Half Court Trap

Welcome to the Half Court Trap. This site is dedicated to covering the world of sports business with a few out of the blue thoughts to keep you coming back.

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GAME 7 SOCIAL MEDIA SHOWDOWN

There is nothing better than a Game 7 in sports, and they don't come much bigger than tonight's. With the NBA Champion Miami Heat and the on the verge Indiana Pacers set to square off tonight for a meeting with the San Antonio Spurs in the finals I wanted to take a look and compare each organization's social media to connect with fans before tonight's tip off.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Facebook-

PACERS (313,228 Likes)

Today saw only a post linking to the game preview on the team's website. Also besides a photo gallery of fans with the Pacer's dance squad (The Pacemates) from game 6 the Pacer's Facebook account seems pretty generic. However, take a minute to watch their game 6 halftime report that was posted and try to explain why they would choose an overweight shirtless guy doing backhandsprings as their playoff halftime show. 

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PETER DILL AWARD NOMINEE (SYRACUSE)

Matt Lyde-Cajuste 6'5'' SENIOR

The above photo is all you need to know about Lyde-Cajuste's candidacy for the Dill Award. The entire team rallying around him to end practice with a freethrow and @BlackMatt14 is just laughing it off.

Watch tonight's Syracuse-Michigan game and keep an eye on Lyde-Cajuste. He won't ever take off his warmup, but he will be more active than anyone on the court. From the being the initiator of the bench guys arm linking during foul shots and being the first guy to mid floor to greet the starters after all timeouts Matt Lyde-Cajuste is top notch.

Also Lyde-Cajuste is studying aerospace engineering, which is impressive but as useless as a puppetry degree.

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PETER DILL AWARD NOMINEE (MICHIGAN)

BLAKE McLIMANS - 6'10'' SENIOR

Blake has all the measurables of a great bench guy.

Pushing 7 feet, pasty white skin, 65 career points in 4 season, but its not his skills aren't measured in stats. You have to see him in action. Take a look at the above photo from the sweet 16 after Trey Burke hit the game tying 3. Was McLimans jumping around like in shock like his teammates? No. He knew that shot was going in and was as cool as Justin Timberlake.

Instead of overreacting he just broke out in to a full on Pony Dance that he no doubt learned by watching this HowTo video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpxJubVNBQA

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PETER DILL AWARD NOMINEE (WICHITA STATE)

EVAN WESSEL 6'5'' SOPHOMORE

As a 6'5'' gangly white guy Evan is the prototype for the exuberant bench guy. According to his Wichita State profile Evan gave up a football scholarship from the University of Kansas to play for his hometown Shockers basketball team because his grandfather Evert was a Shocker. Evan grew up living and breathing Shocker Hoops so you know he will bring all he has to the end of the bench in Atlanta.

In case you need more proof that Evan is the heart and soul of the program just check out the bookstore

http://www.wsubooks.com/STORE3/MerchDetail.aspx?MerchID=1098355#.UWC2tYWH_cE

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PETER DILL AWARD NOMINEE

LOUISVILLE- Montrezl Harrell 6'8'' Freshman

Usually the overabundant bench guy is a position that is bestowed upon a player after a few years on campus, but Harrell is a special player. The 2012 High School All American may be the most overqualified candidate when it comes to pure basketball skill for the DILLIE this year.

Along with being the guy who will have to replace Kevin Ware's minutes in the Georgia Dome, Harrell will have to continue his excellence in towel waving. Harrell will be the future of Louisville basketball, but he also knows its his job to get the crowd HYPED

 The tipping point for Harrell's candidacy may be this fact from the Louisville media guide:

"Name is pronounced mon-TREZ, with a silent "L"

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FINAL FOUR SATURDAY: PETER DILL AWARD CANDIDATES

Tonight and Monday you will hear Jim Nantz say the names Peyton Siva, Russ Smith, Trey Burke, and Michael Carter-Williams, but there are unheralded heroes that could steal the show in the Georgia Dome this weekend. On every college basketball team there is one bench player who's sole role is be the guy who overreacts to everything. From being the first guy to stand when a three pointer is put up, and being the guy completely overreacting to break away dunks it's these bastions of the bench who are ready for the Final Four spotlight.

On Monday one team will cut down the nets and one of these four nominees will be the catalyst in the celebration.

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COULD TONIGHT BE THE BEST NIGHT IN SWEET 16 HISTORY

It seems that the way the NCAA Tournament breaks down every pod of games has the equivalent of what Billy Madison and Norm McDonald left on Old Man Clemmon's porch  Last night saw Buzz Williams' (and his double chins and pocket squares) Marquette team roll through Miami and Witchita State (who's band has taken the crown of best pep band from VCU) dismantled Lasalle. Tonight is a different story though.

Tonight's slate of 4 games has the potential to be one of the greatest nights in tournament history. Tonight has everything the NCAA, CBS, Nike and Adidas, and fans could want and it's in two of the nations best venues for oversized sports oppulence JERRYWORLD (seen above) and Lucas Oil Stadium.

Tonight features 5 of the colleges games top coaches, 6 of college basketballs top 10 most recognizable programs (only Kentucky, UCLA, North Carolina, and Indiana are missing) you have the undisputed mascot champion in the Oregon Duck, and of course Florida Gulf Coast who may be the most enjoyable NCAA tournament team in history. One or more of tonight's games will probably go to overtime or end at the buzzer and the only thing that is certain is that Rick Pitino will be dressed like the host of the "Goomba Newlywed Game."

Here is my rankings of excitment for all of tonight's games:

4) OREGON VS. LOUISVILLE

Highlighter Yellow Vs. Zubaz shorts will be the only thing to watch in this one. Louisville should roll a Duck team that was completely underseeded and deserves to go just as far as they will. The only chance I think the Ducks have are if their band can get into Pitino's head by playing his FAVORITE SONG

3) Michigan vs. Kansas

Two Prestigious programs who both have stars running this year's teams in Trey Burke for Michigan and Ben Macklemore for Kansas. However both these teams have been 2 of the most inconsistant teams in basketball this season and I just have the feeling that this game will be a battle of who could careless. When it's a battle of who could care less you always go with Bill Self. Michigan moves on.

2) Duke vs. Michigan State

I only have two things to say about this game.

It will be an NCAA Tournament Classic

and Never Bet Against Tom Izzo in March

1) Florida vs. Florida Gulf Coast University

In case the country didn't hate the Univeristy of Florida enough for giving us Joakim Noah and Tim Tebow if they win tonight that will be the last straw.  I know they are 13 1/2 point favorites, but there's no way that Gator fans and Billy Donavan are selfish enough to deprive us all of Dunk City, A millionaire coach and his supermodel wife, and a team that plays like its NBA Jam Tournament Edition from a school that was founded the same year that Boyz II Men were founded. 

Oh wait Billy Donavan has no soul. Gators end everyone's fun and win by 8.  

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THE KNICKS RAISE THE BAR ON FAN INTERACTION

Up until last Thursday night pro and college sports teams had been using Instagram primarily as a promotional tool by putting up behind the scenes and game photos, photos of players at community service events, or as a call to action for fans to download the teams app or vote in All Star balloting. Though this has been a good means of promotion for teams and gives fans the chance to see some creative and interesting content no team had found a way to utilize the photo sharing application to have 2 way interaction with fans. The Knicks changed that with their #InstaKnick Night.

During last Thursday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Madison Sqaure Garden the Knicks asked fans to post photos of how they are watching the game with the hashtag #InstaKnicks. The pictures were displayed on the Garden Vision Jumbotron and also on KnicksNow.com.

In total over 2,000 photos were posted with the hashtag. Photos came from all levels of the arena and also from fans watching around the world. Shameless star Emmy Rossum took time away from helping her fellow Gallagher's steal dead bodies to show her affinity for formerly flat topped Knick John Starks (Photo above.) Also New York Giant (and Subway Endorser) Justin Tuck and Vinny from the Jersey Shore both tried to squeeze the last remaining seconds out of their 15 minutes of fame by sending in pictures.

The #InstaKnick campaign combined fans love of seeing themselves on the jumbotron and also the trend of fan messaging being displayed during games. Many teams have "Tweet From Your Seat" contests in the venue and display tweets from fans on TV broadcasts, but by utilizing Instagram the Knicks opened up a lot of new avenues teams of all levels can utilize. By using Instagram during games teams can create new promotions such as seat upgrades and #Instafanofthegame while also creating new sponsorship opportunities. 

Now 2,000 photos sent in a building that holds 18,000 plus everyone watching at home isn't a great number, but with more repetition of #InstaKnick nights those numbers will rise and create a new outlet for fans to connect. Other teams now have a benchmark on how to utilize Instagram and in the near future Vine to create fan created content. As teams continue to develop ways to engage with fans through social networking the next step will be rewarding fans that partake in events like #Instaknick night through rewards programs and also finding ways to monetize these promotions through sponsorships. 

#InstaKnick night is just the begining of how fans can use instagram and Vine to connect with their teams and hopefully it will keep people from using instagram to just take photos of the food they eat.

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Takeaways From The MIT SLOAN SPORTS ANALYTICS CONFERENCE

This year was the first year I attended the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and judging by how the conference grew to over 2,700 attendees I was not the only rookie at the Boston Convention and Events Center this weekend. Now in its 7th year the Sloan Conference has grown from a small conference focusing primarily on breaking down the sabermetics of baseball into one of the biggest events in the sports industry. This year's conference had something for everyone who is interested in statistics or the business of sport. From the Algorithmic Taxonomy of Basketball Plays from Optical Data to how teams utilize twitter to engage with fans there were panels that spaned the great divide that is sports today.

Overall the thing that separates the Sloan Conference from all other sports conferences is the scope of people that attend. There are few places where GMs from over 40 professional sports are talking to students, bloggers, and fans. I personally spent time talking with Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, Spurs GM R.C. Buford, and countless others. From a 2 hour conversation at the hotel bar about how the UFC struggles with quantifying their statistics to a conversation about how Austrailian Rugby has morality clauses in all their contracts that are leaps and bounds more stringent than American sports I took away a better understanding of all aspects of the sports industry and everyone else that attended would probably say the same. The conference organizing comittee made up primarily of MIT business students with help of Jessica Gelman VP Customer Marketing & Strategy, Kraft Sports Group and Houston Rockets GM Darrell Morey did a great job of putting on a conference that had no real missteps. The use of Twitter to handle most of the audience Q&As and the Twitter wall that displayed the thoughts of attendees in the main ball room made brought everyone together both in the BCEC and in the world of social networking.

Personally my favorite panel of the weekend was the It's Not You It's Me: Break Ups in Sports session with Stan Van Gundy, former Colts GM Bill Polian, and Former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke who fits in at the Sloan Conference about as well as a Canadian Mountie would fit in at Club Med in the Bahamas. Burke who hockey fans know is one of the most open and honest voices in the game had the quote of the weekend when he said "Statistics are like a lampost for a drunk; it's useful for support but not illumination."

The Sloan Conference is 2 days of sports dorkery at it's finest. It is the only place where Nate Silver of the New York Times and the Five Thirty Eight blog is treated like a combination of Paul McCartney and the Pope. Bill Simmons dubbed it "Dorkapalooza" but it has grown into something more as sports business becomes a bigger part of the weekend and as more casual fans attend. Next year's conference will likely have more than 3,000 attendees and I know for sure I will be back. 

I will have more of my thoughts from the Sloan Conference throughout this week.

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WHAT IN THE HOLY HELL HAPPENED TO NELLY

It is truly a sad day for anyone who is in their mid twenties today as Nelly released his new single and in doing so both confirmed that pop music is a mindless wasteland of garbage and also has turned everyone that is between 24-28 into "I Remember Whens (IRWs)"

 Everyone hits the point in life when they become and IRW. There are IRW's who speak fondly about the old Boston Garden or the Great Western Forum and who 'member when Billy Joel was getting after it with Christie Brinkley. There are IRW's who say that hockey isn't what it used to be like when players were tougher and SO WERE FANS. IRW's always enjoy telling you how much better Super Bowls, awards shows, and concerts used to be so last night's Oscars was another great day to be an IRW.

I feel that you first start slipping into IRWenchia around the first time a new form of mass communication comes out and as technology continues to advance that gap will continue to shorten from the old staple "I Remember When phones televisions had antennas," to the modern day "I Remember when you picked up a girl at a bar not on Tinder." 

Sometimes like in the case of Nelly trying to stay up on the current trends can lead to disaster. It would have been ok if Pitbull or Flor-Rida were to put out this song, because we expect nothing more from them then songs that will be used in commercials for cruise lines and Bud Lights, but not you Nelly. Not the guy who introduced the world to ST LOUIS RAP, TOOK ON ALLEN IVERSON ON THE COURT (AND WON), and created a modern day arena classic that sampled the greatest sports jingle of all time.

IRW when this was all i waited for all weekend

If there is a lesson to be learned from this 3:35 of musical waterboarding its that sometimes it isn't the right move to jump on the current trend. There are new social networks and apps coming out daily all trying to be the next big thing and many (like the platform I am currently writing on) gain some traction. However many never gain a foothold and can end up being a waste of your marketing dollars and man hours. From pro sports teams and major corporations to high school students trying to become a better candidate for a college jumping on the latest craze just to say you are a part of it can be more detrimental than waiting to see how a social network or app develops and forming a well thought out plan on  how to utilize each platform before you jump in.

There is one other thing that is certain after the release of this song:

Murphy Lee is somewhere in the STL wearing an airbrushed tshirt of himself and is still bitter as hell that Nelly broke up the St. Lunatics.

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Ronda Rousey Became A Star This Weekend And She Will Take Women's Sports Along For The Ride

For a match that looked like would never happen, because Dana White believed that woman in the UFC wouldn't work, Saturday night's Ronda Rousey- Liz Carmouche fight was a success both in the Octogon and at the gate.

The 15,200 plus that packed into the Honda Center witnessed not only the first Woman's match in UFC history they also saw one of the most entertaining matches of the year. With over $1 Million in PPV buys it is clear that women's matches can be a strong draw for White and the UFC, but it's clear that it'll be Rousey that will be the main catalyst.

Rousey has all the makings of becoming one of the biggest stars in MMA and also become one of the most recognizable female athletes in the world. Unlike Olympic athlete's like LoLo Jones, Lindsey Vaughn, and any of the girls who come off the US Gymnastics Conveyer Belt (The USGCB) Rousey will be featured in major UFC events 3-4 times per year. Compared to the WNBA and U.S. Women's Soccer team Rousey will be the sole target of sponsors. Also compared to Serena Williams and Danica Patrick, Rousey comes off as genuinely down to earth and likeable. 

For his part when Dana White decided to create the UFC Women's title he did so with a full push of PR and marketing and has marketed Rousey and Carmouche as fighters first and females second. This will be the key for the future of women's MMA as fight fans will continue to support the new division as long as the quality in the Octagon is as high as what Rousey and Carmouche put on Saturday.

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Risk/Reward - THE CRASH THAT COULD PUT A BLACK CLOUD ON THE DAYTONA 500

After the initial public sentiment of mourning fades the adage that "They know what they signed up for" has always been one of the public sentiments that ariseswhen there is a death by a racecar driver. it happened with Dale Earnhardt, it happened with Dan Weldon, and with everyother driver who has died while driving. The crash at this weekend's Nationwide race however has brought out the double standard of NASCAR. ESPN and other major sports outlets have covered this crash with the same fervor as #3's death, because fans were involved, but have not brought up the risk that fans assume when they sit less than 10 feet away from 30 cars driving 200 miles per hour. 

NASCAR has one of the highest attendance rates in American sport and utilizes it's sponsors better than any of the big 4 sports, but the casual fan still has a lot of preconceived notions that NASCAR just can't shake.The biggest issue NASCAR has always dealt with is the safety of its sport. No other major sport in modern history has ever lost their biggest star during live action like NASCAR did with Earnhardt.

The sport has always been at the forefront of innovation in safety, but the truth of the matter is that it is a dangerous sport for both drivers and fans. That is why the coverage of Saturday's last lap crash at the Nationwide Series race that injured over a dozen fans has been surprising.

Despite all the safety precautions NASCAR has taken for it's fans there's no denying that there is a higher risk sitting on the rail at a NASCAR race than sitting courtside at an NBA game or behind the dugout at an MLB game. It was a a very unfortunate incident in Daytona Saturday, but the fans that were involved knew there was some risk when they bought tickets.

Fortunately for NASCAR there were no major injuries as a result of that crash and the stories coming out of the Daytona 500 was Danica becoming the first woman to lead a lap and Jimmie Johnson showing again that he is the most dominant individual athletes in the world.   

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Jerry Buss (1943-2013): Buss Set The Bar For What An Owner Should Be

Growing up in New England as a die hard Boston Celtics fan, I loathed the Lakers. I despised Magic and the Showtime Lakers and was brought to tears when they would beat the Celtics in the early 1990's. I hated watching Shaq and Kobe dance around holding the Larry O'Brien as purple and gold confetti rained down while the Celtics were collecting dust in the cellar of the Eastern Conference. I despised the Lakers so much that I when I moved to Los Angeles in 2009 I wouldn't attend a Lakers game at the Staples Center, and I kept to my my creed even after working in the building for the better part of 2 seasons and getting multiple offers for free tickets. By sticking to my fan code I missed out on an opportunity to see what Jerry Buss had created and how he changed how the sports industry in America.

 Buss, who was born and raised in Wyoming said he was never into the Hollywood part of Los Angeles, but he sure knew how to put on a show. When he bought the Lakers, Kings, and The Forum in 1979 for $67.5 Million  in cash and real estate he brought his love of the theatrics that is college sports to the professional ranks. Along with bringing in Magic Johnson to bring the show while the clock was running Buss introduced the Laker Girls, the first cheerleading and dance team in NBA history.

 Thinking of how the in arena experience has changed since Jerry Buss bought the Lakers is an almost impossible task. Now every team in the NBA has a cheer or dance squads and some like the CHICAGO BULLS have taken it even further, with both the LUVABULLS and the MATADORS. These dance teams not only entertain fans throughout the game they also become ambassadors for the organization. Especially in this modern day era of sports business where every player is more like a hired contractor who has their own foundation and cares almost as much about their personal brand as they do about the team they play for it can be very difficult to utilize a team's players at events for a team's community relations division or a corporate partner's event. In many cases a dance team can be a better alternative. Also an organization's dance team can become a source of income through appearances and merchandise such as calendars as well as a source of online multimedia content.

Another part of the in game experience that Jerry Buss' Lakers have been at the forefront of has been game presentation itself. In a city of celebrities and wannabe celebrities Buss and his team made the Forum and now the STAPLES Center the place to be seen and made his team the main Hollywood attraction by always keeping the bright lights focused on the court. The player introductions before every game have become a chance for game ops crews to shine and not many teams in any of the four major sports have a pregame show that tops the Lakers Drop down projection sheets.

Along with making Lakers games the place to be in Los Angeles, raising his team's worth to over $1 Billion, and helping the Lakers sign one of the biggest (and most controversial) television rights deals in sports history (a $3 Billion deal with Time Warner) Jerry Buss was an owner who primarily cared about one thing, Championships.

In the current rhelm of sports "Championships Won" has become the main argument when sports pundits are yelling at eachother on TV. A player can't reach the level of "Elite" until they win multiple championships and willing titles has leapfrogged size of the market a team plays in when determining the haves and have nots in sports. With that all being said there has never been an owner in sports who better at winning than Jerry Buss. Under his ownership the Lakers won 10 Championships and only missed the playoffs 3 times in over 30 years. The only owners that can even be mentioned in the same conversation as Buss when it comes to on field achievement is The Cowboys' Jerry Jones, The Rooney Family with the Pittsburgh Steerlers and Patriots' owner Robert Kraft who along with Buss were original investors in the WORLD TEAM TENNIS Association in the 1970's.

Jerry Buss was an owner who helped his team excel in the three key areas of modern sports;

On court performance In Game Experience, and Franchise Valuation.

As A Celtics fan I have wholeheartedly enjoyed watching the trainwreck that is the Lakers season. However, as someone who went to school for sports business, worked in the industry, and is truly passionate about the business of sports I thank Jerry Buss for everything he has done in the industry. He will be remembered as an innovator and one of the greatest owners in the history of professional sports.

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WILL A NEW FORMAT MAKE FOR A RETURN TO ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL STAR SATURDAY NIGHT

Tonight before everyone is Huston has to make the arduous choice of the Drake Party with 2Chainz and Trinidad James or breaking out a casual 10 G's to be in the SUPERMAN Lounge at Shaq's All Star Takeover we get to watch what I am hoping is a return to glory for the State Farm All Star Saturday Night.

There was a time when this event was required viewing for basketball fans and some of the NBA's greatest moments have come from NBA Saturday Night. In recent years however with missed dunks and no name winners in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, the boring Guard Skills Contest, and the leagues biggest stars sitting out of the competition All Star Saturday Night has become tired and unimpressive.

The NBA as a league has always been the most innovative of the big 4 when it comes to the All Star experience so this year to try and reinvent All Star Saturday Night they are making it a East Vs. West Competition with the winning side taking home $350,000 for their Captain's chosen charities. Chris Paul will be the "Captain" of the West while Dwayne Wade will lead the East and will probably being wearing lensless glass to continue to assert himself as the league's biggest douchebag.

Although the NBA will try to again force the guard obstacle course and the team shootout on us this night is all about two things: The 3 point shoot out and the Dunk Contest. Below are the current odds (From BetUS.com) and my picks for the real marquee events of the weekend:

Rot# Player to win the Foot Locker Three Point Contest Moneyline 1003 Kyrie Irving (CLE)     +450 1004 Matt Bonner (SA)     +500 1005 Paul George (IND)     +800 1006 Ryan Anderson (NO)     +400 1007 Stephen Curry (GS)     +175 1008 Steve Novak (NYK)     +275

Steph Curry is the best pure shooter in the contest but I can't go with anyone but New Hampshire's own RED MAMBA Matt Bonner. He is a set shooter so he wont tire in the later rounds and his #LetBonnerShot campaign will make for a great underdog story.

Rot# Player to win the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest Moneyline 1303 Eric Bledsoe (LAC)     +500 1304 Gerald Green (IND)     +375 1305 James White (NYK)     +100 1306 Jeremy Evans (UTA)     +650 1307 Kenneth Faried (DEN)     +600 1308 Terrence Ross (TOR)     +350

For the Dunk Contest I am one of the biggest Eric Bledsoe fans in the continental United States, but I have to go with the favorite James White. Ever since he was featured in the streetball DVD Ball Above All White has been prepping for this day and he won't disappoint.

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THE 1ST (AND PROBABLY LAST) SHAKIE AWARDS FOR "HARLEM SHAKE EXCELLENCE"

SOUND THE GAME OPS AND IN STADIUM ENTERTAINMENT HORN because there's a new dance craze ripping through the internet and sports teams are getting involved.

The song is called "Harlem Shake" by Dubstep DJ Baauer. The dance is simply one single party starter (usually clad in some form of helmet) pelvic thrusting for 15 seconds as the song builds up to a base drop and then all hell of randomness breaks out. Anything and everything is on the table in a Harlem Shake video from Power Ranger Costumes and giant cardboard cutouts to priests and nuns if you can dream it you can do it.

The song has been out since this summer, but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that the movement began and in the past few days it officially hit the big time. Even the DAILY SHOW got into it this week.

Teams from the high school level all the way professional organizations have been right on top of this meme and there have been some very entertaining videos that most likely will be forgotten about in 3-6 months. So without further ado here are the winners of the First Annual Shakies:

BEST USE OF A TREE: @SwedRevolution and their living room

BEST PARTY STARTER: Norwegian Army - Look at the guy he has such a pure 2 step going and he keeps it going the whole way through

BEST USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Montreal

BEST PERFORMANCE (BY A MASCOT) - @GODUCKSDOTCOM It was a tough decision between The Duck and the Florida Gator but the dedication to Kevin Bacon sealed it for Oregon.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: THE GUY IN THE RETRO PHOENIX SUNS UNIFORM

BEST PROP: THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS FOR THE PAPER MACHE RANDY JOHNSON HEAD. Also a great appearance by Manager Kirk Gibson and his fist pumps at the end.

BEST OVERALL HARLEM SHAKE VIDEO: THE SHAYTARD FAMILY - How could there ever be another choice? In this one you get to see a child in a trash can,  a little girl punching her doll in the face, a dad who hasn't done a sit up since the Clinton Administration, a shirtless child pulling out the Truffle Shuffle while on a toy horse. It's got it all.

HOW CAN TEAMS CAN UTILIZE VIRAL VIDEOS

The Diamondbacks, Suns, Oregon, Florida and a few others have already done this and I expect the other teams that are more on the ball in the social media relm like the @LAKings to have one up within days. Now I don't expect the @Patriots to put out a video with Bill Belichick cutting rugs in a snowmobile helmet, but sometimes a team can help drive traffic back to its homepage or get a lot of buzz about the organization based on a well done pop culture video. Just look at the Miami Dolphins who's cheerleader "Call Me Maybe" video has garnered over 16 million times.

Just yesterday Michael Waltrip Racing a Shake that not only featured one of their pit crews showing what they can do, but also managed to sneak in one of their prominent corporate sponsors in NAPA Autoparts. Only NASCAR can find a way to get a sponsorship for a video that features a guy wearing flip flops and an oversized hat covering a guy's junk. 

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LARRY BIRD'S SON ARRESTED FOR TRYING TO RUN HIS GIRLFRIEND OVER WITH A CAR

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/jail-bird-larry-son-busted-beef-article-1.1261844

Conner Bird, The 21-year-old son of the Demigod that is Larry Joe Bird was arrested last week at the University of Indiana for doing a great AJ Soprano impression and allegedly trying to run over his girlfriend with his car after the two got in an argument. I like to stay away from TMZ style gossip articles especially when it involves an offspring of the man I named my first two pets after, but there are three things that needed to be pointed out:

1) The fact that he tried to run her over twice shows that he took the lessons from his father to heart: If you think it's a miss always crash the glass and get the rebound.

2) If he is the son of Larry Bird there is no doubt in my mind that that car was American made and had a half a pack of Marlboros in the glove box, and empty cans of Bud Heavies and Rolling Rocks strewn about it.

3) Vince Carter passed Larry Bird on the NBA all time scoring last night.

                                                 This guy

                       Now has more career points than this guy!

Let that last sentence haunt your nightmares while I go punch through the drywall in my basement and watch Larry's segment from NBA Superstars 1 on a constant loop.

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AXS Ticketing Prepares To Step Into The Ticketing Spotlight

There were a lot of big events that could have been highlighted at last week's AEG Expo in Los Angeles. It's been a big year for the Sports and entertainment mega company. The team that started it all the LA Kings are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, The LA Galaxy defeated their AEG owned sister club Huston Dynamo for the MLS Cup and proved the Beckham Experience was a success, The dream of Farmers Field and the return of the NFL too LA is moving along, and the company is up for sale with a multi billion dollar price tag. The only announcement that could top all of those events though was the biggest shot fired at the Tyranny of Ticketmaster with the announcement that AEG owned AXS ticketing is now the official ticketing system of the STAPLES Center and the rest of L.A. Live.

  AXS has been in use for a year and a half at 24 different AEG venues like the O2 Arena in London, but with the official switch at the STAPLES Center marks a major accomplishment. When the Kings go to AXS for all tickets for the 2013-14 season they will be the first team in the Big 4 leagues to go completely away from Ticketmaster. Their STAPLES Center roomates, Lakers and Clippers also have the option to jump on the AXS bandwagon early. The LA Galaxy was the first major American sports team to go to AXS this past season and the new system was well received by fans.

  For decades Ticketmaster has ruled the live sporting and entertainment ticket market with a favorable rating from users that ranked somewhere between the current Congress and Ghengis Khan. Through rising convenience fees and very little control on who got first priority when tickets went on sale Ticketmaster has spent the better part of recent history torturing the general public like a 9 year old with a magnifying glass treats ants. AXS has been developed to basically excel in the areas where Ticketmaster has struggled the most and if AXS continues to grow sports and music fans may no longer be shackled by the chains of Ticketmaster.

The new AXS system has 3 features that really turning points in sports and entertainment ticketing.

1) Free Print At Home Option

One of the biggest cash grabs Ticketmaster has been utilizing over the years is charging up to $5 for people to print their tickets at their home. You use your printer, your ink, and you do the work, but Ticketmaster gets $5. That model is a little to Kosmo Kramer's Pizza Place for everyone. AXS on the other hand lets customers print their tickets for free at home and actually would prefer it. To encourage more people to print at home AXS charges $6 for any order left at will call.

2) Ticket Lobby Lottery

To freeze out ticket brokers AXS has created the Fair AXS Waiting Room. For all ticket on sales everyone in the virtual has the same chance of getting first selection of tickets through Fair AXS randomized system. This will help deter brokers who currently milk Ticketmster's first come first serve policy and then drive up prices on the secondary market.

3) Easy To Use for Ticket Sales Staffs

Anyone who has worked in ticket sales and had to deal with Ticketmasters Blue Screen of Doom in which tickets had to be purchased using various HTML commands will be happy to know that AXS utilizes Outbox technology. The point and click Outbook was developed by Cirque De Soleil and will help make box offices look less like Steve Jobs' garage in 1976. I have used the new Outbox while working with AEG and I can say that not once did I want to throw a left cross to my monitor like I did everytime I have ever dealt with Ticketmasters neanderthal system.

4) Increased Social Network Capabilities

The AXS website will soon be more event promotion than ticket site. With music previews of each show, Twitter feeds from the artist, and the option to reserve tickets and invite fans via Facebook AXS is creating a site that connects fans to the artist and eachother and helps build anticipation for all upcoming shows.

5) Mobile Ticketing Is Closer Than You Think

Along with the new AXS website AEG is also developing an AXS app that will let fans turn their smartphones into tickets much like what many retailers utilize for payment. Also the new AXS app will reportedly have a feature where fans in an arena could purchase seat upgrades right from their phone.

If AXS has a strong and favorable launch at LA Live you may start to see more and more professional teams jump ship off Ticketmaster and try the new kid on the block.