Athletics Advertising is Important Part of University Publicity

Chances are, you can attribute at least one of your recent purchases to some sort of advertising. Whether it be for food, clothing or some electronic doodad, you have probably been influenced by marketing, for better or for worse. Unless a company is hoping to promote a product by underground, viral means, advertising is absolutely essential.

 

Fordham University athletics are no exception. This University recently began marketing its various sports teams to give the Fordham "brand" more prominence as well.

 

The marketing blitz that the athletic department has undertaken may be seen as unnecessary and superfluous, however, I believe that this campaign will have far-reaching effects that outweigh the cost.

 

According to Kathleen Spencer, assistant vice president for marketing and communications, alumni contributed $186,000 toward the campaign to advertise on Metro-North, WCBS radio, ESPN, the New York Post, and the New York Daily News. This is demonstrably less than making any major (albeit necessary) changes to the athletic department, and is most certainly a step in the right direction.

 

Although invoking their name may lead many readers to shriek and throw this paper down in disgust, the Boston Red Sox are known for their fandom across the country, known colloquially as Red Sox Nation. This is a national group of fans watching Red Sox games across the country.

 

Fordham can benefit from a similar concept; a fanbase that is not university-centric. In short, the campaign makes the point that by no means does a fan of Fordham sports have to have any affiliation to the school.

 

This is the case in my home state of Connecticut, where the highly visible UConn basketball teams are widely supported throughout the state. Fordham's support, however, is limited to its student body and a few loyal alumni.

 

An athletic program with broader support has several benefits, the main one being more money. Fordham can command much higher advertising rates if it is seen on television. The only way to get games on television is for people outside of the University community to want to see them.

 

More money, of course, is what Fordham athletics needs to improve its program. With this revenue, the University can provide scholarships across different sports, purchase new equipment, build new facilities and, if it desires, hire new coaches or assistant coaches.

A new advertising campaign will not immediately lead to profitability as basketball runs large deficits upwards of $1 million a year, but the school has to start somewhere

In addition, Fordham University as a whole suffers from limited visibility. I'm from Mystic, Conn. (a part of the state you've probably only driven through) and I had not heard of Fordham until a neighbor, an alumnus, mentioned the school to me at the beginning of my senior year. Even today, Fordham in some ways remains the regional school it was born as, attracting students chiefly from the greater New York City area. If Fordham wishes to achieve national prominence, it first has to become a national school. Advertising is the way to do this.

 

Any advertising that helps get the name over the airwaves (especially a banner behind home plate on a nationally televised baseball game) is also beneficial and not only for attracting athletes. Advertising gives the impression that this institution cares about having a reputable athletic program.

 

Some may say that this advertising may have no effect if the product behind it has no worth. Even so, advertising can, by its nature, give the men's basketball program (what many would say is the backbone of our athletic program along with football) more legitimacy.

 

Furthermore, advertising could also have the effect of any newly recruited fans being the necessary push for a stronger program.

 

This publicity is necessary, though, to be the first step in procuring broader interest. From there, we can only hope, loyalty will beget loyalty as more outside fans, indispensible to the monetary interest of the program, demand more wins.

 

The Catholic schools that Fordham desires to overtake in prominence all gained their prestige partly through athletics. When most people think of names such as Georgetown, Villanova, Notre Dame and Boston College, the first thing that comes to mind is most likely their outstanding athletic programs. Fordham can be a part of this trend. Advertising is the first step in a long process.