What makes this Sports Marketing textbook different? Business Perspective Strategic Approach Spotlight on Ethics The Most Current Examples Teaching resources available at www.prenhall.com/shank

OverviewOne of the greatest challenges for sports marketers is trying to keep pace with the ever changing, fast-paced environment of the sports world. Since the first edition of this text was published three years ago, numerous changes have taken plate and challenges to sports marketers emerge daily. First, costs have been rising quickly. Athlete salaries continue to escalate. Alex Rodriguez was signed by the Texas Rangers for an unbelievable contract of 10 years and an average of $25.2 million per year, the largest contract in the history of sports. To pay for this, new stadiums and arenas have been built at a rapid pace. Industry experts estimate that more than $7 billion will be spent on new facilities for professional teams before 2006. This will lead to an increase in the number of seats. Each ticketholder will also pay more. Ticket prices continue to increase and drive the common fan out of the sport arena. For instance, the average seat at a NBA game climbed from $22.52 in 1991 to $51.02 in 2001. But this may not be the largest problem in sports now. For the first time in a long time, TV ratings for sports are sinking. NBC's coverage of the 2000 Summer Games drew the lowest ratings for a Summer or Winter Olympics since 1968. The NCAA men's college basketball title game dropped 18 percent from a year ago, which was the previous low since CBS started airing the event in 1982. The All-Star games for the NBA and baseball were the worst-rated ever and Fox Sports' telecasts of the New York Yankees' five-game victory over the cross-city Mets produced the lowest-rated World Series in history. New leagues such as the XFL and the WUSA continue to emerge, and established leagues like the CBA have played their last game.The one constant in this sea of change is the incredible appetite of consumers for sports. We get sports information on the Web, watch sports on network and cable tv, read about sports in the newspaper and sports magazines, talk to friends about sports, purchase sports merchandise, participate in sports, and attend sporting events in record numbers. The sports industry has experienced tremendous growth in the 1990s and is currently estimated to be a $350 billion industry in the United States. Moreover, the sports industry is flourishing around the globe. The expansion of the sports industry has triggered a number of important outcomes: More sports related jobs are being created and more students are interested in careers in the sports industry. As student interest grows, demand for programs in sports administration and classes in sports marketing have also heightened.In this book, we will discover the complex and diverse nature of sports marketing. Moreover, a framework will be presented to help explain and organize the strategic sports marketing process. Even if you are not a sports enthusiast, you should become excited about the unique application of marketing principles and processes to the sports industry. Why This Book?Programs and courses in sports marketing are emerging at universities across the country. Surprisingly, few sports marketing textbooks exist and none is written from a strategic marketing perspective. In the first edition of this book, I sought to fill this void. The second edition represents an effort to improve the first edition and capitalize on its strengths. My goals for the second edition are to provide: A framework or conceptual model of the strategic marketing process that can be applied to the sports industry.The contingency framework is presented as a tool for organizing the many elements that influence the strategic sports marketing process and recognizes the unpredictable nature of the sports industry. In addition, the contingency framework allows us to explore complex relationships between the elements of sports marketing. An appreciation for the growing popularity of women's sports and the globalization of sport.<