Best of 2009: The Gameops.com Review

Our annual review of all things operations and entertainment was done by polling a dozen of our most trusted non-biased industry pros.  Of course in an industry so spread out and diverse it is impossible to find a large group of people who have seen it all, but an effort was made to find people who have seen a lot. We also took note of stories and reviews from web sources and industry literature.

We now consider seven categories with in game operations and game presentation.  The votes are in and our winners are below.

Best Act:

The touring act or halftime show that excels in providing quality entertainment for your fans. Consider drawing power, quality, cooperation of the act, media, and value. All touring acts and non-team affiliated shows and performers are considered.

Winner:  King Firecrackers (web)

Most years we get the same handful of nominations for Best Act and the winner is the gold standard who have kept their act fresh or managed to stay in the public eye.  This year took a bit of a twist.

We received a nomination for a jump rope team.  One panelist noted that jumping rope just feels "archaic", but the Kings Firecrackers change all of that.  This eight minute show literally had hundreds of military officers on their feet screaming with excitement during their show (captured on YouTube below).  This show is just simply amazing and immediately shakes any notion of feeling "dated".  The team practices 2 hours a day, 5-6 times a week and it shows.  The result is hip, fun, and amazing.  It builds with excitement and never seems to hit a lull.  In a word, it was the "Best" we saw in 2009.

 

Editors Note:  While the show is amazing, I think my favorite part is at the 7:18 mark of this video when there is a bear in the stands cheering for the show.  I have no idea why there is a bear in the stands, but the Firecrackers clearly impressed the bear as much as our panel.

Honorable Mention:  Bucket Boys

One panelist noted that the Bucket Boys are an act that can completely change the atmosphere of your building, which is hard to say for most acts. 

Back to Top

Best Game Promotion:

What single game night promotion was most effective and creative. An example would be "President's Night" where a team builds a game day promotion around a theme like "President's Night", perhaps handing out US flags and having namesakes like "George Washington, Richard Nixon, and George Bush" dropping the puck for a game held on President's Day. Consider creativity, entertainment value, media exposure, drawing power, and execution of the operations.

Winner (tie): 
LeBron's Powder Toss Night (Cleveland Cavaliers) and What Could Have Been Night (Bowling Green Hot Rods)

LeBron's Powder Toss Night 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are riding the back of one of the all-time greats in his prime, so it makes sense building upon all things "LeBron".  King James has taken the pre-game ritual of tossing talcum powder from Michael Jordan and Kevin Garnett and turned it into a signature spot that ignites basketball fans both at home and while he's on the road.  Cupping a handful of powder he tosses his hands skyward to mark the beginning of each game.

Masters of marketing their athletes, Nike partnered with the Cavaliers to help them promote the debut of the LeBron XI shoes for the Christmas Day Game.  As LeBron James performed his pregame routine of tossing hand chalk into the air, the sellout crowd threw packets of white confetti aloft with him, creating a blizzard-like effect inside Quicken Loans Arena. The theatrical stunt was to promote James’ new Nike “Chalk” shoe, one of several variations he has worn this season. “That was unbelievable,” James said of the indoor snowstorm. “I will never forget that.” (NikeLebron.com)

The Cavs typically sell out, so this had no effect on drawing power...but the execution, exposure, creativity and entertainment value helped this promotion to the top.

Note:  We accept nominations for events occurring after Nov 15th of the previous year for Best of Awards, since our nomination process ends on Nov 15th year.

What Could Have Been Night

August 2008, the fledgling Bowling Green Baseball Club held a name-the-team contest to determine what moniker it would employ during its inaugural 2009 campaign. Hot Rods emerged victorious, but "Cave Shrimp" proved to be a surprisingly popular choice (Mammoth Cave, in close proximity to Bowling Green, is home to a sightless albino species known as Kentucky Cave Shrimp). 

The unexpected popularity of the "Cave Shrimp" name led to "What Could've Been Night." On this evening of alternate reality, the club wondered "What Could've Been" had Cave Shrimp been the team's nickname. The first 1,000 fans in attendance received Bowling Green Cave Shrimp T-shirts and the team was identified as such on the scoreboard (including doctored player headshots featuring the Cave Shrimp logo). Then, throughout the evening, the team took advantage of the "What Could've Been" theme in order to bring to life a wide range of hypothetical scenarios. (Thanks Benjamin Hill)

The Hot Rods went all-in with this promotion and have launched themselves as a team to watch with future promotions.  It's also one to watch for "secondary" logo design sales.