Christopher Gialanella’s Post

🏉 With the footy finals upon us (AFL starting tonight) I recalled being in awe of how 1 team navigated the draft in the past... In the 2004 draft, Hawthorn recruited three future stars: Jarryd Roughead, Lance “Buddy” Franklin and Jordan Lewis at picks 2, 5 and 7. If the draft were redone today, they’d likely go at 1, 2 and 4. An even bigger steal came in 2001 when the Hawks picked up Sam Mitchell at pick 36. In hindsight, he should have been closer to pick 4. He was overlooked by every other club. These elite recruitment decisions contributed hugely to an era of huge success, amassing four premierships in eight years. It just goes to show, a sports club success, largely depends on bringing the right people into your team. If you were a Sports Manager, how would you ensure you aren't missing your own version of ‘Buddy Franklin’? Ps: I’m not a Hawks supporter (go Swans!), but I’m happy to give credit where it’s due. 😉

🏈 Michigan's National Championship: A Case of Prioritizing Performance Over Integrity? 🏈 The University of Michigan's recent triumph in the 2023-24 National Championship, amidst a backdrop of a sign-stealing scandal, raises critical questions about the balance between athletic success and ethical conduct in collegiate sports. 🏆 The Victory Amidst Controversy Michigan's victory over Washington, concluding an undefeated season, was overshadowed by a year-long cheating scandal involving sign-stealing. This scandal, ironically grim given the competitive nature of college football, included allegations against a staff member for attending opponents' games to steal signs and led to the eventual suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh. 🚨 The Ethical Dilemma This situation shines a spotlight on the broader issue in sports: the tension between the relentless pursuit of victory and maintaining the integrity of the game. How do we reconcile the significant achievements of a team with the ethical breaches that may have contributed to its success? Teams have had titles vacated for less (Louisville basketball, anybody?), will similar action be taken here years from now? Or is it a case of "well, everybody does it" and is left alone? 🏅 The Impact on Collegiate Sports Such incidents not only tarnish the reputation of the involved institutions but also raise important questions about the role of governance in collegiate sports. What lessons can be learned about oversight, accountability, and the culture of competitiveness that seems to overshadow fair play? As professionals and enthusiasts in the realm of sports and education, your insights on how we can foster a culture of integrity while celebrating competitive excellence are invaluable. Follow me and subscribe to End of the Bench Sports for more sports satire! #sportsbiz #sportsmarketing #linkedinsports

The Oakland Athletics will share a stadium with the Sacramento River Cats for three seasons prior to moving to #LasVegas, the team said Thursday. The Cats are the Triple A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. This kinda makes sense but dunno how the Sacramento team will feel having to play with a Double A [quality] #MLB team. It's a long time since Moneyball and all Billy Beane's awesomeness was ripped off by teams with scads more $$. Still, the A's, while enduring a recent three-game sweep by the Boston Red Sox [Go Sox!], drew about 4,000 fans per game, easily half being Sox fans. Sacto's stadium capacity is 10,000. The A's did average 10K last year, but either way it's #NoProblem In true Major League Baseball (MLB) fashion there's a club option for a fourth year. The A's will be called the Athletics or the A's for their time in Sacramento, dropping the word 'Oakland' — which can also only be good from a #branding perspective. Not just dropping the #Oakland part, but having no city at all on their name for four years. Then, what happens in #Vegas ... well, you know. Vegas a'course is already well into becoming a sports mecca — the now Las Vegas Raiders, the Las Vegas Aces, the Vegas Golden Knights — a boon for #convention-goers staying an extra day or entertaining #clients, sunburn-easily #tourists, and local residents. There are two Vegases after all: that 'what happens in' one, and the family-friendly one. Both can be pleased with the arrival of the A's, who perhaps will then have the dosh to keep players after working so hard to develop them ... only to see them currently and after several seasons decamp for hefty salary cities. They're building a $1.1B stadium in the #Nevada desert. Benjamin Siegel wd be proud. #baseball #sportsbusiness #sports #betting

How will the expanded College Football Playoff impact the future of the game? 🏈 Check out our latest blog on the CFP expansion and its ripple effects on college football. #CollegeFootball #CFBPlayoff #SportsBusiness

In the final year of its current four-team iteration, the College Football Playoff concluded with a bang - generating over 25M viewers for the National Championship game at NRG Stadium and over 27M viewers for the University of Michigan - The University of Alabama semifinal in the Rose Bowl Game. The Michigan-Washington championship game was the most-watched National Championship in four years, falling just shy of the pre-pandemic numbers seen for LSU's victory over Clemson in 2020. ESPN executives were surely pleased to see numbers rebound 45% YOY from 2023's Georgia-TCU National Championship, which was the least-watched such game since at least the 1992-93 season. The 2006 Texas-USC matchup continues its reign as the most-watched National Championship game in the modern era, peaking at 35.6M viewers. With the expanded 12-team CFP model coming online for the upcoming 2024-25 season, four first-round games will be held on school campuses. The winners of those games advance to play one of the top four seeds in a rotation of the current New Year's Six: Cotton, Fiesta, Peach, Orange, Rose, and Sugar. The 2024-25 and 2025-26 National Championship games will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, respectively. #SportsBiz #sports #college #university #collegefootball #football #ratings #viewership #television #streaming #playoff #tourism #sportsbusiness #sportsmarketing #branding #linkedinsports

Records are Meant to Be Broken I’m a huge sports fan. Sports awards those who are bigger, faster, stronger and more skillful. And these advantages typically equate to better, sometimes transformative results. Now more than ever we are seeing amazing athletes do the unthinkable. Just this week: Victor Wembanyama - Became 1st NBA player with a triple double in the NBA with blocks (being 7’4” helps) Patrick Mahomes - This past Sunday won back to back NFL Super Bowls and will likely be the 1st to 3peat Caitlin Clark - Today broke the single season scoring record for an NCAA women’s basketball. You don’t need to be a super sports fan to enjoy and appreciate these athletes. Anyone who appreciates hard work and dedication can learn what these athletes are doing.. AND apply it to their own life. Records are meant to broken. Make it happen. In case you missed it, check out the highlights from Caitlin’s record breaking night… https://lnkd.in/gAvV64Qp #ThankfulThursday #BusinessDevelopment #BusinessCoach

Week 12 - Men's Basketball Top 25 rankings: Associated Press and Attendance 🏀 UNC remains #1 in attendance, tops 20K average. 9️⃣ Nine teams ranked in AP but not Top 25 attendance: Houston Auburn Oklahoma Duke Baylor Utah St Texas Tech Florida Atlantic Colorado State We help collegiate athletic departments build insight-driven growth strategies to grow fan bases. Ring us when you're ready to accelerate your efforts. We meet you where you are...accelerating growing efforts, fan base renovation, or starting from scratch. #sports #sportsbiz #sportsmarketing #innovation

Let’s start with the bad news. Record-setting rookie #CaitlinClark won’t be making her Team USA Basketball debut in 2024 💔 Bummed? Me too. It’s a fair reaction, especially considering the lift in ad engagement that advertisers experience when Clark is featured in a TV program or ad. It’s what EDO has dubbed “The Caitlin Clark Effect.” Now the good news. Clark’s absence from the #Olympics doesn’t imply a decline in viewership or ad effectiveness for this year’s games. Star power and a good narrative fuel live sports engagement, and Team USA has both in abundance. The women’s team will seek its 8th straight title since 1992 with WNBA icons including Britney Griner, Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, and Breanna Stewart suiting up for their shot at gold. Also consider the WNBA’s double-digit growth in ad effectiveness over the last two seasons, and women’s basketball will have no trouble enticing a hugely engaged audience in Paris – with or without Clark. https://lnkd.in/ewfdiN4c EDO, Inc.

Have you heard of Pearl Moore? She's a legendary college basketball player whose scoring record has stood for 45 years. As Caitlin Clark ascends into the ranks of "All-time Great Scorers," it's important to acknowledge Moore's incredible achievement. Check out this article to learn more about Moore and her record: https://lnkd.in/eiyK2ivD. #digitaladvertising #marketingandadvertising #womenshistorymonth #advertisingandmarketing #womementrepreneurs #guerillamarketing

Exciting news! 📚 My friend and mentor Robert Steinfeld has just released his new book 🎉 Bob’s career spans some incredible moments in sports, from producing ESPN’s first-ever MLB game to World Cup Soccer and college football! His book dives into those experiences and more, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in sports media. Check it out ahead of its official release on Oct. 22nd! Linked below!👇🔗 #SportsJournalism #ESPN #NewBookRelease #Mentorship #SportsMedia