NLL Goes Under (Kinda), Dusty Roads and BC Coffee

Three stories from the wide sports marketing spectrum, one involving the National Lacrosse League, another from the Cincinatti Reds and one from the Boston College Eagles.

The NLL Says MMMMBye For A Season - I've been following the National Lacrosse League for a year now as the big crowds, hard hits and seemingly strong game presentation are hugely appealing to me. Honestly, I've never seen a game or watched much on tv, but I was really looking forward to checking out the expansion Boston Blazers, in addition to visiting my good friend Stephanie who is now handling PR duties there.

Unfortunately, that won't be happening anytime soon. (Sorry, Steph). Earlier this week, the NLL announced they are suspending operations for the 2008 season due to labor strife. The league and the players' association couldn't come to an agreement, meaning the 14-team league, which averaged 10,283 fans last season, will not open in late-December. Yikes. We're not talking about MLB-style labor pains, but guys that make an individual maximum of $21,294 with the franchise max for unrestricted free agents at $25,553. The minimum? $6,880. Double yikes.

Despite the league's success, the players association is claiming over $800,000 is owed to them by the league and some franchises are reportedly in trouble. Because of the low salaries, most players have to hold other jobs to support themselves. Keep in mind that this is a league that was being touted as close to taking over the National Hockey League for popularity just a few years ago. Now, it faces a true test of whether it can come back at all.

The Dusty Road - On Monday amidst the furor that is the postseason, an NL Central franchise took another step toward being part of that in the future as the Cincinatti Reds hired Dusty Baker to take the managerial helm. Baker managed the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, going to the World Series in 2002 with the Giants and within a handful of outs with Chicago in the Bartman Season.

Normally, hiring a formerly successful manager would be a good thing for a franchise that has so non-descript for so long. But the feeling I get in reading some articles on the move is that this is being treated as a stagnant move by Reds' brass instead of a progressive one. Here's a wrap-up of some via AOL Fanhouse. So if you're the Reds management and trying to somehow leverage some of your popular talent like Ken Griffey Jr., Brandon Phillips and...and...and...Bronson Arroyo (sure, that sounds good), how much do you take in the popularity of your manager into account? Or with an MLB-best 24th ranked attendance, does it even matter?

BC Loves Juan Valdez: I was getting some gas the other day at an On The Run and noticed the Boston College Eagles logo above the gas pump. I'm not used to seeing this so often in New Hampshire and saw that everytime the Eagles win, people can get a free 16 oz. cup of coffee. Now, it didn't specify football (currently ranked 4th in the nation), hockey or otherwise but regardless, I was impressed. In an area that is primarily dominated by the pro sports clubs, I like the effort BC is taking to become the dominant college in the region. What a great way to get even non-fans hoping the local team pulls out a win for some free coffee.

Josh Nason is the Director of Marketing for Pro Sports Media and can also be read at Small White Ball and at Notes From The Lab.

Comments

[Stephanie Krauss]

Haha, I completely just stumbled upon this as I was searching for someone that can handle my email marketing! (Hint)

It's really a shame about the Blazers. Maybe we can make a road trip to a NY Titans game!