When we get ready for some exercise, we all have our own routine. Some elite sportsmen are even known for having recurring habits bordering on the obsessive-compulsive (head here for an interesting NYT article on some habits of successful tennis players).
As I was getting ready for my bike ride yesterday, I thought about the process, and my own little habits. In particular, I asked myself what are the 5 objects that I cannot possibly do without, regardless of the type of physical exercise I choose.
So here are the 5 sports-related things I can’t do without.
Garmin Forerunner 405 – I keep checking my pulse and my speed when I run, skate or cycle, so my trusted heart-rate monitor, coupled with a very decent GPS captor, is my trusted friend. It’s amazingly small, contained and light for a GPS-enabled device, which is why I have remained faithful to successive Forerunner models over the years (although some would say its predecessor, the 305, is not necessarily very intuitive to operate…).
Nike sports sunglasses – I wear lenses, and am extremely sensitive to any particle hitting my eyes, so I’m always looking for glasses which wrap around my eyes very tight; I also like to practice in any weather, so I need the lenses to be easily interchangeable; I bought the pair I’m using a few years ago already, but they keep serving me very well.
Ventolin inhaler – I have developed chronic asthma (due to several allergies), so I simply have to spray before I start exercising, or I find myself out of breath pretty quickly (in particular in cold conditions); on long runs or bike rides, I even take the spray with me, just in case I have a bad crisis.
uBanana’s uCan – A tiny, light, simple, sleek and clever little MP3 player, which even claims to be waterproof (I have never tried swimming with it, however); it has not always been totally dependable (I had to return the 1st one I bought to the Swiss manufacturer as it had simply died after just a few weeks, and it has mysterious and random ways to rearrange my playlists), but I have grown used to not feeling it at all, yet enjoying my musical background.
OnTri iPhone app – As I have started training for 2 forthcoming long-distance events happening in my own town, the Lausanne Triathlon (olympic-distance) and Lausanne Marathon (the 1st time I’ll try any of the 2 !), I have grown used to dutifully logging my training sessions in this clever little app.
Your turn now – which sports-related “thing” can you not live without? Let us know in the comments !
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An interesting article was posted recently on the Online Degree Programs blog. Entitled 100 Best Books for Serious Sports Fans, it groups the books by sports (baseball, basketball, American football, football [soccer for our US friends], tennis, golf) or genre (fiction, sports & society), and provides a short comment on each suggested book.
While the list is fairly heavily US-centric, some entries are more relevant to this blog’s main focus (a business/management perspective on sports, with a European focus), and are noteworthy. Among them, Soccernomics by the FT’s Simon Kuper, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami, and The Elusive Fan by Irving Rein, Philip Kotler and Ben Shields.
Personally, I would have mentioned some more “technical” tomes in the list, e.g. one of the many more academic volumes covering the management of sports, or even sports-specific training manuals; I simply assume that a “serious sports fan” also practices their favourite discipline, and is inherently interested in seeking new ways to train and improve their performance in it, and as a result, likes to read about how to get better at it. But that’s obviously bound to be very personal ! (When I decided to get serious about inline speedskating a few years ago, I bought the only “bible” in this field, Speed on Skates by Barry Publow, and have since read and used it so much that it is almost falling apart !)
Which book is, in your opinion, a must-read for you fellow Sports Management Blog readers? Chime in in the comments below !
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This Saturday (Feb 20, 2010), the 15th edition of the Nissan Verbier Xtreme by Swatch (full name), the final stage of the Freeride World Tour, will take place in the eponymous internationally-renowned Swiss Alps resort. I plan to attend, as it is just an hour’s drive away from my place -- and is usually very spectacular. If you wonder what the fuss is all about, check out the video below.
As I was checking the event’s website (link above) and listening to radio ads promoting it, I asked myself how well the event organisers, sponsors and venue were leveraging social media.
So here’s my totally subjective “Social Media Scorecard” for the 2010 Verbier Xtreme.
Event’s website interactivity: auto-play videos + video gallery; decent image gallery; small “news” and “community” sections; no real visibility of/interactivity with sponsors >> 7/10
Facebook fan page: only for the Freeride World Tour (FWT); few fans, little activity; also Facebook group, only for the FWT; many more group members; frequent/interesting group posts; no customisation of design; little interactivity (discussions) >> 7/10
Dedicated YouTube channel: only for the FWT (FreerideWorldTourTV); customised channel design, comprehensive video footage, sizeable subscribers Nr>> 9/10
Dedicated Twitter account: only for the FWT; no custom design of Twitter profile; account only tweets out info.s, no interactivity>> 6/10
Title sponsor-specific promotions/buzz: production of a few sponsor-themed TV shows; otherwise just banner ads on website’s homepage + at the end of videos >> 5/10
Overall score: 6/10
What do you think? Which other criteria would you take into account? Shae your suggestions and impressions in the comments !
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I just came back from an awesome 2-hour (road-)bike ride. Near-perfect spring conditions, dry roads, not too much traffic. Road biking (like running) mostly leaves your mind free to think – and I’m currently thinking quite a bit about sports (I have a triathlon and a marathon coming up in a few months), sports management (how I can contribute to make it better), and about this blog. So I did think during the bike ride. The result: this short post about what can be seen as 2 contradictory aspects of sports – the passion that it invariably generates, and sports as a business.
On the one hand, sports is clearly, undeniably, about passion, emotions. Joy. Tears. We’ve all been there – practicing it or simply as fans. It’s rewarding at times, frustrating or even painful at other times. I don’t know about you, but video footage of triumphing athletes often brings me to tears, literally. And you often want to share those emotions – you want other like-minded people to know about how you feel (and reinforce the community spirit).
On the other hand, sports is a business. Even when you simply exercise, when you want to feel or become better at what you do, you needs a system, a methodology, a vision, a plan. And you need money. So sports is also something that you manage, as efficiently and effectively as possible.
In my view, there is an enabler that (when used properly) bridges the gap between these two dimensions of sports: technology. Take the road bike I use (a Kuota Kharma, so light, smooth and responsive, I love it!). It is the result of ongoing technological innovation, which has had to be initiated and managed by the company which designs & produces it; the company has to be managed properly (leveraging leading-edge technological tools) for its great products to continue to be available for its customers; and it allows me to feel even more passionate about road cycling. Or take this blog. It is only a technological tool, a medium – through which I want to express my passion for sports, and for how well it can be managed.
If you’re passionate about sports, subscribe to this blog – I hope that through the upcoming posts (which I promise will be more regular than they have been so far), I’ll convince you that you can also become passionate about the technology you can leverage to manage sports properly.
As Lewis Howes, one of the most respected authorities in sports networking (don’t miss a post of his Sports Networker blog), likes to say at the end of his newsletters: stay passionate !
Go ahead – share your passion in the comments.
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Gabriel Mangano defines himself (on Twitter) as an "entrepreneur, social-media fanatic, consultant, coach, sportsman, sports manager - all rolled into one."
When we get ready for some exercise, we all have our own routine. Some elite sportsmen are even known for having recurring habits bordering on the obsessive-compulsive (head here for an interesting NYT article on some habits of successful tennis players).
