Alex Buscaglia...and the Two-Minute Drill

Typically when people face adversity and use sports to help them overcome, it is one tragic event that occurs. Not a series of tragic events. For Alex Buscaglia one tragic event was just the first domino to fall. First his mom died of cancer, then his dad left him and his sister, then his brother left, and then he was forced to move. All of this happened within a short time period when in he was in high school and any of these would be enough to make you give up and quit on everything, including the sport you love. But not Alex…he preserved against all the odds.

Alex concentrating on rings.

He qualified for the Junior Olympic National Championships in 2005 and 2006 and was recruited by one of the top collegiate programs in the nation—Stanford. And, while at Stanford Alex’s accomplishments grew to include:

·         Two NCAA team titles (2009 and 2011)

·         Six-time All-American

·         College Gymnastics Association Gymnast of the Week for the final week of the 2011 season

·         Team title at the 2010 Pan American Championships and first on the horizontal bar

·         Second in horizontal bar at 2011 Winter Cup Challenge

…and numerous US National Qualifier firsts and seconds in horizontal bar, vault, and floor exercise.

I spent some time with Alex prior to the US Gymnastic Olympic Trials to learn more about his journey.

PJ: What draws you to gymnastics?

Alex: My mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 when I was 14 years old. And, she died nine months later in 2004. She got me started in gymnastics…she pushed me every day. On days I didn’t want to go, she’d say…go back one more day and see how you feel. In gymnastics you can control how much you push yourself. Life is uncertain…gymnastics was the one thing I could control. I couldn’t control my mom dying. I couldn’t control my dad leaving. I couldn’t control my brother leaving. I couldn’t control moving. And, for right now I can still control how much effort I put in.

PJ: What will you remember most about competing at Stanford?

Alex: The environment in general at Stanford…it was not to expect too little of myself. I didn’t have only one area of focus. I was in a better mental place in the gym because I was not thinking about gymnastics all the time. I had tests to take. My coaches and teammates pushed me. Greatness is expected here. It is an enriched, high-level environment. You want to be the best you can be…this shaped my time here.

The NCAA is not about personal achievement, it’s about the team. In our senior class there were five of us who led us to Stanford’s 100^th National Championship. So many teams during that 2010-2011 season had the opportunity to win No. 100, but couldn’t do it. When our time came, we seized the opportunity. That is etched in my mind.

PJ: In 2011 you won the NCAA title on the horizontal bar and in 2010 at the Pan American Games you won the gold. Why do you think you excel in this event?

Alex: I’ve been asked that before and I really don’t know how to answer it. I don’t spend more time there. Although, what I think actually made me good is that I am not very naturally strong. I think not having natural strength makes me work harder and helps me excel.

PJ: What do you think about during a routine?

Alex: Before a routine, my mind is racing. What do I remember after? Not really anything. During I think about my breathing, that’s it. I read this book…Internal Warrior about a gymnast. His mind was the most quiet…in the arena…when he was competing. At that point, you’ve done all the practicing and you switch to an automatic mode. Not “trying” to do well, because when you try you make a mistake.

PJ: How does it feel to have made the Trials and be competing for a spot on the Olympic team?

Alex: It’s hard to describe. You work so hard and dream of the Olympics when you are younger. There are so many steps along the way. And, great gymnasts get cut. You don’t think about that when you are younger. I feel so privileged to be in any discussion about the Olympic team. To compete at the Trials with 15 people, every four years and so many people have come before you. It’s humbling that I am 1 of 15 people. This alone is a dream.

PJ: You had a rough outing at the Winter Cup Challenge, then came back and finished well at the Visa Championships to make it into the Trials. What happened and how were you able to turn things around?

Alex: I took last year off from finishing school to give this dream a real shot. Having all that time off, not having distractions was hard for me to adjust to. There was nothing to take my mind off gymnastics. It was challenging. I only had gymnastics…that was it. I think I hit only 4 of 12 routines at Winter Cup. I changed my [training] routine…I competed in London at a large international competition, an Olympic test event [filling in at the last minute], came back and was at camp four days later, then Winter Cup was a week later. I think I was mentally strained and kind of collapsed. I knew something wasn’t right. After that I realized…this is it. I won’t be around in four years to try for Rio. My career is coming to a close, whether I make the Olympics or not. At Visa I was excited to be there. In all the videos you will see me smiling after all my routines. I was one of 45 to 50 people to compete for the Trials. That’s what really drove me from February’s Winter Cup to now.

PJ: What is your mindset now, going into the Trials?

Alex: We are going from 15 people to 5…even to be an alternate is a huge deal. Taking a note from Buddha, I am going to be in the arena…be there…not be two weeks down the road possibly at the Olympics. I am going to enjoy the atmosphere. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be there. I am going to enjoy it.

Raj Bhavsar….and the Two-Minute Drill

As we embark on another summer Olympics and are in the midst determining the athletes that will represent the USA in London, it seemed like the right time to share this conversation I had with Raj Bhavsar, a 2008 Olympic men’s gymnastics bronze medalist.

Raj on the rings at the Olympics.

Raj has seen much success in his gymnastics career…from taking second in the team title in the 1999 Pan American Games, taking silver medals in the team event at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships, to a team title at the 2008 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, and, of course, was an alternate for the 2004 Olympics.

On the collegiate level, Raj competed at Ohio State, led them to a team title in 2001 and won the individual title on the parallel bars. In 2002, Raj won the all-around title, while the team lost out on repeating by the narrowest of margins (less than a point) to Oklahoma.

Raj is also known for two gymnastics elements, which are named after him. “The Bhavsar” on the still rings was created in 2003 and “The Bhavsar” on parallel bars was created and performed in 2009 at the Moscow World Cup.

After Raj reached the pinnacle…the Olympics and winning a medal…he faced the question that all top athletes ignore until it’s all over. What’s next?

I sat down with Raj to learn more about his experience at the Olympics and how he is dealing with his life after gymnastics.

PJ: How did your gymnastics journey begin?

Raj: It all started when I was four years old and not really by choice. I was an active kid and climbed all over the house…on furniture…and bookshelves. Kind of like a monkey. My parents took me to gymnastics class to get me out of the house…not with the idea of competing. I fell in love with the sport. It was awesome and the coaches instilled the love of the sport in me. A lot came easy to me. I had natural strength. So, the coaches said they’d like me to be on the team. I won state five times, regionals three times, etc. The results spoke to me…everything was telling me to take it to the highest level. Olympians would come and talk to us and I wanted to be the guy going to the gym talking to kids.

PJ: Tell me about the Ohio State gymnastics program.

Raj: It was the only school at the time that was consistently producing Olympians…Kip Simmons, Blaine Wilson, Jamie Natalie. It has a history of this. I just didn’t want to be a collegiate gymnast…I wanted to be an Olympian. The coaching staff was awesome [Miles Avery was head coach]. They worked well together not allowing me to settle just be an NCAA gymnast. They made sure that the level of gymnastics they kept us to was a high standard.


One-armed on the horizontal bar.

Of course, I was fortunate as all my coaches instilled in me the love of gymnastics and that it didn’t matter what scores I got, it was the journey. Being grateful to be able to do gymnastics was my foundation. I was coming from a place of gratitude for every meet…just having this ability, to come this far was humbling.

PJ: You were an alternate in both 2004 and 2008. In 2008 you got the call to compete. How did you handle being an alternate the second time around?

Raj: Yes, I was an alternate both times. It’s a lot for any human being to endure. There was a rollercoaster of emotions. It made my journey to the Olympics so special. I retired in 2005 and 2006 out of frustration. It was an up and down journey to the chapter closing better than I could have expected…winning an Olympic medal.

In 2008 after the excitement died down of being called…I realized it was a mission…the biggest job of my life. It was thrilling and nerve-racking at the same time. But, I was ready; I stayed on top of my game, which allowed me to perform at such a high level. I joined the guys on the team in San Jose for Olympic processing before going to Beijing. I remember going through so much and although I was very healthy I caught strep throat. I don’t know how, but I guess the range of emotions had something to do with it. Luckily we didn’t compete for two weeks, so I took medication and was OK.

PJ: What was it like to compete in the Olympics?

Raj: The Olympics are in a class of its own. However, when you break it down it truly is just a competition and I was very familiar with competition. Certainly I wouldn’t say the energy is the same. Being in the Olympic village, hanging out with other athletes and to be able to represent your country…is special. You have to use your tools to manage your nerves. There are a lot more chips on the line at the Olympics, for sure.


We had two injury replacements…we lost the Hamm twins, who were the front runners on the team. Alexander Artemev and I were both called to the team. So, we had six guys…all rookies. We were counted out by the general media and our own gymnastics community back home. We were reading this on the Internet. But, we had a team meeting and claimed this “Our own Olympics.” We formed a brotherhood and it was about sticking together. That spirit carried over as we competed. It was magical. We were having an excellent competition. We built so much momentum…the opportunity happened and we continued to stick together and clinched bronze. We went from the underdogs to getting bronze. For us it was gold!

When I get a chance to talk to folks about giving up on a dream…I tell them you never know. I almost gave up. My flame dwindled, but the fire was still there pulling me towards this.

PJ: What happened after the Olympics, after your career as a gymnast was over?

Raj: As athletes we are truly committed…usually so committed to that moment that you are not focused on Plan B, just Plan A. I remember starting to thinking about what I would do after this. I got sidetracked so put it aside. I had to be committed 100% to gymnastics to compete at that level. What is next is difficult to answer. I found myself still going into the gym, still doing it. I enjoyed it for the sake of it. I did some gymnastics shows, which I enjoyed—you could break the rules and were more like an artist. I thought about Cirque…what was it like? Would it be a fit? It seemed like an adventure.

I continued to do speeches, clinics, and promotional work after the Olympics. I was riding the wave…it was not what I wanted to do forever. I wanted a career I could fall in love with like gymnastics. So, I put together a reel and submitted it to Cirque. I knew I wanted to live/work in Los Angeles. I loved it there. They [the folks at Cirque] came back and wanted me to be on the team for the Iris show in Los Angeles.

One dream, the Olympics came true, now another one was staring me in the face. I had to make the decision…so I joined Cirque and went all in with them. It is an incredible opportunity…hanging out with artists. It is the most creative experience. I know this has a shelf life and I still am left with the question of what’s next. I am lucky to be with Cirque now, but I still ask myself almost every day…what’s next?

PJ: I know you have been working with Kurt David, a counselor and advisor, who helps former athletes in determining what to do when the cheering stops. Tell me about what it’s like to work with him.

Raj: I was referred to Kurt in 2008 by a dear friend and trusted confidant, Robert Andrews, a sports performance counselor [founder and director of The Institute of Sports Psychology®]. Robert gave me an objective view when I was too emotional. He has helped me immensely. I wouldn’t have achieved my title without him. As I am no longer competing, Robert thought I should talk to Kurt. It was exactly what I needed. I was living in Houston in an apartment in a nice area, traveling the world and doing great things, but something was missing. Sometimes I would sit in my apartment and be very introspective. Kurt reassured me that what I was going through was normal. I was confused. I thought the medal would bring me happiness, but you have to work for it, it’s not just there. In no way was I different from other athletes. He shares stories of other athletes who have been through this. I have a lot of faith in Kurt.

It’s not Kurt’s job to tell you here’s what you should do, he’s not career placement. He’s a guide, an advisor. You ask specific questions and use your previous athletic life and channel that into what is next. It’s remarkable what he’s doing. When athletes finish playing is when most people their age have it all figured out. So it can be daunting. What Kurt does is immensely powerful and all athletes can benefit from it.

Every single athlete I’ve talked to misses sports to a degree. It’s who they are, what they did in sports. Kurt facilitates what to do post-glory days.

I'm Back!

I’m back. After a hiatus of nearly three months, I am back writing and in the game. Thanks for reading and sticking with me during this time.


Michael Jordan flying to the hoop.

Over the next few weeks you’ll see a flurry of activity in this space. Some things to stay tuned for are posts on the Olympics, former athletes, soccer, and some surprises.

I just had to use the phrase “I’m Back!” For Bulls fans these are some of the sweetest words we’ve ever heard. These were the words in Michael Jordan’s press release announcing that he was returning to the NBA and to the Bulls. His first game back at home was March 24, 1995, vs. the Orlando Magic. I was there. I was fortunate to have a good friend on the inside who told me weeks before that Michael was coming back and the exact date. My brother, Tom, and nephew, Josh, and I bought tickets to the game. We were part of the crowd that night and witnessed a special evening.

I was also there the day in 1998 when Sammy Sosa hit homers 61 and 62 in a 10-inning game against the Milwaukee Brewers, to tie Mark McGwire in that record breaking year. Well, technically I was on a rooftop on Sheffield Avenue across the street from Wrigley Field. Close enough. That day the crowd just cheered and didn’t want to leave.

Another I was there moment came in 2004 on the second to last day of the baseball season. I was at Dodger Stadium when the Dodgers beat their rivals, the SF Giants, to win the National League West pennant. Another day the crowd wouldn’t leave…we all waited and cheered and were the first to buy the locker room t-shirts and hats.

I know I have quite a few other moments…we all do. What are your I was there moments?

Grant Hill to Christian Laettner…a Defining Moment

This week marks the 20 year anniversary of the Shot.

Although, it’s called the Shot, if it weren’t for the perfect throw by Grant Hill, Christian Laettner would never been in position to make the buzzer beater that sent the Duke Blue Devils into the Final Four for the fifth consecutive year.

It is called one of the greatest college basketball games in history. And, a play we’ve seen over and over…as it’s shown at least once during the NCAA tournament each year and was part of advertising campaigns.

Christian Laettner and the Shot

With 2.1 seconds left and Kentucky leading by one in the East Regional Finals, the play was set. No one was guarding Hill on the inbounds pass. Laettner caught the pass, dribbled and put up the shot and scored.

Both were confident and knew they could do this. And this is how the entire season played out. They were ready for their second consecutive national championship—a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since John Wooden and UCLA in the early 1970’s.

I watched them up close this year as I covered them for a nearby newspaper. I could sense something special was happening. When the team was down in a game and needed a basket, Bobby Hurley would bring the ball up the court and you knew he had it all under control. You knew either he would score or pass it to one of his teammates, who would score. You could just tell by his demeanor that he was going to get it done.

It was that confidence in a team…when you know they have all the right pieces in all the right places. And, this team did face adversity. It was not an easy road for them.

When Hurley broke a bone in his foot and missed five games, Grant Hill stepped up and moved over to point guard. During that time they only lost one game, to Wake Forest (and they only lost other game earlier in the season, en route to a 34-2 record). Then, Hill went down with a sprained ankle, same thing happened. The other guys (Thomas Hill, Antonio Lang, and Brian Davis) took on more responsibility.

That’s the way this squad operated. They were a team. To me, they were the definition of a team.

The team was treated like rock stars. Being ranked No. 1 wire to wire will do that. And, they were about to be put in the same breath as those great John Wooden teams.

And, crazy things were happening along the way.

Grant Hill and Laettner celebrate
the winning shot

At the time Grant Hill shared that after a game at Clemson a girl said he had cute ears and wanted to touch them and kiss them. Of course, Coach K said the very same girl said he didn’t have cute ears!

Grant Hill and Laettner have teamed up once again. This time on a recent documentary focusing on the 1991 and 1992 Duke National Championship teams--Duke ’91 & ’92: Back to Back. It is a behind the scenes look at how the team maintained their edge during the season and kept their eye on the bigger picture of what they were trying to do. The legacy they were creating.

In the documentary, Jim Nantz agreed with this legacy quest, “They were driven to make their mark in history, not as individuals, but as a team.”

And, Grant added, “What exactly defines a team? Throughout my career, and I’ve played a long career, but nothing comes close to that sense of unity, that bond, that brotherhood we had. In every sense of the word, we were a team.”

I’ve said for years that this is my all-time definition of a team. My dad would say his was Ohio State in the early 1960’s with John Havlicek, John Lucas, Larry Siegfried, Mel Nowell, and backup Bobby Knight.

So, what pro or college squad defines what you think is a team?

Kurt David...Helping Transitioning Athletes Refocus and Reinvent

After my blog post on Mychal Johnson and his transition from Division 1 college football player to high school football and baseball coach, I was fortunate to connect with Kurt David on LinkedIn.

Kurt has gone through a transition of his own…playing professional basketball in Germany…and now is a transition consultant for professional and Olympic athletes, an author, a TV host, and a speaker.



Kurt David

His book From Glory Days…Successful Transitions of Professional Detroit Athletes spawned the TV show of the same name [From Glory Days]. Currently, it can be found on your local PBS station in Texas, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, and throughout Michigan. And, they are working on expanding the viewership into other states. On the TV show, Kurt interviews former athletes.

I read his book a few nights ago and learned about Detroit athletes Greg Kelser, Kelly Tripucka, Dave Bing, Allan Houston, Frank Tanana, and Rick Leach, among others. It is a fascinating and quick read on the ups and downs of their transitions. It’s something that stays with you…and days later I am still thinking about the challenges these men faced.

Recently I sat down with Kurt to learn more about transitions and his work with world-class athletes.

PJ: Tell me a little about your background. You played professional basketball in Europe, right?

Kurt: My background was really athletic. I was one of six children and the tone was set early for us. We competed inside and outside the house…including brushing our teeth! I played as a freshman in college [at Saginaw Valley State University] and had an up and down career.

Germany was a great experience. I say it was a paid vacation! There was another player from the United States, from Clemson, and he and I scored 55 points per game. I came back for a free agent tryout for the NBA in San Francisco. It was by invite-only and there were 18 of us. I knew I knew something wasn’t right. But, it wasn’t until I went to the doctor and he told me that if I kept playing I wouldn’t be walking at 40. I needed knee surgery. My knee was worn down to the bone where some cartilage should have been.

I took a year off to regroup and decided to go back to grad school to get my masters in counseling. I got a chunk of that out of the way. The rest is history. My undergrad degree was in elementary education, so I taught math and science and coached varsity basketball. Then I finished my masters.

PJ: How did you have the idea for your book on Detroit athletes and their transitions?

Kurt: I had the idea about the whole transition thing at 3am. I woke up in the middle of the night and had the outline. I didn’t touch this for a few years as my dad had Alzheimer’s and my sister and I took care of him. I went back to the book after he passed away. It took three years to write. I interviewed 20 Hall of Famers and champions who were struggling and successful.

The book came out in 2007 and the second edition came out in 2008…and made the best sellers list. Then, I had the idea to have a TV or radio show, interviewing the guys. The TV show took first.

When I did research for the book, there wasn’t a lot of help with transition for high-caliber athletes. I sit down with a lot of great guys who are lost or have lost focus. It’s sad to see that they are not sure what to do with the rest of their lives. My motive for the book was if one person picked up the book and it helped them…that’s great

PJ: It’s hard for many athletes to think about what’s next after their career is over. Their entire focus is on today and their performance.



Kurt interviewing former No. 1 NBA
Draft pick, Derrick Coleman

Kurt: Very few guys do this…thinking about what’s next.
It’s almost like the grim reaper. They are starting to plant the seed with the current guys…that this will not last forever. 100 percent will face job termination…at some point this is over. The ones who are successful know this in the back of their mind. If it’s in the front, doubt creeps in and they just can’t compete at the highest level.

This is an interesting topic. One of the guys did not know how to write a resume until he was 35. It was a new experience…he didn’t need to write one before. It’s the simple things we take for granted.

Some guys just want to keep playing…even if it’s in the minor leagues. They could get paid $35,000 in the minors and they don’t care, they just want to keep playing.

Look at Brett Favre. He retired…what…three times…and kept coming back. I understand it. In his heart he thought he was done. Then a few months later he realized he still had gas in the tank.

Look at Lance Armstrong…what causes people to do that? Letting go is no doubt the most difficult aspect for high-caliber athletes.

PJ: In your consulting work, what do you focus on?

Kurt: In my research and through my own experiences, I’ve learned that there are five keys to having success again. I like to keep things simple, so I took them and put them in an acronym... RULES. It’s easy to remember. We have rules in games, rules of life, and team rules.

R: Refocus. Guys have to refocus, evaluate, and set new goals. They have to have a new passion and purpose in life. It’s about how as athletes we need to develop new passion in life…soul searching, creating new goals. or just keeping old goals. We do skill inventories, etc. We set short-term and long-term goals. It’s about reinventing a new focus and new goals.

U: Use your network. Athletes have a vast network around them. It’s one of the things that help focus, and help set the goals. What part of the network should you tap into to help? For example, a few guys wanted to go into broadcasting and they asked who can they tap into? I emphasize utilize people. Why not call them and tell them this is what I’m thinking of doing and ask what they think.

L: Letting go. Letting go of the fact that I’m a high-caliber athlete. It’s the opposite of what we are wired to do—getting knocked down and get up and try again. Never give up. This is the most difficult part…determining what you need to let go of.

E: Execute. Knowing what to do isn’t good enough, you need to know what to do with it. This is a quote from one of my coaches. And, it’s true. Here’s an example of success. He was a high school All-American, a college All-American, and an NBA Hall of Famer. He built a $500 million business after the NBA. Then, he decided that he wanted to help out the local community and became the Mayor of Detroit. This man is Dave Bing. He executed over and over. He kept building success. He continues to push the envelope. He could’ve coasted, but he didn’t. It’s amazing what he’s accomplished.

S: Someone. People in transition found someone to attach to…to mentor them. It’s good to get a mentor, especially in your line of focus. I know an NBA player who liked TV. He liked being interviewed, etc. He found a local guy in TV and hung out with him in the studio and learned so much from him. And, he was ready when an opportunity came along. Now he’s been in NBA broadcasting for 25 years.

PJ: Besides not having a plan for the transition ahead of time, what are the other hurdles a world-class athletes faces?

Kurt: These guys take a 90 percent pay cut…or more. That is, unless, you are an outlier like Michael Jordan or Tiger, which is rare. The focus is on the money part.

I always ask…what is it like to lose 90 percent of your income? Mateen Cleaves [who played on the 2000 Michigan State NCAA basketball championship team, as well as six years in the NBA], was the most candid. He said…I hate it. Before I could buy anything and not think about it. Then, I had to go on a budget and watch where the dollars go.

He just shared his reality and why it stinks. Even if they save, they may still have to work when it’s over. The general public doesn’t have a lot of empathy for them. However, they have a small earning window…it’s just that they earn more than most people ever make. It’s whatever the market bears.

Did you know that up to 25 percent of players are bankrupt during the first year out of the game? Up to 60 percent of the NBA players are bankrupt 5 years out. And, up to 75 percent of NFL players are bankrupt within 2 years.

Another fact: Up to 80 percent experience divorce. So, that’s what they face. Those are hard apples to chew on.

Some of this is due to poor choices. Mike Tyson made $300 million over his career…did he really need what tigers? And, bad people were robbing him blind.

Some is generosity. An example of this is a pitcher who pitched in four out of six games in the World Series. Two years later he is working in a rural factory in Michigan. Why? He fixed up his parents’ house and he bought his wife’s parents a house…all when he was in the World Series. He was thinking he had four to five years left in his career. Then, he got injured during the strike and never recovered and he had no money coming in.

These are real issues, not just poor decisions and poor money management.

PJ: You’ve made a successful transition. What makes this the right thing for you?

Kurt: This is my passion…helping these athletes, showing they are human…real people. They are just like you and me and have to deal with the same things we do. There is still reality for them to face.

Every story is different, every athlete is different. Ask the same questions and get different answers.

What really excites me is if high-caliber athletes can apply the same wherewithall during their transition as they did to get to that top level in sports. If they can, then stand back….they are blazing a trail in the real world. How exciting is that?

I interviewed someone on my program and a week later I saw him at a charity event. He was a world champion. He told me it was so refreshing to talk to someone who understands [all aspects of the transition]. That’s a level of trust. I want the word to get out to other athletes as well…get to talking and help them. It’s a passion for me…my purpose, other than my family, that is.

Over the next few posts I will be focusing on two athletes that Kurt has worked with: Earl Cureton, two-time NBA Champion and Raj Bhavsar, 2008 Olympic gymnastics bronze medalist.

To learn more about what Kurt is doing check out his website http://www.fromglorydays.com/

Portland Trail Blazers…Blazing their own Trail in Social Media

When I do research on what teams are doing social media-wise, all the write-ups seem to point to the same teams…the Boston Celtics and European soccer teams like Manchester United, etc.

But then I saw something different.

I was on Twitter one day and saw a tweet from Kyle Spencer, who works in business development/sports at Ustream…Watching @pdxtrailblazers: http://ustre.am/wdrQ. Is there another pro sports team creating more original streaming content?

I knew I had to check it out and here’s what I found: the Portland Trail Blazers stream their own TV shows on Trailblazers.tv.

The other thing I knew for sure was that I had to find out more.

Recently I sat down with Dan Harbison, Sr. Director of Digital Marketing and Media for the Portland Trail Blazers, to learn more about their social media strategy.

PJ: So, how did you develop your strategy?

Dan: It’s interesting to see the brands that are a lot larger than the won-loss record. Regardless of if the Lakers are in the dumps, say, lost 25 games and it’s a long time since that’s happened, the brand is strong and withstands that.

In Portland, we had some problems. I came along in 2005…we had off-court issues…on the court we were losing and the city was fed up with what was going on and they didn’t feel they had a team or brand that reflected on the team and who they were. If the fans don’t want to be identified as Trail Blazer fans…that’s a big, big problem.

We needed to address this and make it right. We did a deep exploration to see what the city and the fans needed.

In 1977 we won the championships and it was Blazermania. The city and the team were so intertwined—the Trail Blazers were the only professional team here at the time. Fans really feel passionate about their teams (now we have the Timbers in MLS).

To get to the point where people were fed up took a lot. The bottom fell out. We needed to get people engaged, buying tickets, and watching games. In the digital world we could build this back up…we could do this.

PJ: So, how did you start?

Dan: In 2007 we launched IamaTrailblazerfan.com as a way to connect with the people who were still fans and recruit fans and as a way for them to know it’s OK to be a fan. The team started turning around by getting high character guys.

We had to find who was engaged and have them be evangelists and make it safe to be a fan. It might not be a good idea for them to come out and say they were a fan in a room full of non-fans. So, we created a site where it was OK for them to be passionate…online.

In 2007 we also got on Twitter when we got the No. 1 pick in the draft, to peel the curtain back in real-time. In 2007 there were no retweets, no direct messages or @replys on Twitter. It was definitely a way to just broadcast out from a mobile phone. We were the first team to jump on Twitter. In the next few years it grew…a slow burn for the general population.

When Greg Oden came in, we thought why don’t do we a live broadcast for the draft? It would be a way for the fans to ask questions live…we’d put it next to the chat online. We saw the success on the amount of people watching. We were already doing a weekly televised show, so we took the existing TV shows and streamed them live. Then, we rolled out other pieces.

In 2009, the NBA allowed teams to stream certain games depending on rights. We streamed 16 games during the 2009-2010 season. It’s continued to evolve. It’s great to determine how to bring different programs.

PJ: What are your overall goals with your strategy?

Dan: We do live video programming and on-demand pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows. It’s a great way to augment the experience. During the game traffic spikes…the question is how to capture this audience and keep them online longer. Anytime you create a channel you try not to have redundancies or go off-brand. For example, not all of the programming on The History Channel is on the history of the presidents. You have to differentiate.

We try to reinvent the way people use video online.

PJ: What does your lineup on Trailblazers.tv look like now?

Dan: Just a few of the shows we do...from 10am-11am [Rip City Update] with Adam [Bjaranson], who does the pre-game and halftime shows and Blogger Network Manager, Sarah [Hecht]—[they review the headlines, recap the game and preview the next game, etc.].

At noon, our digital reporter, Casey [Holdahl], and Mike Rice do Chalk Talk for the hoop heads…they talk matchups and detailed analysis.

Then we have a more casual, not just straight basketball show. It’s quirky, based off the phrase “Keep Portland Weird.” Not sure if you heard of the show they just launched on TV--Portlandia. We call our show Sportlandia. We have a radio duo from here in Portland, who are younger and the show plays well.

PJ: What other things are you doing in the social media realm?

Dan: We launched a bloggers network where fans create blogs and promote citizen journalism and we have official blogs. It’s just another place for people to contribute.

We promote our super fans. We’ve built a good online community outside the blogs. The fabric is woven for fans—coming to Tweet-Ups, buying tickets together, watching road games together, etc. It doesn’t get much better than that for a brand experience.

PJ: What’s next for the Trail Blazers?

Dan: Mobile devices are interesting. They used to say the primary screen was the TV, secondary was the computer and next was the phone. Now, I think the primary is the mobile phone and the secondary is the computer. We are on the phone every waking hour. We check in on Facebook and Twitter, we listen to music, in meetings people check emails…I don’t, but some people do! It’s our community with friends and networks—you don’t connect through TV for three hours a day. Now the TV is on, we are working on the iPad, and checking emails on our phone. This is content consumption. Now, if we have live engagement with our fans it has to be driven through the mobile phone. This is the next phase. The goal is for the fan to have a solid experience around fan-to-fan and fan-to-organization. The importance is on the mobile device.

Another project I want to figure out is the social experience around the game. It’s great in the arena…chanting, high-fiving people you don’t know, etc. It’s not like that at home. The community experience is not the same. We are starting to get there with live game chats with digital reporters, but I want to take it to the next step. The vision is to see everyone’s reaction in a virtual stadium experience. I am talking with start-ups now about this. It’s more like watching at a sports bar and..yeah, being a part of something larger--these are Trail Blazers fans and these are my people. I want to keep making it better. I am really trying to understand and build that social fabric of fans watching TV.

To check out Trailblazers.tv http://www.nba.com/blazers/tbtv/index.html

Wisconsin Athletics and Varsity…delivering more to their fans

Every week I get an email from the University of Wisconsin’s Athletic Department.

Inside is a publication I look forward to reading…Varsity magazine.

The magazine is presented in a .pdf format, so it looks and feels like a printed magazine, except it’s online. It includes videos and ads, as well as content on Wisconsin sports. Everything you need to know that week on Wisconsin sports can be found in this publication.

In the past few months I’ve read about Montee Ball (football), Beckie Thompson (women’s swimming), Jordan Taylor (men’s basketball), J.J. Watt (former football player), and Hilary Knight (women’s hockey), among others.

This publication gives me an inside view on Wisconsin sports and the athletes—more than I get from my usual sources.

Recently I sat down with Brian Lucas, Director of Athletic Communications, to learn more about Varsity and Wisconsin’s social media strategy.

PJ: What was your strategy behind developing Varsity?

Brian: Varsity started a little over a year ago in December…after we [the Wisconsin football team] clinched a spot in the Rose Bowl. My boss and I had seen Sporting News Today for two years and enjoyed it. It was an innovative way to deliver this information to someone’s email box every day. While I didn’t read it every day, I did skim it and if I saw something that intrigued me, I’d read it. More often than not, I opened it. I read more Sporting News content than before.

We thought we could capitalize on this. Not daily, but weekly. We have a large email distribution list and we could utilize this base. We have 150,000 email addresses and instead of waiting for them to come to our site, we can deliver this information to them. For a while we had been looking at our website to get our message out. Now, the magazine works hand-in-hand with the website. The content can be replicated and expanded.

We hired Mike Lucas from the Capital Times two years ago to write features for the website and thought he could create the content for the magazine.

In the past we pitched to papers and TV stations and if they wanted to do the story, great. The website is like our own media. If we have a good story we can do it for the site. If media picks it up and wants to expand on it…that’s great.

PJ: So, let’s focus for a moment on the media and how, with social media, and less traditional media, there has been a shift in how stories get out to your fans.

Brian: There is a delicate balance between the Wisconsin State Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and their reach (100,000s) and the thousands that watch the 6pm news and our games are televised on ESPN and CBS. So, we can’t just bury our head in the sand and throw the old rules out. We still need to get our stories out and work through them. This is just another outlet…our own. It’s the same as the State Journal…another way to get it out there.

PJ: So, what do the logistics of the magazine look like and how do you add this into your already packed schedule?

Brian: Hiring Mike Lucas helped a lot. He produces a lot of content…two features and a column. Matt Lepay [the Voice of the Badgers], and Barry Alvarez [the Athletic Director], both have columns. The shorter pieces are done cooperatively throughout the office. Brian Mason, one of our assistants, does the layout and makes sure all the content is in place, along with his duties helping with football and track and field. We are trying to get one person to produce this. There is a lot of technology with the videos and links and we could do a lot more with it, such as more Flash ads with movement…if we had one person dedicated to it.

We are starting to do more planning with our video interviews…like what we did with J.J. Watt recently. We are starting to think about if we do this feature…we should do a video to complement it.

PJ: What’s next for Varsity?

Brian: We want to focus more on the marketing of it. It’s a good product…and I’ve talked to people who agree it’s a good product. We want to find ways to get more people to see it. While we have an extensive email list, the numbers are not what we want. We always think we can do better.

To get it in front of more people and get them to read it week-to-week…we’d like to do more with Twitter and Facebook and tease the articles on the inside. The next step is to get people to look inside it.

PJ: Varsity isn’t the only email I get delivered to my inbox. Can you talk a little about your Insider emails?

Brian: The Insider emails started a number of years ago and they were the pre-cursor to Varsity. It started as a daily media email for basketball and football. It included…what’s going on today, notes of the day, practice schedules, etc. Local media liked having the schedule. National media liked being in-tune with the team without searching for this information. They got the stories to their inbox. And, TV liked it. When ESPN came to cover a game they didn’t have to ask for clips or search for stories. We thought if the media liked it, fans would like it, too. It’s a lot easier if someone delivers this information to you. You don’t have to do a Google search for things.

Now, we do football and basketball daily and others [including wrestling, women’s basketball, and hockey] are once a week.

We are delivering information straight to fans from our website and other stories from SI, Wisconsin State Journal, etc….so they aren’t feeling like they are just getting our PR spin.

PJ: So what does your big picture social media plan look like?

Brian: I’d like to tell you we have a grand plan in place. But it seems to change every day with all that is out there. We are always thinking of ways our fans can feel part of what we do.

We try to help fans sift through all of it—there are a lot of voices out there. People want to feel part of it…we try to draw them in whether it’s comments, retweets, etc. We want to let them know we are listening to the chatter online.

It seems like there are changes every day and I’m not sure we can predict what happens next. We’ve had a focus on mobile versions coming into this year—making Varsity mobile and tablet friendly.

To check out Varsity  http://www.uwbadgers.com/genrel/Varsity.html