Thanks for tuning in this week. I hope the sports posts were instructive or at least entertaining.

Because of the dollars behind the industry, the media attention to it, and the fans' passion for it, the sports industry has definitely taken advantage of the various online tools available and in some cases have pushed the envelope's edges.

Thank you to my contributors, including:

--Bret Werner, Managing Partner, Alan Taylor Communications

--Steve Lindecke, Managing Partner, The Elevation Group

--Chris Jarnot, VP of Marketing, Vail

--Darrell Ewalt, Executive Producer - Sports, HDNet

-Kerry Klostermann, Secretary General, USA Volleball

--Rachel Armbruster, Dir. of Development, Lance Armstrong Foundation

The sports industry has been a driver of technology for decades...   more »

In the not too distant past, there were certainly plenty of ugly incidents in sports. The good thing (or bad thing depending upon your view) is that we didn't have to see each and every ugly incident ad nauseum on televison and the Internet...   more »

One of the key results of the Internet has been the interaction created between sports associations, sanctioning bodies, leagues, teams, their fans and the media.   more »

Steve Lindecke, former VP with IMG and co-founder of Cleveland-based Elevation Group, shares a case study with us today on Sports Blog week.   more »

Among the most avid of sports fans are outdoor recreationalists.   more »

On Monday, Lance Armstrong announced that he'll retire from racing after competing in this summer's Tour de France...   more »

Our friend Steve Rubel, author of Micro Persuasion, references a New York Times article about SportBlog, a series of fan blog sites...   more »

The first specific example of the week that I'd like to present is a campaign that was created by Alan Taylor Communications. This New York City agency specializes in sports and lifestyle promotions...   more »

Hello, my name is Dee Rambeau and I'm the Founder and Managing Partner of DVCO Technology in Denver, Colorado...   more »

IAOC member Dee Rambeau is your host next week (April 18-22) for an exploration of how the Internet is employed in sports marketing and PR, and increasingly in delivering sports content. Dee is Managing Partner of DVCO Technology in Denver, Colorado and comes to sports with experience as both a participant and a marketer. You can see Dee’s personal blog at Adventures in Business Communications.

Topics will include:

The Sports Message
- Is it different than a regular PR message
- Is “fun” easier to deliver
- A look at the sports media…a tougher or easier relationship?

The Sports Venue
- Tying online into live events…websites, instant messaging, text messaging
- Booths, kiosks and on-site promotions that use the Internet
- Driving the dot.com message from the PA and traditional on-site methods

The Sports Fan
- More viral?
- More avid?
- Driving the dot.com message from radio and TV
- Online game viewing and listening from the desktop
- The PDA and the cellphone

Gambling
- Can advertisers and legitimate marketers take advantage of this?

Booze
- While restricted somewhat on-air, are there more sponsorship and advertising opportunities online?

Sports Video and TV on the Internet
- Distribution options via the web…streaming, clip of the day, etc.
- Podcasting now…video-casting next