The Sports Info Business

How happy to do think the executives at American Airlines, AT&T Budweiser, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gatorade and Visa are these days?

Ask each of their sponsorship department’s and all have to be smiling.  Their commitment to the U.S. Women’s Soccer team is surely paying off right now as the women head into the World Cup Finals today vs Japan.

Another winner will certainly be ESPN, the broadcasters of today’s game, which starts at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, and 11:00 a.m. if you are suffering through Carmageddon on the West Coast.

It is certainly the feel good story of the summer in the United States.

The story is compelling.

Last weekend’s late comeback vs Brazil, after a referee blew a penalty kick and the American women played a player down only to tie the score late in overtime made for terrific reality TV.  It has stuck a cord with Americans everywhere.

Abby Wamback’s header into the back of the net boosted her star power to new heights and propelled the women’s team to the front pages of sports sections and web sites.

How compelling is this story?  Consider this headline, taken from the U.S. Soccer website:

The U.S. Women’s National Team woke up in Germany this morning to the news that they won Best Play at the ESPY Awards on Wednesday night for Abby Wambach’s header in the second minute of stoppage time in the second and final 15-minute overtime period of the FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal against Brazil.

The 6,000-plus athletes that crowded into the Nokia Theater earlier this week gave the women’s team a rousing applause for their efforts a half a world away.

Women’s soccer is back on top and in the news, 11 years after they won it on U.S. soil.

Many of us will be watching and pulling for this talented group.

Today’s the day:  U.S. vs Japan.

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Here are a few related articles and links to today’s match

U.S. team riding a ‘perfect storm’ to TV ratings success at Women’s World Cup

 Abby Wambach is using her head to lead the United States into Women’s World Cup final vs. Japan

Former U.S. players understand pressure facing teams in Women’s World Cup final

 Abby Wambach Stands Tall for U.S.

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Summertime in the sports business means two things:  The dog days of baseball are around the corner and if you are in the job market, you should be looking to teams that are out of season.  That is where most of the job opportunities are these days.  In order to keep the blog fresh, I have found the following jobs that are accepting applications for open positions.

Director of Marketing – San Francisco 49ers (Santa Clara, CA)

The Director of Marketing is responsible for all areas of advertising, brand development, merchandise, web and social media strategy, promotions, game operations, evaluating new marketing initiatives, and special events. Special events entail stadium entertainment, pre-game, post-game and half time ceremonies, sales & marketing events, including events at the 49ers training facility and stadium. Administrative duties include strategic planning, budgeting, media and agency negotiations, staffing and supervision. Key initiatives for position will focus on marketing strategy for 49ers new stadium in Santa Clara. Position could include the evaluation of bringing entertainment and production capabilities in-house.                               Additional Details

Vice President of Corporate Partnerships – Columbus Crew

The Columbus Crew is seeking an energetic, enthusiastic and innovative sales executive to lead the organization’s Corporate Partnerships department. The Columbus Crew Vice President, Corporate Partnerships is an integral part of the management team that contributes significantly to the overall success of the club. This position will be primarily responsible for prospecting and selling corporate sponsorship packages at all levels with the specific goal of maximizing net revenue. Creating compelling new sponsorship assets, developing valuable partner marketing programs, packaging the club’s numerous broadcast, digital media, social media, grassroots, stadium and other assets, negotiating corporate trade agreements to reduce expense, raise awareness and drive ticket sales are all critical functions of this position. Finally, the VP Corporate Partnerships is responsible for insuring the timely,accurate and effective delivery of corporate partner deliverables providing the highest level of service to our corporate clients. Direct reports will include the Senior Director of Corporate Sales, Director of Hispanic Business Development and the Director of Partnership Relations. Click here to Apply:

Vice President, Arena Operations & Entertainment – Memphis Grizzlies & FedExForum (Memphis, TN)

Position Purpose

As a Senior Executive of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Vice President, Arena Operations & Entertainment oversees all aspects of FedExForum management to include: Guest Relations, Event Booking, Event Operations, Conversions, Office Administration, Engineering, Security, Parking and Tenant Contracting & Management. As a key member of the Executive Staff, this position will also be responsible for creating a corporate culture that motives staff to perform to their fullest and achieve corporate goals in a collaborative manner. You can click here for Additional Background

Director of Customer Relationship Management – Olympia Entertainment/Detroit Red Wings (Detroit, MI)

The Director of Customer Relationship Management is responsible for developing powerful, sales generating marketing strategies utilizing all available media to accomplish the goals of the overall marketing strategy. Effectively communicate the strategic direction to both internal and external support teams to ensure effective execution. Negotiate all contracts and marketing agreements with outside vendors. Continually monitor and analyze program effectiveness and modify strategic direction as necessary to obtain high impact results.                     Apply Here

Manager/Sr. Manager Business Development – NBA

The successful candidate is responsible for generating revenue for the NBA through the sale of marketing partnerships that leverage the core NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League assets including League Intellectual Property, calendar events (e.g., Tip-off, NBA All-Star, Playoffs, Finals, etc.) and marketing platforms (e.g., NBA Cares, NBA Fit, NBA Green, etc.). Apply Here

This last position was sent to me today after I posted the others.  Here is the full job description.

Fan Development Representative – Los Angeles Galaxy

Department: Ticket Sales (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Reports to:  Manager of Service and Business Systems, Senior Director of Ticket Sales

POSITION PURPOSE:

The team is seeking a passionate, hard-working and dedicated individual to spearhead a new position that will focus on fan development.  Specifically, this position will involve managing current relationships with fan clubs; growing the fan club membership; organizing away game viewing parties and away game trips; establishing and managing a kids club; and working with college students.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Grow fan club membership – specifically through the selling of new full season seats
• Maintain and enhance relationship between front office and Galaxy fan clubs
• Manage fan club relationships at the organization level – security, banners at the stadium, singing, atmosphere at the game etc.
• Serve as primary point of contact for visiting fan clubs
• Develop a Galaxy “kids club” – establishing from the ground up including; creation of a business plan; fulfillment of all membership benefits; growing membership; ensuring the long-term success and viability of the program; integration of other departments as appropriate; maximizing sales leads generated through the program
• Seek out ways to enhance game day atmosphere
• Organize and manage away game viewing parties
• Organize away game trips/tickets for fans
• Create programs to directly connect with the student/college population within Southern California
• Manage relationships with existing fan club full season seat holders in conjunction with current LA Galaxy service specialist directives
• Work closely with ticket sales, service, marketing, PR, and operations etc.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor(s)

Specific Job Knowledge, Skill and Ability:

The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

• Soccer knowledgeable – MLS and global leagues, understands and identifies with the soccer supporter
• A proactive self-starter
• Proven leadership experience
• Ability to produce accurate and timely reports
• Ability to think on feet and make decisions quickly that uphold the integrity of the company
• Highly motivated, naturally aggressive, with a positive attitude
• Exemplary self-discipline, professionalism, pride and work ethic
• Outstanding listening, written, and verbal communication skills
• Committed to personal integrity and team oriented
• Detail oriented with ability to multi-task effectively and with a sense of urgency, sometimes under a high level of stress
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Creativity and ability to see ideas through to successful execution
• Enthusiasm for and/or experience in professional sports sales and/or service
• Thoroughness and attention to detail
• Compliance with organizational directives
• Flexible hours required: working evenings/nights, weekends and holidays

Qualifications, Education, Formal Training and Experience:

• At least 1-3 years of sales experience (professional sports preferred)
• Experience and training in Ticketmaster, Archtics, Goldmine or other Customer Relationship Management system
• High proficiency in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Internet use, and other basic computer usage
• Knowledge of sales and customer service (sports industry specific a plus)
• Grooming – employee must maintain a neat, clean and well-groomed appearance. Good hygiene & professional appearance required.  Business casual attire in office and during events.  Employees may be required to wear Galaxy attire (to be provided) when representing the Galaxy in public.
• Work Environment – at times the noise level may be loud (especially during games)
• Bilingual (English & Spanish) a significant plus.

COMPENSATION

• Base Salary plus commissions and bonuses
• Full Benefits

OTHER

• This is a new position at the LA Galaxy. Major League Soccer has stressed the importance of growing the league’s fan clubs.  The Galaxy are committed to this philosophy and hence are dedicating an entire position and investing significant resources to this initiative. This position is a critical one for the Galaxy.  The ideal candidate brings enthusiasm, solid experience, and a natural desire to make a footprint at the Galaxy and within MLS

To Apply:

I knew something had changed in the last week or so.

Out to lunch with friends, the TV played in the background and people were casually talking about the World Cup match.  That never used to happen.  With generations of Americans having  grown up playing soccer, it is a more educated America when it comes to the sport.  That and winning will change a lot of attitudes.

Landon Donovan’s winning goal was featured on national news — the ESPN commentators at PTI (Pardon The Interruption) and Around the Horn naturally focused on the story as well.  This video I found on YouTube really shows how far America has changed.  Love the different reactions.  Watch it.

The video was put together by kitchel22130 and the link to their YouTube channel.

What a strange and wonderful day in the world of sports. It has truly been the wide world of sports.

So different but if you had the time to watch some or all of either or both matches, it was a thing of beauty.

The day started with the World Cup match between USA and Algeria. It was win or go home for team USA and it looked, as regulation was coming to a close, the Americans were headed for a long long flight home.
Then American soccer sensation and Galaxy star Landon Donovan knocked in a loose ball in front of the Algerian goal in the 91st minute and suddenly the Americans had advanced to the round of 16 in South Africa.

Meanwhile over at Wimbledon a different drama was playing out on court 18 between 148th ranked Nicolas Mahut and 19th ranked John Isner.

The two singles players, which took their match to a fifth set played for more than seven hours. At Wimbledon, the fifth set is a win by two games and as the soccer game finished I noticed the two players were tied at 28-28 in the final set.
56 games played for a single set? For a first round Wimbeldon match?
The match was far from over. In fact, it was just beginning.  The games went to 30 apiece and as far from over. It jumped to 35 apiece and then 40-40 each in games.  When it got to 50-50, it felt like the score for a basketball game.  The only thing that could stop the match was the lack of light.

ESPN reporters, broadcasting the match, called it epic. Another said you would have to wait 50 to 60 years to see something like this again.  We will never see anything like this, ever.

The winners of today?  A few people…..

• The local fans who attended both of these events. For better or worse, no one will forget either.
• ESPN comes up huge as they broadcast both events
• Associated sponsors to gained valuable air time.  This includes Nike, IBM, Lacoste and Slazenger.
• Social Media — I saw the USA vs. Algeria match had set web record for traffic.  I am sure the tennis match will have a few online records of its own.
• Sports fans.  Records, drama and stories to retell for years to come.

The events could not have been more different and here’s why.

You have a soccer match, team sport that is timed.  Now compare it to a singles tennis match.  Two people who no one to depend on but themselves.  The fifth match is decided by two games, with no stop watch to halt the action.  It could go on forever and for the fans, broadcasters and especially the players, many felt it would never end. And is hasn’t ended.

Just take a look at the time of each set by Manut and Isner.

Set #1 32 minutes

Set #2 29 minutes

Set #3 49 minutes

Set #4 64 minutes

Set #5 Still going.

Total time for the match is 10 hours!

Here are some notes to compare to the tennis match:

• So far, the two players combined for 118 games in the final set alone.
• Haile Gebrselassie from Berlin set the Marathon word record on 9/28/08 with a time of 2:03.59.  He could have run three and had time to spare in the time it took to finish the tennis match.
• The two players combined for 118 points in the final set.  By comparison it took the Baltimore Orioles scored only 75 runs for the entire month of Aril, a span of 23 games.
• No service breaks in the first 118 games of the final set

The 1980 match between Bjorn Borg vs John McEnroe remains etched in my memory.  That match was 18-16, not even a third the number of games that Isner and Mahut played today.

What stopped it all?  The lack of light.  More fun tomorrow and a match no one will ever forget.

The 2010 World Cup is here and many sponsors and media are taking advantage of the World’s largest soccer tournament,  today, South Africa kicked off the festivities with the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kick Off Celebration which was carried live on ESPN2.

How are sponsors using activation of the event to drive their brand?  Here is one example from Coca Cola. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, player goal celebrations will be uploaded to a special web site    www.fifa.com/celebrations and fans will be invited to vote for the most outstanding player celebrations online.  All FIFA World Cup players celebrating goals will have a chance of winning. The award will respect the laws of the game.

A press release from Coca Cola goes on to explain, “Coca-Cola will contribute $1,500 to fund the “Water for Schools” initiative in Africa each time a player celebrates a goal. The eventual winner will be rewarded with the first-ever Coca-Cola Celebration Award. Coca-Cola will also donate on the winning player’s behalf an extra $50,000 to the “Water for Schools” program to mark the historic occasion for an anticipated total contribution of $300,000. The “Water for Schools” program is just one part of a $30 million legacy by Coca-Cola to provide at least 2 million people in Africa with clean water and improved sanitation by 2015.”

Not to be outdone, Nike (NYSE: NKE), which also has a very popular viral soccer video associated with soccer.  Called, Nike Football, write the future, the video has been seen by more than 14 million people.  It has great graphics and tells a great story.  See for yourself.

Nike also announced today that it is partnering with Arsene Wenger, Manager of Arsenal FC, the launching of “The Chance,” a global search for talented footballers to join the Nike Academy, a high performance training program, supported by the Premier League in England.

Players can register for “The Chance” at nikefootball.com, where they can use digital assets to create custom campaign materials that build on the inspiration behind “Write the Future.” To support their bid, prospects can insert their image into a video that shows what their future might look like if they won “The Chance” complete with celebrity style pop culture moments. Entrants will also create a Facebook fan page to generate awareness and campaign support to get noticed.

After watching the video and reading the announcement, I am sure you probably are thinking that Nike is an official sponsor of the World Cup, right?  Wrong.  According the FIFA website which lists FIFA partners as well as World Cup Partners, Coca Cola is there but I could not find Nike.

Best Buy didn’t miss its chance for exposure around the tournament, even though they are not listed as an official partner either.  Yesterday, it had itsown release on the wires.   It told telling the world that it will be sending 16 teens from across the United States to Johannesburg, South Africa, June 15-20, 2010, to train at the Coca-Cola International Soccer Camp and attend a World Cup match. The teens, who won the trip through Best Buy’s teen-focused @15 program, will also have the chance to connect with 200 other teens from around the world at the camp and share their experiences in South Africa on www.at15.com.

It was harder to locate information about McDonalds, I did find this as part of their local efforts for activation.

McDonald’s has the exclusive right to select 1408 children for the FIFA World Cup and each country is encouraged to take part in this programme and select/send Player Escorts to the FIFA World Cup.  The McDonald’s Player Escort Programme for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ provides a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for children from across the world, aged 6 – 10, to walk hand in hand onto the official pitch with their football heroes in front of millions of people. McDonald’s owns sole and exclusive rights to this initiative.  The activation of Player Escort Programme, in particular, the recruitment process, serve to re-in force McDonald’s commitment to balanced active lifestyle, which is the key objective of McDonald’s sponsorship.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the lucky South African children that have been selected will travel to the soccer match with a parent or guardian and experience a unique side of the tournament. Kids coming to South Africa from other countries will enjoy flights, accommodation, sightseeing and meals all courtesy of McDonald’s. (Domestic kids, flights and accommodation are not included.)

Announcements surrounding the world Cup have not been limited only to sponsors.  I also found this on the wire servies.  Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, announced that it is providing global transmission services of the World Cup in South Africa. Intelsat will use its terrestrial platform, IntelsatONE^SM, to complement the distribution capabilities of its fleet.

According to the FIFA site, here are their official sponsors:  Coca Cola, Adidas, Emirates, Hyundai-motor, Sony and Visa.  The site also lists as World Cup Sponsors:  Budweiser, Castrol, McDonalds, Continental, MTN.com, Yinglisolar, Seara, Mahindra and Satyam

The sponsorship money has been spent and now the companies are trying to capture additional marketshare and revenue with the activation programs, some of which have been mentioned above.

The matches get underway on Friday with South Africa playing against Mexico and Uruguay taking on France.  The World Cup means millions of eyeballs for media and for sponsors.  Some pay the rights fees and use it to improve their image and to drive others.  Others, use different marketing methods to try and associate themselves with the games.

For a complete bracket list, I wrote about it before and you can link to it here.

It was a big day in sports today.

I know what you are probably thinking.  Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators came up short against the Alabama Crimson Tide in a battle of #1 vs. #2 in the SEC championship at the Georgia Dome.

If you are a West Coast football fan, you might be depressed that USC finished sixth in the Pac-10 after dropping a 21-17 decision to the University of Arizona today.

While those games were exciting and interesting, it pales in comparison to the impact of the World Cup soccer news that came out of South Africa.  The sports world turned its attention to the draw ahead of next summer’s matches as the seedings were announced today.

This blog is for you, the sports fan thsat has an eye towards internal sporting events.

As I mentioned the big news is the seats and I am about to give you which group every nation is seated for the World’s 2010 soccer tournament.  For those of you who are hard core soccer fans, I hope you will forgive me for a second.  My peers are the first generation to play soccer en mass in the United States, yet many do not know the rules and path of the World Cup.  I admit I watch a few matches but still have a lot to learn.

The World Cup is comprised of 32 teams that have reached this final stage after advancing as a result of qualifying matches.

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Get the most complete schedule of major U.S. sporting events for 2010 in one place.  See it online or download it to Outlook or iCal. Plan smart, Avoid Conflicts. Visit Sports CalendarPro.com

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In Group A

South Africa

Uruguay

France

Mexico

Group B

Argentina

Korea Republic

Greece

Nigeria

Group C

England

United States

Algeria

Slovenia

Group D

Germany

Serbia

Ghana

Australia

Group E

Netherlands

Japan

Cameroon

Denmark

Group F

Italy

New Zealand

Slovakia

Paraguay

Group G

Cote D’Ivoire

Brazil

Portugal

Korea DPR

Group H

Honduras

Spain

Chile

Switzerland

–

For those of you who will follow the Ameircans in the first round, here is how their schedule breaks down.

June 12 vs. England

June 18 vs. Slovenia

June 23 vs. Algeria

If you want even more coverage, you can click here and go to the Fifa World Cup Home page

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.

Dear Elizabeth:

Before last weekend, I had not heard about you nor the women’s soccer program at the University of New Mexico.  Women’s soccer has always struggled for attention and I know this first-hand.  As a young Sports Information Director (SID) at UC Irvine, I helped to promote the sport for the school.  I wrote the media guide, press releases and hometown stories about the players.  They all wanted to win, but played the sport in the right manner and never did anything to embarrass themselves or the school.

My guess is that you probably want to take back some of what you did in the match vs. BYU.  The days of playing a match on an open soccer field with no attention are gone, Elizabeth.  Everyone has a iphone or Blackberry these days and your low-lights unfortunately made it on to ESPN and other local news coverage.

By now, I am sure you are in hiding.  The attention you probably received after your dirty play caused people to gasp when viewing the highlights (see below).  Your name and actions are being mentioned in households across America.  I’d bet you wish it were for a different accomplishment.

I am sure, due to the unwanted publicity, the school had to suspend you, indefinitely.

Anything captured on a  video like this will follow you around for the rest of your athletic career and beyond.  This one most certainly will.

It is not a something to be proud of, but as a junior, you may have a way out.  People are given second chances.  Do the right thing.  Go beyond a rubber-stamped statement that your SID office released to the press.

Here are some things to consider:

1) Hand write a personal apology letter to the BYU team

2) Consider seeking help for your overly aggressive manner on the field.  Nothing wrong with being competitive, but there is no room for dirty play.  Words are one thing.  Actions are another.

3)  Make your hometown of Lancaster, CA proud by changing how you conduct yourself from today forward.  It may have been one game but you need to change perceptions for the long road ahead.

4) Show people responsible within the athletic department that you have heard them and are making the necessary changes so that it will never happen again.

Thanks for listening and good luck.

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If you want a different take on the story, Here is the ESPN coverage about the the BYU vs New Mexico Soccer game

I had an unexpected afternoon phone conversation with Casey Leppanen, the Marketing Manager for the LA Galaxy. Leppanen and the LA Galaxy are holding auditions  for a non-traditional employee contest scheduled with the Los Angeles based soccer team on September 5th.

This initial event will then be narrowed down to a more limited group.  The numbers will dwindle down to 10 and eventually four will be chosen.

The contest winner will receive:

- 1 year promotional contract with the LA Galaxy

- $1,000 cash prize courtesy of COVERGIRL

- 3 or 4 day cruise for 2 courtesy of Cruise Planners/Long Beach

- 1 year’s worth of makeup courtesy of COVERGIRL

- And much more

For more information you can visit LAGALAXY.COM or e-mail mlag@lagalaxy.com.

Leppanen also confirmed that some of the folks hired in this position have gone to to other positions within the company.

If you are not a soccer fan, you better be a quick study.  The Galaxy is currently in second place in the Western Division, sporting an 8-4-11 record (11 ties) and trail division leading Houston by five points.

American football in Paris?  Let me explain.  First of all, if you ever happen to be in Europe and mention the word football? The locals think you are speaking about soccer.  Football means soccer in Paris and football in America means football.  Get it?  Yesterday? I happened to walk by a gym, a Club Med gym in the heart of Paris.

Trying to have a little fun with the locals, I walked to the reception desk and first tried to discover if anyone spoke English, sometimes an adventure in this language protected country.

When I figured we could have a bit of a conversation with their broken English and my mangled French, I pulled out an American football and asked them if they knew what the pigskin was.  Not a chance.  The conversation did not go further when I prodded the receptionist to see if there was anyone else who might know about the game.  They did not.  I was stuck but they did ask if I wanted to workout.

Knowing that my goal was to throw around the leather I had hauled 12 hours on a plane from from California, I left the gym and headed towards a park not far from the champs deLysee.  Once I entered the park, benches lined a gravel path as the locals sat and enjoyed the sun while eating their lunches.  I thought I was in trouble as aech patch of lawn was surrounded by a two foot green fence as if to say, keep off.  The sign posted at the park entrance also had a soccer ball with a red line through it as if to tell everyone that the grass was for watching, not using.  I was just about to give up when I rounded a corner and saw a few dozen Parisians ¨using¨ the grass — okay most of the folks were either sun bathing, but it was an opportunity to stretch and get a little exercise.

A few tosses into getting my arm loose, I noticed the grass was littered with a few items I would never expect in Southern California.First there were cigarette butts strewn about the grass.  I also found a few wine corks hidden in the tall grass, par for the course in Paris and finally most of the people were sitting on the lawn reading.  I would expect this in french coffee shops but it appears that not many of the folks here believe in exercise.

A few folks peered over their books to see me throwing the strange object but interest did not last.  Based on this small reaction from different people in Paris I do not think American football ever has a chance here.  It is no real surprise then the NFL chose England to lqunch its international football experiment.

It is much easier for me to write about the Yankees current win streak, the Red Sox on a losing streak or Michael Crabtree threatening to hold out from signing with the San Francisco 49ers.

When I used to come to Paris, when the internet was new, it was so hard to receive real time information about sports leagues, teams andplayers back home.  I had to settle for a two day old USA Today or spotty reporting on U.S. sports in an International Herald Tribune.  Now? I can keep up easily and still explore other cultures and their local view of sports.