JP's Blog

NBA Draft

2010-06-22T14:03:00.001-04:00

NBA in Cincinnati

2010-05-26T14:31:00.002-04:00

Bring the NBA back to Cincinnati!

Maybe not today or tomorrow but someday.

I know some people don't want to think about having to build a new arena (which we would have to do for this to ever work) but we need a new arena on the riverfront. We currently have the very outdated and undersized US Bank Arena. US Bank Arena is old and it shows.

Most NBA arenas are hold between 18,000 and 20,000 for a basketball game. US Bank Arena only holds about 17,000. The average NBA attendance is around 16,000 per game. So that tells me we don't need a super extravagant arena. Just an Arena that does what it needs to do. Look nice along the riverfront next to GABP and PBS and hold 20,000 people.

If you look at most NBA cities we compare pretty well. We would be larger than 7 markets and equal to 5 others. Cincinnati is the average for an NBA market size.

Another argument is that the NBA won't work in Cincinnati because we already have MLB and NFL. Milwaukee, Denver and Cleveland have similar or smaller markets and they have all three.

This is not something I see happening in the near future but I am hoping in my lifetime( I am only 22).

An expansion team could work. We would get a top 5 pick in the draft which in recent years has produced some stars(Lebron, DWade, CP3, Deron Williams, Chris Bosh, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard). It is said that Cincinnati will only support a winner. Cincinnati could have a winning NBA team within three season of existence. Three years of being in the NBA lottery and an expansion draft would be plenty to make the playoffs in the East.

You can't tell me people wouldn't come out and see the #8 seed Cincinnati team with say a Evan Turner type player against #1 seed Cleveland Cavs with a Lebron James.

I know I would. Let me know your thoughts concerns with having the NBA in Cincinnati.

Social Media

2010-03-26T15:48:00.002-04:00

At Game Day Communications, we have been helping clients with social media – how to use and engage their fan base. We thought Twitter Madness would be a good research project to share with our clients.

We decided to launch the sportswriter/blogger competition after we researched the men’s coaches who were using Twitter. We created a bracket for them and it was clear Coach Calipari was running away with his Social Media usage. Coach Calipari has over one million fans on Twitter and about 200,000 Facebook fans.

We also decided to take a look at the writers. I researched to find the “big guys” (ESPN, FOX, CBS, SI) then I decided to find bloggers. I found about 100 different writers that use Twitter and about 40-50 of them are specifically college basketball. I decided to edit the field to the top 32 writers/bloggers that use Twitter.

The most prominent statistic that you can't see from just looking at their account is how interactive they are. You have your ESPN tweeters and the "big guys" but then you have your Greg Doyel (CBS), Andy Glockner (SI), Peter Robert Casey and Jeff Goodman (FOX). These are four great writers you should follow who are for the most part agenda free and interactive. They do this because they love to write about basketball. You can tell the writers that care about what they do, they are the ones who tweet 900 times over two days about a couple of tournament games (Glockner).

Social Media is important. It is the future of news and sports coverage. It needs to be embraced by the writers. The ones who are embracing it now are the trend setters and as a fan I would like to thank them.

Quick list of writers worth following:
@greggdoyelcbs
@Peter_R_Casey
@aglock
@goodmanonfox
@chrisdenker
@JamesonFleming

Here is our complete Twitter Madness bracket: http://bit.ly/c5PMWZ

Madness

2010-03-26T14:59:00.000-04:00

March Madness has been madder than ever this year. So many upsets that you would not have dreamt of. Can you imagine a Final Four with Butler, Northern Iowa, UK and St. Mary's? Me either....

I am hoping for a Final Four of Tennessee, Kansas St, West Virginia and St. Mary's. Now I have my reasons for this. (Full disclosure I am a big UT fan and I can't root against them) Tennessee is one of the most solid teams left in the tournament. They beat Kansas and UK. They should be able to handle OSU but it will be a close game. I also think they match up well against a Butler or Kansas St.

UK is scary the rest of the way. They should have destroyed Cornell but they had trouble scoring in the second half. West Virginia's D is much better than Cornell so it will be interesting if John Wall can get his looks against a larger defender like Ebanks or Butler.

My bracket is ruined so here is my new bracket for the rest of the way:
UNI < UT in the Mid West
Butler < Kansas St. West
UK > WVU
Duke < Baylor

Final Four:
UT < Kansas St.
UK > Baylor

Championship
UK>Kansas St.

One more thing.

2009-08-03T22:21:00.000-04:00

If you want to watch a good TV show check out "Californication" or "Resuce Me". They are both very good. "Rescue Me" has been around for a while so will have to catch up but it is a great show. "Californication" is a pretty interesting show that is not for the kiddies. These are my two TV shows that I am watching this month. Next month will be the "Office."

Let me know if you would like me to talk about any other shows or movies.

Thoughts

2009-08-03T21:51:00.000-04:00

It is extremely hard to keep up with a blog. Especially when you have to work and have a life. So I have a new found respect for bloggers.

So here goes for me trying to blog. I recently put netflix on my xbox 360, great investment. I have been watching all kinds of movies. New, old, and TV series. A really good movie but not for someone who has a weak stomach is "Midnight Express". It is a movie from 1971 about a young guy trying to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. He gets caught and gets put in a Turkish prison for life. The movie is about how taxing his time in prison is on him mentally and physically. It is based on a true story. So if you want to check out something different then check out this movie.

It has been a while

2009-05-18T21:31:00.001-04:00

I am planning on keeping up with this now. I want to talk about movies and sports. This Thursday I am going to be going to the Reds game, Bootsy's, then to see Terminator Salvation.

After I see the movie I plan on blogging and giving my opinion on the movie. I also want people to tell me what movie to see. You can also follow me on twitter.com/owensjp

Fountain Square Ice Rink

2008-10-15T14:39:00.000-04:00

I am currently looking for employees for the Downtown Cincinnati Ice Rink.

Job Description

Fountain Square Ice Rink Customer Service Associate
Timeline: November 15 to March 1 (seasonal holiday positions are also available)

Overview:
We are seeking high energy, customer-service oriented individuals to work the Fountain Square Ice Skating Rink. Responsibilities will include: customer service, cash management and ice rink facility maintenance. Hours can range from part-time (10-15 hours/week) to full time (20-30 hours/week). Pay is $10 per hour with free downtown parking and uniform. Training is provided.

Deadline to apply:
Please send your cover letter and resume by October 15 to JP Owens at jpowens@gamedaypr.com or call (513) 929-4263.

For more information:
The Fountain Square Ice Skating Rink is managed by Game Day Communications. For more information on the company, visit http://www.gamedaypr.com/.