Saturday, June 26, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Mr. Charles Ward
Sports Information Director
Fort Valley State University (FVSU)
Mr. Ward started in sports management in 1996 as the Director of Public Relations for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). He transitioned into management after providing sports casting services to one of the schools in the SIAC.
In 2002, he served as associate athletics director and sports information director at Clark Atlanta University. With the hiring of a new head football coach that year that had regional and national notoriety, he spearheaded the launch of a sponsorship and broadcast campaign, which gave the Clark Atlanta athletic program exposure to over 800,000 television households. The sponsorship program was one of the most successful in the history of Clark Atlanta athletics.
Interview
1. Q What exactly do you do as a sports information director?
A: My primary responsibility is to ensure that statistics from each intercollegiate activity are properly reported to the conference office and the NCAA. In addition, I am responsible for coordinating publicity for the 11 sports that the department offers.
2. Q Were you an athlete as a youth, if yes, what sports?
A: Yes. In high school I played basketball and baseball. In college, I played baseball and golf.
3. Q Has your career always been at an HBCU?
A: Yes. I started as adjunct professor of history at Morehouse College then served as director of public relations for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Subsequently, I was associate athletics director and sports information director at Clark Atlanta University. My current position is sports information director at Fort Valley State University.
4. Q What is the future of sports at FVSU- new stadium activities, sports camps etc.?
A: FVSU athletics is on the cusp of becoming one of the premiere Division II programs in the country. With a new 10,000 seats football stadium that opened last year; a 5,000 seat basketball area; and a new softball field, the athletic facilities are some of the best in the nation for a division II program.
This summer there will be a total of six basketball camps and two football camps held in FVSU athletic facilities.
This fall, with the start of the 2010 football season, FVSU athletics will launch a new multi-platform broadcast model to extend the FVSU brand.
5. Q Can you talk a little about the 2010 homecoming at FVSU?
A: Homecoming 2010 will build on the model set in 2009. In an expected sell out, FVSU will host conference rival Benedict College. A week’s worth of activities for students, staff & faculty, alumni, and the Fort Valley community highlight the annual game. Last year’s tailgate venue attracted one of the largest crowds in tailgating history at FVSU.
6. Mr Ward thank you so much for your time. I am looking forward to the upcoming season and sports activities at FVSU.
Sports Information Director
Fort Valley State University (FVSU)
Mr. Ward started in sports management in 1996 as the Director of Public Relations for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). He transitioned into management after providing sports casting services to one of the schools in the SIAC.
In 2002, he served as associate athletics director and sports information director at Clark Atlanta University. With the hiring of a new head football coach that year that had regional and national notoriety, he spearheaded the launch of a sponsorship and broadcast campaign, which gave the Clark Atlanta athletic program exposure to over 800,000 television households. The sponsorship program was one of the most successful in the history of Clark Atlanta athletics.
Interview
1. Q What exactly do you do as a sports information director?
A: My primary responsibility is to ensure that statistics from each intercollegiate activity are properly reported to the conference office and the NCAA. In addition, I am responsible for coordinating publicity for the 11 sports that the department offers.
2. Q Were you an athlete as a youth, if yes, what sports?
A: Yes. In high school I played basketball and baseball. In college, I played baseball and golf.
3. Q Has your career always been at an HBCU?
A: Yes. I started as adjunct professor of history at Morehouse College then served as director of public relations for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Subsequently, I was associate athletics director and sports information director at Clark Atlanta University. My current position is sports information director at Fort Valley State University.
4. Q What is the future of sports at FVSU- new stadium activities, sports camps etc.?
A: FVSU athletics is on the cusp of becoming one of the premiere Division II programs in the country. With a new 10,000 seats football stadium that opened last year; a 5,000 seat basketball area; and a new softball field, the athletic facilities are some of the best in the nation for a division II program.
This summer there will be a total of six basketball camps and two football camps held in FVSU athletic facilities.
This fall, with the start of the 2010 football season, FVSU athletics will launch a new multi-platform broadcast model to extend the FVSU brand.
5. Q Can you talk a little about the 2010 homecoming at FVSU?
A: Homecoming 2010 will build on the model set in 2009. In an expected sell out, FVSU will host conference rival Benedict College. A week’s worth of activities for students, staff & faculty, alumni, and the Fort Valley community highlight the annual game. Last year’s tailgate venue attracted one of the largest crowds in tailgating history at FVSU.
6. Mr Ward thank you so much for your time. I am looking forward to the upcoming season and sports activities at FVSU.
Week 2
https://www.iaam.org/Facility_manager/Pages/2009_Jun_July/Feature_3.htm- The Article
Creative Ways to Attract Fans to a Sports Facility – by Tammy Kennedy aka MsT blog link http://jajasplace.blogspot.com/2010/06/normal.html
Synopsis
I use to work at a college venue in Cleveland as an usher/greeter. I mainly worked concerts but I did work a few sporting events i.e., soccer. It was fun. What I would do is actually something that I am actually planning to do in real life. I own some property in GA near a State University. Last year the university opened a 10,000 seats football stadium about a ¼ mile from my property (on the same street). This is a rural college town of about 8,000 residents and the college has doubled its admission in the last 5 years. It has 4,500 students. Here is the problem that I see and I will conclude with my solution.
The problem is that there is not too much to do here for young or older adults. I have only been living here for 9 months and I guess I am ready to birth my baby. I am planning to propose to the college that as an established event planner with a history of planning events for colleges and other educational and cultural facilities, I want to help them raise money by having cultural events at their games at the football stadium and basketball arena. About 5 years ago they built an indoor basketball arena with a capacity of 5,000.
The biggest event in this region as far as I know is their Homecoming Event held in October. Thousands of alumni return to support their alma mater. Last year the event as big as it is was barely promoted as far as I could tell. Perhaps budget cuts or they did not feel the need too. Whatever the reason I live about 15 miles away in Warner Robins, GA, the people here did not even know when or what was happening in Fort Valley. Warner Robins has a population of 60 thousand and a huge USAF Base, it is one of the largest employers in the state of GA.
Creating Revenue for University Facilities by Ms T-Show Me the Money!!!!!
My proposal is to create events that will generate a considerable amount of money for the college. I want to do a concert (I love live entertainment) during homecoming. It could be a benefit concert (or a halftime music concert). I want to bring in some older acts that are still performing and popular and some younger acts too for the hip hop crowd. The ticket prices should be very affordable not over $25/$35 ($25 x 10,000=$250,000). I can see generating revenue with parking ($2 to $5 per car) or more if there are tailgating events, selling concessions, having vendors selling different stuff and last but certainly not least I would make up some souvenir t-shirts, caps, and misc. items to sell also. I do not know if college games have halftime events or what they do. I have NEVER been to a college football/basketball event. The soccer games that I use to work had a lot of activities happening throughout t evening. A lot of fun and interactive games and giveaways but no live music show.
I would also create an exciting indoor event, an annual alumni dinner or Meet and
Greet reception. Last year the university had a dinner and tickets were $100. But the entertainment (as far as I was concerned was WHACK) was 70ish singer Clarence Carter. He had a hit out back in the late 80’s called “Stroking”. I doubt they made much money. Nothing against him I liked Stroking but it seemed to me that they could have selected someone with more appeal, if they were trying to raise money.
Anyway, universities must tap into the WWW. Because I am in a southern rural area (lots of land) I would have quarterly festivals that would attract people from the region, families in particular. The events would be marketed via the web and the social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. I would also use the players more off- season too. Maybe sports camps and training seminars for area students would create a pipeline from the schools to the universities.
One thing that I have noticed about universities (not all of course) is they seem to be out of touch with the students. They play it very safe nothing controversial or very different takes place because of politics. One thing that I like about Full Sail University is their ability to bring artists that are not usually the norm.
Now, because the economy is so jacked up for many of us, I would definitely create discount and benefit packages to get more seats filled. Also creating promotional partnerships with local media outlets to give way tickets to upcoming events would increase awareness. But because there are always those that want to be VIP’s I would establish VIP seating and amenities for those that can afford to pay more.
https://www.iaam.org/Facility_manager/Pages/2009_Jun_July/Feature_3.htm- The Article
Creative Ways to Attract Fans to a Sports Facility – by Tammy Kennedy aka MsT blog link http://jajasplace.blogspot.com/2010/06/normal.html
Synopsis
I use to work at a college venue in Cleveland as an usher/greeter. I mainly worked concerts but I did work a few sporting events i.e., soccer. It was fun. What I would do is actually something that I am actually planning to do in real life. I own some property in GA near a State University. Last year the university opened a 10,000 seats football stadium about a ¼ mile from my property (on the same street). This is a rural college town of about 8,000 residents and the college has doubled its admission in the last 5 years. It has 4,500 students. Here is the problem that I see and I will conclude with my solution.
The problem is that there is not too much to do here for young or older adults. I have only been living here for 9 months and I guess I am ready to birth my baby. I am planning to propose to the college that as an established event planner with a history of planning events for colleges and other educational and cultural facilities, I want to help them raise money by having cultural events at their games at the football stadium and basketball arena. About 5 years ago they built an indoor basketball arena with a capacity of 5,000.
The biggest event in this region as far as I know is their Homecoming Event held in October. Thousands of alumni return to support their alma mater. Last year the event as big as it is was barely promoted as far as I could tell. Perhaps budget cuts or they did not feel the need too. Whatever the reason I live about 15 miles away in Warner Robins, GA, the people here did not even know when or what was happening in Fort Valley. Warner Robins has a population of 60 thousand and a huge USAF Base, it is one of the largest employers in the state of GA.
Creating Revenue for University Facilities by Ms T-Show Me the Money!!!!!
My proposal is to create events that will generate a considerable amount of money for the college. I want to do a concert (I love live entertainment) during homecoming. It could be a benefit concert (or a halftime music concert). I want to bring in some older acts that are still performing and popular and some younger acts too for the hip hop crowd. The ticket prices should be very affordable not over $25/$35 ($25 x 10,000=$250,000). I can see generating revenue with parking ($2 to $5 per car) or more if there are tailgating events, selling concessions, having vendors selling different stuff and last but certainly not least I would make up some souvenir t-shirts, caps, and misc. items to sell also. I do not know if college games have halftime events or what they do. I have NEVER been to a college football/basketball event. The soccer games that I use to work had a lot of activities happening throughout t evening. A lot of fun and interactive games and giveaways but no live music show.
I would also create an exciting indoor event, an annual alumni dinner or Meet and
Greet reception. Last year the university had a dinner and tickets were $100. But the entertainment (as far as I was concerned was WHACK) was 70ish singer Clarence Carter. He had a hit out back in the late 80’s called “Stroking”. I doubt they made much money. Nothing against him I liked Stroking but it seemed to me that they could have selected someone with more appeal, if they were trying to raise money.
Anyway, universities must tap into the WWW. Because I am in a southern rural area (lots of land) I would have quarterly festivals that would attract people from the region, families in particular. The events would be marketed via the web and the social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. I would also use the players more off- season too. Maybe sports camps and training seminars for area students would create a pipeline from the schools to the universities.
One thing that I have noticed about universities (not all of course) is they seem to be out of touch with the students. They play it very safe nothing controversial or very different takes place because of politics. One thing that I like about Full Sail University is their ability to bring artists that are not usually the norm.
Now, because the economy is so jacked up for many of us, I would definitely create discount and benefit packages to get more seats filled. Also creating promotional partnerships with local media outlets to give way tickets to upcoming events would increase awareness. But because there are always those that want to be VIP’s I would establish VIP seating and amenities for those that can afford to pay more.
Week 3 Blog Article Tammy Kennedy- Ms T
Unfortunately, in my world as an arts and cultural advocate, who really is just getting my feet wet in the sports industry, Tiger Woods drama was the biggest play in sports for 2009. Being the number one man in sports and one of the highest paid athletes in the world his personal drama took over the media for weeks. The fact that his wife is also a celebrity in her own right added to the frenzy. The game of golf which typically is a squeaky clean sport had a blemish and Tiger’s sexual exploits added flames to the fire. From Elin running him into a tree to all the different women he was having affairs with, it was like a made for television movie. This could not be happening to golf’s golden boy. The public loves sensationalism and violence and sex make a good story even better.
I think the situation could have been handled quite differently especially from a public relations perspective. The number one rule for damage control is to squash a
bad image story. You must speak up immediately. Someone from Tiger’s camp could have advised him to face the music and deal with it. Rather than letting the situation get nastier as weeks went on and then having a press conference several months later. He is not the first nor will he be the last super athlete that has marital problems. I also thought that everyone knew that these mega stars are oftentimes very promiscuous whether they seek it or it just finds them. It is a part of their world, sort of like rock stars.
The reason I believe the story was the biggest sports play is mainly because of the popularity of Tiger. The type of money that golf stars make in comparison to other athletes is significant and the length of time it took for the story to go away, at least in the eyes of the public. The 100+ million dollar endorsement deals lost probably are the biggest business plays of the entire situation.
CNBC the Biggest Plays in Sports Business
These 2 articles support my opinion.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/tiger_to_suffer_ashEvFQnFsG4EKGuaCCDML
1.Tiger loses endorsement deals
2.Who will dump Tiger Woods? List of endorsements lost and kept.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Creating Revenue for University Facilities by Ms T-Show Me the Money!!!!!
My proposal is to create events that will generate a considerable amount of money for the college. I want to do a concert (I love live entertainment) during homecoming. It could be a benefit concert (or a halftime music concert). I want to bring in some older acts that are still performing and popular and some younger acts too for the hip hop crowd. The ticket prices should be very affordable not over $25/$35 ($25 x 10,000=$250,000). I can see generating revenue with parking ($2 to $5 per car) or more if there are tailgating events, selling concessions, having vendors selling different stuff and last but certainly not least I would make up some souvenir t-shirts, caps, and misc. items to sell also. I do not know if college games have halftime events or what they do. I have NEVER been to a college football/basketball event. The soccer games that I use to work had a lot of activities happening throughout t evening. A lot of fun and interactive games and giveaways but no live music show.
I would also create an exciting indoor event, an annual alumni dinner or Meet and
Greet reception. Last year FVSU had a dinner and tickets were $100. But the entertainment (as far as I was concerned was WHACK) was 70ish singer Clarence Carter. He had a hit out back in the late 80’s called “Stroking”. I doubt they made much money. Nothing against him I liked Stroking but it seemed to me that they could have selected someone with more appeal, if they were trying to raise money.
Anyway, universities must tap into the WWW. Because I am in a southern rural area (lots of land) I would have quarterly festivals that would attract people from the region, families in particular. The events would be marketed via the web and the social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. I would also use the players more off- season too. Maybe sports camps and training seminars for area students would create a pipeline from the schools to the universities.
One thing that I have noticed about universities (not all of course) is they seem to be out of touch with the students. They play it very safe nothing controversial or very different takes place because of politics. One thing that I like about Full Sail University is their ability to bring artists that are not usually the norm.
Now, because the economy is so jacked up for many of us, I would definitely created discount and benefit packages to get more seats filled. Also creating promotional partnerships with local media outlets to give way tickets to upcoming events would increase awareness. But because there are always those that want to be VIP’s I would establish VIP seating and amenities for those that can afford to pay more.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
King James on Larry King
I watched Lebron on Larry King friday night. I was quite surprised at the interview. Larry asked questions about the personal life of Lebron. He talked about his family, friends and future plans. After watching the show I still did not know too much more about Lebron than I knew before. He is a young man who has reached out to people like Warren Buffet for financial advice, he still confers with his high school buddies and he has two sons but no plans of marrying their mother his girlfriend. I was also surprised that Larry did not ask Lebron about the alleged affair between his mom and his team mate. Well so much for a juicy interview.
The one segment that did touch me and although he said he was really not affected by not knowing his father his body language suggested that there were some emotional issues there. The one question that Larry asked that Lebron seemed to skate around was about his future plans a s a free agent. Apparently he has not made a decision and July 12th (I believe) will be the day that the world will know, where in the world is Lebron"King" James going? Will it be Chicago? Well the President himself would like to see Lebron with the Bulls. Will it be NYC? Billionaire Mayor Bloomberg wants him there. Or will Lebron stay close to home? Time will tell but one thing we know for sure and that is "King James" wants to win and he will go to a winning team. Being a native Clevelander I think he wont stay in Cleveland too much longer. What do you think? Now that I am in Georgia I want him to come here to Atlanta. Follow ATL native singer Usher is part team owner of the Cavaliers but he lives here in Atlanta. After the upset this past season with Cleveland's lost both of these young men need to team up right here in the "Dirty South" .
Friday, June 4, 2010
What's Happening Now?
Well I have linked myself up into the social networking stratosphere. I have a Facebook, Linkedin, Google, Twitter and now a Blog account. Who would have known that at 49 I would be embarking on an entirely different phase of my career path. Entertainment I have always loved but sports were all the way at the bottom of the lists of to dos. So, now what? I am going to follow a couple guys and girls that I admire in sports. Starting with the BIG MAN himself, Shaq. I have a son that is most likely going to be as BIG as Shaq his name is Chaka, and I have another son who used to like sports but now that he is a teen he seems to want to follow his artistic dreams. Yep, a rapper is what he wants to become. His name is Cheikh but he is called Chucky.
So where is Shaq? I am a native Clevelander and I just cannot understand why we NEVER win the championship games. The Cleveland Indians, the Browns and the Cavs, what gives? most cities do not have 3 major league teams. I left Cleveland last year and although we have made the playoffs before we never win in the end. I just knew when Shaq came to Cleveland, he would help Lebron and Cleveland like he did for the Lakers. What happened? Now I hear that Lebron is a free agent and he might leave Cleveland, then what? Will Cleveland ever win? I am hopeful.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
BIG BOYS
Hi I just wanted to introduce myself. I am JA JA. JA JA is a term of endearment and basically means grandmother. I have 3 sons none of which have shown a serious interest in sports. This is partly due to them being raised by me a single parent, and I have never been very interested in sports. Now that my sons are BIG BOYS- my baby boy just turned 14 on May 16th and he is about 6'5" tall and weights over 300 lbs. So I need help! These BIG BOYS need to get more active. Get off the couch, off the computer and get outside and be active. Now what do I do first?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
