episode 32 of the dsmsports podcast w/ mark j. burns of forbes and sports agent blog

Best Of... Mark J. Burns Sports Business Writer

Episode 32 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast

On episode 32 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, Mark J. Burns, a sports business writer contributing to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Sports Agent Blog, and USA Hockey Magazine, discussed the emerging topics he has covered in sports business, new tech to watch, and more.

What follows are some snippets from the episode. Listen to the full podcast on iTunes or www.DSMSports.net

@njh287; DSMSports.net



Mark's background

Aspired to work in sports medicine when entering University of Michigan before gravitating more to a law degree (and elected to major in history, minor in political science and crime & justice)

In latter part of his undergrad time at Michigan, Mark thought about sports and law and stumbled upon on Sports Agent Blog, a website/blog run by Darren Heitner → Got Mark interested in writing about the industry (Mark had extensive experience working for The Michigan Daily while at school in writing and editorial positions)




After graduating Michigan, Mark picked up an internship writing for the CCHA (college hockey conference) before entering law school at Belmont University

While in law school, Mark did several internships writing about the sports industry


Best Of... Mark J. Burns, Sports Business Writer


→ “Getting a law degree is great for (whatever) you do...If I had to go back, maybe getting a JD/MBA would have been even more beneficial, but there is a lot you can do with a law degree...

That s the beauty of the sports industry; there is no one cookie-cutter way to get a job. [cites examples of people with law degrees working in sports, including an NBC Sports exec he met)

You can take your skill set, your experiences and really build that into your career...' be so concerned about finding the right degree, but (instead, focus on) using that degree and using the experiences along with it to propel yourself in the industry and get your foot in the door.”




→ Mark had kept up with Darren Heitner (of Sports Agent Blog) and tweeted at him to express interest in helping him organize all the info Darren routinely put out about player-agent relationships and propositioned Darren on the idea, which both agreed to move forward on for the 2012 NFL and NBA and MLB player drafts...




→ After an internship at the Manhattan Sports Business Academy, Mark talked to Darren about helping him with his Forbes contributions and pitched Darren about writing about the NHL Draft and Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contests

→ Led to writing more stories for Forbes → Sporting News eventually reached out to have Mark write

about Sports Business

→ After working with Sporting News, Mark became an official contributor for Forbes in their Sports Money blog




“You have to add value for people you connect with to make it mutually beneficial...you want to least have some value (to offer them)...You figure out how you can help somebody and how they can help you, as well.”




On his role with Forbes:

Responsible for 5-6 articles/month, flexible on topics as long as it has some sports business tie-in

“I can meet and contact people I would not necessarily be able to (without the Forbes connection)...”

Mark writes on a number of topics, including digital and social media, and recently started a feature called “Noisemakers” to write bios and features on movers and shakers in the industry and what they're doing.




Mark said social and digital media articles have recently garnered a lot of readers, but other surprise him with their success, too, like a recent article he wrote about Terrell Owens and his current state of affairs, which Owens helped to promote a lot on his own pages (Mark's highest viewed article to date)

→ Mark tells about his first-ever story, about Joey Chestnut and the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, exploring a more non-traditional sports business story, and it got over 25,000 views pretty quickly.




On the growth of the coverage of sports business:

“Darren Rovell kind of started the whole thing of covering the sports business world in the mid 2000s or so...Ever since then, and probably the past 2-3 years, it has really grown a lot...(also cites SBJSBD starting out in 1994-95)...Now you even go to ESPN.com and one or two of their main articles are (often) sports business-related...

You're starting to see it more in mainstream America. (Sports media outlets) are reporting sports business news. The last 2-3 years, it has been really popular, but it really started 20 years ago with SBJ and has (come on) the last few years.”




Mark discusses how sports stories cross over into mainstream topics like domestic violence, concussions

→ “(These stories) are transcending the news world...I think you're just going to see more and more sports (stories) being discussed across the board.”




On what's currently hot in sports business:

“Social and digital media (are big). How teams are putting themselves out there online, reaching broader demographics, and elevating the profiles of their online brands...I think you'll see more dollars put into great, user-friendly websites.

The same thing with mobile experiences with so many people, especially Millenials these days, going to team websites and (accessing) team info (on mobile)...”




Mark also cites bright future of wearable technology and tells about MLS CMO discussing how fans at an MLS game may be able to see a player's heart rate at the moment he lines up, for example, to take a pressure-packed penalty kick

→ “In (a few years), you're going to see professional sports leagues in the US with players using wearable technology and fans can access this information and it will revolutionize the fan experience. Instead of just watching the game, you're going to get insights into how these players are performing...It's something to definitely keep an eye on.”




“The last thing is how can you bring fans closer to the field, closer to the players, what behind-the-scenes access can you give them they can't experience (watching at home).”

→ cites example of Experience App, which allows for experience upgrades while at the game (from seat upgrades to premium experiences, all accessible and purchase-able at the game on game days)

“I think you're going to see more companies like that pop up...A big thing moving forward is 'how can we keep fans coming out (to games) versus (staying at home)...what innovations are teams and companies doing to put butts in seats and fill stadiums?”




Mark discusses Catapult Sports, involved in the wearable technology space for player performance

→ They have players wear chips, which can track data from practices, etc. to inform team practice and training and health maintenance techniques

Also cites how such data can give fans more insight into what is going with players during games, adding to broadcast or for live attendance at games

Read Mark's article about Catapult Sports


http://www.forbes.com/sites/markjburns/2014/11/05/through-strategic-moves-catapult-sports-remains-industry-leader-in-wearable-technology/



This episode's Helpful Tool → Buzz Sumo

A search tool to discover content on any topic/category and offering deep analysis of content, publishers, influencers, and more. Content alerts and reporting available, too.

Check it out

Two of Mark's most useful tools are Hootsuite and Tweetdeck for following topics and posting across platforms


http://www.buzzsumo.com/



On the effect of social media and sponsorships/endorsements:

“You have people covering the (sports business) industry now...I think fans are becoming more aware of the business part of sports, too...They're realizing how companies are tied (to teams)...Fans are more business-savvy (now) and tied in with social media.”




Mark tells story about how PR firms are actively informing clients (and tracking daily events) and brands have reacted/should have responded in the wake of controversy.

→ “It's the precedent of how they should respond, if (a controversy occurs) with a brand or (entity) they sponsor....Just being proactive and having that plan in place is so crucial.”

(paraphrasing Mark)All of these incidents playing out now are becoming case

studies for brands, teams, and organizations for how to react and respond in the midst of on and off-field controversies




The biggest name with whom Mark has corresponded at Forbes:

“I've talked with a fair amount of CEOs, but in regards to athletes: Richard Sherman, Drew Brees Kevin Love, Andrew Luck, Terrell Owens...Jay Bilas...Some of my friends back home will ask 'who have you talked to lately?' To me, talking to the CEO of, say, a Skullcandy, is just as cool, if not cooler, than talking to a Richard Sherman.”

Mark also notes speaking recently with James Curleigh, global president of Levi Brand, about the naming rights of the 49ers new stadium, his career path, and more




Mark's favorite article he's written and why:

“Probably the first article I ever wrote for Darren Heitner when working with Forbes...The San Francisco Giants had just started their social media cafe...I pitched Darren, lets talk to the Giants, the social media cafe, what are the plans behind it...

And I remember just going on Forbes's website and seeing the story and clicking on it and seeing (my byline) and it was a really cool moment in my sports career...to see something come to fruition.”




The most unusual pitch for an article Mark has received:

“One recently was a pitch about a personal asset lender that could comment on the valuation of the Commissioner's trophy and other trophies...it turned into a short story on Forbes...If I get ten pitches, one or two are stories I'll write about.”




This episode's Share-able Stat: 90%Of Millenial smart phone users, 90% have their mobile devices at

their side all day and night

(Source: Mitek Systems and Zogby Analytics)

Mark on the share-able stat:

“That stat doesn't surprise me...the technology does become such an (important) part of our lives. It's tough to get away from it. You want to check Twitter, you want to check your email...




This episode's bonus Share-able Stat: 37.5%

The University of Michigan recently announced a 37,5% reduction in student season ticket prices for the 2015 football season, following a tumultuous 2014 season to date.

Mark on the bonus share-able stat: “The (then) athletic director screwed up...the student government wanted to be involved in student housing decisions...and with the prices (of football)...they were extremely disappointed in the athletics department...(The 37.5% decrease) is a huge decrease...I am sure students are happy (about it)...we'll see where it goes and if it will be increased if the team ever improves.”

(NOTE: AD Dave Brandon was fired just a couple days after recording the podcast with Mark!)




The most popular topic or article Mark has written:

The Terrell Owens story is almost at 80,000 views

Read it here


http://www.forbes.com/sites/markjburns/2014/08/25/with-nfl-career-in-limbo-six-time-pro-bowler-terrell-owens-dives-into-business/



The most engaged social media network for USA Hockey fans:

“Facebook...We have about 52,000 fans and it's crazy. Sometimes we'll post about a sponsor. We'll post about custom ice rinks for your backyard. We'll post a photo and it'll get 2,000 likes and 1,000 shares. This is just a photo with (a little) text and it just goes crazy...my editor and I scratch our head sometimes at what people get excited about and start talking about.”




The top American player in the NHL and the top American non-NHL player to watch for:

American NHL player: Patrick Kane

American non-NHL player: Jack Eichel, 17 year-old freshman currently playing at Boston University (Mark says he'll be #1 or #2 in the NHL Draft)




The biggest misconception about sports agents:

“Probably that it's not just sitting on the sidelines at games and talking to your client before and after...there's so much more that goes into being a sports agent...it's a 24 hour, seven days per week, 365 days per year job. They handle not only contracts and marketing endorsements...

They help clients find a new house if they get traded, purchasing a car, helping family members, find schools...they're expected to handle so much more than the contract and collecting their 3-5% commission on it.”




Succeeding as a sports agent is __% who you know and the rest is ____?

“I'd say 20-25% who you know because you have to get high-level clients before you have a name for yourself and the rest is hustle. Being there for your clients 24/7, 365.”




The best food to get in Ann Arbor, MI aound University of Michigan:

The Original Cottage Inn →

“My parents would come up on weekends and go there...they have great pizza, great food...and also your strip of Ann Arbor: Blimpy Burger, which has been featured on the Food Network and has been written about, Bell's Pizza, Mister Spots has outstanding Philly cheese steak sandwiches.”




The head coach for University of Michigan football next season will be: _______

“It won't be somebody with the last name 'Harbaugh...' I don't know who they are going to get. Michigan, ten or fifteen years ago, was once thought of as a high-level gig...but until AD Dave Brandon) is gone, I don't think they'll get a high-level coach.”

(NOTE: Brandon resigned just days after recording the podcast)




Mark's Social Media All-Star to Follow:

Sam Laird @samclaird, social media reporter for Mashable

“Sam covers everything from sports previews to covering social media to writing about the World Cup. And he shows a lot of personality on Twitter...I am very boring on Twitter, but he's a great follow.”


https://twitter.com/samcmlaird



Where to find Mark on social and digital media:

Find Mark J. Burns on Twitter @markjburns88

Email him at [email protected]

Also find his work on Forbes Sports Money Blog, Entrepreneur, Sports Agent Blog, and USA Hockey Magazine


https://twitter.com/markjburns88



Thanks very much to Mark J. Burns for sharing his insights knowledge, and personality with us on the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast!

For more, visit www.dsmsports.net and follow me, Neil Horowitz, on Twitter @njh287
