I missed my flight to Montreal this morning.

Bad on me.

I could have caught the next one, and made my meeting thirty minutes late, but there were three other people already attending on our behalf. Besides my lead on this account is a superstar and she’ll do a better job than I of presenting. I’m also sure she’s much happier being able to get the rightfully deserved credit for the project, since she did all the work!

So instead I find myself at my desk with a “free day”. It’s a bit odd.

For two months I had circled December 11th as OUT OF OFFICE. Now its 7:13 am and I have no meetings booked. What to do?

I toyed with zipping home and walking my kids to school. Or grabbing my running gear for a lunchtime jog. Maybe having lunch with a friend in the hood.

For a moment I daydreamed of working from Starbucks all day, just so I could people watch. Surf the net? Watch CNN and vent more about the US auto bailout?

Get caught up on the 798 emails that accumulated Monday and Tuesday while I was in Vancouver? (Yes I usually get 300-400 a day). Or read all of those trade journals that get piled up high under one of the nine footballs in my office. I gave up and had them passed around the office. (The journals, not the footballs.)

What to do? What to do?

I sort of feel like a bad Steven Covey book. You know with that…what would you do if you had one more day to live, type of questioning coming on?

Well I am pretty sure I am not dying soon. At least not tomorrow. So instead of a bucket list. I am going to write my champagne bucket list because I have a lot to celebrate.

Here is what I am going to do today:

1. I am going to call my Mom. I usually email her to communicate, and the sound of my voice may make her think I am dying, but it would be good to chat with her. We don’t talk enough.

2. I am going to sign some cheques. Yep, even though we have forty plus employees I personally sign every cheque we print. Whether it’s for $ 3.48 or for $ 200,000. But today I am going to inspect each and every one of them. I am going to ask some questions of my finance team. Its not that I don’t trust them, but sometimes I get too busy to pay attention to the important details.

3. I am going to reach out to an employee who needs me. Not one who has a work challenge, but one who I think may be questioning their role in the company. Perhaps feeling I have been placing my attention on others, which does happen here. We just finished announcing our promotions for the year and the one common denominator I would say is that each of those people happen to be those I spend a lot of time with.

4. I am going to reach out to an ex-employee. Two have written me this week about starting their own businesses. One wants a testimonial of support. The other wants my guidance. I am pretty flattered they don’t hate me. (Especially one who I actually fired after listening to her former boss… who turned out to be an idiot. Should have fired the boss. Kept the ex. Now she’s going to be my competitor. Me stupid!)

5. I am going to reach out to a client. Sometimes I am not sure I tell them how much we love them. So today I can have a conversation with just one, and perhaps help them in a way that frankly isn’t related to our work or me sending them an invoice.

6. I am going to stop saying “reach out”, because one of my clients detests that phrase.

7.  Next  will come a good solid hour with Marketing Magazine. One of the people I adore most in the world, Emily Bain, is on the front cover. She and her business partners at John Street where just named Agency of the Year. I met Emily in 1986 at a roadhouse restaurant called McGinnis Landing, when we were both students at the University of Guelph. She thought she ruled the place, and I thought I would take over. Eventually we became pals. I think she liked the fact I washed my uniform in the glass washer in the bar and dried it in our pizza ovens. Hey we were students; I didn’t have laundry in my apartment!

8. From Marketing, my eyeballs will head over to Inc. Magazine, Harvard Business Review, and Sports Business Journal. I love all of them. Inc. for the Norm Brodsky columns. He’s the best columnist, focused on small business management, in the world. HBR because every page is an MBA on its own. SBJ because the insight and depth they provide is better than any other sports marketing or sponsorship publication.

9. Thoroughly motivated by what I have read I am going to spend some time on my business. Our web site needs updating. Our Forum speaker lineup needs confirming. Copy for our new credentials presentation needs my sign-off. I need to read an email about my judging duties for our staff Christmas event (Apparently we are having a ginger bread house-decorating contest. The designs need to reflect a charity and the winner is going to get some money from us to donate to that charity). Then I am going to walk around the office, as if it was my first time through the doors, and come up with one idea for 2009 to make our environment even more comfortable. This will be a tall order because we have a great office if I say so myself!

10. At some point I am going to put my feet up on my leather pedestal in my office (keeps them off my desk), and take some personal time to stare at the new hockey pictures of my sons Lane and Cole, I have in a black frame in my office, Lane is eight and has hair like Jim Morrison. His happy dark eyes are sparkling because he is the most content person I have ever met. He loves every team and club he is a part of. Cole is five and his hairline is closer to Dad’s. It’s his first year in organized hockey. His jaw is gritted and his teeth bared in his picture, because he likes to add some dramatic flair to everything he does.

I am looking forward to today. Maybe tomorrow, you’ll miss your flight on purpose. Send me your list so we can compare notes!

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Announcements across the country seem to have people reeling.

Today’s notice that the Toronto Blue Jays have let go 10% of their non-baseball operations staff, on the heels of the sad passing of businessman, and friend of sponsorship, Ted Rogers, seems to have created an increased level of concern, in the hallways I frequented this morning.

But let’s face it people, when one person loses their job, people talk. And talk. And talk.

In all honesty I doubt there is a corporation, or organization in Canada that couldn’t stand to lose 10 or even 20% of their staff. Many of them will run more profitably and be more effective. It’s the Jack Welch method people. Fire your bottom 10% each year and the other 90% will perform better.

Think about it. Ever been on a team that didn’t have some dead weight? Ever had a circle of friends that included one or two hangers on? Ever rented a house with one roomie too many?

My instincts tell me a whole lot of organizations are using the sign of the times to do some course correcting. Notice how few of these articles state any hard facts. They say advertising or sales are down, but they don’t say by how much!

Canada's economic forecast calls for -0.5% growth in GDP next year. Hey if you can guarantee me my revenues will drop by only half of one percent, right now on December 3rd, I’ll take it. Sign me up.

We aren’t about to line up at soup kitchens or be sharing a bed with our smelly Uncle Harry at a -0.5%.

Call me Mr. Rose Coloured Glasses. Call me Glass Half Full guy. But the only threat to the economy is for it to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Retailers are reducing inventory orders while consumers are still ripping product off the shelves. Talk to any CPG marketer these days. It makes no sense.

So lets all do our part to end this self-fulfilling prophecy. Any day now we will have THREE Prime Ministers we can talk to about this. Now is your chance! With three instead of one I am sure your calls will be answered.

But seriously. Let’s spread some good news. Let’s kick start some growth. Let’s make some deals. If we talk ourselves into a recession, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.

Thanks.

Oh yeah. Please tell the NBL (New Bloc Liberal) Party to not give ONE PENNY of my money to the big three Automatic Loss Makers. (Isn’t “Automatic Loss” what “Auto” stands for?).

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One saying I've used for years in my conference presentations is that "Every great event started as a lemonade stand". Yesterday, when presenting to the Association of Fundraising Professionals Congress, it became more than a pithy bullet point.

Attending the Congress, on a bursary provided by a generous benefactor, was an energetic woman named Jodi Yeilding. She was at the Congress to learn what she could about fundraising. But I think she's doing pretty well already.

Actually the credit belongs to her son Jack (http://www.jackslemonade.com).

You see Jack is a young boy who has intractable epilepsy, which does not respond to medication. From the age of one, he has succumbed to constant seizures, some of them fifteen minutes in duration, until doctors at SickKids found a special type of diet for him. This new diet has helped reduce his seizures substantially.

Jack has spent a lot of time at Sick Children's Hospital. So much so that he felt compelled to do something to help his fellow patients.

A few years ago young Jack started selling lemonade. Now I don't know what he charges, nor do I know what secret recipe he holds. But somehow, someway, Jack has been able to raise over $ 90,000 in the past few years for the hospital.

Unbelievable.

So that brings me back to Jack's mom. She attended my workshop on Sponsorship Activation yesterday. But her real interest lay in how she can help find a sponsor to take Jack's lemonade stand national. I gave her a few ideas of my own and then turned it over to the audience. The ideas came out fast and furious. The group's enthusiasm for the idea was electrifying.

You have to understand there were 200 fundraisers in the room!

In chatting with Jack's mom afterwards, I offered to do what I can to help. It only dawned on me this morning, when I started writing my blog, how I could assist. So for those of you, who wanted to hear some thoughts on this weekend's Grey Cup action in Montreal, email someone else who was there. Today I want to find Jack a sponsor.

Here is what we need to do. My blog is included in an email we send out every week that reaches 6,000 industry stakeholders in Canada. Sponsors. Agencies. Properties.

One of you must be looking for a great idea. A compelling story. If you're a sponsor, this could be the opportunity of the year. If you're a property, what a great charitable partner to adopt. If you're an agency, let's put all of your creativity to use.

I have to imagine there is someone out there… among six thousand people… who wants to help young Jack. Hopefully one of you can step up and make us proud. Or maybe a bunch of people will want to get involved.

For more information go to www.jackslemonade.com.

Or email Jodi at: info@jackslemonade.com.

They are looking for sponsors, partners, donors, volunteers… you name it.

I hope my little plug for Jack helps him make more magic lemonade for a very long time.

Thank-you.

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I was honoured to be invited as serve as a judge for the 5th annual SMCC Marketing Awards which will be announced April 6, 2009.

This year’s awards chair is the super smart Rob Assimakopoulos, SVP of the Canadian Football League. I am not saying Rob is super smart because he works in the football business (though that does bias me!). I am not saying he is super smart because he was a rising star at both Procter & Gamble and Molson’s, which are two of the strongest marketing organizations in North America. I am not saying he is super smart because he invited me to be a judge…that just makes him super super duper smart!  (jk)

No, I think Rob is pretty damn smart because he crystallized a positioning for the Canadian Football League that I absolutely love. This positioning and the ensuing marketing campaign is entitled This is Our League. If you haven’t seen the anthem video that accompanies it, I encourage you to watch it.

What he did was articulate a position that has really existed for a while within the league, and expressed it better than ever before. No fancy out of reach aspirations, no big ball jokes for the meatheads, no making heroes out of head cases, as some other pro sports leagues and teams have attempted. No, this one is for the fans.

The beauty of it is how it allows marketers and broadcasters to take it and run with it. It provides a platform that can help build the equity of any product trying to increase its share of consumer love!

This type of positioning allows for award winning sponsorship. That takes us back to the reason for today’s story about Rob.

If you’re a property out there looking to increase your profile, a brand that feels your partners deserve some credit for their hard work, an advertiser looking to demonstrate that you understand consumer engagement, or an agency working to get their clients “promoted”… ENTER THE SMCC AWARDS!

The process of developing and submitting the case will help you better understand the pros and cons of your programs. The experience of being judged by your peers will broaden your perspective. The SMCC’s focus on driving business results will ensure your organization understands the power of sponsorship.

Rob has handpicked an all-star cast of judges, who will each contribute tens of hours to evaluate your work. Their time and commitment should be exceeded by the effort you make in developing your submissions. 

This year’s judges include:
•    Esther Benzie, Associate Director, Corporate Marketing, Media and Marketing Capability, Procter & Gamble
•    Sandy Bourne, Vice-President, Advertising Corporate Marketing, Bank of Montreal
•    Dana Gladstone, Vice President, MacLaren Momentum
•    Dan Hunter, Partner, IMI International
•    Lucie Lamoureux, Directrice corporative des commandites et des événements publics, Loto-Québec
•    Michael Malone, Business Development Associate, Sponsorship, Harbourfront Centre
•    Lori Radke, Director, Corporate Partner Service and Activation, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
•    Anne Waring, Account Executive, Print, CTV Olympic Media Consortium

This collective exercise is good for all of us. In good times or bad, we have to prove ourselves as a marketing sector to clients and sponsors.

Some people think awards are frivolous. Not me. Competing for awards is good for industry morale, profile, and development. My company was fortunate enough to be part of a winning entry in 2008.

Take a good long look at each and every one of your projects and campaigns. If you're not confident of their award worthiness.... doesn't that give you pause? There is a powerful message there. Our work needs to stand up to judgment!

Enter early. Enter often. Get involved in the industry and we will all benefit.

Oh yeah, and talk to Rob some day about sponsorship. He’s super smart.

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I spent my weekend at the Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Conference, organized by the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC).

The conference featured the presentation of several coaching awards, and it was great to see my former Nike client, Kevin Tyler, being rewarded for his work with 400m specialist Tyler Christopher. Being an Orillia boy it was also exciting to see figure skating coach Doug Leigh recognized for his forty years of producing champions. Coach Leigh, best known for his work with Olympic legends such as Brian Orser and Elvis Stojko, received the Geoff Cowan award for lifetime contribution to coaching. The rink where I grew up playing house league hockey is now called the Brian Orser Arena. (If you’re an Orillia native… it’s the old Twin Lakes Arena). Maybe its time for Orillia to name a new rink after Coach Leigh.

Personal conference highlights included the announcement of the Campbell’s Chunky Most Valuable Coach property, which we launched in conjunction with their promo agency Accumark and media partner TSN, to activate the brand’s new relationship with the CAC.

I also had the opportunity to conduct a two-hour workshop entitled Bringing Your Activation to Life! Thanks to all of those who attended. It was a packed and attentive room, which as a speaker is always very gratifying. There were some great questions as well!

I am going to use the topic of speaker feedback as my segue to the real subject of today’s entry. As per my title, my call is for Sports Leaders to lead!

One thing about the sport community that has always struck me is the belief among many that all sports are created equal and should be treated as such. This was surprisingly evident at the session I attended on the future of media coverage for sports events.

One of the presenters was from Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium (hopefully got the name correct). He provided a very interesting presentation on how CTV and its eleven networks plan to cover the Vancouver Games. One amazing statistic is that EVERY single event will be available LIVE on a free network. Unbelievable.

However at the conclusion of his presentation several delegates decided to use the Q&A as their opportunity to get on the soapbox and vent.

One person felt that it’s the media’s fault that many lower tier sports were not generating consumer interest.

Another felt that the network should provide a share of the extra profits they generate when Canadian teams win.

Some were concerned about all the emphasis on winter sports versus summer sports.

Another didn’t like the fact that the consortium has a strategy for Paralympic coverage that is founded on featuring two or three key sports.

It wasn’t that the issues they raised were off base. But the tone and attitude was incredibly disrespectful. I mean the Consortium is going to do more for sport in Canada than they have ever seen. Why are we going to fault them for trying to be smart business people?

Hey, Heinz makes mustard too you know. But they don’t spend resources marketing it! It’s not how they make money. Want an example of a company that tries to be all things to all people? It is called General Motors, and has the secret formula on how to lose a billion dollars a month.

I think leaders of smaller sports need to worry a little less about companies that won’t sponsor them, and media who won’t cover them, and develop a plan to compete. I find it amazing that people, who have been in sport all their life, don’t want to compete. Not all athletes, sports, individuals are created equal. Our media doesn’t have to provide every event with their fifteen minutes of coverage. They are going to provide it to those that will help them generate a profit or build their brands.

So get out and lead! Be a competitor. Build a Business Plan to generate commercial opportunity for your organization. Innovate. Expand your purpose for existence. Be self-reliant.

Be a Sports Leader.

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There’s an interesting trend occurring in this gloomy market in which we find ourselves. Now this isn’t scientific research, but it is fact based, albeit on a small sample. Being someone who looks at the glass as half full in any situation, this sample suits my purposes just fine!

Okay, on to my earth-shattering trend. Or maybe I should call it a flash.

It begins in Calgary and ends in Quebec City. This past week the Western Sponsorship Congress held at Cowtown’s Carriage House Inn was Sold Right Out for its promoter, the Partnership Group. Next weekend the Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Conference brings a record setting seven hundred and fifty delegates to the Hyatt Calgary, delighting the Coaching Association of Canada, which organizes and promotes the event.

Fast forward a few months from right now to the event that I chair, Canadian Sponsorship Forum 2009, which will be held in Quebec City in February, in conjunction with Carnaval. The end of October marked the close of our early bird registration period, and our team has been wowed by the interest in this year’s event. Already we have over one hundred delegates, which is unheard of, for being still three months out.

So what is going on here? Shouldn’t travel budgets be under pressure? Isn’t sponsorship or sports marketing a promotional expense that can be easily cut?

I don’t have the answer, and I am sure anything I write might be deemed to be self-promotional. But come on… what blog isn’t? So I am going to go on the stump for conferences and events.

I speak at every event that asks. I once spoke at a conference for community associations that promote breast-feeding. They actually get sponsorships! But there is a reason why I do it. It is all about improving our industry.

Good conferences are not boondoggles. They provide incredible learning, along with personal and professional networking experiences. They help elevate our industry. They provide information you can’t find online or in a journal.

Next week at the Sport Leadership Conference, the CAC has lined up speakers such as Peter (Pekka) Reinebo of the Swedish Olympic Committee and Edward Hector of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (I hope he brings Usain Bolt with him!) who will talk about their experiences in Beijing. The WSC featured a range of speakers from the high profile Sean Durfy, CEO of WestJet, to talented amateur sport marketers like Bjorn Osieck of the British Columbia Soccer Association.

Where else could you meet these key industry stakeholders? Where else can you talk about real solutions to help you through 2009?

So get out of your office and get immersed in the industry. In the next few weeks the Strategic Sponsorship Summit and the AFP Congress are both happening in Toronto. Next April the SMCC Sponsorship Conference and the CSTA Sports Event Congress are being held as well.

I plan to be at them all!  Hopefully we can talk about a few new trends when I see you there!

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I've had several thank-you emails from proctologists across the country regarding my last entry (pun intended).  I'm glad to have assisted your field!!!
 
We’ll prod ourselves some more today. 
 
Was just in Calgary delivering a sponsorship-training seminar, and the economic landscape was on the minds of all in attendance. One participant asked an interesting question, inquiring whether we should be replacing the word sponsorship with partnership, given the current climate.
 
This is the type of question I have heard quite often lately.
 
It makes me believe that perhaps some of our industry practitioners have lost faith in what they do. That’s too bad…for them!
 
But it’s not too bad for the organization that truly understands sponsorship. Those that do will recognize the immense opportunities these times present. Here are a few I wish to share with you:

1.    Properties that can show actual business returns will thrive in these times. If using the term “Sponsorship Opportunity” prevents you from getting into decision-makers’ heads, then change it to “Revenue Opportunity”. Isn’t that what you are selling? If your property can’t generate business returns for a client, then the property isn’t worth sponsoring…even when times are good.

2.    Financially attractive sponsorships can be an excellent alternative to over-priced media or pure brand awareness vehicles. Marketers are going to have to trim their sails. Yet no brand wants (or can afford) to go dark. So if you can position your property as an option to a big media buy, then you’ll have prospects lined up at your door. So if you cant deliver business results as above, let’s hope you can deliver exposure, impressions (hate that word), and consumer contacts. Make sure you have quantifiable data and then start selling.  The media agencies will hate you… but you should be able to eat their lunch.  

3.    Clever sponsorship sales executives will position their properties as platforms for integrated marketing or promotional activation, and attract brands looking for more than just media. Bring in retail partners or promotional channels and you’ll have a robust offering to excite a brand custodian.

Hey none of these are new news. I didn’t invent them. I haven’t even come close to perfecting them. But now is the time, more than ever, to leverage them to your full advantage.
 
So once again, let’s get off our self-examination zones!
 
 

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Okay, call me off my rocker, but I really think this is the best of times for our industry.

While I personally don’t want (and frankly don't expect) to suffer the kind of economic meltdown that the fear mongers are predicting, there is something to be said for a nice cold wake up call for everyone.

Let’s face facts. The economy was humming, the Olympics were coming, and in six Canadian cities another quest for the Cup has begun. . It’s pretty easy to do our jobs when times are good.

But how do we do them when things aren't so easy? Do we panic? Do we stop? Do we hide?

No we don’t!!

What we need to do is give ourselves a thorough self-examination, proctologist style.

If you're a brand side sponsor, have you negotiated the best deals you can? Do you have sufficient funding for activation? Have you invested in research and measurement to prove the value of your sponsorship portfolio to your organization?  If you haven't, and it gets cut, you have only yourself to blame and not the economy. 

On the property side, have you done the same? Have you locked in key partners for multi-year commitments? Have you offered attractive terms for partners to extend them now? Can you get creative about cash flow? Most importantly, have you proven that your property is a business driver? Have you shown that sponsorship isn't a donation, but a needle mover?  Have you entrenched your property so deep within your sponsor’s organization, that a few layoffs at their end won’t leave you with a busy signal on the phone or bounce back emails?

When times are good we can all float along like little seagulls on the water, rising and sunning in the tide, swooping past the beach for some leftover food, just waiting for the phone to ring.

Those days are gone. I liken it to the old Blue Jays joke, (sorry Blue Jays) about their marketing and sales department after the 1994 labour stoppage. Upon returning to their offices, they were shocked to see buttons with numbers and letters on their phones. What were they for? Hey people, it’s time to make calls!!! The glory days are over. People aren't going to call you just because you're a world champion, or you have a shiny stadium.

As an industry we must do our part to keep the economic engines running. Create new business building opportunities. Get ruthless on value. Make phone calls. Create partnerships. Get together from the buyer and seller sides of the equation and just BRAINSTORM!

There are opportunities waiting out there. Let’s go get them!

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This site is temporarily unavailable

These unsettling words sadly now live on www.grandprix.ca. The once glamorous web site of the Canadian Grand Prix.
 
I guess this is what stands for the official response by Normand Legault’s Grand Prix Management, regarding the cancellation of the Montréal F1 race for 2009.
 
Which is almost as eerie as the fact that www.formula1.com, the official web site of Formula 1, has not one mention of their decision to kill off Montréal. Unless you review the 2009 official schedule, where Canada is conspicuous by its absence.
 
So what happened?
 
Some people are blaming Abu Dhabi… who has pledged $ 400 million on a new track to stage the circuit’s season ending event. Others are blaming Legault and issues he has caused with F1 boss Bernie Eccelstone.
 
Who knows? But the drivers and team owners are upset and protesting the move.  Government is pointing to the fact that Legault has three years remaining on his contract with F1 to stage the event. As well they are pointing at one another, claiming each should provide a bailout.
 
Beyond politicking, this cancellation has profound impact on sponsors. Some of who sponsored the event in Montréal. Others who took advantage of their corporation’s international F1 partnerships and activated in Canada. Then there are the Canadian auto makers (Honda, BMW, etc.) who leveraged their team’s presence on Canadian soil. In case the car companies haven’t been hit hard enough in the past year, with the triple threat of the US dollar, crazy gas prices, and now the mortgage meltdown… this last body blow should ensure they are staggering.
 
Looking past the drivers and their girlfriends, the sponsors and their clients, the event managers and their customers… the loss of this event will hit main street Montréal very hard. Annually this event has generated $ 75 million in economic spin-off for the city. Almost half of the event’s attendees are tourists and they tend to be a well heeled and high heeled group!
 
Montréal knows the value of throwing a great party. This is one of those weekends that can make a waiter or bartender’s year… or at least their month. It’s a time when hotels fill up and shops sell out. Retailers get a run on clothing, jewelry, and accessories. Restaurants are rented for swanky events. Bars are overflowing with revelers. And lets not imagine how much extra money Montréal’s renowned “ballerinas” make.
 
But It is getting harder every day to compete with Abu Dhabi. Its 420,000 citizens are worth an average of $17 million US each. Each! Yes, I said average! Its ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his family have a sovereign wealth of $875 billion. Apparently they have more dough than Queen Elizabeth and Charles.… and every other royal family in the world. Maybe combined for goodness sake! They are opening a remote campus of New York University in 2010, the first time a major US school has built abroad.
 
How is one little Quebec town on a river supposed to compete?
 
One angry former F1 fan wrote the Montreal Gazette and suggested that Montréal stage a lawn mower race during the F1 weekend. But he also had serious comments and feelings as to why Canadian governments shouldn't subsidize F1 and pour more money into Eccelstone’s pockets. Maybe he his right. Maybe on a relative scale, lawn mower racing is all Canada can afford. In the long run maybe we will be better off to build our own events and races and teams and stars.
 
Or maybe we should tap into the oil-rich countries and give them an opportunity to own the event? F1 will have zero North American events if Montréal doesn’t regain its baby. Maybe today our continent isn’t as attractive to European businesses as it once was. But I can’t imagine this will last forever.
 
So why compete with Abu Dhabi? Ask them to buy the rights to the Montréal event and use our tax dollars for Canadians.
 

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Have to admit I am perplexed.
 
Is there anybody out there in property land who wouldn’t like to have Research in Motion (RIM) as a sponsor?
 
Is there anybody out there in agency land who wouldn’t like to have RIM as a client?
 
Is there anybody out there in sponsor land who wouldn’t like to have RIM as a promotional partner?
 
Is there anybody out there in sports land who wouldn’t like to have RIM as a team owner?
 
Apparently there is. We wont mention the little guy by name. But it rhymes with man. He runs our national treasure, professional hockey. But he’s not based in Edmonton or Montreal, let alone Winnipeg. He’s based in New York. That must explain why in the summer of 2007 he was able to convince his league to turn down the opportunity to have one of Canada’s greatest entrepreneurs (Jim Balsillie) as a team owner. All because he was protecting these great hockey fans of Nashville, Tennessee.
 
Or was he protecting his two current teams who draw from Southern Ontario?
 
I am not sure what he was protecting. But instead he allowed a fraudster by the name of Boots del Baggio (is this a Sopranos episode?) to invest in the Predators.
 
Fast forward a year after Balsillie was rebuffed…what about Baggio? He’s now bankrupt. His loan to the team is in default. The team is suing him. And Jim Balsillie is still worth five billion dollars.
 
Well we’ve seen how much Americans know about money in the past few days, so I can understand how they made this choice. They must have Goldman or Lehman as their advisors.
 
Even if it’s not for Nashville, do you think there is anyway we can convince pro hockey to invite Mr. Balsillie to the club. I mean look at what he has done in business, creating and marketing one of the greatest inventions of all time.
 
Wouldn’t you want him in your club?

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