Big lineup ahead for concerts at Fenway

By Zachary Baru

This year will be one to remember at Fenway Park for more than just baseball.  The concert lineup for 2016 is, to say the least, impressive.

This summer, Fenway Park will welcome seven different acts with eleven dates total.  It all begins with Dead & Company playing two nights in Boston on July 15 and 16.  Price levels for Dead & Company will be $55, $80 and $104.

Just one day later, Paul McCartney will make it three consecutive days of concerts at Fenway with a performance on July 17.  From a marketing standpoint, this is a tremendous way for Live Nation and the Boston Red Sox to kick off the concert season.

The season at Fenway continues on August 3 with James Taylor, coming off his stop at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook on August 1, and of course his traditional appearance at Tanglewood on July 3 and 4 at the famous Koussevitzky Music Shed.

Just two days later, Pearl Jam will invade Fenway with two nights on August 5 and 7.

As if that wasn't enough, Billy Joel comes to the ballpark on August 18, followed by the Zac Brown Band on August 20 and 21.

The concert season comes to an end with Jason Aldean and Kid Rock on September 9 and 10.

Fenway Park has certainly come a long way building up a reputation as one of the premier concert locations in all of New England.  While the Boston Red Sox, Live Nation and all of the artists will be the parties to profit from this, the local economy in the city will reap the benefits as well. These eleven dates are eleven additional opportunities for all businesses in the area - hospitality, retail, etc, - to benefit from the influx of people in and around Fenway.

With the current lineup, 2016 certainly looks to be a concert season at Fenway that will be remembered for many years to come.

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

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Just how big is the World Figure Skating Championships for Boston?

By Zachary Baru

This week, all eyes are on Boston in the world of figure skating, as TD Garden hosts a valuable, international event not just for the venue, but for the city as a whole.  The 2016 World Figure Skating Championships came to TD Garden Wednesday, and will continue through Sunday as Boston finds itself on the world's stage for this prestigious event.

The true value lies far beyond the traditional economic benefit from the influx of fans, as this week will be a commercial for the city to an international audience.  Additionally, after renovations completed within the last two years, the TD Garden will have a chance to show its capability of hosting large events, yet another reason to open the discussion of possible events in the venue's future.

One such event that is both due for an appearance in Boston, as well as a perfect match for the city, would be the NBA All-Star Game.  Back in 2013, the Boston Globe reported that Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck told the paper the Celtics were considering filing an application to host a future All-Star Game.  Hosting the event, of course, never became reality, yet the opportunity and potential is still there.  An event with the international appeal and magnitude of the World Figure Skating Championships is a perfect chance to showcase the venue's potential to host on the international stage.

As the World Figure Skating Championships bring worldwide attention to Boston, one of the most notable effects is economic impact within the city.  Between the estimated 90,000 spectators in Boston from all parts of the globe, to the international media presence, the economic impact of the event will benefit hotels, restaurants and retail shops throughout the city.  According to the Boston Globe, the estimated economic impact in Boston will be between $38 million and $41 million.

Boston's selection as host to the championships will be the first time the city is hosting the event, and it marks the first time the championships have been held in the United States since 2009, when the Staples Center in Los Angeles served as the host venue.  Boston, however, is no stranger to competitive skating, as the city hosted the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 2014.

So for anyone thinking that this week's World Figure Skating Championships is just another event for the city of Boston, think again.  The TD Garden finds itself front and center to the world's figure skating audience, in a truly special event for the entire city.

Source: The Boston Globe

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

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Three things Boston sports business found out in 2015

By Zachary Baru

1. The Olympics will not be in Boston in 2024.

After a long campaign to bring the Olympics to Boston in 2024, ultimately it was decided that the city will not be hosting the games less than nine years from now.  The Olympics in Boston could have been a massive economic boost for the city, and all of the shops, restaurants, bars, and hotels throughout the region.  The Olympics would have been an effective advertisement for the entire world to view, showcasing everything Boston and parts of Massachusetts has to offer.  This, however, many feared would have come with an expense that the Commonwealth does need, and what many felt, does not want.  The argument over the pros and cons of hosting an Olympics will most likely go on for many, many years.  But one thing is for sure, much of the sports and entertainment industry in the region would have loved to be part it.  Both Gillette Stadium and TD Garden were part of a long list of possible venues that could have hosted events.  In addition to cities in the eastern portion of the state, the list of venues extended to Western Massachusetts as well.  Apparently some people in Boston still believe that Massachusetts extends past Framingham.

2. TD Garden's mixed-use development plans look stunning, and ambitious.

The future for TD Garden may one day consist of much more than an 18,000-seat arena and a major transportation hub.  Delaware North Cos., parent company of TD Garden and the Boston Bruins, have plans for a mixed-use development adjacent to TD Garden and North Station that will transform the arena and station into a center for commercial and residential use, as well as transportation and entertainment.  This project will be one to look out for in 2016.

3. Gillette Stadium makes a great venue for outdoor hockey.

After years of wondering what Gillette Stadium would be like to host an outdoor NHL game, this past week has shown the region that Gillette truly is a great host for the Winter Classic.  The real question is why did it take so long for outdoor hockey to come to Foxboro.  Hosting the game at Patriot Place will allow fans to make an entire day out of the game, with shops, restaurants, bars, entertainment and a hotel.  Gillette is proving to be a wise choice for the NHL and Bruins to host this annual event.  The only problem is that now we may be running out of New England venues to host the event in the future.  Can you say East Hartford in 2020?

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

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Gillette shines as host to busy weekend of sports and entertainment

By Zachary Baru

From music, to soccer, to football, Gillette Stadium covered it all this past weekend, entertaining  more than 146,000 fans to three separate events in three busy nights.

The weekend began with an Ed Sheeran concert that packed Gillette with a crowd of more than 52,000 fans. The show was Sheeran's largest U.S. concert to date, two years after opening for Taylor Swift in the same venue.

Following the game, the specially designed stage and floor seating had to be broken down for a Revolution game the next night against the Philadelphia Union.  The crew worked overnight to ensure the stadium was set for soccer, which would be only the first of two sporting events in two nights.

The Revolution game drew 25,885 fans, another big crowd for the Revs, which also drew 18,854 on Saturday, September 5 against Orlando City.  As the Revs continue to play good soccer, the New England fans continue to respond at the gate.

After the Revolution game on Saturday evening, the Gillette Stadium crew continued to work overnight in preparation for Sunday's Patriots game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sunday's Patriots game, like all Patriots games since the Kraft family purchased the franchise in 1994, was sold out with a crowd of 68,756 fans. 

This brought the total number of fans attending events at Gillete Stadium over the weekend to over 146,000. With a hotel, various upscale and casual dinning restaurants and bars, The Hall at Patriot Place, an upscale movie theater, concert venue, retail shops, and of course a first-class stadium, Patriot Place is one of the few lifestyle and entertainment centers across the country that can successfully and appropriately accommodate three large events in three nights.  Still, that must have been lot of spring rolls to serve at Davio's over the weekend.

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

Source: The Boston Globe, Major League Soccer

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Western Mass. could help Boston 2024's venue problem

By Zachary Baru

As venues become more and more of an issue for Boston 2024's Olympic bid, a sometimes forgotten resource may need to become a bigger part of the plan: Western Massachusetts.

Yes, remember Western Mass.?  That part of the state that exists far beyond the I-495 belt.  During a time when land for stadiums is becoming an issue, why not explore an area that has nothing but land?  Western Mass. has a tremendous amount of resources that extends far beyond that current plans of one lone venue, the Deerfield River.

The MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Western Mass., with cities such as Springfield, Pittsfield and Holyoke - all of which have rich sports histories, and two of which have halls of fame - provide outstanding opportunities to host the Olympic games, in an area where traffic is currently not a problem.  Western Mass. may have an abundance of land for venues, but its biggest asset is the venues it currently has.

The MassMutual Center in Springfield is an 8,000-seat arena (6,663 seats with fixed seating) that was renovated in 2005 with the construction of an adjacent convention center.  Together, the arena and convention center offer a spectacular opportunity to host any type of event that should find its way to Springfield.  As for accessibility, the MassMutual Center is located off of Interstates 91 and 291 and minutes from Interstate 90.

The venue is also within walking distance of Union Station, which is currently under construction to become the Union Station Regional Intermodal Transportation Center in 2017.  This rail and bus terminal will be home to Amtrak, Peter Pan and Greyhound.  A combined 12 daily trains connect to cities such as New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.  Another daily train makes the trip to and from Boston.  As for buses, Springfield offers several trips to Boston, New York and Albany.

Still not sold on Western Mass.?  Another venue just up Interstate 91 in Amherst is the 10,500-seat Mullins Center (9,493seats for basketball), on the campus of the University of Massachusetts.  The Mullins Center was built in 1993 and has hosted a number of large concerts and NBA exhibition games, as well as UMass basketball and hockey games.  It should also be noted that the venue includes an adjacent ice rink that could be covered for practices and other use.  As for public transportation, Peter Pan offers several buses each day with connections to Boston and New York.  Amtrak provides service to Northampton, just one town away.

If venues are the issue, look no further than Western Mass. to help bring some additional options to the Boston 2024 Olympic bid.  The Deerfield River currently serves as the sole Western Mass. venue, which will be called upon to host canoe slalom events.  But with Springfield being the birthplace of basketball, and Holyoke being the birthplace of volleyball, it is only fitting that Western Mass. be called upon the Olympic stage, should the games ever become a reality.

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

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Kraft Sports Group announces new academic partnership with Dean College

By Zachary Baru

College-bound students looking to enter the world of sports business just received a new opportunity to jump-start their careers, thanks to a new academic partnership between the Kraft Sports Group and Dean College.

The Kraft Sports Group announced plans last week to partner with Dean College to create The Center for Business, Entertainment and Sport Management, along with a new scholarship program and the introduction of an internship program giving students a hands-on experience within the Kraft Sports Group.

The Kraft Sports Group's holdings include the New England Patriots, New England Revolution, Patriot Place, Gillette Stadium and The Hall at Patriot Place.  The Kraft Sports Group is under the umbrella of The Kraft Group, a holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate, and private equity, in addition to philanthropic initiatives including the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation.

This new academic partnership will bring students looking to enter a career in business a chance to work with Patriots and Revolution executives and the ability to use Gillette Stadium as a laboratory for learning.  Additionally, student-athletes at Dean College will be given access to training facilities through the Patriots and Revolution organizations.

Regionally, sports organizations will benefit from the program by increasing the number of home-grown talent in the Boston area.  As the sport management major continues to grow in colleges nationwide, it is becoming more important for regional colleges to keep local talent here in New England.

This is an exciting time for all business students at Dean College, who will be given the opportunity to receive a true hands-on education from leaders in the sports business industry.

Sources: Dean College, The Kraft Group, Forbes

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

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A look at the numbers: Super Bowl XLIX broadcast

By Zachary Baru

If you though the only records broken during Super Bowl XLIX came from on the field, think again.  Sunday night was a record-breaking night off the field with 114.4 million viewers nationwide, the most ever for a television program in the U.S. according to Nielsen.

After two weeks of nothing but numbers and analysis leading up to Super Bowl XLIX, why not look at just a few more - only these can't be worked into your fantasy team next season.  Below is a look at the numbers from Sunday's broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX on NBC, a broadcast that went multi-platform including television, internet, and mobile.  With the game being broadcast on the NBC Sports Live Extra app, fans had the chance to watch the game anywhere they went.  And fans sure came out in large numbers to do so, giving NBC an earth-shattering rating on televison, but also the second screen as well.

U.S Viewers:
114.4 million

Streaming Viewers:
1.3 million

Rating:
49.7

Change From 2014 Rating:
+4 percent

Share:
72

Top Local Ratings:
1. 61.0 (Boston)
2. 55.7 (New Orleans)
3. 55.6 (Phoenix)
T-4. 55.0 (Detroit)
T-4. 55.0 (Norfolk)

Commercials Shown:
66

Cost for 30 Second Commercial:
$4.5 million

Facebook Posts, Likes and Comments Relating to Game:
265 million

Tweets Relating to Game/Halftime Show:
28 million

Source: Nielsen Media Research, The Wall Street Journal, SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily, NBC News, Detroit Free Press, CNBC

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

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