QUESTION 1 (STAR PLAYER or TEAM PLAY)
In other words, do you need a marquee player to attract spectators/fans/support? I don’t think it needs to be an either/or situation, but rather a question of how they become a star. You know more about sponsorships than I do, so I am just going to focus on the fans to simplify my answer.
My favorite star players come out of the team. They are a player that elevates and is elevated by playing with their team.
Sports, especially women’s soccer, are not just about the game and the skill. They are also about what else the players get out of playing together and playing for the glory for their team. That’s the whole spirit behind the Nike Togetherness campaign that helped introduce the US to women’s soccer and Mia to the world. I have issues with that campaign, but it definitely hit on the power of the team as a selling point for sports.
For you as a team, trying to promote the team, this is you best avenue because it always come back to the team, not the marquee player. Imagine the David Beckham experiment always ending with the LA Galaxy, instead of with David Beckham. That’s the distinction.
Ultimately, if David Beckham leaves the Galaxy he is going to take most of the David Beckham a fans with him unless the Galaxy team has managed to win them over. The quality of the team play is essential for a long-term fan.
For the long-term fans, they relish a team with deep talent and the unexpected stars and unsung heroes. It gives them a sense of ownership to know the depth, rather than just the big names.
Inherently, the marquee player steals the headlines. They are the center point by which the rest of the team is judged. So spectators will come to a game just to watch the star play, to get the autograph and the story. I believe the ‘David Beckham experiment’ is working and will have a big impact on the long-term view of the MLS. But looking at the success of the team, they were handicapped by his presence on their squad. And it’s still a question if they will survive the PR loss of him leaving the team.
This is the huge gamble of marquee stars. Without the quality of play from the team, the cost will always outweigh the gain because the spectators who follow the marquee player will leave when they leave if they have not been won over yet. It’d be paying a price and then not exploiting it.
So whether a marquee player is brought in or grows from the team really depends on the circumstances so I can only really talk about my preference. Sometimes a gamble is necessary and works incredibly well, but if the question is either/or, you will always be taking a gamble without any safety net.
Julie’s Rule #1 = Without quality team play, the cost of a star will outweigh the gain.
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2 comments:
OK - fair enough - but aside from Marta is there really another marquee player in WPS? Personally I don't think so - so, how do you answer the question if that is the case?
I agree with you about Marta, she is the only WPS star know outside of the women's soccer community. And her situation proves my point about the risk of a Marquee player...though there were other factors, her cost had to be a part of the Sol demise.
This is another blog of mine (a bit of a social media experiment I'm in the midst of) and this post answers your question...
http://theoffsideblog.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/dear-ellen-soccer-is-different-part-3/
The point is that for a league (or a franchise) to exist beyond their regular community, they need to create a few names to become the trivia of the sport. Sky Blue is HAO, TK, Rampone etc...the team becomes defined by the stars. So when an average American hears the name they immediately think of the team.
And not just WNT players or retired players (Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, etc.) but players on EACH TEAM that are the faces and names that define the roster.
Stars are essential to word of mouth because they are the catch-phrase, the sound byte that is spread. Yet, while the stars are important to bringing in the crowds, the quality of play is what keeps them coming.
The WPS started out their PR push trying to make some Marquee players for each team with the Extraordinary videos campaign, but it didn't get much play. They may be beautiful, but for various reasons didn't make it far in terms of spreading the players names.
Now it's up to the teams to make moves to get their players names and faces out into the general consciousness.
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