Fan Blog: Cavs Trade-Deadline

Every season around this time there are tons of rumors floating around the NBA in regards to potential trades that could be going on. This year was no exception. Big names such as Dwight Howard, Monta Ellis, and Carmelo Anthony were all thrown around into these rumors. But even though there weren't any major blockbuster deals this year, some teams did make a splash.

The Cavs were heavily involved in these trade rumors. With only a few players that were considered 'absolutely safe' from being traded on the roster, the Cavs were not afraid to make any sort of deal. The two names that were rumored to be most likely to being traded were Point Guard, Ramon Sessions and Power Forward, Antawn Jamison. Antawn Jamison has come on strong this year and could offer a potential playoff team with a veteran presence that could become a second or third scorer for the team. Several teams were interested but in the end no deal went down for Jamison.

However, Ramon Sessions was another story. The Los Angeles Lakers have been rumored to be heavily interested in acquiring Sessions for about two months now. With the core group of their team aging and the trade of veteran point guard Derek Fisher, the Lakers were forced to trade for the Cavaliers young scoring point guard. Sessions was traded to the Lakers along with Christian Eyenga on March 22nd after averaging 10.4 points per game and 5.4 assists per game so far this season with the Cavs. In return Cleveland got the Lakers 2012 first round draft pick as well as Power Forward Luke Walton. This is yet another move in the rebuilding process for Cleveland. They continue stockpiling draft picks and with the acquisition of this pick they now could have three first rounders this year. With a strong draft class coming out of college this year, it seems like there couldn't be a much better year to have all these picks.

Class Blog: Social Media Marketing

Social media is becoming more and more prevelant in sports marketing today. Twitter is probably the most common place where this takes place. Twitter offers players the unique and new opportunity to personnally market their teams as well as theirselves. What is so unique about this form of advertising is that it is an interaction directly between players and fans. Players are even advertising for teams that they don't play on. I know the Cleveland Browns players Joe Haden and Josh Cribbs both urge fans to come out to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers whenever they come to games. Josh Cribbs even had a special code offered on his Twitter account that fans could redeem for tickets and a meet and greet with him before the Cavs game. These marketing opportunities were unheard of as little as a few years ago.

Teams are using social media as well. Practically every single professional team has a Facebook and Twitter page as well as multiple blogs and vlogs. The Cavaliers frequently post video interviews on their website with players and announcers to give fans a background look at the organization. Many teams even offer discounted tickets or advertise for upcoming promotions on their Twitter or Facebook pages. A new online ticketing base used by several teams such as the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, and several others creates an interesting and innovative way to market each team. The company is called FlashSeats and they have totally eliminated paper tickets for these teams. Rather tickets can be bought and sold on the website and just emailed to whoever goes to the game. Once purchased, you just scan your credit card or drivers license at the gate of the arena and they will give you your tickets there. This site creates an interactive place where season ticket holders can communicate with every other fan on ticket prices and other issues involving their teams.