Marketing Outrageously Redux


Book Description

Tom Peters says, Jon Spoelstra knows his stuff. Pat Williams, founder of Orlando Magic says, I consider Jon the top marketer in the world. The Wall Street Journal says, Mr. Spoelstra is one of those guys who thinks 'out of the box'. In this revised edition, Jon provides a real-world game plan for increasing your top line with marketing and promotion ideas that break through the clutter and get your customer's attention. His 17 Ground Rules—tested and proven—in sports and business, show how to differentiate yourself from your competitors. The focus is on measurable results that impact your bottom line—without big marketing and advertising budgets. Going beyond marketing theory his approach encourages you to push the outrageous envelope to gain immediate sales. Not just for sales and marketing folks —this book is for anyone who influences the course and attitude of your company.




Love, Penelope


Book Description

Penny is excited to welcome her new sibling, so throughout her mom’s pregnancy she writes letters to it (not it, YOU!). She introduces herself (Penelope, but she prefers “Penny”) and their moms (Sammy and Becky). She brags about their home city, Oakland, California (the weather, the Bay, and the Golden State Warriors) and shares the trials and tribulations of being a fifth-grader (which, luckily, YOU won’t have to worry about for a long time). Penny asks little questions about her sibling’s development and starts to ask big questions about the world around her (like if and when her moms are ever going to get married “for real”). Honest, relatable, and full of heart, Love, Penelope explores heritage, forgiveness, love, and identity through the eyes (and pen) of one memorable 10-year-old in a special year when marriage equality and an NBA championship made California a place of celebration.




Basketball Junkie


Book Description

As seen in ESPN Films’ Unguarded, a “powerful . . . bracing . . . exceptional” true account of the former NBA and overseas pro’s rise and harrowing fall (NPR Books). I was dead for thirty seconds. That’s what the cop in Fall River told me. When the EMTs found me, there was a needle in my arm and a packet of heroin in the front seat. At basketball-crazy Durfee High School in Fall River, Massachusetts, junior guard Chris Herren carried his family’s and the declining city’s dreams on his skinny frame. He was heavily recruited by major universities, chosen as a McDonald’s All-American, featured in a Sports Illustrated cover story, and at just seventeen years old became the central figure in Fall River Dreams, an acclaimed book about the 1994 Durfee team’s quest for the state championship. Leaving Fall River for college, Herren starred on Jerry Tarkanian’s Fresno State Bulldogs team of talented misfits, which included future NBA players as well as future convicted felons. His gritty, tattooed, hip-hop persona drew the ire of rival fans and more national attention: Rolling Stone profiled him, 60 Minutes interviewed him, and the Denver Nuggets drafted him. When the Boston Celtics acquired his contract, he lived the dream of every Massachusetts kid—but off the court Herren was secretly crumbling, as his alcohol and drug use escalated and his life spiraled out of control. Twenty years later, Chris Herren was a husband, a father, and a heroin junkie, who would flirt with death—and ultimately live to tell about it.




Understanding Sport


Book Description

Bringing a cultural and social dimension to the study of sport, this introductory guide will help students understand the context of sport and the place it has in the lives of individuals as well as in modern British society as a whole. Theoretically rigorous yet accessible, Understanding Sport includes: up-to-date coverage of key socio-cultural issues suggested further reading, to expand students' understanding of the topics introduced end-of-chapter essay topics and questions, to help students consolidate their knowledge extensive referenece lists and a thematic index, to direct sutdents and lecturers toward further research materials.




Sports Data Mining


Book Description

Data mining is the process of extracting hidden patterns from data, and it’s commonly used in business, bioinformatics, counter-terrorism, and, increasingly, in professional sports. First popularized in Michael Lewis’ best-selling Moneyball: The Art of Winning An Unfair Game, it is has become an intrinsic part of all professional sports the world over, from baseball to cricket to soccer. While an industry has developed based on statistical analysis services for any given sport, or even for betting behavior analysis on these sports, no research-level book has considered the subject in any detail until now. Sports Data Mining brings together in one place the state of the art as it concerns an international array of sports: baseball, football, basketball, soccer, greyhound racing are all covered, and the authors (including Hsinchun Chen, one of the most esteemed and well-known experts in data mining in the world) present the latest research, developments, software available, and applications for each sport. They even examine the hidden patterns in gaming and wagering, along with the most common systems for wager analysis.




KG: A to Z


Book Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER​ A unique, unfiltered memoir from the NBA champion and fifteen-time all-star ahead of his induction into the Hall of Fame. Kevin Garnett was one of the most dominant players the game of basketball has ever seen. He was also one of its most outspoken. Over the course of his illustrious twenty-one-year NBA career, he elevated trash talk to an art form and never shied away from sharing his thoughts on controversial subjects. In KG A to Z, published ahead of Garnett’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he looks back on his life and career with the same raw candor. Garnett describes the adversity he faced growing up in South Carolina before ultimately relocating to Chicago, where he became one of the top prospects in the nation. He details his headline-making decision to skip college and become the first player in two decades to enter the draft directly from high school, starting a trend that would be followed by future superstars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. He shares stories of playing with and against Bryant, James, Michael Jordan, and other NBA greats, and he chronicles his professional ups and downs, including winning a championship with the Boston Celtics. He also speaks his mind on a range of topics beyond basketball, such as fame, family, racism, spirituality, and music. Garnett’s draft decision wasn’t the only way he’d forever change the game. His ability to play on the perimeter as a big man foreshadowed the winning strategy now universally adopted by the league. He applies this same innovative spirit here, organizing the contents alphabetically as an encyclopedia. If you thought Kevin Garnett was exciting, inspiring, and unfiltered on the court, just wait until you read what he has to say in these pages.




Personal Foul


Book Description

Uncover the true story behind the Netflix documentary Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul. “The book the NBA doesn’t want you to read.” —Deadspin.com Tim Donaghy loved basketball. In many ways, his zest for the game came from his father, who officiated high school and college games for over 30 years. After graduating from Villanova, Donaghy was unsatisfied with his career until he followed his heart and became a basketball referee, first in the CBA and then the NBA, where he officiated for 13 seasons: 772 regular-season games and 20 playoff games. He loved his job, his family, his life. He felt like he had everything. And then, suddenly, he had nothing. He succumbed to a gambling addiction and to intimidation from well-connected criminals—and began using inside information to win bets for them. Following an FBI investigation, Donaghy pled guilty to two federal charges, and on August 15, 2007, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He was released on November 4, 2009, after serving his sentence. This is his story, which provides a stunningly candid admission of his mistakes, as well as his insider’s account of the world of professional basketball. With a foreword by Phil Scala, the FBI special agent who worked the Gambino case, Personal Foul reveals how the fast life of professional sports can tempt and trap the unwary and unwise. Donaghy has written an unforgettable page-turner, one of the most controversial sports books ever published. It will confirm your suspicions about the influence of the front offices of major league sports, while examining the corrosive power of money and fame. From the Introduction: I’m guilty. For 13 years I was a referee in the National Basketball Association, living a glamorous life on and off the court, rubbing elbows with superstar players and celebrity A-listers. I suppose many would say that I had it all—a great job, money, a wonderful family—but it was all an illusion. You see, during my last four years in the NBA, I led a secret life that would ultimately cost me everything: my integrity, my reputation, my career, my livelihood, my marriage, my family, and my freedom.




The Onion Book of Known Knowledge


Book Description

Are you a witless cretin with no reason to live? Would you like to know more about every piece of knowledge ever? Do you have cash? Then congratulations, because just in time for the death of the print industry as we know it comes the final book ever published, and the only one you will ever need: The Onion's compendium of all things known. Replete with an astonishing assemblage of facts, illustrations, maps, charts, threats, blood, and additional fees to edify even the most simple-minded book-buyer, The Onion Book of Known Knowledge is packed with valuable information -- such as the life stages of an Aunt; places to kill one's self in Utica, New York; and the dimensions of a female bucket, or "pail." With hundreds of entries for all 27 letters of the alphabet, The Onion Book of Known Knowledge must be purchased immediately to avoid the sting of eternal ignorance.




Sport Public Relations


Book Description

Sport Public Relations, Third Edition With HKPropel Access, offers a comprehensive examination of the value and practice of public relations in sport. Extensively updated and substantially reorganized, this third edition reflects the evolution of the field with modern applications across a wide range of media channels. The book’s topics align with the Common Professional Component topics outlined by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA). The author team brings together significant professional and educational backgrounds in sport public relations to offer an engaging look at the full range of public relations functions. Readers will learn the importance of consistent brand communication and how to manage organizational relationships, both internal and external, to attain key strategic goals. The thorough coverage of the field is built around three common themes: Public relations is a managerial function focused on advancing the brand and engaging key stakeholders. The communications environment is continuously evolving. Community relations, employee relations, and donor relations are as critical as media relations within the sport industry. Woven throughout these themes are public relations theories applied in sport-specific contexts to help students further understand the complexity of the sport communication ecosystem. Throughout the book, there is guidance for practical application, including samples of public relations materials such as news releases and employee newsletters. Be Your Own Media sidebars highlight how sport organizations are proactively telling their stories across various media platforms. New to this edition, case studies and discussion questions serve as a foundation for additional learning. Other updates include the following: Discussion of engaging key publics through social media and other forms of digital media—such as blogs, podcasts, virtual fan communities, and video—as well as approaches to developing content, metrics for measuring success, and skills for managing media in sport An examination of customer experience (CX) and how to enhance those relationships by defining customer touch points and mapping the customer journey Considerations for social media usage during crisis communication, with modern examples of effective and ineffective ways prominent sport entities have managed recent crises Also new to the third edition are related online learning aids delivered through HKPropel and designed to generate discussion and highlight the opportunities and challenges that exist in sport public relations. Commentary on current topics is accompanied by links to associated content, discussion questions, and applied learning activities to promote engaged student learning. A live Twitter feed for specific hashtags within HKPropel ensures regular updates. With Sport Public Relations, Third Edition, students will better understand the various demands of the field and learn to successfully and proactively develop consistent communication and stronger relationships between sport organizations and their key publics. Note: A code for accessing HKPropel is not included with this ebook but may be purchased separately.




Sports Law


Book Description

The business of sports has become a multi-million dollar industry with legalities in sports leading the way. Sports Law looks at major court cases, statutes, and regulations that explore a variety of legal issues in the sports industry. The early chapters provide an overview of sports law in general terms and explore its impact on race, politics, r