New marketing tools for sports

The country marked Fil-American Friendship Day yesterday, a way of remembering America’s Fourth of July independence celebration while recalling our storied history with the United States.

Despite occasional differences in opinion of how to deal with the politics of the world, the Philippines and the United States have shared many cultural products like music and films. Many scholars and thinkers believe that there is a one-sided angle to this with American entertainment products dominating the cultural exchange.
This, perhaps, is a result of America’s ability to market its products heavily and create entertainment formats that are palatable to a world audience.
Sports is undoubtedly one area where America has products that we have devoured with gusto and perhaps no other sport than basketball remains as our American sport of choice.
At one time in our history, baseball was the more popular sport but basketball caught our fancy and aligned with our flair for the flamboyant performance.
Perhaps this is more apparent today when there is a deluge of NBA games, highlight reels, talk and analysis shows and player profiles on a 24-hour cable station.  There is even an NBA video game that is accessible for home use or even in Internet cafes.
Parents sometimes wish their kids were actually playing basketball rather than jostling with a control pad to move Kobe and the Lakers electronically, but each generation has its own entertainment fare.
Why has the NBA struck a very strong chord among the youth today? Is it simply because the players are bigger, more athletic?
Not entirely.
The NBA has done a phenomenal job of extending the shelf life of its personalities, whether they are current stars or heroes from the past. The NBA is marketed as a total entertainment extravaganza that allows fans to connect to the teams through regular TV, cable channels, print media and social networks.
The NBA website is updated almost instantaneously as games and events happen in the entire league.  Even now during the off-season, news filters in constantly, keeping fans posted on draft choices, trades and coaching changes.
The website is treated not as a peripheral media format but as an integral marketing tool as well.
This is where our own leagues can learn lessons on how to popularize a sport.
The first important connection is with hardcore fans of the game, then to the youth market that is looking for entertainment formats to satisfy their craving for action and excitement. Fans will hardly be interested in disciplines that spend more time dealing with politics and turf wars.
Constantly connecting with fans through media, meet-and-greet sessions, social networks, instructional presentations on the sport in malls and giveaways are investments for a long-term relationship with the public and audiences.
Reaping the fruits of popularity for a sport stems from a lot of time, money and human capital invested.
The NBA stepped out of the doldrums in the 1980s with the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era after years of being behind football and baseball in popularity. It marketed its game tirelessly, a lesson we can pick up as we try to popularize our own athletic endeavors.