Brett Favre traded!!!….for Manny…. for the most popular topic 7-31-08

Over the past 24 hours, the most popular topic was Manny Ramirez trade rumors and speculation. Also highly discussed was the Yankees’ Jason Giambi flicking off Orioles 2B Brian Roberts after Roberts shifted his position when Giambi was up to bat. Rounding out the Top 5 were CC Sabathia’s full page print ad in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer thanking the fans for his good time there; John Kieley, owner of a pizza place in Denver, CO, pledging to give away free pizzas if the Rays win the World Series; and continued discussion on Brett Favre, specifically the Packers allegedly offering Favre money to stay retired.

Mark Teixeira to the Angels holds off Brett Favre 7-30-08

Over the past 24 hours, the trade of 1B Mark Teixeira from the Braves to the Angels was the most popular topic among sports bloggers. After a one day respite yesterday, Brett Favre submitting a request for reinstatement to the NFL catapulted him back into the Top 5. Other hot topics were Ron Artest traded to the Houston Rockets; ESPN moving Emmitt Smith off its Sunday NFL Countdown show for the upcoming season; and disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for gambling-related charges.

Valdosta, Georgia: TitleTown…. wait… where? 7-29-08

Over the past 24 hours, the most popular topic was ESPN’s TitleTown promotion, with many bloggers surprised that Valdosta, GA, won the online vote (except this Southerner who is quite familiar with the football powerhouse). Also highly discussed was Ken Griffey, Jr. making a throat-slash gesture at broadcaster Jeff Brantley. Other hot topics were Manny Ramirez trade speculation; Nike pulling print ads that were deemed by some to be offensive; and two Univ. of Virginia football players being arrested in Charlottesville for stealing beer from a bar…. a reportedly gay bar.

Brett Favre continues stranglehold on top spot 7-28-08

Over the weekend, Brett Favre and his future in the NFL remained the talk of sports blogs, mainly due to rumors surrounding whether or not he would show up to Packers training camp Sunday (he didn’t). News of Andrew Giuliani, son of former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, suing Duke University over his dismissal from the golf team was also a popular topic, with bloggers ridiculing the lawsuit. Other popular topics included the NFL deciding to stream its NBC games live on the internet; Antonio Margarito’s win over Miguel Cotto in Saturday night’s boxing match; and Team USA Basketball’s preparations for the Olympics, including a dominating win over Canada.

Brett Favre reclaims the top spot as most discussed 7-24-08

Over the past 24 hours, Brett Favre reclaimed the top spot as the most discussed topic in the sports blogosphere. Bloggers are discussing reports that Favre allegedly had discussions with Vikings personnel using a Packers-provided cell phone. Josh Childress signing a contract to play in Greece instead of for the Atlanta Hawks was the second-most popular topic. Other highly discussed topics were: the Army reversing its decision to allow Caleb Campbell to play for the Detroit Lions after being selected out of West Point in the NFL Draft; Chicago Bears’ WR and return-man Devin Hester not reporting to camp without a new contract; and the fight among WNBA players from the LA Sparks and Detroit Shock.

“In what appears to be a brainlock of epic proportions, Brett Favre was using his team-issued cell phone to chat with Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and coach Brad Childress, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. There’s no link because it’s tucked behind a pay wall. Worth noting: Pro Football Talk had this last week.” — The Big Lead

“But unless Atlanta renounces its rights to Childress — meaning Chills would no longer be a restricted free agent, he could sign with any NBA team and the Hawks wouldn’t have matching rights — $14.5 million of that cap space will be locked up in that cap hold. That means Atlanta would have only roughly $5.5 million of space, and that’s less than the mid-level exception. The Hawks would then have no cap space, and would be in the same boat as 85% of the NBA.
If the Hawks had overpaid Childress with, say, an $8 million annual contract, they would be able to go get a $12 million player in free agency next year … and they’d have Childress’s production! Instead, nothing and nothing. Good work, Sund.” – FanHouse

“With a letter sent to the Detroit Lions on Wednesday morning the Army effectively excised this policy in one fell swoop and with no prior warning. The Army waited until the last possible moment to announce their decision.” — Deadspin

No sharable video for the Olympics?

Recently, Mark Cuban made a prediction. NBC has said that no video of the Olympics will be found anywhere except NBCOlympics.com. While Cuban’s post was mostly about the backlash NBC might expect to receive from internet “fanboys”, one has to wonder why there would be such a disconnect between NBC’s strategy with the Olympics and its strategy with Hulu.com.

In my mind, the perfect scenario would be for NBC to have full video on its own site with opportunity for users to create highlight clips that are embeddable and viewable on blogs. No blogger really wants to share an hour’s worth of events on their site, but a blogger would definitely want to show a highlight and include commentary.

At that point, you have:

• Feedback in blogs and blog comments on the video (including potential feedback on actionable items like production quality and creative direction)
• A set of metrics letting NBC know which sports are getting the most replay and therefore which sports and highlights would likely attract a greater television audience
• Increased exposure for sponsors with “in-game” activations like scoreboard and “highlights presented by…”
• An opportunity to draw viewers back to the NBCOlympics.com site where those viewers might then find more video to grab and share

Instead, bloggers will be forced to grab and share video surreptitiously via sites like Red Lasso or on YouTube while they last. NBC will be spending extra money and effort policing use of their broadcast and stifling conversation about the Olympics as opposed to coming up with more forward thinking ways of engaging the conversation and monetizing the video (like they have with Hulu).

We’ll see what actually happens, but for now, bloggers will redirect to NBCOlympics.com for the video coverage… or just not talk about the Olympics at all.

T.O. helping pedestrian hit by car tops the blogosphere 7-22-08

Over the past 24 hours the most popular topic in the sports blogosphere was news of Dallas Cowboys WR Terrell Owens coming to the aid of a man hit by a car after the ESPYs show, who just happened to be ESPN.com writer Sam Alipour. Many bloggers were pleasantly surprised that T.O. did something, well, nice. Even more to his credit, T.O. didn’t stick around to get credit- the story came out in a piece written by Alipour. The NY Giants trading TE Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints was another popular topic, with fans debating which team was getting the better end of the deal. Other hot topics were: a fight among fans at a MLS Columbus Crew vs. EPL West Ham United exhibition soccer match; Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer’s anti-Ohio State football comments; and a court tossing out the FCC’s indecency fine against CBS for Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Super Bowl broadcast.

Top 5 Topics 7-21-08

Over the weekend the most popular topic in the blogosphere was the British Open. Also popular was the Dolphins’ trade of six-time Pro Bowl selection DE Jason Taylor to the Redskins. The on-going Brett Favre saga remained a highly-discussed topic. Rounding out the Top 5 was a photo of Brady Quinn being used for a gay online dating site advertisement without his authorization and Oklahoma City’s NBA franchise selecting the nickname “Thunder”.

Buzz Manager In-Depth: 7-18-08

Each Friday we’ll also be bringing you an in-depth look at one topic from the week in sports using a Buzz Manager analysis of information from the top sports blogs as rated by Sports Media Challenge’s Sports Blog Index.

This week, Buzz Manager analyzed discussion about the MLB All-Star Game, specifically whether the format needs changes, the length of this year’s game, and whether it should determine World Series home-field advantage. Bloggers who like the ASG as is and believe having home-field advantage at stake makes the game more competitive were tallied as Positive, while bloggers who dislike how long the ASG lasted, home-field advantage being at stake, or other things related to the game’s structure were counted as Negative.

Fan sentiment towards MLB All-Star Game format

The Buzz ranked a 4 out of 10, indicating a medium level of interest among sports bloggers.

- Bloggers in the Positive category (18%) like the All-Star Game and felt that if home-field advantage were not at stake, the players would not put forth as much effort and the game would have fewer memorable moments. One blogger referred to this year’s ASG as an “instant classic”. These bloggers seemed indifferent to the length of the game.

- Some bloggers were Neutral on the topic (18%), remaining on the fence as to whether home-field advantage helps or hurts the game.

- Bloggers in the Negative category (64%) were the most vocal with opinions. Many strongly dislike the ASG deciding home-field advantage, preferring a method where the team with the better record is rewarded home-field advantage, as in most other sports. Some said that if the game is going to continue to count for so much, then it should not continue to be treated as an exhibition game and the format should change: fans should not have complete power over rosters; there should not be a requirement that every team be represented; and managers should not try to play everyone, they should be able to play a roster that gives their league the best chance to win.

Top 5 Topics 7-17-08

Back again with the next installment of the Top 5 Topics from the top sports blogs as rated by Sports Media Challenge’s Sports Blog Index (www.sportsmediachallenge.com) Let us know what you think.

On what is arguably the slowest sports news day of the year, it’s no surprise that the MLB All-Star Game and the Brett Favre saga remained the most popular topics. Bloggers were also talking about the ESPY Awards, in particular gawking over the gift bag given to VIP attendees. The NFL has hired experts to review game footage to examine whether players are throwing up gang signs during games. Over the next few days keep an eye out for some players’ reactions and what stance bloggers will take on this. So far the response seems to be ridicule directed at the NFL… Marcus Camby headed to the LA Clippers was another popular topic, sparking discussion on how the NBA salary cap affects personnel decisions.