Fantasy Basketball You are about to become the owner of a major sports franchise. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a leading professional sports organization that generates huge revenues through television/radio contracts, ticket revenues, merchandise sales and sponsorship. The league and its players have experienced enormous growth since the emergence of individual star players (namely Magic Johnson, Larry Bird & Michael Jordan). The new age of NBA basketball is dominated by star power, with individual players leading the marketing efforts for the league. Superstars like Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Shaquille O Neal, Dwayne Wade, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James are successfully leading the NBA into a new era. These athletes leverage their basketball talents into sizable endorsement contracts in addition to their salaries paid to them by their respective teams. The NBA is an example of how sports have become big business. Through your experience in this simulation project, you will learn what it takes to work in the growing field of sports business. Your first step in this project is to select a partner (or teammate) to be the co-owner of your fantasy basketball franchise. Next, we will draft the players that make up your team. You will select actual NBA players and track their progress in a class competition. In addition, we will participate in a business simulation that puts you in charge of the NBA team you drafted. Remember, the focus of this class is a business orientation and this fantasy game will be played accordingly! Project Guidelines: 1) You and your partner will select one of the NBA franchises. 2) Points will be awarded on the following basis: * + 1 point for a team win * + 5 points for a sold out game * + 3 points if a player on your team wins one of the NBA s weekly individual player awards * + 10 points if your team is recognized for favorable activities in the community * + 5 points if your team is featured on a nationally televised game (cable or network) * + 3 points if a player on your team is featured in ANY national advertisement (TV, magazine etc) * - 5 points if a player on your team is reprimanded by the league office (fine, suspension etc.) * - 5 points if your team draws less than 10,000 fans for a single game 3) You will start accumulating points once we have finalized our draft. You will not receive points for games played prior to the draft. 4) YOU are responsible for submitting your point totals for the week. You must spend time researching attendance figures, team success etc. 5) Weekly winners will receive a prize. 6) Extra credit will be awarded to the winning team at the end of the class. 7) Ultimately, you will NOT be graded on the success of your individual players. Rather, you will be graded on the completion of the corresponding portions of the sports business projects, activities and exams.
Fantasy Basketball (part two) Branding Decisions: Once your team has been drafted, you will be responsible for developing key branding components and primary franchise information. Record your decisions below as well as a brief description providing rationale for your team decisions. FRANCHISE HOME CITY: Key considerations when selection your home city: Is the city a large enough market to support a major league pro franchise? Is it a domestic or international market? Do you think the NBA would consider a Mexican or European market? Are there other pro teams in your market? FRANCHISE NICKNAME: Key considerations when selecting a nickname for your franchise: How will you decide a team nickname? Will you lean on the community to help? Will you tie it in with a promotional campaign? Are there merchandising implications with the selection of a nickname? How will that factor in to your decision? Will your nickname have any direct connection to the city/market you selected? How will your team nickname impact future marketing decisions and strategies?
Fantasy Basketball (part two) Branding Decisions (continued): Aside from the determination of your franchise market and nickname, one of the more critical decisions you will make in establishing your brand is the development of your team logo. A logo is a graphic or symbol that serves as an identifying mark representing c company s products/services. Consider the following when designing your logo: Will it draw consumer attention? If so, how? Will it identify the team nickname? Will it identify the franchise home city? Will it appeal to consumers enough that they will spend money buying team branded merchandise? How will your logo factor in to your overall marketing strategy? Will you copyright or trademark your logo? Why? How might the concept of licensing factor into decisions you make regarding your logo? Which colors will you choose? Why? Explain your answers in the space below and provide a copy of your franchise logo on the next page. Explain your logo design decisions in the space below:
Fantasy Basketball (part two) You may use any of the following logo designs to help guide you as you determine the logo that will best represent your new NBA franchise. As you look at the logos, consider why each was selected and what aspects of each may appeal to consumers. Remember, fans will not only be buying tickets to see your team play, but also team branded gear ranging from t-shirts and hats to coffee mugs and key chains. Remember that decisions relating to your logo design will have a direct impact on merchandise sales. Logo Design Examples:
Fantasy Basketball (part two) Branding Decisions (continued): Provide a copy of your franchise logo in the space below:
Fantasy Basketball (part three) Branding Decisions (continued): Once you have created a logo that will serve as a positive representation of your franchise and brand, you will want to engage in the sale of branded products featuring the logo. Determining what types of products you want to make available to your fans is the first step in the merchandising process. In this section of your project, develop a merchandising strategy for your NBA team. Consider the following: How does the concept of licensing affect our strategy? What types of products will we choose? What will our distribution strategy consist of? Who is our target customer? What costs are associated with our merchandising plan? Explain your answers in the space below and provide samples of several branded products you plan to offer. Explain your merchandising strategy (and rationale) in the space below:
Fantasy Basketball (part three) You may use any of the following licensed product examples below to help guide you as you what type of merchandise your NBA franchise will offer. You may also want to spend some time online researching what types of products your competitors offer (this requires a careful analysis of who your competitors are). Think about why teams might offer certain types of merchandise to fans. Merchandise Examples:
Fantasy Basketball (part three) Branding Decisions (continued): Provide at least three examples of licensed merchandise your franchise will carry below.
Fantasy Basketball (part four) Communications Decisions: A key ingredient for any successful professional sports franchise is communication, both externally in creating a connection with fans and the community, and internally with players and staff. Create a communications strategy for your franchise and think about the following: What are the goals and objectives for your organization? Do you have a mission statement? How will that information be communicated to fans? To employees? How will the community gain information about your team? What can you do to connect with your fans? How will they support you? How can employees assist in the development of positive community relations? How will you build a relationship with the media? How and why is that important? Explain your Communications strategy (and rationale) in the space below:
Fantasy Basketball (part five) Sales & Marketing Decisions: Now that you have established your brand and awareness of your product, it is time to determine how your NBA franchise will drive revenues. In this step, you will need to determine a sales and marketing strategy. Your strategy should be very thorough and must address each of the following components: * Promotions * Advertising * Sponsorship * Ticket sales Your analysis should include details on why you are implementing each strategy and an explanation of why it will be effective. Use the corresponding worksheets on the following pages to develop your thoughts. Explain your overall sales & marketing strategy (and rationale) in the space below:
Fantasy Basketball (part five) Promotional Decisions: Explain your promotions strategy (and rationale) in the space below:
Fantasy Basketball (part five) Advertising Decisions: Explain your advertising strategy (and rationale) in the space below:
Fantasy Basketball (part five) Sponsorship Decisions: Explain your sponsorship strategy (and rationale) in the space below:
Fantasy Basketball (part five) Ticket Marketing Decisions: Explain your ticket marketing strategy (and rationale) in the space below: