Oregon Football Player Doesn't Understand Social Media

An Oregon football player found a new way to get kicked off a football team. Jamere Holland a senior wide receiver for the ducks was kicked off the team for a post on his facebook page. The receiver was challenging his coach Chip Kelly after he believed that linebacker Kiko Alonso had been thrown off the team for a DUI arrest. On his PUBLIC facebook status Holland talked of how it was a "weak" decision to kick Alonso off the team and used many expletives. On a second post after someone had informed him to be careful what he puts on his facebook Holland said he wished he could only have black people as friends because he was misunderstood by whites. Holland had been in trouble before with the Ducks. He was suspended for the Rose Bowl game against Ohio State for academic problems.

The bigger issue here for non Oregon fans is the effect of social media on athletes. Kevin Love has had his twitter reigned in by the Minnesota Timberwolves after he told everyone his coach was fired before the team had released a statement. These athletes need to learn that while they may have an opinion telling the whole world is not the place to do it. This kid has lost a chance to play football for FREE at a good university because he had to run his mouth on his facebook. You didn't even have to be listed as a friend to see his profile. That means that any newspaper, blog, tv station in the world could see what he said about Chip Kelly. If he really thinks that a school with the resources of Oregon isn't going to see what he said about his coach, it is amazing to think he got into college. When will common sense prevail in athletics?

I believe this young man will become an example all across the nation for talks to NCAA athletes about their social media responsibility. He certainly has become the person you don't want to be as a young athlete. I would like to say I hope Holland has learned a lesson, but what would it matter. He had 2 touchdowns in two seasons at Oregon and now will fade into the abyss. He got his 15 minutes of fame at a great cost, the end of his football career. Not worth a rant on facebook if you ask me.

I think this dropped touchdown pass by Holland is a good metaphor for his career.

Cubs and Mastercard Team Up

The Chicago Cubs have one of the most well known brands and devoted fan bases in sports. Although the Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908, historic Wrigley Field is almost always sold out. Now in conjunction with MasterCard the Cubs have decided to make some extra money off of that fan loyalty. Beginning Monday February 15th the Cubs allowed fans to buy presale tickets for individual games to during the 2010 season. This sounds normal right? Well the Cubs have tacked on a TWENTY percent surcharge to the tickets you purchase. If you use your MasterCard, however, you can lower your surcharge to a still high 15%.

So why would a team that hasn't won in over 100 years do this?

In my opinion the reason the Cubs are doing this is simply, because they can. The Cubs have built a successful brand even without winning results on the field. Fans of baseball want to root for the lovable losers and make it a mission to see at least one game in Wrigley Field. The Cubs have a huge number of season ticket holders that put a premium on individual game tickets. This service will allow a fan to guarantee a ticket to premium games such as the rival St. Louis Cardinals or the crosstown series with the Chicago White Sox. Teams such as the Red Sox have a similar presale, however the Cubs don't require fans to be a part of a club, they just require them to pay the surcharge.

It will be interesting to see if other teams begin to follow suit on this promotion. One thing is certain though, to pull off this promotion a team must have a strong brand and a devoted fan folllowing like the Cubs.