The Sports Marketing Company

Enjoy this piece written by Eric Kolenich, Richmond Newspapers, Inc.
October 2018
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Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia)

One big football game can represent 10 percent of an athletic department's annual budget. A poorly attended game can cost the school money.
The line to enter the stadium stretched out the gate, down the sidewalk and into the parking lot at Henrico High School. The Warriors were hosting Highland Springs, a matchup of two of the area's top high school football teams, and a big crowd had come to watch.
The result that night was a blowout — Highland Springs won 40-7. But from a financial perspective, the night was a major success for both schools. Approximately 4,000 tickets were sold, additional bleachers were brought in and the crowd swelled so much, some fans stood on the track.
It was the school's highest attended game in six years, Henrico athletics director Rob Welch said. About 4,600 people were in attendance, including staff, bands and those who were admitted on passes. When tickets sold out, some fans were turned away.
Games such as these are a huge boost to the budgets of high school athletic departments. The money made from one big football game can account for 10 percent of the Henrico athletic department's yearly revenue, Welch said.
"It's the economic engine for what you need to do," he added.
Schools depend on the money made at football games, because those dollars pay for other sports. It's used to pay for field hockey jerseys, soccer balls and baseball umpires. The amount of money made in the football season can determine how much the athletic department can spend the rest of the year.
"Football is kind of what we base the year on, budget wise," Hermitage AD Chris Rollison said.
While the school division will cover the costs of big items, such as the coaches' stipends and the electric bill, typically everything necessary to put on a game — equipment, uniforms, officials and police officers — is paid for by the school's athletics department.
The arrangements can vary slightly from division to division, and schools in the city of Richmond receive more help than the surrounding counties.
With 4,000 tickets sold at the Henrico-Highland Springs game at $8 each, a total of $32,000 was generated. But it takes several thousand dollars to host such a large crowd. Twenty-five police officers were stationed there, costing $5,600. (A lower-attendance game may require only five or six officers.) The seven officials on the field cost $650. About a dozen ticket takers were paid a total of $1,500.
After those expenses were paid, about $24,000 of income remained, and that amount was split in half, with Henrico and Highland Springs each receiving $12,000. In almost all high school football games in the area, ticket income is split between the schools.
That's why Richmond city schools play so many games on the road. Three of Richmond's five high schools don't have lights. If they play at home, they have to play on Friday or Saturday afternoon, when crowds are smaller. Administrators at Richmond schools understand they can make more money if they play on the road.
When Hermitage hosted Highland Springs in August, about 3,200 tickets were sold, Rollison said. It was as big a crowd as any Rollison has seen since he became the school's AD.
The money made that day was enough to cover an entire season of football expenses, he said. This includes reconditioning of helmets and the replacement of hip and knee pads, which have to be purchased each year.
While a highly attended game is a boon to athletic departments, a poorly attended game can be devastating. Welch was hoping for a sellout for Henrico's game against Varina. Then school was postponed that day because of Hurricane Michael, and the game was moved to Monday. The weather was perfect, Henrico won by 1 point, but less than 1,000 tickets were sold.
"If games are not played on Friday, it's always a big hit [to the budget]," said Manchester AD Greg Woodle.
When a football game is moved to another day or played in bad weather, the crowds can be so small that ticket sales don't cover the expenses of the game.
Chesterfield County closed school after Hurricane Michael, too, but administrators gave teams permission to play that night. Manchester hosted L.C. Bird, and about 3,750 tickets were sold, Woodle said.
Having an undefeated team and star players such as Notre Dame-bound quarterback Brendon Clark go a long way. They draw big crowds, even on the road, and drive the athletic department's budget.
"At Manchester, we live off the gate at football season," Woodle said.
At some schools, teams other than football can generate enough money to cover their expenses. At Henrico, the girls volleyball and field hockey teams can. At Glen Allen, the baseball and softball teams can.
But many sports operate at a loss, which is why the popularity of the football team and the weather on Friday night go a long way in determining the financial health of an athletic department.
"A lot of it is things we can't control," Rollison said. "It's difficult to make money every year."
This year the Colonial District raised ticket prices for football games to $8, which is the standard at public schools across the area. For other sports, it now charges $6. The district had charged $5 for probably 20 years, Rollison said.
And expenses never really decrease, he said. Each year, they stay flat or go up.
That's why ADs have to be frugal with their purchases. If the money isn't there, they might wait to purchase new uniforms or buy fewer balls. They might encourage the team to raise money to buy new uniforms.
"You have to be fiscally responsible," Welch said. "You have to take into account every purchase you're going to make. Is it really necessary and is it going to help the program?"
ADs also are proactive in encouraging students to attend games. Kids don't just show up at sporting events like they used to, Welch said. There are too many options for entertainment.
Welch held volleyball matches that were free to students in hopes of drumming up interest for the team. The school also takes part in an app called SuperFanHigh, which tracks a student's attendance at sporting events. The more games he or she attends, the more points the student collects. The student with the most points at the end of the year wins a prize.
Schools look for corporate sponsors, too. Chicken restaurant Zaxby's sponsors several in the area. In exchange for advertising, it provides food at a school's banquet or dinner for administrators before a game.
Some schools make money on advertising banners, too. Glen Allen has sold about 30 of them, and they cost anywhere from $250 to $1,500 depending on how long the banner is displayed, AD Mike Jiancristoforo said.
And some athletic departments depend on their booster clubs for portions of their income. At Glen Allen, the booster club can generate $50,000 toward the athletic department's annual revenue, Jiancristoforo said.
The booster club at Glen Allen operates the concession stand, holds fundraisers, silent auctions and social events to raise money. On Saturday, the club is holding a fundraiser at Richmond Ford Lincoln. The dealership will make a donation to the athletic department for every person who test drives a car that day.
To keep an athletic department afloat, directors have to be creative coming up with new ways to attract revenue.
"You have to be crafty," Jiancristoforo said.


ekolenich@timesdispatch.com 
(804) 649-6109 @EricKolenich

Wow.  Looking back, I did not realize it has been so many months since I last took time to catch up some on writing.  Since May, we have been busy working on a few new projects and have been in the planning process for a fairly large project to start next year.

Therefore, I have been scouring as many sources as possible to try to gather pertinent information that might be of interest to potential advertisers and partners for one of our school districts.  While there have been many changes in high school sports over the past few years, the amount of new research available is scarce; particularly in the marketing arena.

One company, Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, was commissioned to do a study nearly eight years ago and the following seems to be the most current data available on some of the subjects as listed:
    1.  83% agree that they would perceive a company as being active         in the community if they sponsored the local high school
    2.  77% of survey respondents agreed they are more likely to                 purchase from and support a company that supports high school         athletics. More than 21 percent of all males surveyed attended a         high school game within the last 12 months
    3.  75% think that high school sports has a greater community                 influence than professional, college, or other amateur sports
    4.  67% agree that they would feel more loyal to a company that             sponsors the local high school
    5.  77% agree that they would be more likely to purchase from and         support a company if they sponsored the local high school
    6.  74% feel that there is more integrity within the world of high             school sports when compared to professional sports
    7.  98% think it is important for a company to focus on integrity             when choosing where to spend their sports sponsorship dollars
    8.  67% think that sponsoring the local high school team would have         a greater positive impact on decisions when making consumer             purchases
    9.  87% would rather see a company spread dollars to as many high         schools as possible rather than a single professional sponsorship
    10. 69% think companies should utilize high school sponsorships in         order to have the greatest impact on brand awareness                         (Turnkey Intelligence, August 2007 Independent Survey.)

Further data reflects:

• 49.5% of high school audience is Female
  
• 50.5% of high school audience is Male
  
• 19.8% of all Females report attending a high school sport in the past 12 months
  
• 21.4% of all Males report attending a high school sports event in the past 12 months
• The average high school sport fan attends 4.78 events per year (Scarborough Research 67 Market Study. August 2006- February 2007. Surveyed Adults ages 18+)
• 74% of Youths are more likely to pay attention to a company’s message if the company has a deep commitment to a cause
  
• 89% of Youths are likely to switch from one brand to another if the second brand is associated with a good cause
  
• 70% of Youths believe that companies are not doing enough to support the causes that they care about                               (The 2006 Cone Millennial Case Study, May 2006. Surveyed Youths ages 13-25)

So, as we embark on the upcoming year, we want to make sure that local companies recognize and understand the value of sponsorships of "hometown" programs and events.  Companies, whether national or local should recognize the value of starting brand awareness and loyalty early with high school students, athletes and parents.  Should you want to know more about how you can become involved with local high school sports marketing programs, feel free to contact us.  We look forward to working with you.

It has been over a month since I last posted.  Not that we are not continually thinking about how to help high schools and those involved in and around high school athletics, but we have just been focusing on some other activities.  So, when I sat down to write something I wanted to make sure that whatever we continue to publish is timely, interesting, germane and informative.  So, thinking about all the many issues around high schools today and athletics, there are not a lot of new creative elements to discuss.

Yes, football ended some time ago for this school year, but spring practice will be just around the corner.  And, basketball is done.  I was able to enjoy some volleyball late this fall as my daughter is a coach.  It is an excellent sport which provides another alternative and mostly with little injury to the participants.  It is particularly well suited for girls.  There has been so much discussion about the increasing instances of concussions, and rightly so, that many parents are concerned with their kid’s participation in football and even soccer.  So, there are viable alternatives available.

Certainly kids today are bigger and faster than they were in my day…heck I was a linebacker in college at 196 pounds.  Today’s linebackers are the tackles of yesterday.  So, what does all this have to do with sports marketing anyway?  Not much.  Other than the fact that every day concerns with kids in sports can ultimately do harm to the sports business in general.  We don’t read or hear much about HGH or other steroid use in high schools, but one has to wonder as the kids get bigger and faster in football, basketball, baseball and all the other sports.  Most recently, even my sport, golf, has been touched by a small instance of the use of deer antler spray by V. J. Singh.  I never even heard of deer antler spray, but in theory it has a hormone that is on the banned substance list, even though there is no proof it enhances performance.

I am not accusing anyone of anything relative high school kids, but something is happening…at the high school level, then college and on to the NFL.  Recent data released on NFL players shows that in 1970 only one player topped 300 pounds, Gene Ferguson of the San Diego Chargers; then early 1980’s only two players topped 300 pounds, Nate Newton and William “Refrigerator” Perry.  In 1988, there were only three players topping 300 pounds.  And then it began…94 in 1990, 301 in 2000 and 394 in 2009 and over 500 today.  That is a lot of body mass.  How do guys get so big?  And, more importantly, how do they perform better than their peers of years ago in terms of strength and speed? 

I don’t know!!

Back in the ‘60s, when I was in high school, a 220-plus pounder was a beast. Now, it isn’t odd to see a 220-pound quarterback or running backs that weigh 225.  Just to give you an idea, Bear Bryant’s 1966 undefeated Alabama team had only 19 players who weighed more than 200 pounds. The heaviest weighed 223. The linemen averaged 194 pounds.  But, they were fast!!

Obesity rates have increased for all population groups in the United States over the past several decades. Between 1986 and 2000, the prevalence of severe obesity quadrupled from one in 200 Americans to one in 50. There have been similar increases seen in children and adolescents, with the prevalence of obesity nearly tripling over the same period. Approximately 9 million children over 6 years of age are considered obese.

So, again, back to the question about what does this have to do with sports marketing?  Nothing…or at a minimum…little!!  But, we recognize that sports related activities are a critical part of the American way of life.  Few families in America are untouched in some way by sports.  Yes, there are many families who do not follow or have their kids participate in sports; but, again, schools rely heavily on sports to create better reputations for themselves and drive community interest. Otherwise, how would school districts be able to pass billion dollar bonds for new schools AND stadiums, a la the new $60+ million football stadium in Allen, Texas.  We do have a responsibility as corporate citizens is to help insure that the many young people who are participating in sports in high schools today are being afforded the chance to participate as they hope and want to.  Maybe just a few extra dollars coming from a corporate relationship we helped establish will generate income to offset some of the cost to operate programs in these schools.  Or, maybe a contract with a local hospital will enable better and more efficient healthcare for high school athletes participating in the many sports offered today.

Golf has been my sport for the past 45 years.  I am proud of what golf has done and is doing to be involved in communities throughout America with its charitable activities.  More than 2,000 charitable organizations receive donations from professional golf's activities and just last week, total donations surpassed $1.86 BILLION...well on tract to $2 billion donated all time.  The character part comes from the First Tee, where kids of all sizes and races are exposed to the sport and taught the most important values of life, not just about winning at golf.  If you want to know more, see www.thefirsttee.org.

We recognize our responsibility to help the communities we live and play in and are honored and look forward to helping any school with their special needs along the way.  It’s not just about winning or losing.  As John Wooden said, “What you are as a person is more important than what you are as a player.”  We try to practice that as a company.    

Information for Students and Parents Looking for a Golf Scholarship

Typically by the time most kids are 13 or 14 years old and they have a desire to use golf to meet their educational goals through athletic or academic scholarship, they have already begun the “process.”  Process on the athletic side means that they have been competing in local area junior golf events or national events.  They and their parents have started with the necessary steps in working with local golf organizations to help "introduce" their golfer to the amateur golf world.

But, if you are 15 or 16 years old and have not been competing in local or national tournaments, it is not too late if you have a pretty good golf game.  If you don't have a good game, then it IS late; very late and you really need to work hard at your improving your golf game for the next couple of years.  That does not mean that you can substitute golf for everything else in your life!  You still need to focus on academics, because even if your golf game does get great, if you do not have good grades in school and can get scores to support getting you in the college you want, then you will be looking for something else to do with your life.  There are very few Tiger Woods or Paula Creamer types out there today that can make a leap from teenager to TOUR player.  So, study, practice, play competitive golf and enjoy your teen years leading to college.  You need to also make sure you are doing something in your community to give back in some way.  It not only looks good on your resume, but it will make you feel better as a person.

Now, the important stuff.  There are some great places to find helpful information.  First, the PING College Golf Guide.  It is a great resource for student and parent.  It provides a lot of answers to questions that will arise about the many elements of preparing for college via a golf scholarship.  It can be found at www.collegegolf.com.  Once you have registered and understand all the elements of the value of this publication, there is also a link on this site to Golfstat.  Golfstat is the place where scores and performance is tracked for hundreds of amateur collegiate bound golfers.  One of the best elements of this service is that it has a predictive tool that will help match a student with the best college for him or her.  Golfstat is in continual contact with the NCAA, which is also a big benefit.  The third place to make sure you are connected is the Junior Golf Scoreboard, www.juniorgolfscoreboard.  Here you can find just about every event and player ranking.  Your student must play in four events in a calendar year to be ranked!  There are other sites and places to look and track your student’s performance.  Many will offer to get a scholarship for your student.  Be careful…very careful.  Don’t be misled.  Caveat emptor.

Play.  Play.  Play.  There is little substitute for competition.  Believe me; I learned the hard way.  Join the local golf association; join the local junior golf association.  Sign up to play every junior event possible.  USGA events are important; particularly the USGA Amateur  and Publinks…sign up and try to qualify.   The AJGA (American Junior Golf Association), www.ajga.org, has more than 100 events scheduled this year.  Many are already full.  Sign up for as many as possible in hopes of getting into a few.  This may entail some travel, but…parents, this is going to be required to build credibility for your student and more importantly help them learn to compete.  Compete at the highest level you can based on your game. The PGA Junior Series is another important golf tour.  There are nine events scheduled this year beginning in May and ending July 30 with the PGA Junior Championship at Trump National in Washington, DC.

One last thought.  If your student can play well…really well, don’t worry too much.  Coaches will find him or her.  It may take a while as coaches work through all the better players in Division I, but a great player will find a place to play.  And realize this, times have changed.  There was a time years ago when scholarships were readily available, particularly for girls.  But, with the influx of talented foreign players wanting to come to America, that is no longer the case.  So, encourage your student to practice...and study.  It won’t help the coach if he wants to offer a scholarship and your student cannot qualify to get into his or her school due to poor academic performance.

Don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments.  We love to help and would be honored to do so.

Call Me a Purist

Yeah, call me a purist…which seems to not fit with what I have been doing most of my life…sports marketing.  I recall back in the early 1980s when I was charged with finding new revenue sources and generating income for the PGA of America.  Ultimately, my strategy was to try to develop a way to generate identity programs that would benefit the sponsors AND generate revenue for the PGA as tastefully as possible.  For better or worse, we created a lot of programs that generated millions of dollars over the next few years.  If you recall, I told the story previously about the advertising in the bottom of the cup in the greens…yes, we passed on that one!

Since then I have watched sports marketing become a huge business.  Golf held out for so many years and logos on golf apparel typically was found only on a sleeve and/or left chest.  More recently, however, I have seen the proliferation of logos on collars, both sleeves, back of the shirt (I will admit, I did that myself in 1995 for our company), and both sides of the chest.  Now golfers are beginning to look more like NASCAR drivers.

Think about it…at the end of every NASCAR race, the driver is escorted to the presentation area where he is surrounded by the media and the smiling blonde from Sprint and chokes down a refreshing beverage, albeit one of his endorsements…all the while thanking the dozen or more sponsors on his car and firesuit.  But, over the years, we have become accustomed to it.  And, no one seems to be offended by it.

So far, the rest of sports has remained fairly pure…no major advertising on football jerseys or baseball uniforms other than the identifying mark of the manufacturer like Nike, Under Armor, Adidas, or Majestic.  But maybe things are changing.  I just learned that the NBA has approved a measure that will allow teams to place logos on jerseys in 2013.  With that, everyone else will begin to follow suit….how can they leave all that money on the table?  The New York Yankees with a CitiBank logo; or, the New Orleans Saints with a Tobasco image on the jersey…wow!  Jerry Jones will probably be the first!

We have been helping high schools generate revenue through special programs and for now prep teams appear safe from all the current commercialization.  A rule mandated by the National Federation of State High School Associations restricts placement of advertising on uniforms, which, from a purist perspective makes me happy.  Seems somewhat of an oxymoron for a marketing guy to support that mandate, but some things are left better as they are.  Heck, I wish golfers weren’t placing logos all over themselves, but I do understand the tremendous money available today.  I hardly ever wear a golf shirt with a logo anymore...just a personal preference.

The Sports Marketing Company specializes in finding ways to help schools offset costs by creating revenue programs that can be done tastefully and create community interest and corporate relationships with the school districts.  I believe strongly in what we do for the schools, not because of my marketing background, but because we help fill a need at a time when it is getting more difficult for schools to fund athletic programs.  So, anything we can do to help offset costs for other elements helps along the way.

With approximately 500 million fans across the United States, high school sports marketing is an incredible vehicle for corporate America to reach buyers of their products.  We don’t want to turn schools into crazy over-laden advertising mediums, but we know we can help high schools and districts make valuable strides to meet needs and add to the enjoyment of fans attending games, whether it is at a football stadium or small sports arena.

One of my favorite television programs over the past few years was Friday Night Lights.  I enjoyed the stories and the trials of “big-time football” in small town Dillon, Texas.  What a little marketing could have done to help the East Dillon bunch…broke my heart when I saw Coach Taylor walk onto that grassless field at East Dillon…broken down seats, goal posts barely standing…and no equipment for players.  Heck, he hardly had enough players to make a team.  Were this a real case scenario, it is just what we do. We know how to help both sides win, by establishing a viable advertising medium for the sponsorship for the company and a resulting revenue program for the school.

It’s all about good taste.  Having been involved in more than $50 million in programs since I started, I believe I have been able to keep a solid perspective on that since I sold my first sponsorship back in 1982.  Time will only tell where sports marketing will be in the future.

As It Turns Out, It Is Not All About Sports

On several occasions over the past few months I have tried to provide information on how sports can and is making a difference in not only high school athletic departments, but also for high school athletes.  But, it seems that there is more to marketing than meets the eye; particularly at the high school level.

Having spent more than 40 years in the sports business, on one side or another, I always seem to focus on what I know and what I have been familiar with all these years.  Oh, I realize that there are other real world things happening out there; but it took a recent deal right in my own back yard to give me a jolt about marketing in general.

Our team at The Sports Marketing Company focuses primarily on how to help high schools generate revenue to offset costs for specific needs, such as scoreboards, signage, etc.  We have talked with several school districts about how they might be able to generate revenue for the district by placing advertising on school buses.  This expansion of advertising revenue opportunities takes me back to a sales call I received back in the early 80’s when I met with a company that wanted a license (I was the Director of Marketing for the PGA at the time) to put advertising in the bottom of the cups on golf courses as well as on the flag poles.  I am afraid I am too much of a purist and pretty old fashioned... and I elected to pass on that option.  The money was nice, but not enough to force advertising on golfers, regardless of their feelings about advertising.

But, recently a Plano, Texas hospital has agreed to pay the City of Plano $1 million over five years in a sponsorship deal that will allow the hospital to place limited advertising at more than a dozen city facilities.  Texas Presbyterian Hospital Plano will be able to place signage, decals and receive other valuable consideration at four of the city’s recreation centers.  There are more than a million visits annually at just the city’s rec centers, so certainly there is ample opportunity for consumers to be made aware of the hospital’s name.  In addition to the recreation centers, the hospital will receive the benefit of recognition by name on decorative landmarks at parks, libraries and other facilities.  And, finally, the city’s website and television channel will feature Texas Presbyterian Hospital Plano with logo identification and recognition.

All for only a million dollars.  Is it worth it? Who knows, is any advertising and marketing ever worth what one pays?  Only time will tell.  But, a city with a population of approximately 275,000 will provide many chances for those consumers to see the hospital’s name over the next five years.  This is a great example of the kind of broad thinking that might be beneficial to the city and the hospital; as well as the citizens of Plano over the next few years.  Anytime money can be generated to the city from outside tax payers, it is a good thing for those of us who write the checks at the end of the year.

This is a great example of the public-private partnership marketing opportunities available for other local governments and school districts.  We would love to help in evaluating advertising and marketing opportunities for your school, or school district.

What's next?

Over the past year or so I have had many people ask me about marketing and advertising, particularly now that we have been actively involved in helping high schools (and in particular athletic departments) find new income sources.  It’s a fine line between tasteful marketing and overt obnoxious advertising.  I have been involved in marketing for many years, on all sides of the equation; creating events, selling programs, generating revenue for corporations and organizations and consulting for numerous companies. 

Now, as school budgets continue to be tight and many teachers are forced to pay for some of their own supplies, all kinds of things are taking place.  For example, just a few years ago, Tom Farber, a high school calculus teacher was told that the San Diego high school district where he taught would be cutting his supplies budgets by one third. Farber had a problem. At 3 cents a page, his tests would cost more than $500 a year. His copying budget was $316 alone. Farber was a diligent and conscientious teacher.  And, he wanted to give students enough practice for the big tests they would face in the spring, such as the Advanced Placement exam.  What to do…what to do?

Tom Farber decided he would sell advertising on his tests?  Yep, he announced that quizzes would have an ad rate of $10 each, $20 for chapter tests and $30 for final exams.  Within a few days he had more than 75 email offers for participation in his program.  He generated enough advertising to pay for all his supplies for the year.  Pretty innovative and amazing!

And, the line between the public and private sectors just keeps getting fuzzier.

As a way to bring in some much-needed cash, a growing number of public schools in northern Texas are covering their buses and buildings with advertisements, according to a recent report in The Dallas Morning News. The Texas state legislature cut $5.4 billion in education funding and grants last year. To make up for the lost cash, schools in at least a dozen districts are selling ad space to local or national businesses. 

Many schools are taking a careful approach to the selling of ad space. In one Philadelphia-area district, schools are only running ads that relate to health, education and safety, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer… though under those guidelines, there's still room to advertise drinks like Gatorade, computers or local sporting goods stores.

There are more advertising opportunities than one might think…rooftops of buildings, seats in stadiums, lamp posts in parking lots and even on lockers.  One school district was offered $200,000 for rights to place advertising on high school lockers.  No matter how you cut it, that is a lot of money…and if money is really tight and programs stand to be cut and students are going to lose out on valuable learning opportunities, maybe some of these advertising media are actually valuable.  But, that is a decision that I don’t have to make.

But, we can help any district evaluate opportunities, create and sell programs on their behalf to help offset the cost of programs and maybe generate some valuable income for the district.  Should you want more information, feel free to contact us at your convenience.

Some Interesting Facts About High School Sports

There are more head and spinal injuries from cheerleading than all other high school and college sports combined, this according to Frank Mueller, a leading researcher from the University of North Carolina.  According to abcnewsgo.com, there are about 16,000 serious injuries from cheerleaders who have been thrown into the air, assorted stunts and tumbles.  Even though most common injuries are strains and sprains (current recorded statistics indicate this category represents approximately 52% of the injuries), cheerleading injuries extend beyond sprains to include concussions, fractures and other more serious injuries. 

According to Pediatrics, the official journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics, the number of cheerleaders between the ages of 5 and 18 visiting emergency rooms increased by 110% between the years 1990 and 2002.  No newer studies are available, but according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, approximately 25,000 cheerleaders ended up in the emergency room in 2007.

The study cited that there were 44 fatalities or serious injuries during the course of the study and that such injuries continue to rise. The center took cheerleading and compared it to other women's sports such as gymnastics, basketball or track. However, it didn't account for the following:

• Cheerleading has grown exponentially compared to other female sports. It stands to reason that with more participation, there will be more injuries. To accurately compare sports, the study would need to have about the same number of participants from all sports.
• The study did not consider the fact that in many cases, cheerleading is a year round sport whereas football, basketball or soccer are not year round sports. A more accurate comparison could be made by looking at injuries occurring during a specific time period.

So what is the bottom line?  Use good judgment with your cheerleader.  There is no doubt that there are risks in tossing girls up into the air and catching them. However, sometimes the headlines do not tell the entire story. It's important to remember these risks and take appropriate safety precautions that include:

• Require safety certification and ongoing education for coaches
• Insure that the school has qualified tumbling instructors
• Have trainers on site for cheerleading performances
• Follow safety regulations like using mats on the floor during performances

Speaking of the bottom line, if you really had athletic talent and wanted to make a lot of money at sports, where would you earn the most money?  Following is a list of the top ten earners in 2010 in sports for both women and men.

    Name                          Sport               Amount Earned

1.  Tiger Woods                 Golf                    $75 million
2.  Kobe Bryant                 Basketball            $53 million
3.  LeBron James               Basketball            $48 million
4.  Roger Federer               Tennis                 $47 million
5.  Phil Michelson               Golf                    $46.5 million
6.  David Beckham             Soccer                 $40 million
7.  Christiano Ronaldo         Soccer                $38 million
8.  Alex Rodriguez               Baseball             $35 million
9.  Michael Shumacher        Auto Racing        $34 million
10. Lionel Messi                  Soccer               $32.3 million

Women's Sports
1.  Maria Sharpova             Tennis                $25 million
2.  Caroline Wozniacki        Tennis                $12.5 million
3.  Danica Patrick               Auto Racing        $12 million
4.  Venus Williams              Tennis                $11.5 million
5.  Kim Clijsters                 Tennis                $11 million
6.  Serena Williams             Tennis                $10.5 million
7.  Kim Yu-Na                    Ice Skating         $10 million
8.  Li Na                            Tennis                $8 million
9.  Ana Ivanovic                 Tennis                $6 million
10. Paula Creamer              Golf                   $5.5 million

And there were others making significant income from other less commonly referred sports including Tony Hawk, Skateboarding, $12 million; Shaun White, Skateboarding, $9 million; Ryan Sheckler, Skateboarding, $5 million; Travis Pastrana, Freestyle Motocross, $3 million and Kelly Slater, Surfing, $3 million.

What’s all this say?  If you are really good at a sport, there is a lot of money to be earned, but it takes serious time, energy and some talent to be able to attain these kinds of accomplishments. 

_ What Your High School Athlete Should Understand

With the National Football Championship decided, it won't be long before the Final Four is upon us.  Then sometime later this year approximately 400,000 US college athletes will head back to their campuses to begin another year of college sports. What many parents and high school athletes are not aware of is that there is more than 20 times more academic aid available than athletic scholarships.  About two percent of high school athletes receive an athletic scholarship and even more amazing is that of all the athletes in colleges and universities, only about 33% have athletic scholarships.[i]

Literally thousands of dollars are spent every year by parents hoping to hone the skills of their child through “club sports” hoping for that elusive scholarship.  Unfortunately most of the money spent in this aspiration is, in general, a waste.

And furthermore, Division I schools are not for every athlete or student.  There are more academic scholarships available at Division II and III schools than at DI schools…so consider these schools as you think about scholarship opportunities for your child,  not only in athletics, but also in academics.
 
Here are some other interesting facts.

The Four Year Ride Myth. 
    Anyone, including any coach, that promises your student athlete a “Full Four Year Ride Athletic Scholarship” is misleading you and your child.  Contrary to opinion and the average individual’s understanding, guaranteed four year full ride athletic scholarships are good for one year at a time and can be renewable at the coach’s or athletic director’s discretion.  An injury to an athlete may cause the athlete to lose his, or her scholarship.

College Sports May Leave Little Time to Study. 
    Having been a college athlete, I remember how much time it took to meet the “requirements” of my commitment to sports.  “In season” we spent a minimum of 20 hours and sometimes as much as 30 hours per week in practice and games…add in travel and it is like a full time job, all while trying to meet academic requirements to maintain eligibility.  Easy for some, and much harder for others.  Great study habits help, so make sure your child is prepared.

What about Recruiting Services? 
    I’m not sure that recruiting services benefit the student athlete.  My personal dealings with any of these groups is minimal; however, I have been told by numerous coaches I know that they object to the interference of some of the services.  I think parents can do most of the work themselves.  The NCAA publishes guides for student athletes and parents and most schools will have departments within the athletic area to assist in putting together all the necessary information that might be needed.  Of course, if your child happens to be a superstar, there won’t be much need for anything except to sit back and wait.  They will come…in droves.

Video. 
    Don’t waste money on expensive video production for your student athlete.  For ease of communication when the time is right an email to the coach with a link to several YouTube videos of the athlete in action will accomplish the goal.  Coaches see thousands of athletes every year.  They know what they are looking for and how to evaluate the players they need.  A coach would far rather be able to use the Internet than having yet another DVD to clutter his desk.  Top collegiate coaches receive hundreds if not thousands of DVDs every year.

Academics. 
    It may all be about sports to the coaches, but grades are going to be important.  For acceptance certain requirements are necessary for each school, so make sure you have SAT or ACT scores, GPA and any other pertinent academic information for the coach.  Some schools have far more restrictive admission requirements beyond those established by the NCAA, so be prepared to understand what the requirements may be and how to insure your student meets them, and how to exceed the minimum.  For detailed information, go to the NCAA website and download the “Division I Toolkit” which can be found under the Student-Athlete Experience tab.  Don’t forget that it is not the NCAA that sets the standard for the school and decides anything about admission, nor does the coach.  The college or university will have an admissions department that will ultimately make the final decision.

How early is too soon? 
    I have personally represented more than 40 professional athletes in my career.  I have watched high school athletes become college athletes, recruited collegiate athletes and have been told by a number of coaches that great college coaches begin to start looking at talented players as early as middle school for sports such as basketball and volleyball.  If a budding athlete is interested in playing Division I especially, the parents need to make contact with college programs they are interested in as early as 7th grade for basketball and volleyball or by the end of 9th grade.  But, don't waste a coaches valuable time unless you have been told by an independent observer that your child has unbelievable potential.  We all feel our kids are going to become the next superstar, but like you may be, I have always been prejudiced toward my kids, so it is critical that you remain impartial at this critical age.

The Myth about Recruiting Letters. 
    Because your child received a recruiting letter from a coach or school does not insure eligibility, access or an offer for a scholarship.  After years of hard work, for a teen to receive a letter from a college coach is very thrilling.  But, remember, many college coaches look at recruiting like fishing; sometimes you have to put a lot of lines in the water to get a bite.  Many coaches send out hundreds of letters based on data provided to them from a myriad of sources including other coaches, staff, tracking services, videos and many other materials.  A letter does not insure an offer.  Be prepared both for the possibility of success and failure.  Try to insure that your student is prepared for both.

No time for anything else. 
    Big schools (Division I) with larger programs typically require more time from the student athlete.  Therefore other enhancement programs like internships or study programs are usually not even an option.  If this might be something that is going to be an educational benefit for your student, then considering a Division II school may be a better choice as the time constraints are significantly less.  Remember as pointed out previously, with 30 hours dedicated to games and practice and 15 to 18 hours in class every week, it leaves little other precious time for study and class preparation…along with time to eat and sleep.

All this being said, take time to relish and enjoy the time your child has in school and with high school athletics.  He or she may be destined to be a star at some college or university, but also be prepared in case that elusive athletic scholarship slips from view.  There will be other options for your child in college. I remember how much my daughter enjoyed Intramural athletics at Baylor University; so much so that she ended up being in charge of some programs there and going on to get her Masters Degree in Sports Management.  So, enjoy the moments and encourage your student athlete to excel.  Maybe an athletic scholarship is on the horizon, but if not, there are lots of other options for him or her. 

 

[i] Karen Weaver, EdD, director of Athletics for Penn State University-Abington