“Sandlot Day” in Minnesota: A Day Fans will Cherish For-ev-er

 “...because Mr. Mertle asked the cops how long, he had to keep 'The Beast' chained up like a slave, they said until for-ev-er, for-ev--er, for-ev-er…. (One of many classic lines from the movie The Sandot)

FOX Sports North, in conjunction with FOX Home Entertainment and the Minnesota Twins, recently celebrated the 20^th Anniversary of The Sandlot. The classic film was shown on the scoreboard at Target Field during the Twins vs. Red Sox game on Sunday, May 19 (shown during three hour rain delay instead of after the game, as planned) as well as on FOX Sports North following Twins Live postgame show.   

 

The director/narrator David Mickey Evans was in attendance along with two of the actors: Patrick Renna (Ham) and Chauncey Leopardi. (Squints)

The excitement surrounding "Sandlot Day" was apparent, even the Twins players requested photos with the actors and hung out in the dugout during the three hour rain delay to watch the movie on the Target Field big screen.

More on “Sandlot Day” FOX Sports North...

Millions of Potential Social Impressions from FOX Sports North’s Minnesota Wild Playoff Campaign

FOX Sports North’s first round coverage of the Minnesota Wild Playoffs proved to be a success on many levels. 

In addition to record-breaking ratings (game 2 was highest Wild game ever on FOX Sports North with a 10.13) and ad sales success, the regional sports network also documented an impressive social reach, with millions of potential impressions according to Mass Relevance. 
 

FOX Sports North teamed up with the Minnesota Wild to generate buzz and drive social awareness around the playoffs, by turning the team’s slogan, “Fight to the End,” into a hashtag.

Fans were encouraged to show their support for the Wild by tweeting #FightToTheEnd, then to check the avatar wall on foxsportsnorth.com to find their photo: http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/fight_to_the_end

The hashtag was promoted across all of FOX Sports North’s platforms throughout the playoffs and recorded impressive stats:

• Social Reach: Approx. one million fans per game (five games total)
  
• Total Number of Tweets Sent with #FightToTheEnd: 10,207
  
• Tweets per Minute: up to 100, during game 3
  
• FOXsportsnorth.com page views: 700+
  
• Top “Influential” Tweeters who used the hashtag:
• @mnwild, Minnesota Wild (144,000+ followers)
• @lindsay_13, Lindsey Whalen, Minnesota Lynx (25,400+)
•  @lvking, Kirby Puckett Jr.(33,700+)

The campaign was promoted across FOX Sports North’s multiple platforms:

• **Stats show that on-air mentions directly correlate with spikes in interaction

• On-Air:
• Pregame Clip, WATCH
• In-Game Clip, WATCH
• Postgame Clip, WATCH

• In-Game Game Drops

• Promo:

• Social Media:

  

Overall, the campaign showed that sports fans rally around their team and want to be part of a social network that identifies with their team affiliation. FOX Sports North provided the perfect platform to educate and encourage fans to join the social “cheer” section as well.

ACC network may stall over rights issues

May 20, 2013
By Michael Smith & John Ourand, Staff Writers

Don’t expect an ACC-branded TV channel to be launched any time soon.

The biggest problem so far is a rights issue. ESPN needs to control the conference’s syndicated rights to launch a channel. But those rights are tied up until 2027 through deals with Raycom and Fox Sports Net.

“There’s no way an ACC network co-exists with a syndicated model,” said Chris Bevilacqua, a media consultant who worked with the Pac-12 to form a league network. “They’re going to have to get those rights back.” 

ESPN Cuts Jobs Amid Rising Fees for Games

• MEDIA & MARKETING
• Updated May 21, 2013, 8:20 p.m. ET

By AMOL SHARMA and BEN FRITZ

ESPN started laying off a few hundred workers Tuesday, a sign that the hugely profitable sports cable-TV powerhouse is responding to the higher prices it is paying for rights to air games as well as other industry changes.

ESPN said some of the job cuts are coming through attrition or unfilled open positions, and didn't disclose the precise number or types of workers who are being let go. ESPN, which operates several cable channels in addition to its flagship, has about 7,000 employees.

FOX Sports North’s “Kids in the City” Event Raises Over $100,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities

FOX Sports North’s partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs continues to grow and evolve. The relationship, now in its 9th year, is dedicated to fostering opportunities that create a positive and resonating impact on the children. 

The regional sports network has embraced the Clubs on a number of levels through the “North Supports” platform. This Spring, numerous opportunities were identified in raising awareness including  employees volunteering at a local club, and awarding the sixth annual Home Team Scholarship. (footage: click here) The biggest initiative of them all recently took place at Target Field, where “Kids in the City”  came to life.

A major fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities,  the “Kids in the City” event is designed to recognize the Boys & Girls Club After School All-Stars. The 2013 event honored over one-hundred kids and generated over $100,000 in donations.

Learn more about FOX Sports North's "Kids in the City" Efforts:

'You're killin' me, Smalls! FOX Sports Southwest Rangers Fan Sleepover & screening of classic baseballl film The Sandlot a hit!

Twenty year's later, it's still one of the most quoted lines in movie history. Actor Patrick Renna, who delivered the now iconic and often repeated line "You're killin' me, Smalls" as 13-year-old Hamilton "Ham" Porter in the 1993 coming-of-age baseball classic The Sandlot, was a special guest at FOX Sports Southwest's Fan Sleepover at Rangers Ballpark held over Mother's Day weekend.

Renna was joined at the family-friendly event by The Sandlot writer, director and narrator David Mickey Evans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Twentieth Century FOX's beloved film that still captures the hearts of baseball fan's young and old.

Barclays Center Inks Deal with Fox-owned USC Sports Properties

By Don Muret, Staff Writer
Published May 13, 2013

Get ready for another Brooklyn-to-Los Angeles connection, but without the emotional scars over a team bolting for the West Coast. 

Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, has signed a three-year deal with USC Sports Properties for hospitality and advertising during Southern Cal football games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 

The agreement, valued in the low to mid-six figures annually, gives Barclays Center officials the opportunity to entertain at two games a season in one of four temporary suites set up in the stadium’s east end zone.