NHL "black-outs" Player's Use of Social Media Game days

Going back to my first post on this blog, I talked about athletes need for training on the use of social media for professional and amateur athletes. The NHL has become the first professional league or organization that will "black-out" the use of social media by players on game day. While the engagement between professional athletes and fans using social media can be a great way to connect, it has become commonplace on news outlets such as ESPN that you here about the controversies that are cause by player posts and tweets.

The NHL has taken their “big-brother” role in a direction that you could see more leagues go in the future. A new NHL has instituted a social media policy that doesn’t completely muffle players, but does have a “total blackout on social media on game days.” The blackout begins at 11 a.m. before the first drop of the puck on game days. Also, the new policy outlines suggestions for “proper use” for players and team personnel.

MLS Teams Form Alliance to Bring in More Concerts

When it comes to professional sports in America, NFL, NBA, and MLB typically have no problem putting bodies in the seats of the stadium. For Major League Soccer, the popularity of the sport hasn’t reached the point where sell-out crowds are the norm, so some stadiums are looking to pack the seats from other attractions. The Columbus Crew Stadium, along with 6 other MLS stadiums has formed a group called the Soccer Stadium Alliance. The Alliance comprised of venues such as Pizza Hut Park near Dallas, Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park outside of Denver, PPL Park on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, BC Place in Vancouver and the Columbus Crew Stadium. The purpose of this alliance is to bring more attractions from the music industry to their respective venues.

NFL Major Sponsorship Deals

With the NFL lockout ending earlier this year, the announcements of two sponsors for the NFL came soon after. In September, the NFL renewed its sponsorship deal with PepsiCo Inc. The deal between the two super-power brands will begin its ten-year duration starting in 2012. According to an un-named source would have PepsiCo paying around $90 million in rights fees and roughly $1 billion over the length of the contract. PepsiCo also owns such brands as Gatorade, Frito-Lay, Tropicana, and Quaker Oats, which will continue as the official marketing partners of the NFL. This deal also ensures that when fans tune into the game that they will see Gatorade as the feature drink on the sidelines. The relationship between the NFL and PepsiCo has lasted for twenty-eight years and this contract extension will carry them into 2022.