Homosexuality in Professional Sports: The Media Circus And Marketability of Gay Athletes

In the spring of last year, veteran NBA player Jason Collins sent shockwaves through the sports world when he announced that he is gay (Dwyer). In doing so, Collins became the first active athlete in any of the four major professional North American leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) to come out. While there have been others who have made their sexual orientation public in the past, they had either been long-retired from their respective sports or mostly ignored due to the culture associated with their games. For instance, countless prominent female athletes (i.e. Martina Navratilova, Brittney Griner, Sheryl Swoopes) have come out over the past few decades, but they never garnered the type of media attention that followed Collins after his decision to go public.

In the wake of the announcement, every major news outlet, sports or otherwise, ran the story of Collins’ boundary-breaking decision. This was to be expected. In the years leading up to it, more and more athletes had made it clear that homophobia had no place in sports. NBA star Steve Nash filmed a PSA in favor of same-sex marriage. Outspoken NFL punter Chris Kluwe wrote countless opinion pieces on the subject of homophobia in locker rooms and it’s place in modern sports culture. Kobe Bryant, who was fined $100k in 2011 for using a homophobic slur against a referee, combatted comments on twitter that were explicitly offensive towards gays. It seemed like only a matter of time before a male athlete felt ready to be comfortable in his own skin.

A major criticism of Collins was the timing of his announcement. While the majority of the country’s response was in support of the basketball player, many were questioning his motives. Collins was a 34-year-old free agent when he published the column in Sports Illustrated that detailed his decision to come out, meaning that he didn’t have a contract with any team in the league for the 2013-2014 season. Having never been anything more than a mediocre bench warmer throughout his career, it appeared that the aging seven-footer would more likely find himself on the golf course than on a basketball court this year. Because of this, many critics speculated that the timing of his decision to come out was more or less a savvy business move to get himself another contract.

Collins remained a free agent through the new year, but his name had still been a constant in sports media despite his distance from the game itself. ESPN has been particularly criticized for their role in over-reporting and analyzing a story that seemed to have reached its climax months ago. The website’s ombudsman, Robert Lipsyte, published a detailed examination of ESPN’s methods throughout the media saga, putting the network under fire for dragging out coverage longer than it should have. Lipsyte questioned whether the network, one whose audience has wide-ranging levels of sensibility, could be objective with its reporting. He went on discuss ESPN’s failure to distinguish reporters from social commentators for the duration of the story. It raised a great question about whether sports journalists and outlets should be involved in the discussion of social issues. Lipsyte was particularly critical of ESPN reporter Chris Broussard (Lipsyte).

After months of uncertainty and speculation, Collins signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets. Nets players asserted that the league was ready for an openly gay player and that they would welcome Collins with open arms, “as long as he can still contribute.” He has been used sparingly since the signing, which isn’t a surprise at all given his limited abilities. What is kind of surprising is how successful this has been for Collins off the court. Shortly after he joined the Nets, there was suddenly high-demand for his jersey to be sold through the league. After pressure from fans to release the jersey, it quickly became the highest selling product on NBA.com (Dotson). Meanwhile, Collins has played just six minutes per game since he came to Brooklyn.

Perhaps his bravery and the public response was what inspired another gay athlete, Michael Sam, to come out. Sam, a college football player from the University of Missouri, is looking to become the first openly gay NFL player when the draft rolls around later this month. After winning the defensive player of the year award in unquestionably the best conference in all of college football, Sam seemed liked a sure-fire draftee, but after his announcement his skill and place in the league were put into question. Talking heads wonder if Sam can thrive in the testosterone-fueled environment that is an NFL locker room and whether other players would be so accepting of his sexuality. Sam became another topic of conversation that dominated sports news for weeks and is sure to continue if and when he is selected by a team. The young athlete capitalized on his time in the spotlight by releasing a line of clothes emblazoned with his now famous hashtag, “#StandWithSam”.  Between Collins’ jersey sales and Sam’s clothing campaign, it seems as though gay athletes have found a way to brand and market themselves in a unique way, even if that’s obviously not their priority in the first place (Rovell)

We’re now having the conversation. It’s no longer a “maybe someday” situation with gay athletes in professional sports, the time is upon us. The real question is, when is an athlete’s sexual orientation no longer a front page story? What will it take to treat such a story with objection and without all the frivolity? Do you believe that sports news outlets should have a place to comment on such topics? Also, what is your take on the marketability of a player like Jason Collins or Michael Sam? When do you think capitalizing on popularity turns into an exploitation of one’s personal life?

Collins, Jason, and Franz Lidz. "Why NBA Center Jason Collins Is Coming out Now."SI.com. Sports Illustrated, 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

Dwyer, Kelly. "Jason Collins Announces That He Is Gay, Altering the Landscape of Sports." Ball Don't Lie. Yahoo Sports, 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.

Dotson, Kevin. "Jason Collins' No. 98 Nets Jersey the Top-seller on NBA.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.

"ESPN on Jason Collins." YouTube. YouTube, 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.

Lipsyte, Robert. "What Are Commentary Boundaries at ESPN?" ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 28 June 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.

Rovell, Darren. "The Marketing of Michael Sam." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 10 Feb. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.

Big Time Athletes Mean Big Time Endorsements

When asked, “who would you be most excited to meet?” people usually rattle off an educated list of historical figures or powerful inventors. But, in reality most of us would really be most excited to meet a favorite celebrity. Of this celebrity list I’m sure most have a few sports figures on it. Why do you think this is? Is it because they live the life we have always dreamed of since we were little and played on a town league team? Or is it that they simply are all good people who are perfect role models? Well, I can tell you it is definitely not the latter, so what makes us look up to sports figures more than meaningful members of society?

            The reason for this is I believe is television, hype, humanistic characteristics, physical greatness, and most of all, advertising. When we see athletes on television we see media created role models. But unlike a political figure, say, the President, we see them portrayed as humans, with superhero capabilities. This is strange because those two things are complete opposites. Sports celebrities make mistakes, and therefore are relatable. This relatability is perfect for ads, which is why sports endorsements are seen so often and come out with the highest ratings.

            Many new pros are taking full advantage of the endless opportunities for endorsements. In an article by Michael Ventre in Variety, he talks about these pros riding the “endorsement wave.” Anna Kournikova is the 70^th ranking among Women’s Tennis Assn.’s singles rankings and she has never even won a singles title. However, she is on track to make $14 million in endorsements from Companies like Adidas, Berlei, and Yonex. She is among the highest-profile celebrities in the sports world with her own video game and “E! True Hollywood Story.” Number 1 ranked Serena Williams has a Wimbleton title under her belt and her endorsement deal with Puma is nearing an end. She will most likely get bid on for a new deal, but she has to raise her profile to obtain her endorsement work. She has enrolled in things such as acting classes, and has agreed to take on a gang member role on a Showtime series.

So why does the 70^th ranked player and the number 1 ranked player have such differences in ad endorsements? Apparently it is because most sports stars do not appeal to the total market and are judged by something called a Q score, explains Steve Levitt of Marketing Evaluations Inc. This Q score is used by ad agencies and casting departments to determine who gets endorsements. Is this a nice way of saying that the Williams Sisters are not sexy enough? Because that’s what it sounds like to me.

            Unfortunately it is not always about who is the best or most deserving athlete who gets the most endorsement deals. In this case, Tiger Woods may be the best in golf at the moment, but he is certainly not the most deserving. After losing 5 major deals (AT&T, Accenture, Tag Heuer, Gatorade and Gillette) in two years after his adultery scandal, he obtained a new deal with Rolex, and has racked up an extra $10 million in oversees appearances this year alone according to Doug Ferguson in an article in the Huffington Post. A very undeserving candidate is Alex Rodriguez. While he was in the spotlight, his PR agents did things like put him on “The Tonight Show” to have more people see who he was and therefore boost his Q score. Everyone knew he took steroids and was the highest paid athlete a few years back, not to mention was a complete jerk, but still was endorsed because of his playing time.

Roc Nation Sports Quickly Making A Name In The Industry

“I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man”. This lyric, which Jay-Z rapped in 2005, made it clear that he would never become a corporate slave, but a brand name himself. Throughout the years, Jay has established himself by taking over various industries, including music, fashion and nightlife. In 2013, he decided to continue expanding by launching Roc Nation Sports agency, partnering with CAA Sports, who represents more than 800 athletes (Weisman). Roc Nation took off quickly by signing Yankees superstar, Robinson Cano, which created an irruption in the sport’s world. Cano was previously signed to big-time agent Scott Boras, who he fired to get on board with Roc Nation. While many believed this was a unwise move, Robinson thought Roc Nation would be a perfect fit for him. In a statement he released in last year, Cano explained, “I am confident that the pairing of Roc Nation Sports and CAA Sports will be essential in helping me accomplish my short and long term goals (Fuse). This is can be found in the video clip below.

And, Jay did not stop there! Since, he has signed Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Victor Cruz of the New York Giants, CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees, Geno Smith of the New York Jets, Hakeem Nicks of the Indianapolis Colts, Skylar Diggins of the Tulsa Shock, and others (Harper). Within a year, Roc Nation is already representing the top names in sports, which has caused chaos within the industry.

            Many wonder how this rapper-quickly-turned agent has quickly built an empire with some of the best athletes in the game. Well, first of all, there is a certain aura around Jay-Z. We are talking about a man who has completely captured the American Dream with a true rags-to-riches tale. He is married to his beautiful, equally successful counterpart, Beyoncé, friends with President, the most famous figure in the history of Hip-Hop and a household name around the country. Roc Nation did not need to market or pitch themselves to athletes because his name does this for them. They want to jump on board with Jay to delve further into the spotlight and reap his unlimited connections. With the partnership with CAA Sports, Roc Nation has “gateway to licensing, endorsement, speaking, philanthropy and video game opportunities” (Weisman). Basically, they offer everything a player could want and need (and then some!). Let’s not forget the possibility of being on stage of basically any concert in the world, which most likely tempts athletes some more. Also, many of these superstars are able to relate with Jay-Z in ways a lawyer or accountant cannot. In a US Weekly article, Marc Ganis, president of SportsCorp, explained that Jay-Z can say, “We both came from humble beginnings, both of us have women chasing us, both of us want to make a lot of money, but not pay a lot in taxes” (US Weekly). Many people Jay has signed have come from similar backgrounds and understand the amount of work it takes to become successful. With this unique understanding, they feel comfortable in his possession.

            Roc Nation’s quick success has caused a stir among others in the business. Many industry leaders, including Scott Boras and Rob Pelinka, have complained publicly accusing Jay of poaching their athletes (Heitner). Although there has not been a claim filed, there is room for legal ramifications. According to an article in Forbes, these agents could sue Roc Nation on the terms of “tortious interference” (Heitner). This would call for a long and expensive trial for the new sports agency. Also, when looking at regulations governing sports agents, “it is puzzling that Jay-Z was able to conduct business in the way he did in the early stages of Roc Nation Sports” (Weisman). Jay did not become certified as a player agent until after he had already signed Robinson Cano, Victor Cruz and Geno Smith. If Jay-Z acted as a Contract Advisor to these players before he was eligible, he would be in clear violation of NFLPA regulations (Weisman).

Love him or hate him, Jay-Z is an accomplished man. With the biggest names in sports, Roc Nation Sports has become an empire that only keeps expanding. Do you think athletes will continue to sign with Jay-Z? What do you think is his appeal? Do you believe Roc Nation’s quick rise is unethical? And, does Jay still have 99 problems or does he have a few more on his plate now?

Works Cited

Heitner, Darren. "Jay Z Has 99 Problems, But Is Being A Sports Agent One?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.

"Jay-Z Creates Sports Agency, Signs Victor Cruz and Robinson Cano," Us Weekly 3 April 2013. Web.

"Roc Nation Sports." YouTube. FUSE, 02 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.

Weisman, Jon. "Jay-Z Looks to Roc the Sports World." Variety. N.p., 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.

NHL and Promotion

In order for people to watch sports, they need to be promoted.  Promotions can take place in many different ways.  There can be a focus on a specific player, advertisements in magazines, and most commonly, television commercials.  Those are just to name a few methods.  So how does the National Hockey League promote themselves and their teams?  In order to promote the league, they use all of these methods.  According to Nielsen.com, the Winter Classic saw the highest amount of viewers out of all the big games the NHL has.  For those who don’t know, the Winter Classic is a game in which two teams are selected to play an outdoor hockey game.  So, why did the Winter Classic get more viewers than the Stanley Cup games in 2012?  The Winter Classic had and still has a great promotion tactic.  When the Winter Classic started, the NHL made an HBO series called, “Road to the NHL Winter Classic”.  The series gives fans a look at the teams as they prepare for the game.  It also gets the fans excited for the game.  Do you think that the NHL should do a similar series for the Stanley Cup games?  Would it raise the viewing for the games?

In addition to having an HBO series to promote the league and teams, the league also relies on other media sources such as Sports Illustrated.  A few days ago, the magazine released an article promoting certain final week games for people to watch.  Allan Muir declared, “We know you can’t watch ‘em all, so here are five that we deem to be can’t-miss.”  Muir then promoted the five can’t-miss games, saying who was playing, when they were playing, and what channel they were on.  There are also multiple television commercials using many popular NHL players.  When I was younger, there were these commercials using players, Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter.  I was unfortunately unable to find these commercials but they were funny and promoted themselves as players as well as the league.  Currently, there are commercials being aired to promote the NHL GameCenter app.  These are commercials that have been on the air for a few years now.  These commercials are humorous and easy to remember because some of them are so strange.  The league also does a good job at promoting players as normal people (see commercial below).  If it doesn't work, here is the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07R5T9ekAXw

Like most people and several organizations, the NHL has a Twitter account.  In this day and age, Twitter is a great form of self-promotion.  Jeremy Mullman says, “The NHL has generally been among the most aggressive sports leagues in terms of its digital offerings and efforts, including an online subscription service that offers live broadcasts of every NHL game.”  I follow the NHL on Twitter and I think they do a great job of promoting all the teams in the league as well as the big games these teams play.  Due to the fact that the season is still in full swing, the Twitter page is constantly tweeting about and promoting the games that are on that night with a few words and a picture.  The NHL’s Twitter page is currently promoting the “NHL Bracket Challenge” in which fans can predict the upcoming playoffs.  In addition to their own Twitter page, the NHL also has a YouTube channel where they post game highlights, player interviews, and commercials.

One example of a team that does well with promotion is the Columbus Blue Jackets.  They are constantly promoting themselves across Ohio, trying to get more people to attend their games and events.  The Blue Jackets don’t just do television commercials as a form of team promotion.  They have their logo on three brands of beers so fans can collect them.  It also gets their logo out there and intrigues people.  In addition to the logo beers, the team has a deal with participating Cold Stones and Tim Hortons (donut place).  At Cold Stones, people have the option of buying the “Stinger Creation” and at Tim Hortons people can buy a Stinger donut.  Stinger is there mascot and this appeals to a younger audience (bluejackets.com).

How do you think the NHL compares to other professional sports organizations as far as promotion goes?  Do you think that there are other methods the NHL could use to help their promotion efforts?  Overall, I believe that the NHL and its teams do a good job of promoting themselves to people of all ages.  With their Twitter pages, television commercials, fun food, and logoed beer, the NHL does not seem to miss a beat when it comes to the promotion of their sport.

Works Cited:

"2012 Year in Sports." Nielsen.com. Accessed 15 Dec. 2013. Web.

Muir, Allan. "Games to Watch: NHL 2014 Season’s Final Week Key Matchups (April 7-13)." Home Ice SIcom RSS. Sports Illustrated, 07 Apr. 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.

Mullman, Jeremy. "NHL Hosts Tweetups for Hockey Fans." Advertising Age Digital RSS. N.p., 14 Apr. 2009. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.

"NHL Road Trip Promo (Extended Version)." YouTube. YouTube, 23 Feb. 2007. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.

"One Time" We Talked about Justin Bieber because of His Music...

Cara Gilmartin 

It’s time to talk about everyone’s favorite subject: Justin Bieber!  Okay, maybe it’s just mine, but we cannot deny that most people do seem to have something to say when it comes to him.  The self-taught musician turned (self-taught?) bad boy, discovered at the tender age of fourteen on YouTube by now longtime manager Scooter Braun, rose to stardom with the help of Braun and Usher Raymond IV.  At age fifteen, he became the first artist with seven songs from a debut album to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.  According to Billboard, Justin is also “the only artist to have notched five No. 1 albums before turning 19 years old.” (Caulfield)  But guess what? That’s not what we’re talking about.  At one point, all we could talk about was his music, his cuteness (okay, personal opinion), and his teenage love affair with pop star/wizard Selena Gomez.  However, when you think of Justin Bieber now, is the first thing that comes into your head his music? I doubt it.

2013 was a memorable year for celebrity culture, many thanks to Bieber. Raechal Leone Shewfalt writes in Yahoo’s OMG! Blog, “The bad year got off to a bad start on New Year's Day, when a photographer was killed in a car accident while trying to snap a photo of the singer (who, it turned out, wasn't even at the scene). Soon after came Biebs mooning his fans; spitting on his fans; showing up late for his own concerts; abandoning a pet monkey in Germany; peeing in a bucket while ranting about former President Bill Clinton; attacking photographers; annoying neighbors; and visiting a brothel and spraying graffiti in Brazil. Music? Sure, he released some songs, but his day job was completely overshadowed by his offstage shenanigans.” (Shewfalt)  2014 hasn’t looked much better, either.  In January of this year, Justin was arrested in Miami Beach for suspicion of DUI, driving with an expired license, and resisting arrest without violence; which I’m sure you all knew.  He also surrendered to police in Toronto just days later, and was charged with assault a limousine driver in December 2013.  You probably knew that, too. 

When all of this started happening, the media jumped at the opportunity to write up stories or leak footage of Bieber’s misbehavior.  To be honest, I cannot even begin to think of an entertainment media or even a general news media outlet that did not cover his arrest.  On social media sites, timelines and news feeds were covered with mug shots for days.  Mug shots turned into video footage of his sobriety test, which turned into footage from his recent deposition.  Because we were so easily fed this information, we were quick to formulate opinions on the matter.  Other celebrities began to express their feelings about the Biebs, and some were quick to aid to his destruction.  The most common perception of Justin is that he is teaching young teenagers that it is okay to act out this way and rebel. Drake Bell, most notably known his role as Drake on Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh, initiated a petition to have Bieber deported back to his native Canada. Many celebrities, such as Mark Wahlberg and the boys of One Direction, have been asked about their feelings toward Justin during their own interviews.  In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, comedian Patton Oswalt explained, Maybe some of the stuff that Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga sometimes do, I understand when people bring [it] up like, ‘Oh, this might be damaging teens here.’ But we had just as many damaging things sung and shown to us on MTV all through the Eighties, and we survived it.” (Weingarten)

The idea that our culture needs to know celebrities for more than just the thing that got them famous in the first place seems to be the case with many of the highly publicized celebrities today.  Celebrity is simply defined in the dictionary as, “a famous or celebrated person.” Generally, we celebrate these people due to talent (unless you’re a Kardashian).  However, with the dangerous combination of heavy reliance and freedom of expression on social media, it’s not just about the talent anymore.  Sure, George Clooney is a great actor…one that can’t seem to find a wife.  Yes, Miley Cyrus used to be Hannah Montana and now she’s completely changed her image…and she’s sad because her dog died last week.  The point is…the media has completely changed the conversation.

In Justin’s case, there is no denying that he played a major role in changing the conversation as well.  However, are we really only having this conversation about him because he is a celebrity?  If a non-famous 20 year-old male was arrested on the same charges or caught in similar controversial situations as Bieber, would we be talking about it?  Will it ever be about the music again?

Works Cited

Caulfield, Keith. "Justin Bieber Becomes First Artist With Five No. 1 Albums Before 19th Birthday." Billboard. 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 

Shewfelt, Raechal Leone. "Celeb Winners and Losers of 2013." OMG! 27 Dec. 2013. Web.

Weingarten, Christopher. "How Patton Oswalt Learned to Stop Hating and Accept Justin Bieber." Rolling Stone. 3 Apr. 2014. Web.