OCTOBER 28, 2008

Last night I had the chance to visit the Newseum in Washington, DC. It was actually an event for the Washington Wizards where fans got to meet the players and get their autographs. The venue is absolutely amazing - from the breathtaking views to the elaborate exhibits, I was very impressed. The location is so desirable, people even have their weddings there! Although it was very cool to meet players like Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson, I was more excited to explore the seven levels of displays.

While it’s not every day I get to meet famous athletes, the pieces of the torn-down Berlin Wall, a portion of an antenna from the World Trade Center, and the Pulitzer Prize photo gallery did not disappoint. Seeing these artifacts that were made so familiar to us by the media was a very surreal experience. I had to keep reminding myself that these items were the real thing, not just pictures.

Not everyone shares my opinion of the Newseum though. For some people, the Wizards players could have been signing autographs in the parking garage across the street and it would have been just the same. As soon as they got their memorabilia signed they got out of there, not taking any time to enjoy the free admission (which is normally $20 for adults).

A few of the basketball players had a table set up right in front of the Berlin Wall display. Fans were lined up in front of it waiting to get autographs and barely any of them even looked up at it! This had me wondering: In a world where we can get our news and information as it happens 24/7, is seeing a piece of history not as cool anymore? Will schools soon opt for Apple Store field trips over a day at the Smithsonian? Is technology in and history out?

I certainly hope not.

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OCTOBER 14, 2008

“Change” is the word on everyone’s mind these days. What started as a political slogan quickly became the mantra of the American people: only 17% of us agree with the current direction of the country. Both candidates now eagerly seek the mantle of change: new John McCain attack ads flash the words “Change is Coming” at the viewer, while Obama’s original “Change You Can Believe In” continues to resonate with voters.

So in a time when the desire for change is palpable, why should sports be any different? Indeed, we’re seeing innovation in American football at a rapid clip. Strategies and tactics adapted at the high school level years ago have gradually filtered up to the college and pro ranks, resulting in a variety of new ways to play an old game.

One such example is the Miami Dolphins’ “Wildcat” formation, adapted from years of use in high schools around the country. In this formation, Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown receives what’s called a “direct snap”. This means that instead of the ball being hiked to the quarterback, it’s snapped directly to Brown, who can then hand the ball off to another running back, pass the ball, or run it himself. This flummoxes defenses and changes the traditional way that football offenses work, which places great responsibility on the quarterback to either hand the ball off or pass it down the field. It also changes the balance of the offense, which usually pits 10 players against 11 defensive players. The Dolphins add another wrinkle by placing two running backs in the Wildcat, meaning that the snap could possibly go to either one - making it much harder for defenses to predict where the ball will go.

Another novel scheme is the A-11, a high-flying, pass-oriented offense that features two quarterbacks, six wide receivers and two tight ends (most NFL formations have three receivers and one tight end). In this offense, the goal is to spread the field and create mismatches in coverage - for instance, forcing a lumbering linebacker to cover one of the six receivers, who are normally much faster players. And even if all of the receivers are covered, the quarterback usually has ample room to run the ball for a short gain. The scheme, invented only a year ago, has been embraced by many big high school programs, but rule differences make it impossible to use in the NCAA and NFL. Look for those rules to change if the formation becomes more popular in high school.

This kind of innovation stands in very sharp contrast to sports like baseball, which has not seen much tactical innovation since the modern rules of the game were codified early last century. I guess it’s not surprising that in our rapidly-changing society, the most successful sports are the ones that change along with it.

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SEPTEMBER 2, 2008

To: Ladies Professional Golf Association
From: Monica Trucco
Re: Globalization Concerns Regarding Your English-Language Requirement

This week, I learned about your requirement for players who have been on the LPGA tour for two years to pass an oral English-language test or face suspension. This new requirement may most affect your South Korean contingent of players, since they make up 45 of the 121 international players from 26 countries on your tour. Also, of the last 30 majors, 24 have been won by international players.

I respect your decision to communicate your policy and your desire to “make [your] expectations very clear.” However, part of your message may have been lost in translation with some of your best players due to the manner that it was communicated. I would strongly encourage you to put it in writing and distribute as soon as possible to avoid future misunderstandings.

While I’ve read opinions about how your decision isn’t racist or culturally insensitive, it does strike some as bad business in a global marketplace which represents the predominant opportunity for growth:

By considering themselves an exclusively American market and adopting what will appear to foreigners as a pigheaded policy, [the LPGA] instantly
diminish[es] their stock in emerging markets like China and South Korea, where women’s golf really could grow and thrive thanks to few existing athletic opportunities for young women.

As a business, it has been written that you are “struggling to stay alive[;]” you need your “players to promote the game to the media and its sponsors[;]” and by implementing the testing requirement you possibly are creating “an environment for the tour to succeed” by attracting sponsors and intensifying national interest. Moreover, winning players understand that the tour is “losing sponsors” in a tough economy.

However, your new policy seems to be missing the globalization piece of the puzzle, one of 5 Forces that we’ve identified at TMG Strategies as a game-changer in the world as we know it. Some of the largest companies – and top revenue producers – have bent over backwards to take advantage of this Force. For example, while more than half of Proctor & Gamble’s revenue has come from countries other than the U.S., they went as far as reducing the size of their shampoo containers in China after research revealed to them that a smaller size was more in line with Chinese expectations – and, as a result, sales skyrocketed.

Or take McDonald’s – the prototypical American restaurant, right? Consider this: while they still have a big presence here, “Europe is now McDonald’s largest region by revenues, despite having roughly one-quarter the number of outlets as the U.S.” due in large part to changing its design to meet expectations. Both companies have shown that while respecting their business needs for growth, they can also respect global considerations by conforming and changing. Can you?

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AUGUST 14, 2008

I am by no means a sports fanatic, but two things this week really surprised me.  First was synchronized diving in the Olympics - two athletes standing side-by-side on two diving boards and attempting to complete identical feats simultaneously.  I’ll confess, my first reaction was, “This is wacky.”  Isn’t the goal to judge the individual abilities of the divers?  Yet I watched a little bit of it and began to see some of the rationale behind it.  Diving - always considered an individual event - could be expanded into a team sport.  I am still not convinced that this development is a good one, but then again some new things are just hard to get used to initially.

The other surprise was reading about an entirely new offensive system in high school football called the A-11 where two quarterbacks line up in the shotgun and all 11 offensive players on the field appear to be eligible to receive a pass.  Apparently, this confuses the defense and forces them to guess who to cover downfield.   Considered “futuristic football”, it started at Piedmont High School in northern California and is all the buzz in coaching circles.

Both innovations caught me off guard because sports is not generally an arena where I expect to see major changes.  Of course, the styles of the uniforms will evolve, the equipment may improve and small modifications in how sports are approached may occur, but real changes?  No way.  We are so used to the “tradition” of sports that it is one of the foundations we count on for consistency in our lives.  Baseball is baseball, soccer is soccer, football is football.

It made me realize that when we talk about innovation, nothing is sacred.   It may take some time, but I think big changes are ahead in the world of sports.  Maybe two pitchers on the mound at the baseball game? 

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AUGUST 4, 2008

Earlier I wrote about the Facebook application that was sweeping swiffering the office: Scrabulous (I also wrote that I was going to beat Gayle in Scrabulous and I did.) I’m sad to write that the creators of Scrabulous, Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla, have taken down the game after they were hit with a lawsuit from Hasbro. An official version of Scrabble on Facebook is in beta test stage on Facebook.

As expected the Facebook community is reeling from the loss of everyone’s favorite time-waster. I particularly enjoyed reading Conde Nast Porfolio, which posted reactions they read from Facebook’s News Feed. However, I am happy to say that we do not have to be sad for long.

The Brothers Agarwalla are releasing a new game very similar to Scrabulous called Wordscraper. The game includes customizable rules and a different design- probably an effort to avoid future lawsuits. The customizable features of this new game can be used to create boards that resemble the familiar Scrabble/Scrabulous layout. Is this going to be enough to stop another lawsuit? Ethan Horwitz over at King and Spalding told the AP he doesn’t think so:

It’s going to come down to the little things like squares and circles and double, triple and so on…What they’ve done is taking a step in the right direction, but I don’t think it’s a big enough step.

As of this writing the game has 67,302 active users- nowhere near the half million that Scrabulous had, and less than the 85,237 that are using the new official version of Scrabble. I wonder if the game will be able to attract Scrabulous fans back into the fold. Besides the IP issues this case has brought about, I’m curious to see what Facebook users value more - being able to play Scrabble online no matter who makes it, or the innovative thinking of the Agarwalla brothers who thought of bringing Scrabble online first.
 

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JULY 11, 2008

Two weeks ago I read an article in the Express that said the U.S. Trials for the Homeless World Cup were coming to DC.  That’s right – the Homeless World Cup, coming to recruit homeless men and women from our nation’s capital to compete against other homeless men and women from around the world.  Apparently the local players would stay in George Washington University housing, attend the LA Galaxy-DC United game and compete for a spot on the U.S. national team, which travels to Melbourne, Australia, in December.

Now, I had heard (and quite honestly, chuckled a little) about the Homeless World Cup last year when I learned that ESPN was co-sponsoring a documentary about the global phenomenon.  (You can watch a trailer for the film, entitled “Kicking It,” here).  But what seemed comical at the time - a vision of bearded, teethless individuals scurrying madly about an open field for someone else’s entertainment - was true misconception; I didn’t realize or appreciate potentially how phenomenal the Homeless World Cup could be.

After reading the article in the Express, therefore, I decided I should visit the Homeless World Cup website to learn more.  And, to my utter amazement, this is what I found:

There are one billion homeless people living in our world today.

The Homeless World Cup is an annual, international football tournament, uniting teams of people who are homeless and excluded to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country and change their lives forever. 

If only America’s rich NBA stars could feel the same way about representing their home country in the 2008 Olympics, maybe they wouldn’t lose.  But I digress…

The impact of the Homeless World Cup is consistently significant year after year with 73% of players changing their lives for the better by coming off drugs and alcohol, moving into jobs, education, homes, training, reuniting with families and even going on to become players and coaches for pro or semi-pro soccer teams.

The ultimate goal of the tournament?  To use sports as a means for social inclusion, involving between 100,000 and one million players by 2012.  In a word, to use sports for social change.

So, yes, a ball really can – and already has – changed the world. 

I wonder: what else can it do?

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JULY 1, 2008

I recently returned from a fun weekend visit to my favorite U.S.  tourist destination: Las Vegas.  Personally, I can’t think of a better place to spend a couple of days. It’s an adult playground, with so much to do: people-watching, sunbathing, shopping, eating, shows… not to mention gambling, which I adore. I’ve probably been to Vegas eight times in the last five years, and I always have a good time.

On this most recent visit, though, I came to a realization. My beloved Vegas is in the crosshairs of a whole range of pressures and trends that, I fear, are going to impact the city quite negatively in the coming months and years.  There’s a perfect storm brewing out there that we Vegas-lovers simply can’t ignore.

Consider this:

1. The economy. The economy’s tanking, if you hadn’t noticed. People are being laid off, disposable income is down, and discretionary spending is being cut. A weekend trip to Vegas - the ultimate frivolity - is going to top any list of household budget items that can be slashed.

2. Flights. Airfare increases will also dampen tourism to Vegas. Flights to Vegas have historically been inexpensive, so to increase profitability, airlines have already drastically cut the number of flights to Sin City. So people have less money to spend to get to Vegas, and yet there are fewer and more expensive flights to get there. I just don’t see that changing anytime soon.

3. Gas Prices.  The price of gas is clearly helping drive up airfare, but it’s also going to impact tourist life in Las Vegas. There is no public transportation to speak of in the main tourist area, just some monorails off the Strip that connect adjoining hotels. If you want to get, say, from Mandalay Bay to Caesar’s, as I did last Saturday night, your only option is to take a cab or walk, and it can be a long walk in 107 degree heat.  As a result, the city is full of idling taxis. They line up at the airport and at the casinos, and they sit in traffic on the Strip and on the highway that runs along the tourist area. All that gas, just to move people short distances that could be covered by a public light rail loop. Fares have to go up in order for these drivers to make money, and if fuel becomes scarce, I have to imagine that this set-up is going to come under fire.

4.  Water. Las Vegas is in the middle of the desert. However, it’s easy to forget that when you’re surrounded by lush greenery, fountains, wave beaches, man-made canals, and golf courses. Surprisingly, according to the BBC, the hotels and casinos in Vegas account for only 7% of the city’s water usage, and the casinos say that outdoor uses account for only 30% of hotel water use. Regardless, some environmentalists are predicting that water supplies in the Las Vegas area will run out in 50 years, and have pleaded for “massive reductions” in the amount of water consumption by the city’s residents.  Check out those beautiful Bellagio fountains when you can - who knows when they will be turned off.

5. Environmental Responsibility. So we know that Vegas uses up a lot of water and gas. But there’s another reason that it’s a disaster from a green perspective. Stand at a blackjack table for more than five minutes and a cocktail waitress will bring you a bottle of beer, or hydrate with a few bottles of water out by the pool when you’re sitting out in that desert sun. But try to find a recycling receptacle for your empties, and you’re out of luck. I couldn’t find a single place to recycle a bottle the whole time I was there. How long before Vegas comes under fire for the sheer waste of recyclable materials that are being tossed into the trash? And I haven’t even started in on the neon lights - everywhere, flashing, all night long. Yes, it’s part of the glitz of Vegas, and the skyline at night is breathtaking, but that’s a lot of energy being spent for no good reason, when it comes down to it.

6. Security. I hate even to write about this, but every time I go to Vegas I think about the lack of security screening in the casinos. Yes, there are cameras everywhere making sure I am not counting cards or stealing chips, but I have yet to pass through a metal detector or have my bag checked before entering one of the casinos. That city - perhaps the most obvious symbol of American consumerism - is frightfully vulnerable to attack. Maybe I am ultra-sensitive on this topic, living in DC, but I think about it all the time.

This post was definitely a downer. I hate to think of how any of these trends, taken alone, will impact Vegas in the coming years. Their combination scares me even more. Vegas, I hope you’re listening.

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JUNE 18, 2008

Let me start by saying I’m not a frequent flyer. I take trips every now and then, but I usually only take about 3 trips a year by plane.

After a recent honeymoon trip (see photo of cruise emergency drill) filled with many logged hours in the air, I feel the urge to write about my disappointment. Every time I get on a plane, I feel like the experience gets worse and worse. The regulations. The security lines. The problems… everything. Basically, I dread flying now, not because I’m worried about my risk of dying in a crash (which is apparently 1 in 11 million), but because I’m worried that I will have to add something else to my list of hellish airline incidents.

The first annoying incident came courtesy of a crazy security lady at the Huntsville, AL airport whom I encountered when visiting my dad over Christmas. For some reason, she thought I was smuggling something on my back (I swear I wasn’t hunched over or anything) and made me go to a special security area to be checked. Despite the puzzled looks and disapproving head shakes I noticed on other passengers making their way to their departure gates (I look innocent! I could tell they thought it was ridiculous too), I was left feeling as if I had done something wrong.

Now, on to the honeymoon airline story. My husband and I planned our honeymoon (which began with a flight into Rome) last November and carefully chose flights that gave us a brief layover at Heathrow Airport. We got a call three days before our trip in May informing us of a “change in flight times” on our return trip which would force us to leave three hours earlier than we had originally planned. When we asked for more information, we were given the runaround. When we asked to speak to management, we were told to submit a comment online. We hung up and tried calling back to get some answers. None were given. To make a really long story short, everyone we spoke to told us to speak to someone else and when we did, we were told that they had no authority to do anything. The only choice we were given was to get a full refund (last minute flights to Rome would have cost us double if we were to purchase them three days before our trip) or to deal with it. So, we had to deal with it. Ultimately, it wasn’t an enormous deal, but it was still a pain.

It seems like every time I fly I add an airline to my “list” and make a mental note to avoiding flying with them in the future. With higher prices for tickets, checked luggage charges, long lines, canceled flights, humiliating security incidents, more expenses (like American Airlines’ recently announcing it will charge for the first piece of checked baggage), horrible food, and bad customer service, I am left confused and annoyed. The worst part is, the airlines will continue to get my money. I am too selfish to give up my vacations just to make a point! I am like so many other Americans who are unwilling to give up their relaxation time despite our unhappiness with the airlines.

We have been so saturated with new regulations and fear messaging since September 11th, we have become flexible with the airline industry and have put up with much more than we would otherwise. Instead of us just expecting longer lines and more stringent security, we are becoming tolerant of horrendous customer service. I hope it gets better soon. In the meantime, I’ll keep you posted of my future adventures in airplane land.

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MAY 20, 2008

It’s all the rage in England and it’s taking Australia by storm. No, I’m not talking about vegemite (never had it and I don’t think I ever will).  I’m talking about the latest game from Nintendo: Wii Fit. Yes, boys and girls, you no longer have to put down your video games to work out; working out IS the video game! The game is already selling out in Britain and in Australia it’s outselling the latest Grand Theft Auto release. Think about that: more people want to work out than steal cars. Wii Fit is set to be released in the U.S. this week and the media is buzzing about it.

We already love the Nintendo Wii, which has been lauded for changing the way we interact with video games. The way I see it however, Nintendo hasn’t just discovered new ways for its users to interact with a game machine; it’s also a company that has broken through to reach new audiences.

What will make Wii Fit a hit is not just that it’s a game that makes you sweat (Dance Dance Revolution and Wii Sports have already accomplished that.) What will make Wii Fit a hit is its ability to reach people beyond the average gamer.

The San Francisco Chronicle says the game will reach “a large mostly unreached population of potential gamers.” The article predicts that the game will be popular with women. Ricardo Torres of GameSpot offers more:

“Moms have the purchasing power in the house, and this is a game that will catch her attention. Look at the way they’re marketing it. They’re not reaching out to hardcore gamers, who they know will want to get it, too, for the mini-skill games. They’re showing off these other aspects like yoga and step aerobics that will hook a mom.”

This is in sharp contrast to the rest of the video game industry, who caters to its existing fan base by sticking with tried-and-true genres like sports and first person shooters. The latest Madden, Call of Duty, and Battlefield titles fly off the shelves year after year, bought by the typical 18-35 year old male.

Nintendo has broken from this model, instead challenging itself to reach new audiences rather than fight over existing audiences. With the Wii Fit, Nintendo has shown that it is moving forward to become the leader in this previously untouched segment of the population.

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MAY 8, 2008

Answer me this: What do the Lionel Corporation and Neil Young have in common?

If you’re one of the 68 million baby boomers alive today, you’ll probably remember that Lionel was, as its peak, a celebrated 1950s model train maker and that Young was – er, is – a 1970s rock’n'roll legend.  But would you have guessed that the 62 year-old rocker is also a lifelong fan of classic toy trains – or that he once owned a 20% stake in the Lionel brand?

If you’re of my generation - Gen Y - you probably haven’t played with a Lionel train or put on a Neil Young album in your entire life.  Why would we, after all, when we’ve got the likes of Guitar Hero and Rock Band - when we can play the rock stars ourselves?  Over the past 25 years, we’ve grown bored with merely creating and controlling model environments; these days, we want to interact with our surroundings.  But in the process of spending more money and more time on these stimulating simulations, we almost killed the Lionel train.

Yes, I said we almost killed the Lionel train.  According to an emotionally-charged press release from Lionel Chief Executive Jerry Calabrese, May 1, 2008 marked the end of “one of the most dramatic and difficult” periods in Lionel’s 108 year history: bankruptcy.  Especially touching was Calabrese’s statement that “all model train fans are, by nature, students of history, which offers no greater lesson than the fact that desperate times create opportunities for heroic deeds.”  Indeed, 108 years and two World Wars later, Lionel remains a case study in consumer loyalty, a lesson in what hobbyists are willing to sacrifice to save a treasured pastime. 

So don’t go retiring your engineering caps just yet; those toy trains are still chugging along.  In the past three years, Lionel’s sales have grown dramatically.  The Wall Street Journal recently reported that sales of Lionel starter sets – kid-friendly systems that range in price from $129 to $300 – have more than doubled since the company entered bankruptcy three and a half years ago.  In fact, the company sold close to 200,000 sets last year, with much of that growth coming from sales at department stores and big-box retailers.  It would seem, then, that Calabrese has discovered how to break out of the hobby shop and into the broader pop-culture marketplace: through big retail outlets, movies, and television.

As for me, I’m not so confident that a company can successfully reinvent a product that is so deeply steeped in nostalgia with absolutely no digital dazzle.  However, Terry Brennan at the Dealscape blog  thinks there is still hope.  He writes, “Just like hearing the train whistle in the distance has comforted many an insomniac in the middle of the night, so too has the miniaturized version inspired a few generations of model railroaders.  And while video games assimilate so many things, one thing they can’t do is emulate the fun of creating towns, or putting up trestles or having smoke come out of a little locomotive.” 

Funny thing is, despite my own doubts, I know exactly what he means.  When I was three, a real live train used to whistle by less than a mile from my house at least ten times a day, every day, for nine years.  Then, when we moved into a new house, I helped my Dad build a 15ft x 18ft model train set complete with little people, plastic buildings, a golf course - even a baseball field.  Our efforts - well, mostly my Dad’s efforts - earned the train set a spot on the cover of the July 1997 issue of Classic Toy Trains magazine.

So I’m incredibly torn.  I may have grown up with trains living in my basement, but I, like everyone else from age 6 to 96, just can’t get over the Nintendo Wii.  And, eerily telling of the times, that train whistle that put me to sleep for 9 years?  It was shut off last spring as a result of a hard-fought community association campaign.  Apparently, people just got tired of hearing it.

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