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Show StatesmanSports Page 10 Friday, March 2, 2012 Sports and advertising, the perfect match I was tinkering about on ESPN.com and I noticed the strangest thing. They have a "sports business" section. Yeah, I know. The "Worldwide Leader in Sports Teams who get us ratings" caters to almost every facet of sports fan — anything from basketball to cricket to selected high school sports — and have even left a spot open for the economic connoisseur. The most recent report was related to NASCAR track workers using Tide to put out the track fire ignited by Juan Montoya hitting a truck in the Daytona 500. There are several reports on shoe deals, sponsorships to live events and anything that fits the meta- phorical marriage of a spendhappy America and the sporting world. This got me thinking, what would be the best move for business sponsors? I mean, the world of marketing is cutthroat as it is, and it only gets more intense when athletes and bowl games are thrown into the mix. Here is my look at a few of the bigger companies that leave room for sports sponsorships and what I think their best line of defense ought to be. Nike - Gameplan: get a bowl game. You may find me crazy, but as far as athletes go there really isn't all that much Nike can do anymore at this Steve's Picks point. They have sponsored any person every registered as a professional athlete, including their wives — heck, I'm pretty sure I at least have my own slim-fit undergarment line — so it's a safe bet that it is about time they branch out. And who wouldn't want to watch the Nike Bowl? Teams could get free shoes for life and winners could win a trophy completely made of rub- ber. I'm sold on this idea. Sara Lee - Gameplan: sponsor Takeru Kobayashi. He is the sultan of swallow, the guru of gobble, the most famous competitive eater in recent history. Recently, he has been in a bit of a funk, but nothing turns a slump around quite like a good lighthearted commercial. I'm thinking a spot where Kobayashi faces off against a family of five in a hot dog eating contest while Donny Osmond narrates. I can hear the cash registers ringing now. Gatorade - Gameplan: make beef jerky. Just trust me on this one. Intel computer processors - Gameplan: get Jeremy Lin. Think about it — Lintel processors? How has no one picked up on this? Finally, H&R Block Gameplan: sponsor a cricket tournament. There are two things riddling this country. One is the struggling economy; the other is people viewing sincerely interesting sports as boring. So, why not bring them together? Viewers can predict the winning team of the H&R World Cricket Championships, finding a new gem in what is honestly a fascinating international sport, and correct guessers will be promised a tax return. Don't think it won't work. It's a fascinating thing, sports business. It was interest- ing enough to make me write about it during a slow sports week, and it has the power to run the sporting world more than we know. Even if it is simply about laundry detergent saving a stock car race. - Steve Schwartzman is a junior studying communication studies. He has had just about every job in sports writing, including blogs, analysis, statistics and fantasy football tips, but especially loves making bold picks. Think you can out-pick Steve? Let him know: steve.schwartzman@aggiemail. usu.edu. MEN'S BASKETBALL Utah State finally posts a pair of back-to-back road wins BY TYLER HUSKINSON assistant sports editor After notching back-to-back wins with a victory over San Jose State on the road, USU will look to get its first road sweep of the season as they face the Warriors on Saturday in the Stan Sherriff Center. USU defeated Hawaii in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 77-72 on Jan. 26. Medlin had 25 points in the victory, and freshman Ben Clifford chipped in 11 points off the bench. Junior center Vander Joaquim, who leads the Warriors with 14.8 points per game, scored 24 points against the Aggies, and junior forward Hauns Brerton scored 15 points off the bench. Hawaii out-rebounded USU 48-28 in Logan. Joaquim pulled down 14 rebounds and junior forward Joston Thomas grabbed 10 rebounds to go with 14 points. "Obviously their size and their rebounding advantage they had on us in Logan will certainly be huge factors in that game," said USU head coach Stew Morrill said. "We've got to do a better job of rebounding to have a chance in that game." Senior guard Brockeith Pane was USU's leading rebounder with six rebounds. Despite USU's victory at home, Morrill feels his squad may see a different Hawaii team on the road. "You have to prepare for Hawaii like they can be, not like they are when they play you poorly," Morrill said. "They have had trouble away from the Island, but they have been pretty dang salty on the Island. The biggest thing will be can we match up with them physically? If we can't, game over." Playing with enthusiasm will be another key factor for USU. "It's a quiet group and we're constantly on them that they've got to say something," Morrill said. "It's got to come from them. They got a little bit fired up when things got going in the second half. When you have some emotion, it's always going to help you." - ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu MEN'S TENNIS Aggies demolished by No. 35 Boise State BY MEGAN BODILY staff writer FRESHMAN MARCUS FRITZ chases a volley in his match against Boise State's Hume 4-6, 1-6. TODD JONES photo The Utah State men's tennis team could not pull off an upset against nationally ranked Boise State University. Hosting BSU for the first time, the Aggies fell on their home court 6-1 to the No. 35-ranked team. The doubles point eluded USU players, as they lost all three matches. "I felt we came out strong in the doubles," head coach Chris Wright said. "It came down to a few points." Junior Sven Poslusny and freshman Marcus Fritz took the Broncos' James Meredith and Nathan Sereke to a tie breaker in a pro set in the No. 1 doubles position. Poslusny and Fritz fought off BSU's tough serves, but the Aggies lost the tie breaker 5-7 and the match 7-8. Freshman Matt Sweet and senior Nate Ballam lost to BSU's pairing of Andrew Bettles and Filipp Pogostkin in the No. 2 doubles position. After going down 1-4, the Aggies fought for every point but lost the match 3-8. Brothers Andrew and Lenny Whiting teamed up against Damien Hume and Aiden Reid, losing 8-3 at the No. 3 doubles spot. The Aggies fared no better in singles action. Boise State has competed against top nationally ranked teams in the past couple weeks and routinely dismissed USU. Playing the battle hardened 094,16 id 6lieciar, Araie it pletrief 930 c,1119.n 4185 70-9755 - wwwjerricksfinejewelry.com BSU, which has played top-10 and top-20 nationally ranked teams in the past weeks and tolled on USU, as it dropped five singles matches without winning a set. Poslusny, of USU, battled against Meredith, of BSU, in a marathon match in the No. 1 singles spot. After more than an hour of play, Poslusny took the first set to a tie breaker but lost the set 6-7. In the second set, Poslusny bounced back to take the lead 5-3, but eventually Meredith came back to take the No. 1 spot, 7-6, 7-5, after two and half hours of play. Assistant coach Bryan Marchant was pleased with how the Aggie played. "He played very confident, and he played exactly how we wanted him too," Marchant said. "It just came down to pressure points, and Poslusny played steady but just missed a few shots on big points." Fritz traded blows at the baseline against nationally ranked Hume, but the Broncos' speed left Fritz leaving skid marks on the court — the Aggie lost the match 4-6, 1-6. "Fritz is good at mixing things up and he's a fighter," Marchant said. "He had (Hume) on the ropes, but Hume locked in on the second set." Sweet was swept by Bettles in straight sets in the No. 3 singles position. After dropping the first set, 2-6, the Aggie fell short of a comeback, losing the second set 4-6. USU Swede Fredrick Peterson played fellow countryman Sereke in the No. 4 singles spot. Peterson barely fought off the 6-foot-7 Bronco's heavy top-spin serves, but the sophomore lost the match 2-6, 2-6. Utah State's Whiting was dealt bagels in his match against Pogostkin — the Aggie fell 0-6, 0-6. Ballam earned USU's lone win in the No. 6 singles position against Reid. After losing the first set 4-6, the Aggie came back to lead Reid 6-5 in the second. The Bronco committed three unforced errors to give the set to the senior. The match went into a super tie breaker to determine the winner. Wright said Ballam's gamble in the tie breaker gave the player the edge. Ballam played serve-and-volley style, winning the tie breaker 10-7 and the match 4-6, 7-5, 10-7. Ballam felt good about his win, even though his team had lost the match already. "It was tough. He was a great player," Ballam said. "It was good to get the personal win. I know there is going to be ups and downs. I go out to play a good match and have fun." Marchant said it was good for the team to play a tough team. "It was a good match for our team," Marchant said. "It will make us tougher and step up our level." Utah State will host Seattle University on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Sports Academy. - mega.bodi@aggiemail.usu. edu |