team on offense with him in the backfield or in the slot, you're going to stop. That awareness and interest is what marketers will covet.

Bush has the opportunity with the national championship game to have an unrivaled platform. If he does use that as his starting point into the professional ranks, he's got a stage. And to have somebody giving him good advice about using that stage accordingly and acting appropriately is not uncommon.

At this point fans are saying, 'Show me that my loyalty means something to you.' But it's a double-edged sword.

With all due respect to the Indians, I'm not sure there's an insatiable appetite for Indians programming and nothing else.

If you don't pay attention to them long term, you are going to wake up one day and have asked yourself, 'Where did all your fans go'

It may not be a mass audience, but a passionate audience. You're probably paying less than to get a mass market appeal. It gives you a focused way to reach the core of the brand.

What the NFL taught us . . . is that I can take an absolutely meaningless game between two teams that no one cares about, take them to Mexico, and turn it into an international marketing platform.

Nobody we've seen in the last 10 years has fallen as hard and tried to come back at this level. It makes sense to come back with a product that focuses on the court, where his performance message counts most. The core target audience here may be urban youth, but his image is still relevant, for example, to the mother of the shoe buyer, or anyone who holds the purse strings. Perception is what drives the market.

Moreover, retired athletes are more likely to steer clear of scandal. They don't do stupid things for the most part, ... What has been the biggest problem area for the endorsement business lately is people you thought were upstanding citizens doing something stupid.