The WNBA is a floundering sports league, and its future doesn’t look bright with its All-Star game drawing a mere 0.5 overnight rating on ABC, down 38% from a 0.8 for the ’07 game. It was the lowest overnight rating ever for the WNBA All-Star Game on broadcast (via Sports Media Watch). It has also received tremendous criticism for failing to invite the most recognizable face in the WNBA, Candice Parker, to the WNBA All-Star game to boost ratings. Nonetheless, WNBA teams continue to play, while struggling to attract fans.

This year, the league’s average attendance is at 8,082 fans per game, well below it’s peak of nearly 11,000 fans per game in 1998. They should use promotions to attract more fans. Tonight, the Atlanta Dream play against the Phoenix Mercury and will be holding a “Go Green” theme night and distribute promotional water bottles. They’re sending out a great message by encouraging fans to go green, but they need to find ways to boost attendance quickly, and water bottles aren’t going to cut it. Maybe they should look into the business models of minor league baseball teams with smaller budgets. Most of these WNBA teams play in larger cities, but fun promotional themes every game and lower ticket prices could help boost revenues and keep them afloat a little longer.

Posted: July 31st, 2009 under General.
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Last night, the Angels held Retro Night and gave out 1980′s replica Bobby Grich jersey T-shirts to all fans in attendance. Bobby Grich was a 6-time All-Star second baseman and a 4-time Gold Glove award winner. In 1981, he was the first second baseman to lead the league in home runs since Rogers Hornsby did it in 1929.

Throughout the game, the Angels featured fun facts and entertainment relating to the 80′s. Following the game, fans who wear their promotional t-shirt to their local Home Depot will receive a prize. I wonder what the lucky fans are going to get. Sounds like it was one cool interactive promotion.

Posted: July 29th, 2009 under General.
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With the Tour de France finally concluding after 21 arduous stages, Spanish professional road bicycle racer, Alberto Contador claimed his second Tour de France championship with seven-time winner Lance Armstrong finishing in third after a three year layoff. Both bicyclists competed for the strong Astana team.

Although there aren’t many promotional giveaways for spectators during the competition, there are a few promotional opportunities during each stage of the race. Similar to NASCAR jerseys, bicycling jerseys advertise for sponsors by imprinting their company name multiple times on the moisture-wicking jerseys.

Other promotional opportunities exist when riders reach the food zones. Tour riders burn from 5,900 to 9,000 calories per stage depending on the difficulty of the route. They don’t stop for lunch, and staff members help riders refuel by hanging musettes, which are lightweight cotton shoulder bags of food and water, over their shoulders for riders to grab as their biking through the food zone. The musettes contain bottled water and high energy foods that can removed and placed into jersey pockets and bottle cages. The bag is then discarded, giving fans an authentic piece of schwag to fight over. With all of these bikers rushing past fans, I guess sponsors just take whatever advertising opportunities they can get during the race.

Posted: July 27th, 2009 under General.
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As I’ve said before, minor league baseball games are one of the best places to get great sports schwag, and tonights Connecticut Defenders game against the New Britain Rock Cats will be no different. Tonight is Irish Heritage Night, and the Mystic Irish Parade Foundation will be raising money for the local St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The game will also be followed up with a post-game fireworks show. In addition to all of the events and themes going on tonight, Mohegan Sun will be offering a surprise giveaway for adults and the Defenders are encouraging fans to buy an imprinted tennis ball that will be thrown on to the field after the game to win prizes. You can get all of this schwag and watch a great baseball game for all under $10. It doesn’t get better than this!!

Posted: July 24th, 2009 under General.
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Last night was Manny Ramirez Bobblehead night for the first 50,000 fans in attendance at Dodger Stadium, and he wasn’t even in the starting lineup after being hit by a pitch and suffering a hand injury the night before. This bobblehead promotion was originaly sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, which signed a deal to become the Dodgers’ official health insurance partner, but they dropped its sponsorship of Ramirez’s bobblehead after being suspended 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance.

Amidst the commotion surrounding this promotion, Joe Torre told reporters during the pre-game conference that Ramirez would only be used in a “pressing” circumstance. With the score tied and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th inning, Torre apparently deemed the circumstances pressing as he sent Ramirez to pinch hit for winning pitcher Chad Billingsley. On the first pitch, Ramirez hit the go-ahead grand slam into the “Mannywood” section of Dodger Stadium to secure the Dodgers sweep of the Cinncinati Reds. Manny then proceeded to take two curtain calls and portray himself as a real-life bobblehead by briefly bouncing his head up and down to the amusement of his teammates.

Say what you will about him, but you have to appreciate how much fun he brings to the stadium every time he’s in the lineup. It’s just Manny being Manny!

Posted: July 23rd, 2009 under General.
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With NBA teams gearing up for its super-hyped free agent class of 2010, expiring contracts have become a valuable commodity, and apparently Quentin Richardson has become teams’ favorite trading chip. On Monday, he was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Sebastian Telfair, Mark Madsen, and Craig Smith. However, this came after the New York Knicks traded him to Memphis Grizzlies, who then traded him to the Clippers.

When you’re talent has deteriorated to the point where you’re only regarded as a financial chip, you can’t really do much but swallow your pride and take your multi-million dollar paycheck. Hopefully, Q-Rich and the expiring contracts of ’10 can take some pride in their value and start wearing these ridiculous t-shirts on or off the practice court. Maybe a newfound sense of humor will get them a contract as LeBron’s sidekick in 2010.

All-NBA ’10 Expiring Contract Team

PG: Larry Hughes ($12,827,676): They tried masquerading Hughes as a point guard with the Cavs, so he has experience as LeBron’s sidekick.
SG: Quentin Richardson ($8,685,500): Used to be a 3-point specialist with the Suns. It’s only his contract that’s special now.
SF: Darius Miles ($9,000,000): He doesn’t even play for the Blazers anymore. The Grizzles signed him just to to affect the Blazers’ cap flexibility.
PR: Brian Cardinal ($6,300,000): He earned himself a 6 year, $37 million contract with the Grizzlies for averaging 10 points and 4 rebounds per game in the 2003-2004. Why?!
C: Jerome James ($6,200,000): Another Isiah Thomas masterpiece. He played a total of 5 minutes in two games during the 2007-08 season, making his only field goal attempt and two free throws, giving him the best field goal and free throw percentages in the entire league.

Honorable Mention:

Tracy McGrady ($20,370,437)
Kenny Thomas ($8,562,500)
Erick Dampier ($11,553,000)
Mark Blount ($8,513,916)
Marko Jaric ($6,575,000)
Tim Thomas ($6,049,400)

(t-shirt design via Zazzle)

Posted: July 22nd, 2009 under General.
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Despite all the baby boomers’ hopes that 8-time Major Championship winner, Tom Watson, failed to win his sixth British Open Championship. After holding a 1-stroke lead on the 18th fairway on the final day, Watson failed to close it out as his birdie putt off the green sprinted past the cup, the par putt missed terribly, and the bogey putt forced him into a 4 hole playoff with Stephen Cink on the Nos. 5, 6, 17 and 18 holes. Cink crushed Watson by 6 strokes in the playoff to win the Championship and the coveted Silver Claret Jug.

While there is a lot of history rooted in the British Open and the Claret Jug, it is not the original trophy. After the 1927 Open, which was won at St Andrew’s by Bobby Jones, the club’s Championship Committee decided to retain the Claret Jug in future years and to present the winner with a replica. It’s a great trophy to just look at (via Open Golf). It’s definitely cooler than the Lombardi Trophy for the NFL and the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy for the NBA.

Posted: July 20th, 2009 under General.
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I’m sure that even the casual sports fan has heard by now that LeBron James got dunked on at his basketball camp by Xavier’s Jordan Crawford. Throughout his blossoming career, we’ve marveled at LeBron’s greatness and maturity. However, after this season, he has shown a streak of poor sportsmanship and immaturity that we never expected from him during his first six years in the NBA, and his popularity has taken a consequent hit. Even Kobe Bryant took a jab at LeBron by telling players at his basketball camp, “You ain’t dunkin’ on me at my camp.” LeBron haters have jumped at the opportunity to show their disdain for King James with this hilarious t-shirt. I can’t wait till one of the NBA players puts on one of these shirts after dunking on LeBron next season.

Posted: July 17th, 2009 under General.
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Every year the MLB has an All-Star Game I get excited about the prospect of cool giveaways like chest protector backpacks, throwback baseball caps, or stadium replicas that teams giveaway at their regular games, but every year I’ve been disappointed by lame giveaways. This year has been no different. Between the All-Star Futures Games, All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Games, and Home Run Derby, all fans received were a bunch of lanyards and ticket holders. For the All-Star Game itself, fans only recieved imprinted seat cushions. Sure, the seat cushions are nice for the few hours at the ballpark, but they don’t have the fun baseball quality and connection that stadium giveaways should have, especially for an exhibition game of this magnitude

(image via Sports Business Daily)

Posted: July 15th, 2009 under General.
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For those die-hard Baltimore Orioles fans looking to Matt Wieters to be the first credible franchise cornerstone player since Cal Ripken Jr., this t-shirt is the perfect way to show off your support for the emerging catcher. Wieters jerseys might be the popular pick at Camden Yards right now, but real fans will get a bigger kick out of this shirt.

Rookies generally don’t deserve to be the subject of an awesome shirt like this, but he should be one of the rare exceptions. Throughout his AAA career and the beginning of this season, baseball analysts and scouts have called Wieters “Joe Mauer with more power.” If he lives up to his tremendous potential, you’re looking at a perennial All-Star catcher for the next decade. Hopefully, the Orioles’ pitching catches up (via MeadowParty).

Posted: July 13th, 2009 under General.
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