Red Sox' image must continue to improve for 2013 season

By Zachary Baru

Getting rid of Josh Beckett is not going to fix the once perfect perception fans had of the Boston Red Sox.  As opening day of the 2013 season approaches, the image of the franchise will continue to be a work in progress, with the Red Sox front office attempting to climb out of a hole that has been getting deeper for quite some time.

The good news - for everyone, not just the front office - is that New England fans are historically extremely forgiving.  In time, everyone can go back to adoring this franchise the way fans across the region once did, without having to think of all of the negatives that past players have given us to talk about, and the circus that went on after Terry Francona was dismissed.

The Red Sox have been on PR patrol for quite some time, and the upcoming weeks and months will be no different.  You know things are a little off when Comcast Sports Net's sponsors include the Red Sox advertising individual game tickets.  With the front office expressing an attempt to be more transparent, 2013 looks to be a year in which the Red Sox will fully try to rebuild their brand as best they can.

But can the Red Sox brand ever be restored to the level of popularity it held in the mid 2000s?  The answer may be as simple as the amount of titles they can produce.  Boston fans don't forget, but they are quick to forgive.  It is a common theme seen with different events that are covered in Boston sports media, which may be attributed to the intense sports media market that Boston is.  With media coverage  changing so rapidly, the spotlight of negativity seems to move along with it.

Aside from the games themselves, one major story to follow will be how the Red Sox attempt to improve their image, and their brand as a whole.  One thing you can count on, to be blunt, these guys aren't idiots.  They know what they're doing, and they know how to market their team to appeal to fans, boosting the ratings, and selling the jerseys the way they once did just a few years ago.  Have faith in the Red Sox, 2013 should be the beginning of a much improved franchise image.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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LED dasherboards can generate revenue, become detrimental to game

By Zachary Baru

As if New England sports fans have not seen enough advertisements for Bob's Discount Furniture, you may have noticed during the last Bruins road game that the brand has invaded the New York Islanders' dasherboards digitally, using LED dasherboard advertisements.  Coincidentally, the last three Bruins road games have all been played in arenas with LED dasherboards, part of a trend in the National Hockey League that has been growing for years.

Not only did Bruins fans see this advertising at the Islanders' arena, which was the first venue in the NHL to introduce this technology, but fans saw it during the previous two games at the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.  While this technology allows franchises to show multiple advertisements instead of dedicating the space for one sponsor, the LED dasherboard is just simply an eye sore, in a league which strives on aesthetics.

For any extra revenue that could be generated from this technology, intruding on the visual aspect of the game is a lot to sacrifice.  Sure other markets such as Chicago use augmented reality to place logos for television on the glass behind the net, but let's deal with one thing at a time here.  Fortunately the Bruins do not use this technology on the ice at TD Garden, and hopefully that will continue into the future.

Technology continues to be a growing aspect of professional sports, and for the most part greatly aids the game, as well as the business.  Take soccer for example.  These days teams that play in venues that do not include field-level LED signage boards come across as outdated franchises.  The game presentation, especially for television, is arguably less exciting for soccer teams that do not use this technology. In Major League Soccer, newer franchises with a focus on marketing, such as Seattle and Kansas City, use field-level LED signage boards to give their sponsors maximum exposure.

The problem with using this technology in hockey is simple - hockey is not soccer.  The playing surface is much smaller than a large soccer field, making LED advertisements on the ice extremely distracting.

There will undoubtably be many more innovations in sports that change the way we watch games in the future.  While they can potentially increase revenue, there are certain occasions where what is most profitable may effect the game itself, which one can debate is ultimately detrimental to both the game and the business.  It may be something as small and harmless as LED dasherboards, but it is small aspects such as this that can begin to ruin the game, rather than keep it progressing in the right direction.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Lowell deserves another shot at the AHL

By Zachary Baru

With a great arena, a hot hockey market, and a prime location near multiple franchises, the city of Lowell would be a great candidate for a new American Hockey League franchise.  The last franchise, owned by the New Jersey Devils, left Lowell for Albany after the 2009-10 season. 

The lease beween the New Jersey Devils and the Tsongas Center ended in 2009-10, and was reportedly too good to be continued.  In February of 2010, the University of Massachusetts Lowell took ownership of the the 6,496-seat arena.  Later that year, Global Spectrum, a subsidarary of Comcast Spectacor, took over arena management.

UMass Lowell provided renovations to the venue, including a new video board, LED sinage, and a new sound system.  The result was an ideal arena for minor league hockey's highest level, the AHL.  UMass Lowell continues to play at the arena, currently averaging 5,114 fans per game, which is good for 12th in the nation for Division I hockey.

If college hockey can draw over 5,000 fans per game, than why couldn't professional hockey do the same?  The Devils left Lowell one season before the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup, which has since boosted hockey's popularity to an even higher level.  A low-priced alternative to NHL hockey could certainly have potential in this market in the present day.

On the other hand, history does speak volumes.  During Lowell's last season in the AHL, the franchise finished last in attendance, averaging 2,498 fans per game.  Fast-forward to today, and the league average is currently 5,587.  So can Lowell really keep up with the big markets in the AHL like Chicago, Cleveland and Houston?

With the resurgence of hockey throughout New England, an exceptional intimate arena, and a perfect geographical location to other franchises, Lowell truly is an interesting market for the AHL.  Interesting may not be enough to cut it, especially with the way the Devils finished in attendance in their final year.  But with everything Lowell has to offer, this is not a market to be overlooked.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Celtics' Seats For Soldiers night a reminder of the good sports can do

By Zachary Baru

On Monday the Boston Celtics hosted their sixth annual Seats For Soldiers night at TD Garden during their game against the Charlotte Bobcats.  This night is an example of the many ways sports can make a positive affect on society, and what better way to do it than to have over 1,200 United States armed service members receiving free tickets to the game. 

The Boston Celtics have long had a history for giving back to their community, which is one of many reasons why this franchise is so beloved by the region.  The Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation is an example of this, which is a community initiative partnering with New England non-profit youth charities. 

Seeing over one thousand armed service members in uniform at TD Garden is quite a site.  Even better is seeing Rajon Rondo high fiving a young man in uniform in the front row during the middle of the game.  It is that connection of famous athletes showing their support and pride for our troops that gives us perspective of who our true heros really are.

A message like this is not delivered every game, which is why it is important that nights like Monday exist.  There is often so many negative stories in sports, and franchises sometimes get looked upon as stricly being a business, not having any community incentive.  Seats For Sodiers night proves both of those accusations wrong, and provides an opportunity for sports to play a positive role in society.  Even if it is something as simple as season ticket holders donating free tickets to service men and women who cannot possibly be paid back for their bravery.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru, and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Will Bruins fans come back?

By Zachary Baru

In recent years the Boston Bruins have enjoyed a boost in popularity through exciting young talent and better on-ice performance, highlighted by a 2011 Stanley Cup title.  Just one year after they had once again climbed back up on top of the Boston sports scene, are they in danger of falling back to number four again?

Not quite so fast.  Out of all of the sports markets in the U.S., Boston is one of the best hockey markets.  If there is any effect on attendance or broadcast ratings, the Bruins should not see as much of a decline as many other National Hockey League franchises.

Hockey's roots in Boston begins at the youth-level.  Unlike many other areas, youth hockey programs in Boston are vast and well-developed.  Add this to the number of colleges in New England with hockey programs compared to other regions of the country, and it can be seen why hockey has such a strong presence in New England.

While Boston is a traditional hockey market, the NHL also has many non-traditional markets as well.  These will likely be the franchises to be hurt the most, especially teams who have made recent improvements in building a fan base.  Take the Florida Panthers for example, who have seen a significant increase in ticket sales, along with better on-ice performance.  The momentum they have created in their market is now in jeopardy.  

The same can be said about the Los Angeles Kings, last year's Stanley Cup champions, who saw enormous amounts of 2013 season ticket sales during last year's playoffs.  These are the teams that will be hurt the most from this lockout, while back in Boston there will be minimal damage.  

After the last lockout in 2004-05, the Bruins' average attendance for 2005-06 was 16,211.  That was up from 15,133 fans per game in 2003-04.  If the Bruins were able to increase their attendance post-lockout during a time of declining interest in the team, they should have no trouble retaining their fans in 2013.  Hockey will always be a part of the fabric of this city, the NHL lockout cannot change that.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Celtics' court configuration catching on around NBA

By Zachary Baru

The Boston Celtics are somewhat of pioneers in the NBA.  No, not for anything basketball-related on the court, they were one of the first to change a common area of the arena - the court itself.

It has seen a lot of changes in the past few years, most noticeably the addition of two extra tables, along with additional courtside seats, and moving the announcers to their own table on the opposite side of the court.

This new configuration is entirely centered around the television exposure of courtside advertisements.  By having two new tables, one on each end of the court next to the team benches, courtside advertisements are able to be seen no matter where the action is taking place on the court.  Whether the camera is fixed on the home teams' end, the away teams' end, or the center, courtside advertisements will be seen by the millions watching on television.

These ads receive about 15 percent more exposure with the new configuration, and you can understand why other NBA teams have caught on to the innovative configuration.  One of the most recent teams is Cleveland, who changed the set-up of their scorer's table this season.

The next time you watch the Celtics on CSN, notice how often you can see the courtside ads.  This increases the value their sponsors get from courtside advertisements, making this a growing trend all around the NBA.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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NHL Lockout Affecting Boston Economy

By Zachary Baru

It is easy to dismiss hockey as a factor in the economy of the nation's seventh largest media market.  But for Boston, each home game that is lost in the current National Hockey League lockout represents a substantial economic loss.

The economic impact of an average Bruins home game is estimated between $850,000 and $1 million.  Anytime you have 17,000-plus fans pouring into an arena, both the neighborhood and the city forfeit the revenue of any event-related purchases.  While the economic impact is felt by the city, the real effects are on the small business owners that rely on hockey to bring in patrons.

The largest example of this are restaurants and bars, mostly in the North End, who see a large increase in business during game-nights.  Aside from the owners who are taking a financial hit, the employees also see a loss in earnings.  Hotels around the area can be effected as well, as fans, media and teams will be coming into town for the game.

If you are still not convinced, take a look at this.  Out of 30 NHL franchises, the Bruins were one of sixteen who sold out every home game last season.  Take the 17,565 fans who entered TD Garden each night, and multiply that by 41 home games.  The Bruins attracted 720,165 people to the North End during the regular season, each of whom represented a potential economic impact.

Many of the 700,00-plus fans coming to TD Garden for hockey games last season used public transportation, either by subway or commuter rail to get into North Station.  This is an example of a loss of revenue to the state, not to mention the loss of state sales tax revenue for any event-related purchases.

Without the NHL, Boston's economy will not crumble, but the league still represents an economic boost for the city and state.  From government, all the way down to small business owners and employees, the loss of the NHL will be felt by much more than just Bruins ownership.  For the city and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it is significantly important hockey returns to TD Garden.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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