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Once Crisis-Addled, NFL Thrives In New Riches And Buzz

Surviving racial upheaval, a concussion crisis and a pandemic, the league will rule American sport into the next decade, pivoting around issues to command a $100-billion-plus TV payout while generating a 365-day news cycle.

Jay Mariotti

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Wasn’t football supposed to be ghosted by now, a victim of cancel culture? Allow me to jog America’s convenient amnesia from, say, four years ago. If the concussion crisis and a continuous flurry of personal conduct cases wouldn’t kill the NFL, then the Colin Kaepernick backlash certainly would. That’s what the media were doomcasting then, mainstream and social alike.

Colin Kaepernick Has Been Nominated for the NFL Hall of Fame

Book it: A league lorded by old, white, tone-deaf billionaires had no chance of surviving the onslaught of the people.

So why is it, people, that the NFL in 2021 is more prominent, prosperous and almighty than ever? Deftly surviving those existential challenges AND a global pandemic that didn’t cancel a single game, the league is successfully doubling its media rights bonanza, commanding a collective $100 billion-plus from networks and streamers beholden to the owners like never before. Not only will the NFL remain king, it will stay atop the throne into the next decade, with 17-game regular seasons stretching to 18. And if it didn’t do so without selling out — Roger Goodell, meet the grimy casino world — the league has maintained cross-demographic relevance while Major League Baseball is battered by crippling crises and the NBA struggles amid internal upheaval.

You don’t have to like how the NFL avoided its so-called demise, politicizing and scheming all the way. I’m not a fan of the Jerry Jones grandstand and the Robert Kraft rub-and-tug, a crime he got away with, of course. But if we once looked at Goodell and thought he was the world’s biggest idiot, who’s saying that now? Ray Rice forced the league to look inward and crack down on off-field crime. Safety rules were installed to protect brains. Quarterbacks were surrounded by impenetrable force fields, or so it seemed, and maximized for optimum starpower and importance. Offenses exploded, giving rise to Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and magicians friendly to TV audiences, fantasy geeks and millions of thrill-seekers lapping up the league’s new embrace of legalized gambling.

And when the Kaepernick fallout could have led to labor ruin, Goodell finally expressed what he should have said years before, showing up in his home den — was he in pajamas with giraffes? — and declaring, “We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter.”

Crisis averted, the NFL was restored as the epicenter of American sports, the last remaining form of premium appointment media in an evolving culture of cord-cutting, Gen-Z indifference and relentless life problems — COVID-19, racial protests, political madness, deadly Capitol Hill riots and who in God’s name knows what else. Sports doesn’t matter to the masses as it once did.

Football still matters.

Flip on the TV. Check out the websites. Tune to sports radio. What is the dominant topic in March, as America slowly tries to vaccinate itself out of a corona-nightmare? It isn’t college basketball, which might have brackets but lacks the usual passion and interest heading inside an Indiana bubble where only smatterings of fans will be permitted for a sport reliant on energy. The NBA? The All-Star Game was a COVID-distracted bore, and wake us up when the playoffs start and the Brooklyn Nets realize they can’t win a title without a defensive stop, regardless of unprecedented offensive machinery. Baseball, careening toward a devastating labor impasse, is appropriately drawing more attention for sexual harassment than anything happening on the fields of spring training. Are they even playing hockey?

Here’s what America is talking about: the NFL. Through the postseason and another Ageless Tom Brady coronation, the buzz somehow hasn’t stopped. Now it’s all about quarterback-o-rama, the mobility of nobility, non-stop debates on where Watson and Russell Wilson might be headed as they demand their way to preferred destinations. As I’ve written, this get-me-out-of-here-ism isn’t healthy for the league’s competitive integrity or balance, but it’s great for media traffic. Which explains why every legitimate development is met with an enormous headline: Ben Roethlisberger is staying in Pittsburgh … Matthew Stafford finally fled a loser in Detroit for a chance to win in Los Angeles … Carson Wentz, who could play Prince Harry in the movie if this football thing doesn’t work out, has a rehab shot in Indianapolis.

Sources: Philadelphia Eagles trade QB Carson Wentz to Indianapolis Colts  for two draft picks - 6abc Philadelphia

The drama is only beginning, sure to extend through an April 29 draft night that will include teams jumping the line with trade-ups. Don’t be shocked, after Trevor Lawrence joins Urban Meyer in Jacksonville and Zach Wilson’s life is ruined with the Jets, that the Panthers trade up to take Justin Fields and the Falcons select Trey Lance — yep, quarterbacks with the first four picks — with the 49ers potentially moving up to No. 9 to snag Mac Jones. But those calls are weeks away. As long as Wilson and Watson aren’t tethered to their current situations, the hum will grow louder.

If the Seahawks now are listening to Wilson offers, does that mean the four teams on his agent’s stated wish list — Cowboys, Bears, Saints, Raiders — now have legitimate shots? Shouldn’t Wilson push hard for New Orleans and do his best to avoid Boss Jerry, Jon Gruden and Chicago’s QB dead end? And what if the Saints don’t land Watson or Wilson? Is that why Drew Brees, supposedly being fitted for an NBC blazer, was working out furiously on a video posted by his trainer? If the Saints don’t want him anymore, might Bill Belichick take a one-year flyer? Or might he trade up for Jones, who’s being compared to Brady, though he’s more likely a byproduct of having DeVonta Smith in his daily radar at Alabama? Maybe Jerry tires of Dak Prescott’s contractual demands — the guy has more commercial endorsements than playoff appearances — and trades him for Derek Carr … or Wilson.

Might the Bears be best served, given their dismal history at the position, playing an entire season without a quarterback? Will anyone opt for a feel-good triumph in Alex Smith? And who wants Sam Darnold? Maybe the Washington Football Team, which could make something of the misfit after extracting a decent playoff showing from Taylor Heinicke. And will Lamar Jackson, still a postseason straggler, become the next star to enter the get-me-out-of-here derby if the Ravens don’t extend his contract to his wishes?

Know how crazy it’s getting? Baker Mayfield — entrenched in Cleveland, at least until his next four-turnover game — tweeted something about seeing “a UFO drop straight out of the sky” on his way home from dinner. Fox Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd, who still would bash Mayfield if he won a Super Bowl, said, “I would prefer of all the qualities of a franchise quarterback … I want to know your arm. Are you good pre-snap? Are you mobile? The ability to see UFOs in the offseason is nowhere near my top 10 qualifications. Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw, Tom Brady have never seen aliens. I would prefer my guys don’t talk about it.”

You’ll never guess who stepped out of his Super Bowl hangover to respond. “How do you know I’ve never seen aliens Colin?” tweeted Brady.

With the Kardashians fading from mass TV consumption — may Kanye rest in peace — QB Chitter-Chatter is the new American gossip obsession. Whether it’s a scam created by agents or a natural outgrowth of the most glamorous position in team sports, the rage is just another reason why Fox, CBS and NBC have no choice but to ante up, soon to announce 11-year deals at roughly $2 billion each to renew current packages. And why ESPN, with the promise of a long-coveted spot in the Super Bowl rotation, will pay more than $2 billion for “Monday Night Football” after initially balking at the NFL’s demand of a fee increase. And why Jeff Bezos is an expected part of the mix, buying “Thursday Night Football” for his Amazon Prime Video platform and forcing Baby Boomers to figure out this streaming thing.

The post-pandemic media landscape will look like a war-torn battlefield, leaving uncertainty across the entertainment industry. Turns out the NFL was disruption-proof, its ratings holding reasonably steady when 2020 ratings were tumbling throughout sports, making football the surest investment bet for the networks. The league did lose $5 billion in 2020 revenue, yet still topped out near $10 billion, according to Forbes — while MLB was falling to $4 billion and the NBA, over two seasons, to $7.9 billion. With the new media jackpot, the NFL is the only major sports league without financial concerns, with the 32 teams assured of sharing added multiple billions per year.

Image result for all 32 nfl team logos | Nfl teams logos, Nfl logo,  Football logo

If anyone has a crystal ball about where the world will be in 2031, please show me. It’s possible a different collection of NFL bidders takes shape, from platforms we don’t know about yet. Jones and Kraft likely won’t be involved, and perhaps Bezos will have ascended to the ownership of the Washington Football Team. Maybe virus variants lead to another pandemic that forces sports into movable bubbles without spectators, designed by Elon Musk. My guess is your guess, much depending on whether the NFL retains the eyeballs of teenagers as they grow into disposable-income adulthood.

Until then, I just want to know where the doomcasters went.

Probably debating where Russell Wilson ends up, I suppose.

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How to Help Your Clients with Low Website Conversions

Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

Jeff Caves

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Graphic for how to increase website conversions
Credit: WPDesigner.Biz

Are your clients dealing with low website conversions? Whenever a marketing campaign is run, and the goal is to convert website visitors into leads, the temptation is to blame low traffic, amongst other issues, for low form fills or appointments being generated.  Just spend more money, you may think! Sometimes, you must look at at least four other potential issues to tackle poor conversion rates. Here are some actionable steps using the IT services industry to increase website conversions.

IT Solutions specializes in providing products, services, or solutions related to technology, particularly in areas such as software development, hardware sales, IT consulting, cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, and digital transformations. They faced challenges with their website conversions. Despite driving substantial traffic through Google Ads and other SEO tactics, they struggled to convert website visitors into form fills for appointment requests. A 2% to 5% conversion rate could be considered reasonable. Of course, conversion rates can vary based on various factors, such as the competitiveness of the local market, the quality of the website (and radio stations help most to fix that) and its user experience, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and the reputation and offerings of the IT solutions business. Focusing on improving the quality of leads and providing exceptional customer service can be just as crucial as achieving high conversion rates. Don’t blame EVERYTHING on the marketing tactics! 

The Diagnosis

Upon thorough analysis, several critical issues were identified with IT Solutions’ website:

1. High Bounce Rate: Nobody was checking out the business. If 70% or more of website visitors only visit the landing page, that is an issue.  It could be slow loading times, irrelevant content, poor user experience, or unclear calls-to-action that prevent them from wanting to know more about IT Solutions. You can check the bounce rate on the Google Analytics page for the website in the left-hand sidebar, click on “Behavior” to expand the menu, then click on “Site Content,” and finally, click on “Landing Pages.” You’ll see a list of landing pages and their respective bounce rates.

2. Complex Navigation: It was hard to move around the website to find relevant information about IT services, and it was unclear who they were initiating contact with and for what purpose.

3. Unclear Calls-to-Action (CTAs): The website lacked clear and compelling CTAs guiding visitors toward requesting an appointment. Simply stating “click here for an appointment” is like asking for a meeting whenever or without establishing value. Here are 28 CTAs for free.

4. Lengthy Forms: The appointment forms were long, without qualifying information, and requested excessive information upfront, deterring potential leads from completing them.

Action Plan

1. Optimize Landing Pages:

   – Redo high-traffic landing pages with clear messaging and compelling CTAs.

   – Showcase IT Solutions’ services as benefits, making it easier for users to request appointments, thereby increasing user engagement and conversions.

2. Simplify Navigation:

   – Reorganize the menu and add more action-oriented links.

   – Provide additional options for users to access relevant information, such as “Get a free IT Solutions 15-point checkup NOW” and “Take this 5-question survey to diagnose your IT issues,” motivating them to book appointments.

3. Enhance CTAs:

   – Utilize concise and persuasive messaging throughout the website.

   – Encourage visitors to take action, whether requesting a free download about “5 things you can do to solve your IT issues on your own” or “get a free pizza for booking an appointment.”

4. Improve the Form Fill:

   – Add a further line about the number of employees who qualify for incoming leads.

   – Highlight the value of leads based on company size, prioritizing forms with higher potential impact.

Review landing pages, navigation, CTAs, and form experience to address website conversion issues. Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

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‘NHL on TNT’ Gives Hockey Fans the ‘NBA on TNT’ Treatment

Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

John Molori

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NHL on TNT studio

Let’s play a little word association, sports media style. If I say TNT, what is your response? Chances are it will be a three-letter abbreviation of your own, namely, NBA. Over the years, TNT has built a reputation as arguably the premiere network to telecast the National Basketball Association.

The NBA on TNT pregame and halftime shows have become the gold standard with stars like Ernie Johnson, Jr., Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal. Still, it’s not just this quartet of roundball royalty that has fortified TNT’s hoops coverage.

The rep was also built on tremendous play-by-play announcers like Bob Neal and Kevin Harlan, color analysts like Doug Collins and Reggie Miller, and courtside reporters like the late Craig Sager and current sideline star Allie LaForce.

Indeed, TNT and the NBA have become synonymous, but I have some news for you. This network is not just about professional basketball. This past week I went off the grid with TNT looking at their in-game and studio coverage of the NHL.

On March 24, the NHL on TNT provided coverage of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche matchup. Kenny Albert did play-by-play with Eddie Olczyk on color. Albert is not as noted as his legendary broadcasting father Marv Albert, but he has certainly staked his claim as one of the best in the business – able to cross over to multiple sports with equal aplomb.

Hockey is a strong suit for Albert. His rat-tat-tat, drama-building style draws viewers in and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Similarly, Olczyk is one of the top four or five NHL game analysts in the business. His style is understated, providing calm and clear analysis of key plays. They work really well together.

Albert eschews any kind of hackneyed and trite catch phrases for his goal calls. An emphatic, “He shoots and scores!” is plenty enough.

Hockey is a different beast when it comes to play-by-play. Unlike basketball, baseball, football, or even soccer and tennis, there is a minimum of breaks in the action. With hockey, a play-by-play announcer has to know the names of the players like he or she knows her kids’ names.

To me, it is the hardest sport for play-by-play and equally difficult for a color analyst. In basketball, after a team scores, the play-by-play announcer will keep silent and give the color analyst time to talk until the play crosses center court. In baseball and football, there is ample room for commentary.

Hockey does not offer such space, but Olczyk gets the most out of the minimal amount of time. Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

Coming back from a break in the game, Albert and Olczyk provided on air commentary and then tossed to ice level reporter Brian Boucher who has grown into a tremendous asset to the TNT broadcasts. Boucher provided real talk about Colorado’s objectives of staying on top of their division and vying for the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Penguins, squarely in a rebuilding year having dumped talent at the NHL trade deadline, surprisingly jumped out to a 2–0 lead in this game, and the TNT between periods studio crew was all over it. The excellent Liam McHugh hosted alongside Colby Armstrong, Anson Carter, and Keith Yandle.

Armstrong was especially entertaining. With Pittsburgh outshooting the Avs 16-4, Armstrong noted that it’s the best he’s seen Pittsburgh play in a long time. His reasoning was that teams get geared up for playing Colorado even if it’s out of fear. Great stuff.

Both teams tallied two goals in the second period giving Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead heading into the final frame. When Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon set up Jonathan Drouin for a goal to make it 4-3, Albert and Olczyk showed their strengths.

Albert called the pass from MacKinnon and one-timer goal from Drouin, and immediately noted that MacKinnon now had a point in all 34 of Colorado’s home games this season. On the goal replay, Olczyk showed how the play developed pointing out how McKinnon allowed Pittsburgh’s Evgenii Malkin to come in close before making the past to Drouin.

The TNT production team then showed a graphic displaying that McKinnon is now second all-time in longest home points streaks trailing only Wayne Gretzky. This was a sublime sequence of symmetry between talent and technicians like a songwriter, musician, and singer creating beautiful music.

What was supposed to be a blowout win for Colorado had now become a hockey barn burner, and the TNT crew was up to the task. Every goal and key play was followed up with replays from multiple angles showing the genesis of the action.

TNT has certainly taken to the velocity of the hockey broadcast with movement that challenges directors, graphics professionals, and videographers.

When there were breaks in this non-stop action, Olczyk was at his best. No hockey analyst draws on his experience as a player and explains that experience better to viewers. The TNT broadcast also lets Boucher freewheel and join in the flow of discussion without having to be introduced.

TNT does not merely rely on the traditional wide shot of the entire rink. We see close-up shots of each goaltender after a great save and the sweat of players on the bench or in the penalty box.

When McKinnon tied the game at 4-4 with 4:38 left in the third period, we got a series of tremendous crowd shots showing the Colorado fans going absolutely berserk. The sage Albert and Olczyk wisely remained quiet for several seconds, letting the cheers do the talking.

When Drouin scored the game winner at 4:06 of overtime, Albert exercised controlled enthusiasm, raising his voice on the call of the goal, but not becoming the show and overshadowing the play itself. He is definitely in the mold of Dan Kelly, Gary Thorne, and Sean McDonough, announcers who enhance but do not supersede the game.

Putting a cherry on top of this hockey Sunday, TNT showed a graphic that the Avalanche now led the NHL in comeback wins this season with 25 and that they were riding a 9-game winning streak. In analyzing the goal, Olczyk opined that the altitude of playing in Colorado was prevalent as the Penguins seemed to tire as the game progressed – really interesting insight.

In the postgame show, Anson Carter made a great point that the chemistry between Drouin and MacKinnon stems from the fact that they have been playing together going back to junior hockey. McKinnon joined in from the arena for a postgame interview. The analysts asked solid questions and even did a funny MVP chant together as the interview ended.

The NHL on TNT takes no back seat to its elder NBA sister. The broadcast provides viewers with flash, dash, and serious hockey talk from every angle – in studio, from the broadcast booth, and on the ice.

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Kim Mulkey Now Has Everyone Anticipating Washington Post Story

I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it.

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photo of LSU women's college basketball coach Kim Mulkey
Credit: Dailymail.co.uk

The Washington Post, you might’ve heard, has a story coming out about controversial LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey. The reason you might’ve heard is because Kim Mulkey told you. The Tigers coach read a fiery prepared statement just before her team started the Women’s NCAA Tournament. In the statement, Mulkey threatened to sue The Post for defamation before the first word was even published.

Now, I’ve never run a public relations firm but that did not seem like a good idea. The Washington Post story on Mulkey is one of the bigger stories in sports right now and nobody even knows what’s in it. The reason the story, apparently unflattering to Mulkey, is even on anyone’s radar screen is Mulkey herself.

It all started with an innocuous social media post by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde right in the middle of the most anticipated two days in sports, the NCAA Tournament Round of 64. On his X account, Forde posted: “Hearing some buzz about a big Washington Post story in the works on LSU women’s hoops coach Kim Mulkey, potentially next week. Wagons being circled, etc.”

You know what generally will go unnoticed at 4:00 on the first Friday of the NCAA Tournament? A post on X about a women’s basketball coach. But don’t tell Mulkey, she saw Forde’s post and decided to fight fire with nuclear weaponry. The result: the average person like me now is really interested in what has Mulkey so incensed. By “average person like me” I mean that I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it. Maybe:

“LSU Women’s Coach Discovers Ark of the Covenant”

Or:

“Mulkey Reveals True JFK Assassin(s)”

Perhaps:

“Famed Women’s Basketball Coach Reveals the Mystery Behind Slow Drivers in the Left Lane”

Literally any of those catch my attention more than whatever will likely be the Washington Post headline about Mulkey. But now Mulkey is “Mad as Hell and is not going to take this anymore” so I now have an interest I would never before have had in this story. It has been fascinating to watch the online speculation about the subject of the article and all we really know, as of now, is that it will be written by Kent Babb. This is a dream come true for Babb; he writes an article that is, presumably, not flattering about Kim Mulkey and, before it is even published, she gives the article the greatest commercial anyone could give it. Babb couldn’t have entered into a business agreement with Mulkey and had this turn out better for him.

For those who don’t follow Babb, he is a former NFL reporter who now is an award-winning writer for the Washington Post. In his 14 years with The Post, he has written sports features and authored a couple of books. One of those sports features stories was a deep dive into what he viewed as a large inequity in the level of pay for LSU head football coach Brian Kelly and his LSU players. It is this piece Mulkey described as a “hit piece” and, based on that piece, referred to Babb as a “sleazy reporter.” Babb, and many others, resented the fact his story was labeled as a hit piece. In fact, Babb essentially confirmed he was the author Mulkey was referencing when he shared the original article on X with the comment: “Hit piece?”

Whether a printed piece or a recorded interview, I can’t imagine a better promotion for it than the subject of the interview threatening a libel/slander lawsuit, especially before it is even released. That simply screams “This piece is salacious!!” Also, libel and slander suits get settled all the time, right? Of course they don’t, they seem to never even get filed. That little thing called discovery is a scary thing for most public figures.

The NCAA Tournament has been very entertaining, and I think the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be terrific. For only the fifth time ever, the top two seeds have advanced to the third round which sets up for a remarkable weekend. For me, I guess it will now include a Washington Post article, not a sentence I’d normally say.

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