Kudos to Little League International for stepping up to the plate and doing the right thing: banning composite bats that endanger the young players. The incredible technology in these lightweight and super-strong bats sends balls rocketing at players at ridiculous speeds.
Yet, an amazing number of parents are more upset that they spent (way too much) money on bats that their children will not get to use, than the fact that their kids will now be safer on the field. Of course, these are the same parents who think their children are destined for the major leagues just because their among the best in town. Statistically, they probably won't even play at a college level, in any division. But, unfortunately, sports have gone from a recreational pastime to a career path - primarily due to misguided parents.
All the research out there shows time and again that children play sports primarily to have fun and be with their friends. Of course, competition is important and winning is fun, but children isntinctively know how to put them into their proper place. Yet, the vast majority of kids drop out of sports long before they have a chance to get to the competitive arena because they are burned out by the immense amounts of pressure put on them by parents, coaches and other adult volunteers.
Let's allow kids to be kids, and simply enjoy the game - and thanks to Little League International's brave stance, a little more safely.
Don't let this picture or their name (New York City Swing Band) fool you - these guys are far more than your typical swing band.
When I caught their short set today at this year's CRPA Entertainment Showcase, they blew me away with their diverse range of musical styles and incredible energy. By way of example, they easily transitioned from motown and disco hits to classic Journey - all exceptionally well. They were far and away the surprise hit of today's line-up of entertainers hoping to secure a spot in some the many municipal summer concert series taking shape this season.
I'm excited to book them, as I am working with Coventry, CT Parks and Recreation on their summer concerts, including securing a new line-up of sponsors to support a complete makeover of the annual series. Be sure to mark your calendars for Thursdays in July and August and head out to Patriots Park for evenings full of music, fun, excitement and one of the most beautiful settings in CT for summer shows.
In late September, the CT Commission on Children hosted their annual Family Day Celebration Forum at the CT Legislative Office Building. Among the line up of notable speakers, including leading CT officials and legislators, was one of the national icons in the fight against youth obesity: Dr. David Katz. We are lucky to call him one of our own, living and working here in CT as the founder and director of the Yale Prevention Research Center, and a member of the Pioneering Healthier Communities - CT team.
I have seen him speak a number of times over the years, yet he never ceases to move and inspire me. While the core of his message has been consistent, he regularly tweaks and updates his information with the most current and breaking data and findings, as well as the status of his many initiatives.
While I encourage you to watch his entire presentation (it starts about 32 minutes in, and is preceded by a cameo from me trying to help with their IT issue), the part that got me excited was the update on the developments of his NuVal initiative.
As anyone who tries to eat even somewhat healthy knows, it can be an extreme challenge with the limited, confusing, conflicting and downright misleading information with which we are presented when grocery shopping. Items that seem to be the obviously healthier choice are quite often not; as manufacturers address one item, such as reducing fat, they can make it worse by increasing sugar and salt. Trying to compare the food labels can be an exercise in futility.
Working with his colleagues and experts from across the country, however, Dr. Katz has developed a virtually fool-proof way to compare not only similar items, such as varieties of bread, but all types of food across the complete spectrum. Each item is simply given a rating on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the food providing the highest ratio of benefits to harm, and 1 meaning just stay away. The complicated algorithm behind the number takes into account the full range of nutritional factors, such as vitamins, minerals, cholestoral, fat, sugar, etc.
By evaluating every food item on the store shelves and labeling them with their NuVal rating, stores can greatly reduce the challenge for families trying to pick the healthy options. This type of systematic and systemic change has incredible power to influence the way we live. Luckily, some stores have already taken him up on it.
While here in CT, Price Chopper has apparently been employing NuVal in its stores for a while, it was not widely known. In the past month, however, Big Y has come on board, and they're giving it everything they've got. While I may be more attuned to listening for it, I have not been able to turn on the radio without hearing one of many different spots that Big Y has produced, touting their commitment to Connecticut's families. When I took part in the Hartford half-marathon last month, I was pleasantly surprised to see a large interactive display by Big Y educating attendees on the simplicity and utility of NuVal.
Beyond the huge health benefits, from a marketing point of view I am extremely impressed, as well. As opposed to Price Chopper, who probably made a sizable investment to license the service for use in their stores, Big Y has parlayed their participation into a massive goodwill campaign that will no doubt pay huge dividends. This is just the type of activity that event sponsors and partners can and should be doing to get the most out of their marketing dollars.
At the end of Dr. Katz's presentation, an audience member mentioned that it would be great to have a "smartphone app" that provided the NuVal scores for all foods - the better part was that Dr. Katz suggested it was already in the works. I can hardly wait!
I wish Dr. Katz, NuVal and Big Y tremendous success. And I hope it leads to broader, and ultimately ubiquitous, use of the system throughout the country.
So often, a potential new sponsor will start by explaining that they already give money to so many causes: little league, rotary club, cub scouts, breast cancer awareness, etc, and are essentially tapped out. When you hear that, it is time to take a step back and differentiate between a sponsorship and a donation.
All of the groups/causes that they named are are wonderful and worthwhile - but the monies given to them are not sponsorships, they're donations. They have given money to help out from the goodness of their heart. And while they may hope to get some community good will or publicity out of the gesture, they certainly don't (or at least shouldn't) expect to get much if any return on their investment. In fact, that is why, if the group/cause is a 501(c)3, the donation is tax deductible.
A sponsorship, on the other hand, is an investment in the busines - typically expended out of their marketing/advertising/promotion budget. If it is a well-developed and well-executed sponsorship, there should be a significant return on investment - ideally exceeding what was spent. It is analogous to purchasing an ad in a newspaper or magazine; however sponsorships can be far better when done correctly. The IRS does not allow sponsorships to be deducted on their taxes.
Once the potential sponsor understands the difference, and, more importantly, sees that YOU understand the value of their marketing dollars, they will be much more receptive to hearing your proposal.
I am continually amazed - and not in a good way - when I see an event sponsorship list that is a like a roll call of all the businesses in town. Piling on as many sponsors as you can is a lose-lose proposition - no one wins.
Sponsors get virtually no value for their sponsorship in this situation. There is no way for them to "shine". How could anyone come away from that event with a positive association to a particular business, except by pure chance? The spotlight of sponsorship has been carved up into so many pieces that each piece is virtually worthless.
And, as the event coordinator, the effort required to recruit and retain this litany of sponsors is tremendous. They each desire, and deserve, the red carpet treatment. However, there is no feasible way for you to deliver.
Chances are that these sponsors have contributed some token amount to show their support, with no real expectation of a return on their investment. They're not happy about it, but they believe it's part of their cost of doing business.
Instead, turn this process on its head. Create a scarcity of opportunity - offer relatively few, limited sponsorship spots and make them valuable. Increase the contribution levels required for these partnerships and then deliver value, above even what you promised.
As you build your client list along with your reputation as someone who delivers, potential sponsors will begin to seek you out. Word will spread and then you'll be in the driver's seat.
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