2013 Update

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It has been a long time since I updated this page, but I guess that’s what happens when one is super busy with taking classes, teaching classes, interning with two different organizations, and trying to have some fun too. UNC has certainly tested my time management skills, but then again, that’s great preparation for the real world. After one semester down, I feel like I have learned a lot about my views on many issues and what my leadership/management style will be like in the future. My classmates have varied positions  on these topics as well, and debating and discussing with them has provided me with invaluable insights that will help me craft decisions in the future. This semester I’ll wrap up the classes I have to take for the program while stepping up my involvement in the marketing department as wrestling, swimming and diving, and softball all have home events that I must plan and execute. So far the coaches have been great to work with, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can come up with. I hope to be more active on here this year with updates and thoughts on the most pressing issues facing sports. Have a great 2013 everyone!

How Firm Thy Friendship

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As I wind down my time in Columbus, I have been looking back at my year with the Buckeyes. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity I had, the learning I was able to do, the friends I made, and the memories I will take with me. I had never been to Ohio when I packed up the U-Haul last August and drove west with my grandma, and I won’t lie, I definitely had some butterflies. I had just graduated and was leaving everything I had known to go to a completely new place with no friends or idea of what it would be like. Without the people I had here, I don’t think it would have been the same great experience that it was; my friends here truly became a part of my family.

I am also glad that I was able to interact with some great coaching staffs and teams. Women’s soccer, ice hockey, lacrosse, and wrestling were extremely different, and each provided different challenges and opportunities, but working with the coaches and players made it enjoyable, rewarding, and ultimately successful. Women’s basketball, football, and basketball games were also incredibly fun to attend and work. I will continue following these teams and I know they will be extremely successful in the future. I can’t wait to see them when I visit Columbus in the future.

So, Columbus, it’s been a lot of fun and I have learned a lot. I leave with friendships and memories, which is all you can ask for when going to a new place. I am very excited for the next step in my life, but I will always look back fondly on my time as a Buckeye.

O-H!

New Direction

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Once again, it has been far too long since I have posted on here, but at least today’s post is filled with good news. I am happy to announce that I will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill starting this fall as part of their Master’s of Sport Administration program. I am beyond excited to be back in the ACC and on the East Coast at an institution I respect. To be able to work with the Tar Heel athletic department is another privilege that I am very much looking forward to.

Now back to Ohio State and my wonderful Buckeyes. It has been a very busy winter here in Columbus. Men’s and women’s basketball enjoyed great home records and I really loved working music and promotions at both sports. Wrestling finished undefeated at home and we ended up breaking four school attendance records this season, including:

  • 1st time ever over 3,000 average (at 3,126/dual)
  • All-time high for total attendance (15,631 in 5 duals)
  • Top crowd (5,684 for Iowa)
  • Drawing two crowds over 5,000 in one year (Iowa and Michigan)
Women’s ice hockey was a great learning experience as well and I was able to be creative with new promotional ideas. Working with the team and coaching staff was a lot of fun and I have a new-found appreciation for the sport. Our biggest game was Senior Day against Minnesota, where the pep band came to support the team. We had our highest attendance of the season and also gave away promotional hockey pucks with the seniors on them – the fans seemed to really like those.
I am now working on hosting the 2012 NCAA Fencing National Championships here on campus and my spring sport, women’s lacrosse. The coaching staff is phenomenal to work with (the head coach is a Terp!) and the team is off to a fantastic start. We had a chance to play inside historic Ohio Stadium for the first time, a true signature moment for the program. I am interested to see how our next two games, against ranked conference opponents Florida and Penn State, go as we are trying to create a strong home-field advantage for the team. Look for an update soon with how our busy March ended up!

Columbus Keeps Me Busy

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Good morning everyone! It has been 2 months since I last posted and that is totally unacceptable. The only excuse I have is that it is very hard to find the time to post but that really isn’t a great one. So to update everyone on what has been going on at The Ohio State University:

  • Women’s soccer is winding down its season, with the final home game/senior day on 10/30 against Indiana. We had the second highest attendance in the history of OSU women’s soccer at the game against North Carolina, with 2,892 people coming out to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium to see the Buckeyes and Tar Heels. I have really, really enjoyed working with the coaches and players throughout the season and hope they finish strong and achieve the goals they set themselves, even though I know they are somewhat disappointed by where they sit right now.
  • Women’s ice hockey is now in full swing and the team has opened with its best start ever, going 3-0-1 in the first 4 games, all at home against conference foes. The new coach and his staff are absolutely hysterical and really great to work with because they are willing to do anything to help and feel that everyone is part of the success of the program. The next home series is against defending NCAA Champions and current number one Wisconsin Badgers, which will be a very tough test, but we are expecting great crowds and are hoping for an upset. I think this year will be a very exciting one for the team and I cannot wait to see how the team does.
  • Wrestling starts next month but preparations are well under way with all sorts of meetings and ideas being thrown around to make the atmosphere as good as can be. Coach Ryan is a ball of energy and has high expectations, but with his personality, you always want to do your best because he is such a good and positive person. We just filmed head shots for the wrestlers that will be used as their introductions before matches, and some of the personalities really shined through.
  • Basketball season is also upon us, with both men’s and women’s teams beginning to practice and getting ready to open in a matter of weeks. The men’s team is predicted to make a run at the Final Four this year and should be a top-ranked team all season. The women’s team also has a lot of talent and expectations are high for another Big Ten title and deep NCAA tourney run. I will be working mostly with the women’s team doing music and promotions, which will be a great experience.
  • And football, of course, is still dominating the headlines. The team showed that its defense is still top-notch and the offense has steadily improved as Braxton Miller is given more time to learn the ropes. Our next home game is a nationally-televised game against #4 Wisconsin and I think it should be an absolute blast of a game to be at. The school has decided to make it a ‘Scarlet Out’, so the stadium should be jumping the entire time. I think we beat the badgers!
  • Personally, I have moved in to my new apartment and have enjoyed living in the Short North area of Columbus. There are a lot of restuarants and bars nearby and it’s a nice neighborhood.

Thanks and I’ll be sure to update you sooner next time!

Let the Games Begin!

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Sorry for the delay in updating the blog. It has been quite an eventful few weeks between saying goodbye to all of my friends and family at Maryland and making the move out to Columbus and finally starting my job at OSU. Leaving Maryland was even harder than I thought it would be; it has been my home for the past four years, and the people I’ve met, the experiences I had, and the memories I’ve made will stay with me forever. In that vein, I was honored to be able to see my name engraved on the ODK fountain before I left.

Doron Tamari will always be at UMD

So on to the updates: my car didn’t make the trip and I will be without one for the foreseeable future, meaning I have converted into a bicycle-riding hippie for now. Riding to work isn’t as bad as it sounds though it definitely took some getting used to, plus ask me how it is in the winter time. I will be moving in to an apartment in the Short North neighborhood at the beginning of September, and the area is very nice and has a lot of cool places to go out and see. Once that’s settled, I think I’ll be able to discover everything that Columbus has to offer.

My first week on the job has also been a ton of fun. The staff is amazing, supportive, and creative, making the 5th floor of the Fawcett Center a great place to work, learn, and grow as a sports marketer. My first tasks have to do with women’s soccer, which is coming off of a very successful Big Ten Championship campaign. We have a great schedule, including games against UNC and Big Ten opponents. My goal is be near the top of the Big Ten in attendance figures and to create the best possible atmosphere at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The first game is actually tonight against Xavier, so we’ll see how everything goes! After that, football starts on September 3, which is the biggest beast I think I’ve ever seen – 105,000 people packed into the Horseshoe on Saturday afternoons, all wearing Scarlet and Gray – it will definitely be a sight to behold.

                                  Can’t wait to experience this!

Ohio State Here I Come!

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This past week has been a very exciting one for me. My journey to one day becoming an Athletic Director took a big step forward when I was offered a position in the Athletic Department at The Ohio State University, one of the nation’s top programs. The position, Fan Experience and Promotions Intern, will allow me take charge of the marketing and promotions of my own individual sports while also assisting on football and basketball game-days. I believe that this experience will be absolutely critical to my future and will allow me to learn a ton, try new and different things, and be a part of one of the best sporting environments in the world. Last year, Ohio State finished second in the Director’s Cup, meaning that they win across all sports. I cannot wait to begin next month and I look forward to updating this site with some of the exciting things I’ll be working on.

Introducing the Google Life Engine: Google+

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So if you were lucky enough to be invited to join Google+, the new and (Google hopes) revolutionary social platform, you still weren’t able to make an account for a few days. Tonight I was finally able to sign up for my own account (add me to your circle!!) but I have to be honest, I don’t think I understand what Google is trying to do here. At face value, it looks like a cheap and bland copy of Facebook with the added negative that you have to basically start from scratch. I understand that the “revolution” is just beginning so I am definitely not saying that my opinion is set in stone, but I am a little bit skeptical of what will happen next. Google has done a masterful job of creating demand for Google+ by limiting supply to only those invited by their peers, but once they create their profile, will people use the site and to what extent?

Ultimately, Google is trying to flex its muscle and prove that is more than just a search engine, but has now become a life engine, one that we use for everything and anything we can think of. Google+ is a natural progression of what Google has been working on over the past few years, and the fact that they are able to integrate with their rapidly expanding Android operating system gives them a large advantage over Facebook and even Apple’s iOS. Like almost everything else Google touches, I believe that Google+ will succeed as more and more people create profiles and find out what exactly sets it apart from other social networking sites. Right now Facebook and Twitter dominate the space, but as MySpace has proven, the status quo can always change; I look forward to finding out for myself, as well.