Jared Melzer's blog

Feeling a little blue this holiday season?  In a few days we’ll say goodbye to 2010, a mega year for sports.  Besides the annual sports leagues, 2010 was filled with two of the biggest international sporting spectacles - the Winter Olympic Games (Vancouver) and the FIFA Men’s World Cup (South Africa).  Thanks to multi-platform capabilities, it was never easier to be fully connected and engaged by all the sports action and stories.  But as we enter 2011, many sports fans are a bit apprehensive of what’s to come in the new year.  The NBA and NFL have not secured collective bargaining agreements (CBA) for the 2011 season and both are in jeopardy of having serious work stoppages.  Besides baseball and the Grand Slam tennis events, the FIFA Women’s Cup takes the stage this summer in Germany.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t garner the same attention as the men, but these women sure do have serious game.  And unlike the men, the USA women’s team is a serious cup contender.  I will enjoy watching and following the cup and encourage the naysayers to give it a try.  But I think many sports fans are most nervous about what their Sundays may look like next Fall if Michael Vick is not throwing touchdown passes.  But don’t worry too much ... That void may have already found its filling with .... rugby!

If I told you that Tiger Woods won all those majors without a coach or Rafael Nadal won the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open this year all by himself, would you believe me? Probably not. If you're a professional athlete or trying to become one and want to attain the highest degree of success in your sport, then it's almost a given that you need a coach. Someone who analyzes your game, makes technical adjustments, gives emotional and mental support and maybe even works with you on a nutritional or physical fitness plan. During the victory speeches, you see how important coaches are to the success of their athletes.

But many of you reading this are not professional athletes (though we can dream), but we ARE professional or soon-to-be professional sports businessmen & women. And we all have career aspirations and goals ... Whatever and wherever they may be. The actual goals may be different than an athlete, but they are still goals that you strive for and hope to achieve. But yet, how many of us have a coach to help us along our journey to success?

When we talk about long-term partnerships, you don’t need to look much further than American Express’ 17 year partnership with the United States Tennis Open. In struggling economic times when we often see companies cutting back on sponsorship programs, American Express has continued to see the value of partnering with USA’s Tennis Grand Slam event, which in 2009 saw a tournament record 721,059 pass through the turnstiles over the course of 26 sessions. Maybe even more impressive, net sponsorship revenue increased 6% according to the United States Tennis Association, which secured new partnerships with Esurance, Starwood Hotels, Mercedes Benz and Panasonic.

A lot of what we learn in the sports business world comes from what we pick up, whether it be via reading, listening or watching from industry sources. But I think some of the most important lessons, ideas, and thoughts come from our own personal experiences. It's just a matter of taking a step back, looking at the situation and analyzing how we can continue to improve.

If South Africa was the #1 dream choice to watch the World Cup final, then I can't complain about #2 - Spain. I was fortunate to move to Madrid in April 2008, a few months prior to Spain's victory in the 2008 EuroCup. Looking back now, the World Cup celebration pales in comparison to the Eurocup and really anything I've ever been a part of.