The catchy alliteration drew you in...

I wonder, are you like me? Are you emerged in a world of information and messages changing so rapidly it easily makes your head spin? Are you showing up every day putting your best effort in for a cause or organization you are passionate about just hoping the ship is pointed in the right direction? As professionals, we strive to make sense of it all in order to inform our strategies, objectives and tactics to make our organizations (and personal lives!) efficient and productive. We all want to feel like we have a grasp on current trends and best practices. But lets face it, this simple mission often seems like a herculean task! 

On a hunch, I'm guessing that description does not just apply to me. If you shook your head in agreement to any of the opening paragraph above, then you're in the right place. Join me and engage in the supportive community of Stoll on Sports, where I will share insights and perspectives on the state of sports (specifically sport tourism) and other topics of interest on a weekly basis all the while "keeping it real" as my college interns say. In other words, I vow to take risks, not be afraid to fail, and most importantly, grow from even the hardest lessons learned. The context of these postings may be framed in sport tourism, but my intent is that you will find their application appropriate for any industry, in addition to life in general. 

While my current day job is overseeing a non-profit sport tourism organization, the Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission, I was privileged to cut my teeth in sport management at a variety of levels in more capacities that you'll care to know about. From high school sports, to working in the PGA of America's Championship department for the 2008 Ryder Cup, coaching, to now starting a sport tourism non-profit from the point of a crazy little idea in my head and a blank sheet of paper, I've acquired a pretty darn diverse industry background and will draw on these experiences throughout this blog in an effort to share and learn with you.  

2008 Ryder Cup Team USA Victory Celebration

Thus, the development of Stoll on Sports (stollonsports.blogspot.com).

We'll kick things off the first few weeks exploring strategic communications and emerging media. Sounds fancy, doesn't it? Well, don't be alarmed. These topics will help us provide context through which sport products (events, news, brands, sponsorships, etc.) are marketed, consumed and covered by casual to "die-hard" sports participants and spectators. 

On this topic, I unapologetically note my allegiance to Ohio State Buckeye football and Louisville basketball (yes, I know, UofL's current status warrants a dedicated strategic communication blog on what NOT to do!). If these team affiliations offend you, it's been nice meeting you! But in all seriousness, I do hope you will stick around.


So while sport may be "fun and games" it is also a multi-billion dollar industry and a core component in the sense of identity here in the United States and in other nations around the world. In fact, Forbes estimates the size of the sport industry will grow to a whopping $73.5B by 2019. That's "billion" with a "B"! Without further ado, let's dive in and get started.


Thanks for joining me for the weekly adventure that awaits at Stoll on Sports!