Jennie Finch & New Dream Team Pitching Integrated Marketing Partnerships

"Marketers have a unique opportunity to get involved with an Olympics sport that has incredible public awareness and appeal, with a great team of players, a vast grass roots network, and national television presence. It's unusual to have such marquis talent and strong interest in a sport that marketers can become involved with at such an early stage."

The most successful team in Olympics' history, the U.S. National Softball team behind awesome pitcher Jennie Finch, is meeting with potential marketing partners and agencies to explore long-term relationships not only with the team, but with the emerging sport of women's fast pitch softball and with the nearly three million members of the Amateur Softball Association. The national team generated high ratings with five recent ESPN games, and is planning an expanded six to eight game schedule plus a new "World Cup of Softball."

In an exclusive interview with Jack Myers Report, Jennie Finch, her agent Dan Levy, Director of Women's Sports at Octagon, and her colleagues at the ASA and marketing group TeamWorks Media outlined their plans to dramatically expand women's fast pitch softball as a major sport in the United States and globally with grassroots marketing partnerships. "The biggest thing we have to offer is one stop shopping," commented Kelly McKeown, marketing chief at the ASA. "Marketers can tap into teen girls, their fathers, and mothers. The U.S. National Team is the 'New Dream Team' — an elite brand we can package for corporate America with exclusive identification for TV sponsorship, traditional signage, sampling, logos on jerseys, public appearances, clinics, and charitable tie-ins." The ASA registers 230,000 teams per year and 40,000 umpires, advises Ron Radigonda, exec director of the ASA. Forty percent of the 140,000 adult teams are female and 97 percent of the 90,000 youth teams are female.

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The team plans to stay together behind Finch's dominant pitching through the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and Jennie says she is committed to expanding the sport's profile. "Individually," she says, "my goal is to help grow the sport and eventually help build a successful pro league. My first priority is continuing to train with the national team and returning to the Olympics in Beijing in 2008." Being a part of the most dominant team in Olympic history opened peoples eyes, she acknowledges. (The U.S. team beat its Olympic competitors by a composite score of 51-1.) "We were able to play our game on a big stage and showcase the sport of women's fast pitch softball. Our success was not only important for our sport but for society. The female athlete is cool. Female athletes like Sue Bird, Mia Hamm and me are exciting. Society in general is accepting that. This is encouraging to young girls who have hopes of being professional athletes."

Jennie adds "softball is so great because it appeals to a wide age range with fast and slow pitch teams. It's great to see the numbers of teams right up there with soccer. There is a market for women's fast pitch. For the TV ratings to be so high proves it is a success. College teams are bringing in 3,000 to 4,000 fans. Championship games are attracting 10,000 fans." Jennie points out the fast pitch softball game is exciting because the field is compact with fences at 200 feet, bases 60 feet apart and the pitching mound a quick 43 feet from home plate.

McKeown adds, "the beauty of the sport is it's completely different from baseball, not a scaled down version of major league baseball, as is the case of the WNBA and NBA." ESPN contracted for five games matching the U.S. team against top college teams. The original games averaged a .5 adults 18 to 49 rating, and were repeated 12 additional times on ESPN and espn2.

Jennie Finch (far right) & her teammates accepting Gold Medal

"This is a top to bottom integrated marketing opportunity," added TV veteran marketer and producer David Houle, who is working with TeamWorks and the ASA to present opportunities to marketers and agencies during the next several weeks. "It's not just the glamour that Jennie and her teammates bring to the sport. There's not a town in America where there is an auto dealer or fast food franchise or Home Depot that doesn't have softball teams. This is a unique opportunity for a long-term integrated sponsorship and association with a major established sport. Marketers have a unique opportunity to get involved with an Olympics sport that has incredible public awareness and appeal, with a great team of players, a vast grass roots network, and national television presence. It's unusual to have such marquis talent and strong interest in a sport that marketers can become involved with at such an early stage."

Dan Levy, Jennie's agent at Octagon, adds "Jennie was the second most marketable athlete going into the Olympic games, behind Michael Phelps. It was a benefit to women's sports in general that she and the team backed up the hype and brought home the gold. Like Mia Hamm and soccer, it helps when you have an athlete who has been able to break through and transcend the sport. Jennie and the sport continue to be very visible and it's just the beginning." Radigonda adds, "I've been around many athletes and stars and Jennie is one of a kind. She's very genuine about her commitment to sports and to being an ambassador for her sport." Levy says two endorsement deals for Jennie will soon be announced.

Kevin Krebs, president of Chicago-based TeamWorks Media, points out "softball is a passion. This is a great opportunity for sponsors to have an Olympic ring property that can integrate marketing at a grassroots level and impact the fabric of what sports in America is all about. This is an elite property where rights fees are not preposterous. The most dominant performance in Olympics' history by players like Jennie and her teammates has raised the profile of the sport. All it takes are visionary sponsors to help take the sport to the next level."

The ASA is organizing Olympics rematches and college championship teams for several games next summer and is working with the International Softball Federation to organize a major international event for non-Olympics years. "The sport is at a threshold where it has emerged to the next level," says Radigonda. "Fast pitch softball is in 125 countries with over 60 competing in regional events to advance to global events like the Commonwealth Games, World University Games and Olympics. There was a lot more energy when it became an Olympic sport in Atlanta. There is a lot of awareness internationally that this sport can grow significantly."

For more information, contact David Houle at david@davidhoule.com.