The Sports Info Business

Tim Toone probably does not yet know what is in store for him.  How could he?

Later this week, the record-setting wide receiver from Weber State, will be honored as the last draft choice during the 35th annual Irrelevant Week.

Started by Newport Beach resident Paul Salata, Irrelevant Week is about doing something good for no reason. It is a week-long festival of fun, frolic and fundraising in the heart of Newport Beach.

One component of the festivities is the All-Star, All-Sports Lowsman Banquet which includes a roast of Toone. The banquet is schduled for Wednesday, June 30 at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa.

Proceeds from this year’s Irrelevant Week will benefit Goodwill of Orange County Fitness Center.

I shot and edited these two videos which helps explain Irrelevant Week.

Here is the second video.

The Lowsman Trophy and banquet “Celebrating Successful Underdogs” will feature emcees Salata and ESPN radio’s John Ireland.

The banquet is also scheduled to feature the following luminaries:

** John Robinson, former football coach at USC and Los Angeles Rams

** Hall-of-Famer Ron Yary, USC football and Minnesota Vikings

** Norm Chow, UCLA and USC college football offensive coordinator

** Jim Tunney, NFL referee for 31 years

** Sam Cunningham, Former USC Trojan and New England Patriot and member of College Football Hall of Fame

** Anthony Davis, played at USC and for the LA Rams

** Olympians including Janet Evans (two time Olympian and winner of four gold medals), John Nabor (1976 Olympian and five-time medal winner) and Sammy Lee (two-time Olympian and two-time gold medal winner).

Prior to the banquet, the official arrival party gets underway starting at 5:00 p.m.  This free portion of the event features fun and gifts for Mr. Irelevant.  Some past gifts have included:

• Get out of Jail free card
• A Clock to keep track how long Mr. Irrelevant sits on the bench
• Toilet seat covers
• Kayak
• Make him a millionaire for a day.  He gets interest on $1 million for one day
• Streets named after him
• Different “uniforms” in case he does not make his selected team, the Detroit Lions (UPS uniform, In and Out Uniform, grocery bagger uniform)
• First aid kits

Individual tickets for the banquet are available for $150 and you can reserve a ticket or a table by calling (949-263-0727).

December is here and the holiday rush to buy presents is on.  In a related move, I recently posted a one question poll and asked, would you consider purchasing a comprehensive 2010 event schedule with a focus on sports?  The overwhelming majority, 66% said, yes, there is an interest in this solution.

Since then, I have been hard at work creating something that would fit everyone’s need.  You can visit it here at SportsCalendarPro.com

First, I created a master sports calendar.  It has every major sports event in the United States.  What did I include?  In no particular order, here is a listing of just SOME of the events.  The Super Bowl, The 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2010 World Cup, College Bowl Games, The Kentucky Derby, the Indy 500, the men’s and women’s college basketball NCAA tournament and Final Four, sports conferences for sports related events like the IEG Sponsorship Summit and the 2010 World Sports Congress.  There are about 100 sports events in all.

As a sports executive and dedicated sports fan, I want and need to know what is happening and when it is happening.  It would be nice to find everything in one place for the enter year.  I am tired of searching for the Next event.  It is also great for planning events.  Not a sports fan, but you may be involved in major life events like getting married or you are just planning major events like fundraising dinners?  Then this is ideal for you as well.  I cannot remember how many times a major golf event or fundraising dinner collided with a major sports event and either a TV was wheeled in an event or continuous updates were given to keep people informed.

Belowis a snap shot of the calendar for two weeks in April.  If you click on the image you can see it in a full screen view.

If you want additional details of the event itself, you can click on say The NCAA Frozen Four dates and you will see this

At SportsCalendarPro.com, I created the site where you can view it online via a gmail account and from there, you can easily download this or sync it with Outlook and iphone.  I did it and it now runs as event dates on my master calendar.

The second option is to purchase the 2010 Master Calendar.  This includes not only al of the sporting events, but also includes the 2010 Entertainment Calendar, the 2010 Technology Calendar and major U.S. holidays.  For example, want to know when the 2010 Academy Awards take place or the ESPYs?  Maybe you want to visit the Sundance Film Festival, CES in Las Vegas or Macworld?  Then, this option is for you.

Last, which you won’t find on the home page but you will find on the ordering page, is the 2010 Custom Calendar.  It includes all of the above and allows you to add four (total) sports team schedules to the mix. For example, say you live in New York or the Boston area.  You can add the 2010 schedule for the Yankees, Mets, Nicks and Islanders in one place.  Hate NY teams but love Boston sports?  Then you can choose the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics schedules.

You write a sports related blog?  This allows you to preview the event since you know what is coming up.

Okay, it is the first time I have blatently plugged a product in the year I have been writing this sports business blog, but it is my product and I really believe in it.

Please, visit the site, Re-Tweet and Post this onto facebook or Digg for others to see.

Consider purchasing this unique holiday gift for the sports fan or event planner in your life.

This week, we had our monthly board meeting at the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation (OCYSF).  I have been apart of this 501c-3, non-profit group since my time with the (then) Mighty Ducks and I am proud to say the group has had a positive impact on on the lives of many.

First, some brief history…..OCYSF is a non-profit organization based in Southern California.  The board is comprised of businessmen who are devoted to athletics and our county’s youth.  The Foundation distributes scholarships and grants to young athletes in Orange County and provides assistance to tax-exempt, sports related organizations.  The Foundation also assists individuals who have medical needs related to or associated with athletics.

It is a great group of folks that have fun and make an impact in the local community.  Some of the members include former USC star and NFLer Mike Salmon, gold medal Olympic Swimmers Janet Evans and Brian Goodell, basketball coach Danny Rogers, former Major Leaguer and Angel Tom Murphy and of course one of the organization’s founders Paul Salata (USC , San Francisco 49ers but also well known for Irrelevant Week)

There are three areas where the group concentrates its time.

1) Youth Scholarships — Each year, we hand out scholarships to worthy high school student athletes that have excelled on and off the field.  The awards include a scholarship dinner with parents and a check that helps, in a small way, to pay the growing expenses of college education.

2) Grants — OCYSF also provides dollars to local youth sports related organizations.  For example, a Santa Ana Little League had no funds to replace threadbare uniforms and was seeing its dispirited participants prepare to disband. The struggling league was left out of the Southern California-wide disbursement of the surplus funds of the 1984 Olympic Games, funds earmarked to aid youth sports. Consequently, the league was losing its battle to remain self-sufficient.  OCYSF stepped in to help bridge the gap.

3) Annual Banquet – This is where it all started.  The history of the group began with an annual banquet in 1971 by honoring race car driver Dan Gurney.  In those days no one was raising money, just having lots of fun.  Today, it is all about making an impact for children.  The list of past honorees is impressive:  Peter Ueberroth, Tommy Lasorda, Jim Nance, Pete Carroll, Carson Palmer…. It goes on and on.  The event is a smash hit which roasts the honoree.  The banquet draws 500 during a tough economy and as many as 800 when times are good.

I got involved with this group because I always believed that senior sports management professionals needed to be attached to their community.  With the Anaheim (then Mighty) Ducks, I always encouraged each leader to adopt one organization and sit on its board, serve as an honorary chairman or some sort of involvement that matched with our overall business and community goals.

If you consider yourself a hard core NFL football fan, you may have watched the entire football draft of college players.   I doubt it but you may have.   If you are Paul Salata, the last pick is just as good as the first.

Salata, a former football player at USC and briefly in the NFL, led his annual crusade to the NFL draft party and helped announce the final pick.  For Salata and friends, why is this just as important as the Lions number one pick?

The last pick of the draft is honored annually by Salata and friends in Newport Beach at an annual event called Irrelevent Week.  The 256th pick is made a hero, (and the butt of a few jokes) which includes a few days of good fun and all in the name of charity.

You know the Heisman trophy?  Draft Number 256 is awarded the “Lowsman” trophy which includes a statue of a football player dropping the pigskin.

This year, the Orange County Goodwill Fitness Center is the benefit of all of the fun and antics, which includes a banquet dinner and a few excuses for a party and drinks.

According to Salata and the organization’s web site, It all began in 1976 when a totally unknown and obscure wide receiver from the almost totally unknown University of Dayton, Kelvin Kirk, became the last player selected in the NFL draft that year – Old # 487 – and he was quite shockingly invited to Newport Beach for a week of upside-down celebrating and cheering.Irrelevant Week was born.
It all transpired that historic first week just as Irrelevant Week founder Paul Salata hoped and dreamed. Hardly anyone outside of Newport Beach swooned or blinked. Few noticed. Fewer cared. Perfect. It was so irrelevant that birds didn’t even sing (IW history section, not my line).

And so what was originally planned to be a mere one-shot-only, once-in-a-lifetime brief flight into happy lunacy lingered and survived and grew into something much more.

Once Irrelevant Week hit age 20, it became rather obvious that it will never go away. It’s here to stay.

This year’s chosen one, South Carolina place kicker Ryan Succop will be thanking the Kansas City Chiefs for years to come.   Now you might think that the last pick will never make an NFL team so he might as well enjoy all of the attention during the week in which he is honored, right?  Let’s take a quick look at previous “honorees.”

Just last year, Mr. Irrelevant David Vobora (Idaho) not only made the St. Louis Rams but appeared in eight games and started one.  Here is a complete list of past Mr. Irrelevant’s, the pick in the draft and the team that draft them.  If you see their names in blue, they stuck around and played in the NFL.

2007 (255) Detroit Lions
Ramzee Robinson, CB Alabama

2006 (255) Oakland Raiders
Kevin McMahan, WR Maine

2005 (255) New England Patriots
Andy Stokes, TE William & Penn

2004 (255) Oakland Raiders
Andre Sommersell, OLB Colorado State

2003 (262) Oakland Raiders
Ryan Hoag, WR Gustavus Adolphus

2002 (261) Houston Texans
Ahmad Miller, DT UNLV

2001 (246) Arizona Cardinals
Tevita Ofahengaue, TE Brigham Young

2000 (254) Chicago Bears
Michael Green, DB NW Louisiana

1999 (253) Chicago Bears
James Finn, RB Pennsylvania

1998 (241) Baltimore Ravens
Cam Quayle, TE Weber State

1997 (240) Green Bay Packers
Ronnie McAda, QB Army

1996 (254) San Francisco 49ers
Sam Manuel, LB New Mexico State

1995 (249) Carolina Panthers
Michael Reed, DB Boston College

1994 (222) New England Patriots
Marty Moore, LB Kentucky

1993 (224) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Daron Alcorn, K Akron

1992 (336) Washington Redskins
Matt Elliott, C Michigan

1991 (334) New York Giants
Larry Wanke, QB John Carroll

1990 (331) Los Angeles Raiders
Demetrius Davis, TE Nevada

1989 (335) Minnesota Vikings
Everett Ross, WR Ohio State

1988 (333) Los Angeles Rams
Jeff Bethard, WR Southern Oregon State

1987 (335) Green Bay Packers
Norman Jefferson, DB Louisiana State

1986 (333) San Diego Chargers
Mike Travis, DB Georgia Tech

1985 (336) San Francisco 49ers
Donald Chumley, DT Georgia

1984 (336) Los Angeles Raiders
Randy Essington, QB Colorado

1983 (335) New York Giants
John Tuggle, RB California

1982 (334) San Francisco 49ers
Tim Washington, DB Fresno State

1981 (332) Oakland Raiders
Phil Nelson, TE Delaware

1980 (333) Pittsburgh Steelers
Tyrone McGriff, G Florida A&M

1979 (330) Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Almond, WR NW Louisiana

1978 (333) Miami Dolphins
Bill Kenney, QB Northern Colorado

1977 (335) Oakland Raiders
Rolf Benirshke, K California-Davis

1976 (487) Pittsburgh Steelers
Kelvin Kirk, WR Dayton

As for Salata, by the time he saddled up to the NFL microphone to announce the final secrion, most of the people were already gone.  No matter.  It’s all irrelevent.

Here is the scedule for this year

Monday June 22

“Kick-Off” Arrival Beach Party

$20 per person

Welcome Mr. Irrelevant to Our Community (Newport Beach)

Tuesday, June 23

Guest of Disneyland & Angels Game

Wednesday June 24

All Star Lowsman Banquet

Newport Beach Marriott

Celebrities and NFL players team up to roast and toast Mr. Irrelevant

Thursday, June 25

Guest of Balboa Yach Club Sailing and BBQ

Friday June 26

Closing Ceremonies

For updated information about this year’s event, you can go to http://www.irrelevantweek.com/

This week’s “10 Topics with” features Bill Shumard, President/CEO of Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC). Prior to his current position, Bill served for 10 years as the Athletics Director at California State University Long Beach (CSULB), and prior to that he worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

1. Describe your current position and responsibilities.  

I am currently in my fourth year as President/CEO for Special Olympics Southern California, one of 52 programs in our country representing the world’s largest sports organization.  SOSC serves approximately 13,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities, changing their lives through the simple power of sports.  We have 50 full-time employees and utilize nearly 15,000 volunteers.  We are responsible to raise approximately $7.5 million each year and we receive a similar amount in in-kind products and services.

2. Tell us about your first job in sports. 

I received my first job in sports immediately following my graduation from CSU Long Beach.  I was named CSULB’s Sports Information Director after serving as a student-assistant in that department for my final two years of undergraduate studies.  It was the perfect “starter position,” for me, giving me the opportunity to understand the media as well as learning how to interact with the coaches and athletes.

3. What was the best advice you ever received? 

Be faithful in the little things.  Thoroughness and follow-up are crucial in all walks of life, and developing a reputation for trust and accountability is invaluable.

4. What What sports memory are you most fond of telling others? 

I have been  a part of a team or organization that has won a World Series (Dodgers); an NCAA National Championship (Long Beach State); and a Rose Bowl (USC)—those were all tremendous memories I love to share.  However, easily my biggest thrill was carrying the banner and leading the SOSC delegation into a packed arena at 2008 Special Olympics National Games.

5. Describe the areas of opportunity for growth in your business. 

Non-profit organizations, just like for-profit businesses, are becoming increasingly dependent upon creating and enhancing new revenue streams and opportunities.  We have doubled our Development/Marketing staff during my tenure and I see it continuing to increase—especially in the area of technology.  An ever-increasing amount of revenue is being generated each year on-line, and we have to be positioned to take advantage of that.

6. What are the biggest challenges that face your business today? 

In an economic downturn, you have the opportunity to evaluate everything your doing to find a way to do it more efficiently.  We recently cut the number of sports we offer—from 20 to 12—and the number of seasons we compete in—from three to two—in order to maximize our resources and have a more effective approach.  We are also closely examining our Return-on-Investment in all of our special events, seeking to maximize our efforts in staff time as compared to dollars raised.

7. How do you see Special Olympics doing business differently in these economic times?

Besides what I mentioned above, we are working more aggressively to expose our brand, which is one of the most respected in the country.  We are also building our volunteer base and relying more strongly on leadership in this area in order to reach significantly more athletes.

8. How has this business changed in the last 5-10 years? 

I can only speak for our organization, where I served as a volunteer member of the Board of Directors before assuming this position.  Everyone involved in a non-profit cause has a particular passion for it.  However, Peter Drucker once said, “In order to do good, you must first do well.”  I take that to mean that SOSC must—first and foremost—operate with solid business principles and a keen eye on the bottom line.  We have taken a very strategic approach to future growth and success in our organization, once we get through this difficult economic period.

9. What qualities have you always looked for when recruiting senior leadership positions? 

First and foremost, I need to be able to have trust in any of our key leaders.  I have to be confident of their personal character and honesty, as well as their work ethic.  Another key for me is how they relate to other people.  It doesn’t matter what walk of life you serve in, personal relationships are paramount at every level—especially in leadership.

10. If I had it to do all over again, I would…..

start by taking more law and economic classes in school to further my frame of reference in these key areas.  I’ve been fortunate to “learn by the seat of my pants” in some key areas such as these, but I certainly would have benefitted from  a more thorough and well-rounded education.  That’s why I’m such a big supporter of CSULB’s Graduate Program in Sport Management!

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Additional Background on special olympics

Special Olympics Southern California serves more than 11,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities in an 11-county region of southern California. The program offers sports training and competition in 23 Olympic-sanctioned individual and team sports on a year-round basis. Athletes range in age from eight to 80. SOSC is one of 52 accredited Special Olympics entities operating in the United States.