UFC - Reebok turmoil

The UFC signed six-year deal with Reebok to be uniform provider for the sport. This would eliminate fighters have their own individual sponsors and partners. Fighters used to be paid by their own self promotion and self sponsoring efforts. Now, under Reebok, fighters do not have the ability to wear their own sponsorships on their trunks as they used to. Their pay as well is based off of a tier structure of experience and championship status. It is meant to benefit the best of the sport but makes it increasingly difficult for fighters just getting started that cannot make the money they were once able to because of their own personal sponsorships. The new pay scale isn't the only issue with Reebok's deal. Upon announcement of the deal, new replica kits were made available for purchase with many mistakes to them. Misspelled names and wrong nicknames were abundant. Fighters also had their birth names on the kits and not the names in which they fight under. UFC returned to Ireland for an event in October and Reebok released a shirt of a Map of Ireland that cut off Northern Ireland and caused an uproar over fans. Ireland has been one of the more demanding fan bases in part to the rise of Ireland star and champion Conner McGregor.

The deal has seemingly had more downs than ups. The fighters are limited to wearing only white or black kits for their fights. There is no individuality or unique nature to being a fighter anymore. Most fighters would have had to have seen losses financially due to the new pay structure implemented. I understand the reasoning behind having a uniform provider much like any other major sport has. But the UFC is different and was different. I'd still have made the deal with Reebok, but without the specifics it has now. Reebok could have provided the uniforms/kits, apparel and merchandise but keeping it unique to the fighter. Individual sponsorships that the fighters had could have been kept as long as it wasn't with a direct competitor to Reebok. Fighters wouldn't be seen with Reebok kits sporting Under Armour, Nike or Adidas branding. The trunks should have came with more variety options. The kits for fans should never have had the mistakes they did. Each fighter should have had a say in their name and design. The UFC was so coveted due to its one-of-a-kind nature. That nature was changed with Reebok but could have easily been avoided. More customization and variety between the roster and Reebok would make a big difference in the perception of the deal. Damage as been done, and Reebok needs to utilize the fighters in making a turn around.

The pay scale isn't the worst part of the deal even though it might be the most glaring. Fighters could have taken in as much money as sponsors could have wanted them to have. Instead, they are delegated to a pay scale for the first time. For the sacrifice and hard work that UFC fighters go through leading up to a fight. To walk out with a $2,500 payout after an event in embarrassing and an unneeded kick to the gut that they don't need. 17 of 22 fighters during an event in South Korea walked away with the minimum ($2,500). Fighter could easily come up with more sponsorship money other than that of which Reebok is paying. Reebok awards fighters when they fight. Sponsors would pay fighters to train and for social media promotion. Now fighters have to undertake other responsibilities away from training to earn a living since they can't fight every month. So taking away from their training, takes away from how well the fight, which takes away their income and hurts the potential of what the UFC should be.

NFL Tailgate

 Sunday is finally here! How/where will you be watching the game? Is your team going to win their match up this week? Which game are you most looking forward to? Share your pregame selfies here or find us on Facebook and Twitter!

How do you tailgate?

Full Saturday of College Football is upon us! Don't forget to send in those tailgating selfies whether you are at the game or on the couch! Either way... stay warm and have fun!

How I Tailgate!

I am employing my first campaign this week throughout my social media pages. I want to see how you tailgate, Whether you tailgate at home, at the game, at a friends, or any sports bar/establishment. Simply post a photo of yourself tailgating/watching your sport event to any of the DesktopTailgate pages available. Follow buttons can be seen towards the top right of this blog and can be found via https://www.facebook.com/DesktopTailgate  Thank you for your participation in this campaign, as you'll find how fun it is to take tailgating to the digital scene as well as aiding in my success in class.

This is how I Tailgate. Being a 49ers fan on the East Coast, I don't have too many chances to see them play on national TV, so I take advantage of Sunday NFL Ticket by DIRECTV.  I enjoy it at my desk in my manspace/mancave.

Desktop Tailgate: Digital Tailgating

Welcome to the new age of tailgating! Tailgating is a sports tradition that requires you to be at the event surrounded by fans. But with the growing social media community, digital tailgating is a new realm of fandom that has yet to be explored. This new platform will allow you, the fan, to tailgate from the comfort of your home in a way that is innovative, easy, and new. Connecting with fans via Desktop Tailgate will allow you to engage with fans you didn't know were in your area and allow for better sports viewing experiences.

Please like and follow Desktop Tailgate on social media for updates!

https://www.facebook.com/DesktopTailgate/timeline

https://twitter.com/DesktopTailgate

https://www.pinterest.com/desktoptailgate/

Desktop Tailgate. We don't give a truck.

 What makes Desktop Tailgate different is also what makes it special. Tailgating doesn't need to take place at the stadium anymore. You don't need a truck bed to haul a grill and coolers. Digital tailgating is a realm which is vastly under explored. It's not a typical social media group page or a chat forum that is impossible to find relevant information in. With DesktopTailgate, you're able to find the fans you want to find, in your hometown, to tailgate with you.

Tailgating as a displaced fan is horrible. Living on the East coast as I do, being a 49ers fan, makes it difficult to watch many games with like minded fans. Where would I go to escape the Philadelphia Eagles, NY Giants/Jets fans? How do I avoid the Pittsburgh fans? I want to know where the other 49ers fans are around me. With DesktopTailgate it's possible.

I live in North East Pennsylvania and watch sports whenever possible. The San Francisco 49ers, New York Mets, New York Rangers, Philadelphia 76ers are my main teams of interest. I also watch WWE programming on television and the WWE Network. I usually watch most games alone, with my girlfriend or one/both of my brothers. All of whom have different interests in teams. I would enjoy watching a game with some other fans of the 49ers or the Mets. Especially during this World Series run. But aside from scouring chat forums, posting group pages or the hope of getting confronted wearing team gear in public... the options of finding fans is limited and complicated. So what's your fan story?

Where do you live and which teams do you prefer? How do you tailgate? Do you stay in the living room? Do you use a projector in the back yard? Is BBQ your specialty? Are you a displaced fan with not a lot of like minded fans in your area (that you know of)?

Duprey, D. (2015, January 1). Tailgating Concerns Football [Photograph]. Retrieved from Associated Press.

NFL Picks Week 3

So last week was a reminder than no one knows anything about football. I had not done any worse making picks... ever really. It wasn't pretty, and didn't bode well for Daily Fantasy Football either. My league team won again so that's a plus.

Last week: 4-12.. oh the misery.

I dare to dream that things could turn around this week but the parity is also good for the sport... let's get on with the picks.

Thursday Night Football

Washington @ New York Giants

Winner: Washington

The Giants aren't getting quality from the whole team while Washington surprised everyone in running all over one of the most feared fronts in football last week. The Giants haven't been able to put games away and this Washington team doesn't seem like the team you want to keep around.

Atlanta @ Dallas

Winner: Atlanta

Dallas has been getting bitten by the injury bug too much so far. The trade for Matt Cassel likely won't offer much of a pay off, especially this week. I don't expect the defense to handle Julio Jones or the offense to be able to keep up with Weeden and Williams as the main components. The running game isn't where it needs to be and their most reliable player, Witten, has a hurt whole lower body.

Indianapolis @ Tennessee

Winner: Tennessee

Well the Colts need to win at some point. It's possibly this week, but I don't like how the Colts have shaped their team this year. Luck is on the brink of being elite in the NFL but the franchise chose aging players to help him and it just hasn't. Mariota should be able to bounce back against the Indy defense.

Oakland @ Cleveland

Winner: Oakland

I almost pulled the upset card last week but went with Baltimore instead. This week I will go with Oakland although Cleveland has won 3 out of the last 4 against them. The coaching staff still doesn't know how to handle the Cleveland QB battle and Oakland has to be feeling they can play with Cleveland after beating Baltimore. 

Cincinnati @ Baltimore

Winner: Baltimore

AFC North match ups are always physical and fun to watch if you love defense. This might come down to more of a shootout. Dalton and AJ Green impress more than Flacco and Smith Jr who is as veteran as it gets. I don't see Baltimore allowing themselves to lose two straight and Flacco continues to get better this year.

Jacksonville @ New England

Winner: New England

New England is mighty after all. Jacksonville will be competitive but the score probably won't be indicative of how hard they play.

New Orleans @ Carolina

Winner: Carolina 

Drew Brees is hurt and wasn't playing well when healthy. Carolina is healthier and Cam has to be ready to be dynamic again. He will have the chance against a substandard New Orleans defense.

Philadelphia @ New York Jets

Winner: J-E-T-S

How fitting that this is the week Mark Sanchez gets back under center. This Bradford experiment isn't working out to Chips favor and DeMarco Murray has 21 carries for 11 yards. Money well spent. The Jets on the other hand caused 5 turnovers against the unLucky Colts, including 3 interceptions. Revis Island and the Jet's defense will be the difference.

Tampa Bay @ Texans

Winner: Tampa Bay

Texans sorely miss Arian Foster. Winston will likely miss his tight end Jenkins but is more solid at QB than anyone the Texans have fielded this year.

San Diego @ Minnesota

Winner: San Diego

Adrian Peterson started to look like his regular self on the football field but had a couple of fumbles. Turnovers cannot be part of the Minnesota offense with the play makers they have. San Diego's offense will be sure to exploit the Vikings' mistakes.

Pittsburgh @ St. Louis

Winner: Pittsburgh

Antonio Brown is fast. Big Ben is still very good. And Bell is back at running back for the Steelers. St. Louis got ran over by the Washington backs last week and could very much happen again between Bell and Williams in the back field for Pittsburgh.

San Francisco @ Arizona

Winner: Arizona

Oh I hope I am wrong. San Francisco needs a bounce back game this week which could prove difficult against another potent offense. 49ers need to get healthier in the back field already and have to show more fight on defense. That's not even mentioning the offensive line issues. The Cardinals have Fitzgerald and Brown, who could more have their way with the Niners defense this week.

Buffalo @ Miami

Winner: Buffalo

I think last weeks loss to New England will cause a bit of a hangover for Buffalo. And at the same time Miami needs to rebound from a tough loss to Jacksonville. Miami needs to prove they can take care of teams in their own division so here is to being hopeful that Tannehill can make that next step that's expected. But Miami has had difficulty with Buffalo in the past and this is as good as Buffalo has been in a few years.

Chicago @ Seattle

Winner: Seattle

Seattle will finally get a win this week as the Bears will be without Cutler and will likely have to depend on Jimmy Clausen. Even without Chancellor, I like Seattle's defense this week.

Denver @ Detroit

Winner: Denver

Denver keeps winning in spite of Peyton Manning which is as tough to realize as it was to type. Their defense is good enough to win them games but I'm not sure it is good enough to do it EVERY week. Detroit has been flawed and Stafford isn't totally healthy. A sore and beaten up QB against that defense could keep Denver rolling this week.

Monday Night Football

Kansas City @ Green Bay

Winner: Green Bay

There's no other night like Monday night. Until next week though, right? Those commercials are something else... but this game shouldn't be. Alex Smith lacks a vertical passing game thus far and he will need that against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Randall Cobb should get featured a little more week as well.

NFL Week 2

I will try to do more picks this year as I did last year but it's crazy hectic between work and school. So here goes for week 2 of the NFL.

Thursday Night- Denver @ Kansas City
Winner: Kansas City
 I thought Peyton Manning was done last year and with how he played the last half of the year and week 1, it isn't inspiring. The defense will attack KC but their offense isn't where it needs to be.

Texans @ Carolina
Winner: Carolina
Already a QB change for the Texans and while I think the change will be for the better, it just won't be better this week. Give it a couple of weeks with Mallet and they'll turn it around. But Carolina will figure out a way to give Olsen more opportunities in the passing game,

San Francisco@ Pittsburgh.
Winner: San Francisco
Might be a homer pick, but I loved what I saw out of the 49ers defense and their running game. If Pittsburgh had their full arsenal then it'd be a different story. But without Bell and Bryant, the offense might have a tough time against a physical defense. And the 49ers appear to have a running game that could maul the Pittsburgh defense.

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans
Winner: Saints
The Bucs got torched by Mariota last week. This week it's Drew Brees. Enough said.

Detroit @ Minnesota.
Winner: Detroit
I don't think Minnesota will be bad all year, but their coordinator needs to figure out a way to implement AP more effectively. The Detroit defense gave up a large lead last week, but Minnesota only put up 3 points.

Arizona @ Chicago
Winner: Arizona
The Bears defense isn't all that great. The Arizona offense with Carson Palmer is. The QB play will be the difference and I'd take Palmer over Cutler all day.

New England @ Buffalo
Winner: Buffalo
OH THE MIGHTY PATRIOTS! But Rex Ryan lead teams always play the Pats tough and he now has the great defense to win. It'll be interesting to see how Tyrod Taylor does as en encore to a great week 1.

San Diego @ Cincinnati
Winner: San Diego
Cincinnati's defense is usually very good at home. But I think San Diego will be riding some momentum still from their comeback victory over Detroit last week. The Bengals didn't look overly spectacular against a Carr-less Oakland team last week either.

Tennessee @ Cleveland
Winner: Tennessee
Whether it's McCown or Manziel starting for the Browns, Mariota will still be the best QB on the field. The Tennessee defense will be able to handle Manziel as they did Winston. There might be some magic for Mariota this year.

Atlanta @ New York (Giants)
Winner: Atlanta
If you saw what Julio Jones did against Maxwell and the E-A-G-L-E-S on Monday then he should have a better day against a much worse Giants secondary. Tevin Coleman is looking to have a good outing as well. It'll be interesting to watch how much of an emotional let down it was for New York to lose the way they did Sunday night.

St. Louis @ Washington
Winner: St. Louis.
The front 7 for St. Louis might be the best in the league. Washington might be the worst team. RG3 will be lucky he's riding the bench as QB3.

Miami @ Jacksonville
Winner: Miami
Miami almost had a let down in week 1 against Washington but they should trend up against another struggling team in Jacksonville. I'd expect a stellar game from Tannehill this week as he tries to bring Miami to the next level. Jacksonville has talent, but they need to find a way to bring it all together still.

Baltimore @ Oakland
Winner: Baltimore
I almost want to say this will be my upset this week with Oakland winning but if Carr isn't playing then they have no hope. And if Carr is playing, then they'll have to hope his hand is okay. Even without Suggs, the Ravens defense should be able to handle Oakland. Flacco needs to find a target in the passing game especially with the injury bug hitting Oakland early this year.

Dallas @ Philadelphia.
Winner: Philadelphia.
Why? I don't even want to pick this game but Dallas will struggle early to find success without Dez and they aren't sold yet on who will actually handle the running back duties yet. Philadelphia started to find it's stride and rhythm late in the game Monday and I expect them to come out the gate fast.I don't think Maxwell will struggle against the likes of Williams or Beasley like he did Julio Jones.

Seattle @ Green Bay
Winner: Green Bay
OH dare I say the consensus Super Bowl picks will be 0-2!? I do. I do think they go 0-2. James Jones might not have the magic again this week but someone for Green Bay will. The Seattle offense seems to be getting in their own way the last two games the played. That defense isn't the same without Chancellor and they be susceptible to the pass with Rodgers under center.

New York (Jets) @ Indianapolis
Winner: Indianapolis
 Again, this could be another one of those upsets but I don't see Luck allowing his team to go 0-2 to start the year. He will go into this game with a different fire than usual to come up with a win. He will need his supporting cast to step up in a big way. Gore cannot have 31 yards and expect his new team to win. If the Jets defense outplays the Colts defense, then it could be another frustrating day for Colts fans.

Sports Marketing Today

New Header and Logo

This design is my new header for Desktop Tailgate. The background photo is a photo I have taken of a basketball billboard. I will look to vary the backdrop throughout the seasons. As I share my thoughts, I hope to capture opinions of other fans for lively discussions. I want the sports experience of my blog to be more about the fans since fans are the pulse of sports. Desktop Tailgate is a place where fans can have the home advantage of a new digital tailgating. Tailgate in the comfort of your own home and take advantage of a fan emphasized sports experience.

My week 4 assignment was to do a news style video. I chose to do Floyd Mayweather. But to do the other side of him that isn't often reported.

My interview for my Week 3 Intro to Video class. Also a project i've been wanting to do for a while with Rich Patishnock. Luckily everything came into place and I was able to get this interview done before he left for his try outs for The Ultimate Fighter in Las Vegas.

The story of my GOAL with the New York Redbull

The shot I took with the New York RedBulls wasn't on the pitch. The shot I took with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms didn't happen on the ice. My swings with the Reading Fightin Phils and Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs weren't misses either. Also, there was a brief scoring opportunity that successfully landed with the Lehigh Valley Steel Hawks. No, I am not talking literal, or am I meaning metaphorically landing a new job.

Today, the new PPL Center in Allentown held their first annual career fair. Since I am a year through school, which I am loving, I know I was going to approach this in the manner as everyone else who had attended, which I'll get to how some of them acted a paragraph or so down. MY goal, which is immensely different, was to network. I will graduate in October of 2016. I have time left to really start to inquire about positions. But the most important area of my studies, besides maintaining my 3.75 GPA, is networking. I need to build relationships with the business professionals in order to allow the industry to work for me. I don't want to be one of the ones (like many I saw today) that graduate and are lost in an ocean of “What do I do now?”.

Now, nothing against anyone else education. Kudos and congrats for pursuing your dream. Now with that formality out of the way, my real thoughts- Full Sail University is preparing me better than anyone I happened to meet today at this career fair. Naturally I had to jump right into some conversations that I could not take listening to anymore, and again, that starts below. It did start off on the wrong foot though. I, being there for networking purposes, did not bring resumes, but business cards. Cards with a QR code to my about.me profile and a link to my LinkedIn profile- my digitally formatted resumes if you will. So it wasn't like I wasn't giving the team representatives my resume, it was just better than letting my resume fall into the pile that will order into a filing cabinet. Instead, my card will end up in pocket, or a wallet and be seen again surely. So all it takes, is two clicks of a smart phone to access my resume, and not sorting through thousands. Everything is digital now anyway right?

So my first interaction was with the New York Redbull and Joe. He, immediately stated upon the conclusion of our conversation, and with some force, that his advise was to bring resumes to a career fair. Maybe some of that was my fault because I really didn't properly make my intentions clear. After that, I figured out my pitch, and everyone I had interacted with at the booths went amazing. I was able to convey my intentions and land myself contacts that I will surely take advantage of during my time left at school. The message that seemed to be lost amongst the other students, that is emphasized day one at Full Sail, is the need for networking. It's largely about who you know. And that was my sole purpose.

Also, there had to have been a limit to how many times they all could of heard “I took sports management, here's my resume, I need a job.”. There was a genuine look of relief from most people when I had told them I was in school for Sports Marketing and Media and my intentions were for networking, they all seemed beyond willing to help me in anything I would need throughout my education. In one line in particular, there was perhaps, thee most negative person i'd ever experienced. WOW. He must have been too many years removed from school or just high cynical of all things that didn't go his way. For sake of the article, i'll refer to him as J since I didn't catch his entire name. J was complaing every time I had stepped near him about the lack of positions actually available, how it was a waste of time. “I gambled and obviously lost.... that's 17 dollars I won't ever get anything from..”

Well then he should of left. And when J started to bad mouth the 76ers, whom weren't even in attendance, I had to jump on the conversation. He, through whatever local school and single track major, was so narrow minded in his grasp of the sports as an industry. It's simple to understand sports. It's simple to understand business. But he seriously seemed to lack the understanding of what it sports is as a business. I really should of asked J where he went to school. But instead I decided to just shut him up with my words and knowledge of sports.

So here's what went down: the 76ers aren't good by their record. But they are rebuilding and using the up coming NBA draft to do so. So J slammed them, “They suck, I don't understand how they sell tickets, they aren't good. But somehow they are selling out near tops in the league and I heard that teams actually ask them how they do it... But I don't know, they suck though....” SOO this is where I stepped in.. because if you know me.. I won't back down in a sports conversation...

So I chimed in with my expertise... The 76ers just ran a crowd sourcing campaign in which the younger fans of the 76ers were able to virtually create a brand new mascot for the team. Their fan outreach in this sense was sensational putting an actual figure of the franchise into the fans hands. So, with children being so in tune with the team and feeling like they had power in making a difference, and maybe not utterly aware of how bad the team on the court might be, they probably ask their parents to go to games. The team, through its crowdsourcing, gives off that they solemnly care about what the fans want. So in turn the fans are wanting them. So while the children felt empowered and responsible for the creating a mascot, get their parents and friends to go to the game and it's probably a bargaining chip for good grades and for getting homework done. It doesn't have to be about the product on the court, fans are loyal and in Philly, their the most passionate fans there are.

So then, J... kind of just.. I thought he wet himself to be honest. He didn't know what to say and muttered, oh well, yeah, wow, I guess you're right, I didn't even know. Yeah I see that. His buddies, sort of snickered and then we had a hearty conversation of Philadelphia sports while J stood in quiet for the first time that I saw.

But it made me thankful. Thankful for my love of sports and my education from Full Sail. It separated me today. In my eyes, and I hope in the eyes of some of the people I spoke with. Before I closed out my day, I returned to the Red Bull stand and talked with Devin this time and threw him the same pitch I had everyone else all day. And he loved it. He even told me that he “genuinely enjoyed this (our conversation and my pitch)”. So I then cleared up the air with Joe because I didn't want him to think I was ill prepared from out initial discussion and he definitely saw where my intentions were.

I would like to thank all those I was able to connect with today:

Devin and Joe from the Red Bulls

Chad with the Phantoms

Brad with the Iron Pigs

Mike with the River Sharks

Stephen with the Fightin Phils

Lauren with the Steel Hawks

Ricky with CSN Philadelphia

And also, thank you Full Sail for preparing me the right way for what I have ahead of me. I especially took notice today how lucky I am to have chosen Full Sail and how much more motivated I am. Next step is a networking event in Philadelphia in two weeks with the 76ers. I cannot wait.

Jets, Eagles, Washington fans...

The Eagles will want Marcus Mariota... It's expected the Bucs select Winston. Why not draft the Super talented kid from your own state. It'll sell more tickets. But Philly... They're going to need to make moves. You have the ammo and a starting quarterback to trade for either the Jets or Washington to rebuild with. Trade this year and next year's numner 1 pick and trade Foles. You're drafting a new QB and you can have any other serviceable back up.

 So the Jets start over with Foles and Branson Marshall and will need a running back. 

Washington spent a surplus of picks for RG3, BUT they'll get picks back now with this deal... And let RG3 RESSURECT his career elsewhere. Maybe in St. Louis. 

The only real hurdle is if a team wants to go through resigning Foles in two years if he stays on a level similar to two years ago. 

So what say you? Either team move around for Picks and a new QB? DO the Titans join the mix to have a veteran presence help Mettenberger? 

Harvey's back!

My quick and maybe over reaction to Matt Harvey being back on the mound for the first time in about 19 months is largely optimistic. It's two meaningless innings that mean everything for Mets fans. Seeing the ace of the franchise back on the mound doing things reminiscent of 2013 is a sight for weary eyes. 98 MPH to strike out his first batter. Two broken bat outs and hitting 99 MPH in the second... It's all the reason to smile today as a Mets fan. Now here's to hope he feels to I'll effects tomorrow. That is the main telling of where Harvey stands on his recovery from Tommy John surgery.  It has been a long road, but with a healthy Matt Harvey, the Mets can start to clamor as a potential all contender in 2015. 

Photoblog-Week 4

This would be for my main page image. Besides your preferred team losing, watching your teams game alone or surrounded by rival fans is the worst thing about being a fan. Desktop Tailgate is for displaced fans seeking to enjoy games with local like minded fans. Being on my computer on a tailgate is the literal interpretation of Desktop Tailgate.

Twitter is for fast hitting information. This image pairs alcohol, a typical pregame beverage, with mobile devices. Mobile applications are as important to a businesses success as anything. The quickest form of information retrieval, mobile devices, would be posted to the quickest way to receive information, twitter.  

 Facebook is largely visual. A key essential to tailgating is a grill. Until now, when your laptop is the one component for digital tailgating you cannot do without. Your new source for finding like minded fans begin now at your finger tips and not at a parking lot.

Week 3 Photo Blog Assignment: Traditional Media

I have chosen to include three photos of ESPN media for this assignment.

This photo is of intellectual property of ESPN. There is a pair of ESPN sleep wear in the foreground of the ESPN Fan Shop website via Dicks Sporting Goods.

 My second photo is of my radio console showing ESPN Radio on SiriusXM radio. ESPN has a contract with SiriusXM for broadcasting rights. With this capability, ESPN has deals with major sports leagues to air radio content of live events on their channels.

 My third is of ESPN's SportsCenter broadcast. This is one of ESPN's many cable television channels. They cover 24/7 sports news and coverages.

Media properties and revenue generation

My assignment for week one of my Sports Media class.

I chose intellectual property of the WWE. This specific photo is a Wrestlemania 30 VIP chair. World Wrestling Entertainment is the leader in sports entertainment running two shows weekly on Monday and Thursday night. The WWE holds a pay-per-view event each month with Wrestlemania being their Super Bowl event. The newest edition to WWE has been their start of the WWE Network which is a digital on demand service offering a broad library of recent, past, and original programs.

This chair is part of a VIP ticket package that includes premium seating, meet and greet with superstars, private merchandise store and the chair as a keepsake. The ticketing packages for WWE events are a prime source of revenue for the company. Their programs Raw and Smackdown are ran every week, as well as house shows during smaller, non-televised events. Standard tickets fluctuate in price if the event is televised, a house show (non-televised) or a pay-per-view event.
The chair is also a property that can be bought on the WWE Auction site as a memorabilia item. This keeps the item at a novelty and not an item that can be purchased along with regular merchandise. This will keep the pricing at a higher premium. Along with the WWE Auction is the WWE Store which provides the option of buying merchandise. Apparel, toys, replica championship belts and signed memorabilia are generating revenue for the WWE via their online market place.

The properties of the WWE which generate revenue has a direct impact on the WWE stock. The company had gone public before it had released the debut of its new WWE Network. The WWE Networks success, the sales of merchandise and television ratings have an effect on stocks. The stocks could dictate money the company gains or loses. Upon launch of the WWE Network, the stock was high in anticipation but soon dropped costing the WWE millions in money due to the service not meeting the expectations as quickly as what was anticipated.

The WWE has all the means of generating revenue aside from a regular radio program. I feel they could utilize a satellite radio channel to earn a revenue aside from their many existing ways. Ticket sales for events are their main stay in generating revenue. Merchandise brings online traffic as well as generating money through their online store and auction. The website holds advertisements and sponsorships as does any website you'd likely find. Across all media platforms for the WWE, they promote themselves, almost too insistently. But the fact remains that they can remain a positive generation of revenue by promoting within their own applications and making their audience aware of all upcoming events, whether its live events or new content on their WWE Network.