Sponsorships and sports have gotten out of control. Gone are the days of the brick back stop at Wrigley field or the plain big green monster. Now you find advertisements all over the stadium and on the names of the stadium. For instance the Denver Broncos used to play at mile high stadium which was a play off the geographic location, once they moved however, they sold the naming rights to invesco and the name promptly became invesco field at mile high stadium. There are still a few hold outs, mostly by owners who make a huge profit from the team itself, the Yankees, Cowboys. No longer can you host a sporting event at a venue without having a sponsor of some time, in this day and age it is just too expensive. According to Harvey neoliberalism has succeeded in allowing a low percentage of wealthy elite to control just about everything

I agree with the response to Jared in that as long as the ads and sponsorships don't affect your experince then it should be ok. But even though you may not have noticed the advertisements I'm sure it affected your experienced because you probably consumed some of the products these companies offered during the game.

While watching the San Francisco, Arizona game I noticed that there were many sponsorships displayed throughout the game. These included beer companies like Budweiser and Miller as well as other companies such as Samsung and Toyota. Sponsorships have long been a major part of athletics and is a tactic of many neo-liberal companies in order to show their power within corporate America. Author David Harvey put it best when he said, “thirty years of neo-liberal freedoms have, after all, not only restored power to a narrowly defined capitalist class. They have also produced immense concentrations of corporate power in energy, the media, pharmaceuticals, transportation, and even retailing” (A Brief History of Neoliberalism, 18). Harvey is making the point that these companies that you see are directly inserting themselves into our lives and somewhat dictating how we live them. While I generally never really notice the advertisements at sporting events, recently I have noticed that more sporting events are taking on as many sponsors as possible. While this may be good for the team in helping to generate some sort of income form these sponsors, it cannot be a good thing for the users of sports who will in the future be dictated how they are going to experience the sporting spectacle by these neo-liberal corporations. Already you can see at games that the teams are leaning to only serving the products of the sponsor and very soon we will see that this will be a permanent change.

Michael Cole

I feel that these corporations should be allowed to sponsor sporting event. The corporations rely on the sponsorships to make a lot of their funds. As long as the entertainment value of the sporting event isn't decreased and the form of sponsorship doesn't draw away from the game and isn't over the top in any way than it should be allowed. You never hear of anyone complaining that the sponsors ruined their spectator experience. Whenever I go to a sporting event I don't notice the sponsors enough for it to even impact my experience at the game. Out of all the sponsorship ads there we only remember a small portion of them after the game. If you were to ask me when I got out of a football game what sponsors were there I would most likely only be able to give you a small amount of information.
It's true that some ways in which corporations sponsor sporting events can be a bit over the top and too much which is why there should be rules. The sponsors should not have any say whatsoever to how the game should be played or broadcasted.
I watched the Ravens game on Sunday when they played against the Browns. The game was sponsored by Blackberry and Budweiser. At first I didn't really notice any forms of sponsorships but as the game went on I noticed some. I think this is because when I first started watching I was more into the game instead of looking for who was sponsoring it. Overall the corporate sponsorships did not take away from the game in any way. To be honest I probably wouldn't even have noticed it if it wasn't for this assignment. As long as corporate sponsorship stays like this then there shouldn't be any problems or complaints about corporate sponsorships.
Jared Edmonds

I agree w/ Charles View Way... "The bigger the sports industry is becoming, the more appealing it is as a marketable resource for big corporations to take advantage of and get themselves out there."

This way of advertising is the way we are headed for some time to come. It's not like the Yankees are going to their season ticket holders and paying their fans to post Yankees and Southwest posters on their garages. It's contained advertising and it does no harm to post signs in stadiums of a team companies endorse.

I watched the Ravens/ Browns game on Sunday and I have to say that I did not think the sponsorship was overbearing. That thought does however lead me to ponder if the amount of advertising is just something that I have become used to seeing during games. I already know that the Raven's tunnel has a huge Geico logo on it and that the halftime show is sponsored by Sprint/Nextel so I'm almost oblivious at this point. It's only when I had to focus that I began to notice. I don't think that sponsorship in the stadiums is such a bad thing. The bottom line is that sport is a business and it will respond accordingly to the demands of its supporters. So maybe we can take a look at how BIG the signage is in stadiums and on jerseys, but at the end of the day I don't think we can completely get rid of them. If I am Geico or Airtran and I'm giving X amount of dollars to the Ravens I would want my sign up somewhere too. I think it is a give and take type of situation where balance may need to be instated. As far as the sportscaster "Name dropping" for companies... that is a bit much. I already have to watch all of their commercials every 2 minutes during the game and I'm sure they have some signage floating around as well. I can understand a pull back in that area. But to me sponsorship doesn't hurt anything. As long as your stadium doesn't look overcrowed like Time Square... but once again, I think we expect that there.

Monday night I turned on the T.V and watched the Eagles v. Cowboys on Monday Night Football. I was on the computer talking to one of my friends and I asked them if they ever noticed how advertisement basically rules sporting events in today's world. The topics of certiain commercials and product placement throughout the games were what we focused on. During the game you are able to see all the advertisements on the jerseys (which are Reebok) and all the Gatorade coolers and sports bottles lining the field. I belive that company's and coporations have the right to place themselves on individuals during games, or on the stadiums in which they play in, or the sporting items that they will play with; however, I don't think that the amount they have gone to these days is needed. Sporting events are now forced to cut to commercials because of coporate sponsors. Also, I think its ridiculous with how much companies pay for commercial airtime during the superbowl. I do understand though that these couple hours during that game, these commercials target the audience and sell their item. I believe that if the company has the money to do this, than go ahead and spend the money; however, I believe they could be spending this money on other more important things, like more donations. Just because Reebok makes jerseys for NFL teams it doesn't mean that I am going to go out to buy Reebok products because “sexy” football players wear the name. Others might buy Reebok for that reason, and by all means let them do that. Reeboks commercials and placement did what they were targeting it to do. If Taco Bell is the first commercial I see at the end of the game at midnight and I am hungry and they are open 'til 2am, more than likely my friends and I will go out and spend $10 or $15 on tacos and burritos. We as Americans should thank commercials even if we hate seeing them in the middle of our sporting events or even in our sporting events. How would we decide on what car we are going to buy, or what food we want to grab during half time to satisfy our cravings?
Kasi Harris

The bottom line is that corporations have always played a big part in major sporting events. Although that doesn't make is right the corporations influence on the games hasn't been all negative. I feel corporations should be allowed to sponsor the events as long as it doesn't interfere with the overall experience of the game. The main focus should always be the sport and not the corporations sponsoring it. I do agree though that they should not get as much airtime as they do. after so much it takes away from the event.

I agree with Gincel's response. It destroys the purpose of sports management. If the corporations have a lot of say-so in what gets played on television and what shows up in the stadiums than what are we here for. Corporations just want to make money.

Kierra Palmer

I agree with 1141 charles view way says in that the corporate sponsorship is necessary for sports. Today's fan as come to expect that on every play we will get to see 10 different angles of one play. So that we can make the correct call and crizitize the official who had to make the call in real time. But to have all the cameras and the people to run, setup, and program those cameras it cost money. So those corporate sponsors give us the opportunity to see the game the way we want.

In response to bruzicka, I have to agree that the advertisements of companies and corporations displayed within a stadium is not a problem. They need to be advertized in someway in order to be successful. I feel as though if people have a problem with all the advertisement posted or delivered at a game, then they should not come back. However, for the majoirty of sport's fans, that is not the case. Fans go to sporting events to enjoy what is being played; and if the game happends to be boring, then so be it. Not every game is always that exciting.

In response to Hinch47, I would have to say that I agree with all of his points. Corporations are helping sports get bigger and athletes bigger. It makes certain athletes famous even though they wouldn't make it otherwise. I know it's not the great way to make money but Anna Kournikova would have never made any money but she is very attractive and marketing has allowed her to have a career. It is also happing with Michelle Wie. She has not won a tournament but she still signed a 100 million dollar contract with Nike. They have the appearance that appeals to young people. This makes them money more than their skills. Corporations allow athletes and sports to make it big.

I totally agree with jgreen's response regarding Tiger Woods with Gatorade and Lebron James with Vitamin Water. Especially in Tiger's situation, its not like hes sweating hardcore during a physical matchup that he needs to drink the Gatorade, but because he is Tiger Woods, he sells the drink. People associate a sports figure with something and think they "need" to buy it.

I agree with 00typesh's outlook on corporations' integration and influence on the sports industry. These corporations don't interfere with the actual outcome of the plays and the game; that's up to the players and the teams. Yes, corporations may add some entertainment and excitement through advertisements and such in drawing in the attention of these sports fans; however, I don't believe any boundaries have really been crossed by these corporations.

I agree with tigerfrank on the basis of how well companies do according to their clients like Tiger Woods is to Nike. However, I disagree with his point that Nike being advertised by Tiger Woods is a bad thing and will give people the impression that they will be good at golf. All sports are hard and they require skills and natural talent; anyone who attempts them cant just expect to be good at them- especially golf. The point here is that the reason why people who buy Nike because Tiger Woods plays Nike is because it what makes them feel good about their game and gives them the BELIEF that they too can be a Tiger Woods. Given the fact that some golf companies say these irons will improve your score or you will make more putts with this putter even though we all know this is not ENTIRELY true, company advertising using sports is a good thing because the money spent by the consumer towards a product goes toward the player which in turn keeps the sport one loves booming.

After watching another Orioles game last night, which they lost to Toronto (no surprise at all), I noticed many things and parts of the ballpark that have advertising in many unique ways. After turning on the game in the first inning, right away I noticed Chevrolet being advertised behind the backstop. After the second inning it was 'The Keg Steakhouse' and then another company and so on. The main advertiser on the Orioles network seems to be Southwest Airlines, as well as Comcast. There were many commercials for flying southwest and a few of the 'Slowsky' commercials for Comcast. All in all, I feel that although some of the company's can over do it with the location of their advertisements in the ball park and when they advertise whether its through camera angles or whether, in this case, Jim Palmer has to stop his ranting and say a quick few sentences for Southwest or 'Esskay Hotdogs,' its not that bad. In fact, it can be very good to promote baseball to the younger generation especially if the product being advertised is healthy. For example, Aquafina and Gatorade is associated with the MLB. Aquafina has most if not all of their bottles printed with the MLB logo so when kids see aquafina water being advertised they think of baseball or a gatorade commericial they think of superstar athletes and drink that instead of a soda.

Even though Southwest and Comcast commercials are played over and over again atleast its not 7 or 8 of them in row. As far as what we have talked about in class this semester, the thing that seems to be continued to be talked about is how big a role sports play in American life, so what better way to get a product to be noticed than the usage of America's sports? The American economy is not as great as it has been before so whatever it takes to get money to be spent and the GDP up is most definitely a good thing.

I totally agree with Justin that college sports are getting infected by corporations. They are taking the greatness that is college football. College sports are about the school and pride not Chevy Chase Bank or any other company. I enjoy it when the stadiums have nicknames like “Death Valley” or “the Swamp.” I even like it when the school's name stadiums after major figures in the schools history.

I watched the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys game for Monday Night Football. Toyota sponsored the game and inserted their name throughout the game breaks along with sponsoring the half-time show. I believe corporations' inclusions in sporting events is inevitable and absolutely necessary. The main reason these marketing tactics and advertisements are continuing to grow and “take over” the sporting event is merely because of the growing competition in creating and presenting new ideas to grab these consumers' attentions. It is understandable to say that maybe corporations doing such things as putting their name on stadiums may be a little bit overboard, but the sports industry is going to continue to take this route. I mean, what are we studying sport management for? We are going to be the people behind the scenes who will be working with these corporations. These corporations will make great offers for teams and the teams will accept them. Corporations keep stepping up their game to find new and innovative ways to get their names all over the sports industry. The bigger the sports industry is becoming, the more appealing it is as a marketable resource for big corporations to take advantage of and get themselves out there. As a sports fan, corporations simply inserting themselves all over the sporting events may really take away from the game experience at times. However, from a business perspective-- from a sports business perspective-- it is realistic for corporations to get highly involved in an ongoing rapidly-growing consumer industry, such as sports. What else else would you expect? -Gincel

After reading some of the responses, I couldn't help but completely agree with what Scott said about the World Series of Poker. I feel like I am constantly watching a commercial, even when they are playing poker. Just the fact that theres a name for every turn of the card in the game is annoying.

I read the weekly article before I decided to watch a sporting event today to have an open mind while watching. The game I watched was between Manchester United and Villareal, a soccer game played in Europe. This was part of the Champions League, where teams throughout Europe can compete against each other. After watching the game, it is impossible not to observe all of the advertisements throughout the stadium and on the jerseys. Manchester United, the worldest most valuable franchise, is sponsored by AIG to wear their logo on their shirts for over 56 million pounds. This makes me wonder at what point of time are you going to see the Yankees sponsored by, for example, VISA, and use that money and buy players. I can definately see American sports adopting the corporation sponsorships that, for example, the English Premier League uses. In my opinion, this would do harm to the sports, especially for fans viewing players on a personal level. Nobody wants to see a brand all over a professional team, just because of its sponsorships. With regards to naming rights of professional teams' stadiums, there are both pros and cons. The advantage is these teams are gaining a huge sum of money and use it to pay for these new stadiums that are built. This saves tax payers money, as well. The disadvantage is that you won't find stadium names like RFK, Memorial, or Veterans which actually have meaning anymore. Overall, there is a reason why the sports industry is the 22nd largest industry, and that is because of money obviously. Advertising , sponsorships and broadcasting rights for professional sports play a huge role in our economy, and it is no wonder why these big corporations want to get involved. I just wonder what comes next in America. Maybe the New York Yankees will become “the New York Yankees brought to you by Apple.”

Bill Richardson

I agree with hinch47's comment about the soccer sponsors. Without any of the sponsors on the team's jerseys or supporting big name players like Michael Jordan, I don't think they would be as big as they are today. I also agree with that the sponsor help these players do much more than just play the sport. They help them come out with their own line of clothes and shoes. They put the players on TV ads as well as commercials for many other things besides the sports that they play. Scott Rappaport.

Whether we like it or not, sponsorship will always play a huge role in sports. Without the money that these big name corporations provide, a lot of the technology and things we enjoy about the game would not exist. If you really sit back and think about it, how many stadiums and arenas in the NFL, NBA, and MLB are named after some sort of corporate sponsor that will put their name where ever possible in the facility. Another good example is the up and coming sport of mixed martial arts. The entire floor of the ring is covered by numerous sponsors and all the fighters come out wearing apparel that says sponsors names. Although corporations have inserted themselves throughout most aspects of sports, one aspect that they still do not effect to much in my opinion is the actual competition itself. Yes some companies provide equipment that, according to them, will give you edge over your competitors, but they physically do not effect the outcome of the event. It is still up to that athletes to make plays and make the fans want to come watch that sport. I agree with Harvey's view that the power has shifted from many to just a few, but money provides sports with the resources to move forward and better the sport for the fans so the corporations that can provide more money will get more sponsorships and get their name out in the public more.

I agree with tiger14frank about the fact that if Tiger Woods went on television and said that Nike clubs are the best and they are what he uses to play as well as he does, then sales would increase dramatically. When celebrities endorse products, the products are always more likely to sell better because it has the approval by a proven professional, which means consumers believe it is a better product.

I have decided to wait until the bottom 9th to write this response. The game that I chose to view was the Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs Game. Unfortunately I cannot BS this response since I assume Mr. King-White is intently watching his struggling Brew Crew as they try to win the wild card. With the game being at Wrigley Field, one of the older parks in the game, there are far less places for companies to stick their logo than most. Although several companies were still able to get their image across. Right behind home plate flashes ads for Best Buy.com, AT&T, allied waste and Cubs.com. Images can be found on the ivy covered wall and throughout the dugouts, where State Farm is stamped everywhere. Ads are everywhere, from the Bud Light Bleachers to the Gatorade towels in the dugout, and they have done nothing to enhance the game. I am quite in favor of corporate sponsorships and the effect that they have on professional sports. In my opinion they enhance the game and only add to the overall sporting experience. Without corporate involvement in sports some of my favorite athletes wouldn't be nearly as famous or wealthy as they are today. Nike has made Tiger Woods, Michael Jordon, Roger Federer and Lebron James some of the biggest celebrities in the world. And I can't picture either of them without a NIKE Swoosh across their chest or on their hat! Since I have grown up with Nike being everywhere I am use to it and enjoy it, in no way do I feel that it or any corporate advertisements takes away from the game.

Josh Jenkins

After reading David Harvey's A Brief History of Neoliberalism I have realized that there are corporations constantly being used in sporting events. I remember distinctly when I was watching the BMW Championship that IBM and Titleist sponsor. Titleist is prevalent on all the score boards and advertisements as well. I know that when I see certain players on the PGA tour using Titleist equipment that makes me want to use it more. If I know that the best golfers in the world are using that equipment and it makes me want to use it even more. It makes me believe that it is the best equipment and the only way I can play good is by using it. If Tiger Woods came out and said Nike golf clubs are horrible and no one should use them their sales would drop dramatically. If Tiger comes out and says that Nike clubs are amazing, then the sales would go through the roof. By having Tiger as their spokesman it makes everyone believe that they could be as good as Tiger if they use it too. I believe that this is both a good and bad thing. It's a good thing because it allows companies to get their names out there and showcase their products. It is a bad thing because it could give people the wrong impression that if you buy their stuff then you will be amazing at golf, which as some of us know it's not true.

After reading Amy Lauenstein's take on the issue, I agree with what she said. I also said in my response that having corporate names on stadiums takes away from the sport. She also touches on having a good balance of corporate inclusion. I also stated that corporations and sports should not go overboard and should be monitored so that they both don't become one in the other

Bill Reem

The game watched was Villarreal vs. Manchester United. I'm a big champions league soccer fan. I knew about the sponsers but i just never realized how many there were. The soccer field was surounded by sponsers like Sony, Ford, Playstation, Mastercard just to name a few. What really suprised me was the sponser right in the middle of Manchester United Jerseys, AIG is in huge letters right across the chest of there uniforms. With that being said I think that the corperate sponsers are great for sports. The way i see it is that these sponsers are making sports bigger and better for people to watch. Just think for a minute, if Michael Jordan wasn't sponsered by Nike would he ever be as big as he is today? Yes, hes a good player but Nike took MJ to another level. He has his own shoes and line of products. These big sponsers make young kids want to be like all of these professional athletes. They see them making millions of dollars and want that to be them. Yes professional sports have become all about the money, but really these days what isn't about the money? If all the big corporations want to keep throwing money into sports more power to them. Must mean they are making a lot of cash from advertising in sporting events.

In response to alauenstein i kind of agree with what she has to say about it not being a big deal that shes fine with corporate advertising "as long as the ravens do not turn into the Baltimore Geico Geckos." But as someone else said we already have teams named after corporations the New York Red Bulls. I mean I think like I said earlier we need to stop the corporate advertising before it consumes all sports and makes them something that we enjoy to something that we can't.

In response to perry's comment, i guess if they do =have the right to have their stuff displayed if they give money for certain things. at the orioles park, the lcd screens are an awesome addition, but im sure there is a big coke advertisement right next to, under, over, beside, behind, around or in some way shape or form associated with it. Now if the displays are inside the theatre corridors, that is one thing, but the fact that the part of the wall right behind home plate costs so much more that the spot by third base is a clear signal that money is the main objective.

andy grygier

If i have learned anything about advertising over my years of watching them, it is that every minute of airtime is money. Companies do their best to fit as much information into commercial breaks, yet the broadcast always comes right back to the game at just the right time. As someone mentioned in class, if commercial breaks are messed up in any way there are big fines to pay. While keeping this in mind, we still have to remember that sports, just like any other type of entertainment has a bottom line, and that is getting money. After all, the entertainment industry is a business. As the business evolves, the advertising, and corporate brainwash that goes with it will too. We all had to sit through commercials for so long, so there didn't need to be as much advertising in the program itself, but as television evolved to be able to just skip over commercials with the click of a button, the advertising industry had to find a way to get around it. There was advertising inserted into the sport as well through the apparel of the players and what not, but not nearly as much as now where, like in NASCAR, companies literally buy space on cars and use it to advertise. That is just one example out of many sporting events where the actual competitor is used as a billboard. Companies buy players, teams, schools, governments.... the list goes on. The bottom line is that we have a value system in our country built around exploiting any and every opportunity to make money, and these companies see every second of air time as an opportunity to make some money. It really turns the watchers, the fans, the children into mindless, brand addicted zombies.

Andy Grygier

I hope my sarcasm gets my point across. I feel similarly to Scott Rappaport on this topic. If the ad does not interfere with the game and how it is played, then who can blame a company for merely doing their job? Just like these companies spend and make their money from advertisements, professional players do their job by being a walking advertisement while they do their job. Who am I to judge who o what can or cannot sell themselves?
Jacqui Betts

In response Nicks blog. I completely agree with you. Sports are almost changing the face of the game. They interrupt the games numerous amounts of time, ruining the tempo and momentum of the game. They have forced teams to rethink their strategy and game plan. Their practices can be different because they get more frequent and longer breaks during the game. The players have bought into the corporation being a part of the game by doing many commercials, and wearing certain brands of clothing. I do not like how much they have become a part of sports.

After reading through the responses, I like what Joel Greenfield had to say about how Tiger Woods influneces poeple to buy his Tiger Gatorade. It is so true how a person on a label can help influence a buying decision. I know when I play golf and I stop to get something to drink, I get Tiger Gatorade because in my mind if the best golfer in the world drinks it when he plays, I guess I should too, because it will help my game. The way athletes run so many different kinds of markets for all sorts of things that we as people buy is incredible, and it will always be like this and probably will get even bigger for years to come.

Andrew Schwartz

As I sit here in my room watching the Eagles v. Cowboys on Monday Night Football, a friend and I have been animatedly discussing various topics, such as advertisements, commercials, product placement, corporatism, capitalism, and which car we are going out to buy tomorrow. While the game is on and plays are happening there is little advertising other than Reebok jerseys and Gatorade sports bottles. Football games are unique because game play can be broken up in seconds or minutes and then go to commercial, where most of their advertising takes place. However, in a soccer match, advertisements are located around the field and under the scoreboard for 45 minutes each half. I will defend the corporations and their right to insert themselves into every aspect of our lives, whether it be Reebok jerseys, Wachovia stadium, or a 2 million dollar 30-second commercial spot in the Superbowl. If a company has the money to do it, then by all means. In capitalist America it's every man for himself and I could care less. So what if Reebok makes jerseys for NFL teams? I am not going out to buy Reebok products because sexy football players wear the name. Somebody might buy Reebok for that reason, and good for them if they do. Good job Reebok, you're billions of dollars have done what you've asked. So what if Taco Bell is the first commercial I see at the end of the game at midnight and I am hungry and they are open 'til 2am? I will probably go out and get a double decker supreme. Great idea, thanks Taco Bell, I was hungry! If not for commercials or sponsoring corporations, how else will I ever decide what I am supposed to eat? I owe it to Taco Bell for reminding me that they are always there, even late late late. I should kiss them. Excuse me I have to go buy a sweet Toyota Hybrid. Jacqui Betts

Since Monday, the 37th Ryder Cup has been taken place in Louisville Kentucky between the United States and the Europeans. The event begins on Friday morning but the hype of this event has been going on for 2 years. This is one of the most prestigious golf events of the year because of the team play and the excitement that is going on for these two teams. Anyways, besides the event going on, the exposure the event gets is huge, bringing in both markets from the United States and overseas. Cadillac is the main sponsor for this event and has really done a great job in marketing their products. Golf is known to be a rich man's sport and by Cadillac using this event to help market their cars is very smart. People watching this event will have a better chance of thinking about buying this car then say would a person watching a basketball game or whatever.
Some of the ways that Cadillac uses their image to help promote the Ryder Cup and the brand of Cadillac are through commercials with the players playing in the event. Also, Cadillac has come out with a highlights reel full of special Ryder Cup moments that have really been important in recent years.
My opinion of sponsorship and sports is probably different then a lot of other people because I think that sport would not be what it is if it did not have sponsors. The amount of money generated by sport is widely influenced by companies that support stadiums, teams, and even players. It is incredible the way that athletes are associated by what they are endorsed by. If I think about Tiger Woods, I think Buick. If I think Lebron James I think Sprite. If I think of Michael Jordan, I think McDonalds. The list goes on and on. IN getting back to the Ryder Cup, I truly believe that the sport of golf would not allow this event to become as big as it will be. It will not come close to bringing in the numbers of say a Super Bowl, but, Cadillac in this case, and the other small sponsors of this event will truly help bring the numbers in for such a prestigious event.

Andrew Schwartz

This weekend/week I watched a few sporting events. I watched the Villarreal vs. Manchester United soccer match. Corporations were a very big part of the game. Manchester United jerseys featured an AIG sponsorship and a Nike Check on the front. Also the walls around the field had sponsors all the way around. Some included were Playstation, Sony, Ford, and Adidas. Also there were many commercials saying they sponsored that game, including Guinness. The fans were also a big part of the corporations influence. Many of the fans were wearing jerseys sponsored by Nike and Adidas. I also watched the O's game one night this week and noticed all the corporations that were around the stadium. The scoreboard includes signs of Toyota, Legg Mason, Esskay, and MASN. MASN is the television station that the Orioles owner, Peter Angelos, purchased and is the only place to find the Orioles game on.

Corporations have taken over the sports world. There are signs everywhere, whether it is in the stadium, on the players or fans, or in the commercials. Commercials have actually taken over the game. They have made the game start taking commercial breaks, just to fit in the sponsorships. I do not like how much the corporate world has stuck their foot in the sports world, but I realize where it is necessary at times. The commercials have divided the games momentum incredibly and almost ruin the nature of the game. Each team has to work around the television timeouts and have to create strategy to coexist with the timeouts. I do realize though, that they must advertise their business so they can make their money.

For the past three years I have worked for ARAMARK at Oriole Park Camden Yards. In the past my jab has been to supervise concessions during game days. This past summer however I was promoted to the position of Assistant Concessions Manager of the entire stadium. One of the tasks that I was put in charge of the past year was sponsor satisfaction. What this means is that when a rep. from either coke, esskay, or one of our other prime sponsors would come by the stadium it was my responsibility to make sure their signage and other officially licensed merchandise was properly displayed. Having the type of job that I do I have seen the direct effects major companies can have on sports. Although my experience is limited to baseball I know that without cooperate sponsorship the environment of not only professional sports, but even high school sports would be much different. Due to my level of involvement at OPCY I have seen the benefits that come with having cooperate sponsors. For example anyone who went to a game this year at The Yard noticed the two new state of the art scoreboards that have been installed. Funding for these big screens was brought in partly by partners of ARAMARK on the OPCY account; primarily coke and Toyota. With every positive there are some negatives however. In relation to cooperate sponsors the environment in which they enter become much more tense. Think about it, when a company invests tons of money into a facility or organization they want to make sure that their name is properly displayed throughout the building which can call for stressful times at inopportune moments. All and all I think that corporate involvement in sports is something that cannot be avoided. As long as there is a way to make money people are going to want a piece of the action. The goal for the future should be to keep the ads modest and not let it become bigger than the game, which unfortunately is what we are seeing with the super bowl.

Perry Strickman

When I see Tiger Woods' picture on a bottle of Gatorade it tells me that something is amiss in this world. What does he have to do with a drink that is mostly marketed to people sweating from working out or playing football and hockey; sports where its physical and tiring. Golf is more of a relaxing sport but just because his last name is Tiger Woods it sells. It's kind of rediculous honestly that these guys get paid millions of dollars to subsequently change the views of the consumer. What makes the drink better? It sure as hell is not because there is a picture of Tiger on it! Vitamin Water is not better because Lebron James is on it either.

I think it comes down to the consumer being so indecisive and wanting to "fit in" wherever possible. I can see it now, that when i have kids their friends are going to say "you're not cool unless you wear the shirt we saw Arod wearing," while the other kids are arguing that the shirt Peyton Manning is better. I just dont get that because you see a football player wearing a nike shoe makes you want to get it. Doesnt anyone know that they wear it because they either get it for free or they are paid to wear it???? Ever think that the player may not like the shoe but because hes getting paid so much money to wear it he'll deal with it? I think people need ot be a little more independant.

Joel Greenfield

The corporate influence in sports has exceeded my tolerance. Ever essence of sport is dominated by national and local companies. I can't even play recreational basketball or soccer without a team or the field itself being sponsored. I play on a weekend soccer league and our field is called the Mirkin Foot field, sponsored by a local podiatrist. I attended the Washington Redskins verses the New Orleans Saints this Sunday and I was surrounded by corporate plugs. The first thing I see walking toward the stadium is the multiple FedEx signs that were draped over the stadium like a robe over a heavy weight fighter. Walking through the concourse I notice all of the apparel the fans were wearing and they all either Reebok or the NFL placed somewhere. Only certain beers were being sold by the venders mainly because those beers were largely advertised on the field. As I got to my seat I notice that underneath the “Jumbotron” were three advertisements the Bank of America, Budweiser, and Smirnoff. The biggest of the three posters is the Budweiser because they contribute the most amount of money. Just trying to enjoy the is more and more difficult because the length of the game has gotten so long because of the “TV” timeouts, which seem to come ever ten minutes, it's almost getting impossible to stay energized for the next play which has to wait for a commercial about Viagra. I also notice over the years that most of the fights that occur in the stadium are during these “TV timeouts” and also the longer the game the more beer that is consumed.

These days you don't even need to watch a game on TV or see it live to observe the influence that money has on the game just look at the names of the stadiums. I know that businesses have been slapping there names on arena's for years but when they get a hold on historical landmarks that is going too far. Locally, the once great Byrd Stadium is now Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd stadium and recently the icon that was Mile High stadium in Denver has been changed to Invesco field at Mile High. Even the teams themselves are trying to cash like the Las Angeles Angles of Anaheim, the team wanted to be connected to the Hollywood so more of the wealth people would be fans of the Angles. I just believe these businesses have gone way over the top and the sports themselves will never do anything about because all the rich people are making more money.

Watching the USC and Ohio game I noticed that the players had Nike symbols on their uniforms, which usually means that Nike gives the team a discount on buying equipment and uniforms from them. They are basically Nike affiliated. It's not just football though; even by attending some of the local universities and sometimes even high school sporting events I noticed that teams are wearing some type of emblem from a company. , Even if it is only team shoes that a team purchased. With the people who control these companies understand that they can make other companies product “un cool”. For example, it seems as though Nike has a Monopoly on basketball shoes. You are not a cool basketball player if you don't have a pair of Nikes, and it is unheard of for you not to. Addidas basketball shoes are not nearly as popular among the public as Nike. Anyway, watching the game I could see the screaming fans decorated in their favorite schools colors and as the camera turned to make a panoramic view I noticed that at the bottom of the stands are banners from the sponsors. As a college athlete this is not an unusual thing to see. Whether it is a local business or a corporate giant, most universities accept funding from outer sources. The brand name is important to college as well as professional sports, it's like everything needs to be branded and sold to kids who look up to heroes who wear the same shoes or clothes.

Nike is a corpration that is huge in sports. I can understand why but in my opinion they go over board with their advertisement. I havent seen not one of other shoe corparation that advertises as much as them. Growing up I mainly watched basketball. Majority of every commercial showed my favorite athlete Micheal Jordan wearing his own shoe. After seeing all of the advertisements it made want to only have nike air jordans. Nike in my opinion still be a big company but not as big if they didnt have Michael Jordan. During basketball season all I see is nike jordan advertisements. Till this day I have never seen a stephen Marbury ad any where, not on tv or on any billboard. And this shoe is only about 15 dollars. Which in most situations is very affordable. But a jordan shoe for 15 is unheard of. You would be lucky if you found them on sale for at least 90 dollars. I know people are always saying we have this so called 'freedom' but its diffcult for many people to buy other products if they see one company such as Nike everyday of their life. In a way they force people to buy there products(mainly shoes). I would be lying if i said nike didnt have a impact on the shoes I buy and wear, the only shoes I have been wearing since 8th until now have been nike jordans. I would find myself saying those shoes look good but they are not nike jordans. But once again Nike is a company that just have a crazy amount of ad's. There are a companies like reebok, addias, new balance, etc who does not have as many ads. Kristopher Boyd

After reading what Kierra Palmer posted I agreed with what she said about how the diaper commercial has nothing to do with football. I mean it is undserstandable and more appropiate in a sense for credit card commercials and such. Another example is last night I was watcing a regular TV show, House, and during a commercial for the show a Mastercard commercial came on and at the end of the commercial it said proud sponser of MLB Baseball. This caught me off guard because a game was not even on! Basically, I still do not have a problem with advertisments but I can understand how some think there are too many commercials that interfere with teh game. Commercials are annoying whenever you watch TV not only games. However, I definately do not think they interfere with going to the game and the experience, and seeing the advertisements there.

I have watched and played sports all my life. I have always chosen certain brands depending on which sport I was playing, but never really put any thought into why I was chosen that particular brand. Even watching various sporting events I recognized all the advertisements but none of them really phased me, at least on a conscious level I now realize. Prime example, in ever baseball game, directly behind homeplate there is always an advertisement the viewer sees for the entire game. When I think back to this past weekend's football games, I actually can't even recall any individual brand, maybe with the exception of the various domestic beer commercials.

The most recent game I watched was the Dallas/Philadelphia game on Monday night. Miller Lite was the front runner in advertisement. Majority of the commercial breaks had some type of clever advertisement to amuse the viewer. Miller Lite also seemed to be a big part of the stadium with advertisements on the jumbotron and bottles of the beer sold throughout the stadium. Another major corporation who was a major sponsor of the game was Toyota, also another American company. There were also many commercials for Quiznos subs during commercial breaks. I have not been to Texas Stadium but seeing as they sell Miller Lite and Toyota sponsors the halftime show, I am now wondering if it is possible there is quiznos related food in the stadium ... maybe. Another huge sponsor seen throughout the game, and just about every other sport event, was Gatorade. The emblem could be seen on water bottles, coolers, cups that players were drinking, everywhere.

With this constant barrage of corporate advertisement, it only makes me wonder how this has effected me, negatively or positively, subconsciously throughout my life. It also makes me wonder how these major corporations, along with others are so related to football. Gatorade I can understand for the most part, but a lot of the advertisement just gets to be a little out of hand. Sure some of the commercials provide extra entertainment but lets not distract the viewers from what they are really tuning in to see.

In response to spslugger88's comments on Nascar's excessive use of corporate sponsorship and branding; the only thing I could think of while reading your opinion on Nascar was the scene in "Talladega Nights" when Ricky Bobby gets a Wonderbread advertisement on his windhield because that's basically what that sport has come down to. It seems that in sports now if they could brand a body part they would, and the sad thing is I believe some athletes would be willing to permanently market themselves if the price was right. I think it comes down to people losing all respect for themselves as human beings, nobody has dignity or pride, that use of vernacular hasn't come out of an athletes mouth since the 8 track player was still in its inception.

The sporting event in which I partook in watching was the Monday Night Football showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. By MNF I meant to say ESPN MNF because after all that's what it showcased at the bottom of the screen all night long. Yes I am aware of the fact that the football game was on ESPN and I am gracious for them allowing the audience to view the game in high definition; but is it really necessary to keep your logo up for the entire game? Wow rants are fun; anyway I also noticed the excessive Toyota, IBM, Quiznos, Capitol One, and Miller Lite advertisements that were played basically on a loop throughout the game. One thing that I did piece together that I never had before was Miller Lite's triple threat use of advertising and marketing. Not only is the beer actively sold in the stadium, but there is a huge sign on the jumbotron showcasing the beer; if that isn't bad enough Miller Lite even has created its own fictitious league in the "More Taste League" in homage to the NFL in which it does great business with. I also started to think about Toyota; not only are there commercials shown but I vividly remember going to Ravens games and seeing the Toyota Punt, Pass, and Kick competition during halftime. What does Toyota have to do with a halftime act? I have no idea. I know Camden Yards sometimes displays vehicles at the front of the stadium in an attempt to lure in potential customers. While viewing the glorious Monday night contest I also witnessed Motorola on all of the head set equipment as well as the GMC Sierra post game show. Does anyone know if Motorola pays the NFL for advertising or is their payment giving the NFL use their technology? Anyway, corporations have completely inserted themselves into Sport permanently. Sport has become more of a circus act then a showcase of athleticism. I am “old school” in the fact that I would rather trade in all the glitz and glamour of the modern day sport for one more day of true passionate, soulful, and gritty Sport.

Big corporations sponsoring in major sporting events is a good advertising tool. The different demographics of people you are able to reach with sporting events is a great advantage. From the signage in the stadiums to the commercial timeouts, corporate sponsorship is everywhere. Even the half-time shows are sure to mention that they are brought to you by some major corporation like, "Lowes" or "T-Mobile" for that 2 secound advertisment with a Logo. I agree with Bill Reem when he commented about a stadium losing its identity by having a corporate name to it. Three Rivers stadium in Pittsburgh got replaced by stadium and new name Heinez Field. Bank of America just bought Merrill Lynch, i wonder if the new Yankees stadium will be named "Bank of America Ball Park". Probably not, but who knows. Corporations should stick to the commercials on TV and the signage around the stadium.There are so many rememberable commercials from sporting events like the superbowl with the Budweiser frogs and "whaz-uppp" or the NBA with the Dwayne Wade and Charles Barkley T-Mobile commercials. At the games its either, coke or pepsi, or budweiser or miller light. Who ever has the contract with the team now also sells to every fan that was anticipating on drinking a soda or a beer for the whole game. And while they are drinking your product, they are kindly reminded by a huge logo everytime they look at the scoreboard. Though to some people it might be aggrivating, i encourage corporate advertising in sports. It brings another competitive aspect. Rob Bromfield

Where would a lot of these corporations or sports be without one another? In today's society, they'd be nowhere. Corporations that sponsor sporting events use sports just like sports use them. I feel like its an even exchange. For example: Corporations sponsor sports so they can advertise their company and gain more exposure from the millions of viewers of these sporting events. Did u ever think of other ways that sports uses sponsors rather than the obvious? Like the NFL, when the super bowl comes around there's always new wacky commercials. A person like me that doesn't necessarily watch sports, watches the Super Bowl just to see these ridiculous commercials that sponsors have every year. This gives the Super Bowl one more person to watch the game even if they aren't really watching it for the actual game.
A sporting event that I watched was the football game between my favorite team in the world the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. It happened to be on Monday Night Football and was sponsored by Toyota. There were at least two commercials for the Toyota Tundra and probably more unnecessary clichés. Since I'm not huge on commercials, except for the ones during the Super Bowl, more than likely I switched channels. During the game, I noticed several billboards like one for Miller Light beer. The one that stuck out to me was the Dr. Pepper billboard, especially since it seems to have lost its popularity. Meaning, the ad speaks for itself.
In the end, I feel like corporations and sports are made for each other because they're all just money hungry.

-Kadie Bangura

After reading most of the posts, I think Amy Lauenstein has the closest opinion to mine. I definately agree with her when she says that "it is terrible that stadiums don't have original names." Alot of stadiums, Like the FedEx stadium are paid for by corporate sponsorships who slap their name on it, making it unoriginal. As long as it does not go too overboad like she suggested in the last sentence, I'm okay with corporations advertising during games also.
Erin Ragan

After reading David Harvey's article, A Brief History of Neoliberalism, I see why he says that "freedom" in the United States is just a word. With the upper class taking control of basically everything in our society the word freedom does not have the same meaning that it was given.
Taking what I got out of the reading, I watched the Phillidelphia/ Dallas football game on Monday night to be on the lookout for corporate sponsorships and advertisments. Now a days, every sport is always advertising or promoting something, especially when they are getting paid millions by those corporations that sponsor them. I never noticed it because I was so used to it, but my whole life this has been a big part of sporting events. While paying closer attention to the advertising during the game, I realized that there was more comercial time than game time. The commercials were all advertisments for sponsors of the NFL such as Toyota, Quisnos, IBM, and the biggest, Miller lite. There was a huge banner that took up almost a whole side of the stadium that advertised Miller lite, and everytime that camera crews zoomed into the crowed it was to focus on a group of fans holding miller lite bottles. There were also gatorade symbols everywhere along the field including on cups, water bottles coolers ect. All of the coaches were wearing Moterola Head piece sets that you could clearly see during close ups of them. There were many other advertisments that I noticed through out the game and it made me wonder... Are sporting events about the game, or the advertisments. We all know that the biggest part of the superbowl is the commercials, and that those commercial cost millions to air durring that time. But why? It's because everyone watches it.
I can see why most people would say that all the advertisments take away from the game itself, but I don't really mind them. If those sponsors want to pay millions of dollars to build a stadium just so they can advertise themselves, I don't think it's hurting anyone..if anything its beneficial. Corporate sponsorship has always and probably will always be a big part of all sporting events.
Erin Ragan

This past Sunday I spent most of the day in front of the TV watching as many sporting events as my remote would let me. But the one event that had most of my attention was the NASCAR sprint series race. Anyone that has seen a snap shot of a race, a car, or a driver knows the amount corporate sponsorship that NASCAR uses. The sponsors in NASCAR are a necessity for the sport to run. The amount of money the race teams need to run a successful team would be impossible without the money.
This Sunday the sponsors could be seen in every part of the event. It all starts with the name of the event, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire presented by Godaddy.com. In the title there are two different sponsors who put money into the event. According to NASCAR.com there is approximately 55 official sponsors, from Enterprise being the official rent-a-car company to combos being the official cheese-filled product of NASCAR. The site also says that the cost of being the primary sponsor on the hood of the car cost the company $10 to $20 million. Therefore in Sunday's race there were 43 cars so there was between $430 and $800 million just from the primary sponsors. But where would this sport be without all the sponsors. The car itself cost $125,000; this price includes the car, engine, and labor. So when you figure that most teams have two or three cars plus pit crews, extra parts, tires, and the price of travel to each location the cost is through the roof.
So I wish corporate sponsorship and branding wasn't necessary for people to enjoy sporting events. It would be a better world if we could enjoy sports for the sports on the field. But, if we all want sports to stay at the level we love its an evil we'll have to come to accept.

jeremycaruso

I just posted a response about how corporate advertising does not bother me in sports but after reading Kierra Palmers response I definitely do agree with her. The fact that athletes care more about the money than playing the game is terrible/. The reason it is like this is because of corporate America and sports working together.

I grew up playing and watching sports my entire life and I never even thought about sports without corporate sponsors. Everywhere you look there are giant logos slapped on everything, from the uniforms to the sponsor's names written all over the stadium to the stadiums even being named after big corporations! Out of all the sponsor opportunities in sports I think the stadiums bother me the most. It is terrible that stadiums do not have original names. M&T Bank stadium and FedEx field are horrible names for stadiums. It tells nothing about the team or the city and I think it just sounds dumb. I watched football all weekend and you could not miss the corporate slogans. Like you said in the reading it is not surprising to see the advertisements in a professional football or baseball game but it does not start there. Growing up I played indoor soccer and various arenas around Maryland and I always remember that there were advertisements all along the boards. That just proves that these days corporate American and sports go hand in hand. I do not think it is a terrible thing that companies advertise during sporting games because it is not much different than a commercial during your favorite T.V. show. The only thing I do not like is when a stadium or even a team is named after a corporation. With changing technology sometimes a billboard or your favorite player wearing a certain brand is the only way to advertise. Now that they have satellite, commercial free, radio and Tivo, people are not even listening/ watching the commercials. Overall as long as the ravens do not turn into the Baltimore Geico Geckos I am okay with corporations advertising during games.

Amy Lauenstein

One sporting event that I watched over the weekend was the Indiananoplis Colts and the Minnesota Vikings game. The one thing that I noticed was the played the same commericals over and over again. Whether if it was beer or credit cards, the one that surprised me the most was the rubber duckie commercial (which happens to be one of my favorite commericals). The rubber duckie commercials deals with pampers. Now what does that have to football???

I do not agree with how much airtime corporations get during the football games, especially football since it is my favorite sport. It is a distraction away from the entertainment of the game. The actual game should not be all about the money. The sports world is being made into this glamorous life because of all the money that is put into it. The money has become the main purpose for the game. For example, when millions of dollars were given to the reconstruction of the Superdome in Louisana instead of to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The corporations wanted to make sure they were making they were making their money on gameday instead of helping the victims. Corporations are endorsing any star that they can just so they can get any kind of airtime. Sports is becoming all about the money now.

Kierra Palmer

As most of the previous responses focused on what Hank Williams Jr. would call the Monday Night Party, and this week it truly was a party at Bateman's well until McNabb forgot the basic fundamental of the hand off, however I am going to instead focus on the Maryland v. California game on Saturday. It is disappointing now walking into the energy filled stadium and looking up and not seeing the sign that reads Byrd Stadium but instead Byrd Field at Chevy Chase Bank Stadium. It is a shame that corporations have moved beyond the Professional arenas into college stadiums. It is somewhat understandable why these corporations aim at professional teams, they can pay the athletes to market their product, however this is a major NCAA violation. Not only was there the renaming of the stadium, all around the field was signs for Pepsi and Under Armor. If i didn't know any better it could have been any college teams field, the corporations have taken over and left no sort of team spirit in the stadiums. Not to mention since the game was on ESPN there was a commerical every 4 minutes of play and every change of possession or time out. And during these tv timeouts the jumbo-tron would play a video sponsored by one company or another.
It is truly disappointing that corporations have taken the school spirit out of college stadiums. Yes, drunken college students and alumni still flood the stadium decked out in there home team attire, however stadiums are becoming less and less symbolic. Maryland is largely expanding there stadium to incorporate luxury boxes. These boxes will no doubt bear the name of some corporation, which will further downsize the school emphasis. Never the less college football is an exciting event and thankfully i doubt the corporate sponsorship will never take away the drunken ways of college fans. GO TERPS!!!
Justin Short

The sporting event that I chose to watch is the 2008 World Series of Poker. When the camera pans out to the table and the cards that are in play, right in the middle of the table is the “Milwaukee's Best Light” emblem. Even though the beer company has no part of the game (except the sponsorship) it is on almost everything at the event. This includes the banners, tables, and billboards. When they cut to and back from commercials, they also say, “World Series of Poker, brought to you by Milwaukee's Best. Brewed for a man's taste”. Obviously they are appealing to the men who play poker, even though there are woman playing at the tournament. I see no harm in having a sponsor like this at the tournament because it does not change the way the game is played or the outcome. The most it does is influence consumers, consciously or subconsciously, to drink the beer. Another place where companies have inserted themselves into the sporting event is when each player has the website or company that they play for on their hat's or visors. There are different websites that pros play for or represent that they win for, and in exchange, their logos will be placed on the apparel. One last example is when a player goes all in; they called it the “Degree All in Moment”. Degree obviously pays ESPN to have that put up mostly every time a player has a big all in moment. And once again, with my previous argument, as long as it does not affect the players or the way they play, then I do not see a problem if company pays ESPN or World Series of Poker. Especially because the poker players don't make money for just appearing like a baseball player would because they have contracts. Scott Rappaport.

I watch a few different sporting events and saw large corporations all over the place. One sporting event I watched was the Ryder Cup coverage and the desk was flashing different corporation's logos such as Dick's Sporting Goods and American Express and Gray Goose vodka. They even had Wales Post Nation a company who plans on being a major sponsor in the 2010 Ryder Cup. That is two years away and they are already getting airtime. While watching a few sports shows such as Pardon the Interruption, there was a Guinness icon on the bottom right part of the screen and before commercials AT&T was given credit for sponsorship as well. I also watched the O's game tonight and Budlight banners were spread out behind home plate the one place that gets the most air time during the game.

I do not like how much corporations are involved in sports. You lose the true, pure, if you will, meaning of the game. Everybody knows these times of the game when it was just a game. HBO has had numerous shows on sports about the “golden age” when the players played the game to play the game, like their baseball special When it was Just a Game. Now everywhere you look a player is endorsing something for more money. If you look at NASCAR, its nothing but endorsements. These corporations own the cars and are willing to pay the drivers lots of money to win, since it will get their company more airtime. I feel the meaning of the game is being lost.
Nick Campitelli

I watched the Mets vs. Nationals baseball game tonight and saw how corporations play a huge part in professional sports. While watching the game, which was not very entertaining, I caught myself looking in the stands behind the batter and looking at the side panels that line the field, branded with different corporations logos or websites. The first time the camera moved I saw one Geico billboard advertisement and one CaptialOne adverstisement. Not only are these advertisements right in front of the fans at the game, but also they can be seen by the viewers from home. Granted these corporations pay alot of money to have their logo or name displayed but I bet they are saving more money doing that instead of airing a commercial. In addition to these panels representing non sport related businesses there are the ones that do, such as Moddells. Obviously, the fans at the actual game are even more exposed to such things being that from the TV you can only see so much. I do not think it is a bad idea because advertisement is advertisement. If it is not done at a sporting event it is going to be done somewher else with a different media. If not seen at a sporting game then it is going to be seen in the newspaper. Basically, I think it is beneficial because it is not intrusive, it is not taking away from the scenary of the game, it is beneficial to both parties involved, and it does not distract you from the entertainment or reason you came to see the game to begin with.

I believe that corporations need to either not be so obvious in the sports world or get out completely. Sports have now just become another giant advertisement for all the different sponsors and corporations. Think about it, the NCAA is just a giant advertisement for Adidas, Nike, and Under Armor just to name a few of them. I mean we can't go more than 2 or 3 minutes without a commercial break or have an announcer say something about who is sponsoring the game it's just ridiculous. One of the games I watched over the weekend was the Notre Dame vs. Michigan game, and that was just a giant advertisement for Adidas, every commercial break you had the Reggie Bush one where he goes to the high school football team and gives them free stuff. I mean you know that most likely would never happen, but the commercial makes it seem like that when Reggie Bush got there and they got some new gear, they were awesome. New equipment helps but it doesn't make you awesome. Practice and hard work are what make you a better player and the worst part is that corporations make it seem like that you need their stuff to work hard and get to the top of athletics. I just think it's sad how now a day's people can't either watch or play a sport without having some type of advertisement shoved down their throat. I believe that until we as a society can get corporations out of the sports or have them back down with the advertisement, that's what sports are going to turn into and stay as, just giant advertisements.

Corporations play a significant role in professional sports; it is a highly political and economic enterprise. Unlike the “corporately funded position at University” wherein the students have no influence on the outcome, professional sports have a large connection with the people who attend the games. Where would Dallas, Texas be without the “Cowboys” other than another big city on the map? More importantly, where would the Dallas Cowboys be without the fans? Professional sports combine business and pleasure; it is an American pastime. The stadium is covered with advertisements of big business and most stadiums are now financed by big business, none of which seems to bother the fans. In reality, this type of economic enterprise draws fans; they actually play into the hype. I am an advocate of free enterprise and endorse competition which I believe is the fabric this country was built upon. I also believe that corporations can be corrupt and strongly influence the competition among places for business; this is evident with professional sports as well. There is a strong perception that there are benefits of having a professional sports team in a city. The owners of the team facilitate this with their obsession with winning. I believe what has been lost is the ethics and the integrity within the big corporations as well that the owners of the team because it's all about winning and making their big fortune which gives them the feeling of power and power is priceless. Clearly, personal accountability has evaporated by many large corporations in terms of preserving core values. Unfortunately, our professional sports teams are following the lead of many other enterprises which could potentially destroy their purpose. This would be a sad day for our country. Megan Jendrossek

When it comes to corporations and their role in professional sports, I think it is a good thing for different reasons. The professional game that I observed for this blog was the Monday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. Before I even talk about specific non sports corporations involved in this event, I want to comment on the corporation owned by Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys themselves. I am a diehard Washington Redskins fan, which means I HATE the Cowboys, however, Jerry Jones knows how to market and promote his team. He refers to his team as “America's Team” and the top of the stadium is opened so God can watch the Cowboys play. He is great at gaining attention to his team even when they are not the best team in the league. People still follow them. They are the New York Yankees of the NFL where they have more fans throughout the world and are recognizable because of their logo because they are marketed by a brilliant man.
Now, as far as the game goes, actual corporate sponsorships are seen everywhere from commentators who mention who the halftime or pregame show is sponsored by. Most of the time you do not notice it because they throw it in the middle of their sentence. The NFL has rules against certain uniform adjustments such as shows or gloves or wristbands advertising the given company that are sponsoring them but in other sports, you see all sorts of corporate advertising amongst players. This doesn't stop the corporations from advertising in the NFL, between commercials and advertisements throw out the stadium that is seen from different TV angles during the game. Overall, corporate sponsorship is not a bad thing, its part of the game and most of the time; you do not even realize it.

Bryan Trotter

The sporting event I watched was the Monday night football game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. Upon watching this game without knowing the blog topic for this week my friends and I commented on a corporate ad that was displayed before the game. The ad said, “Monday night football assembled by Lowe's, lets build something together”. Instead of saying sponsored by Lowe's, it said assembled further initiating the point of the ad that Lowe's is the place to go for home improvement. My friend, who is not an avid sports fan like I am, was shocked that the ad was so blatant. There was also a part in the broadcast where commentator Mike Tirico talked about all the great sporting events that were being covered on ESPN this week and that all should watch. Essentially, ESPN was plugging itself on its own network.
I believe that corporations should have only a limited inclusion in sports. Having small corporation logos on jersey's is ok because its not blatant, but when a logo takes up the whole jersey like on some soccer teams, its to much. Speaking of soccer, there is a MLS team named the New York Red Bulls. The team is named after the energy drink. That is taking corporate inclusion way to far. Another part of corporate inclusion is sport that bothers me is when stadiums are named after companies. (M&T Bank Stadium, FedEx Field, PNC Park) A stadium loses its own flare and identity when a corporate name is slapped on there to make money. That's why I hope that Oriole Park at Camden Yards stays that way. I am aware that sports are a big business and a good way to get company recognition, but there has to be a limit to corporate inclusion so that the sanctity of sports is upheld. Bill Reem