By Renee Martinez
I was on the phone with my friend tonight who was sharing his experience with his son’s baseball team. None of my guys play baseball, but it all sounds the same, just a different sport. His son plays on 10 year old travel baseball in the Pittsburgh area. He told me:
- This year was supposed to be an open try-out for an A team and a B team and when he showed up for the try out, they found out that the 7 coaches all had sons trying out – who turned out to make the A team. Coincidence?
- Typically they play 10 players and form teams of 12. Well, in this year, 25 kids tried out, but they didn’t want to cut anyone. There was one child who was afraid of the ball and didn’t know the first thing about baseball, but since the club didn’t want cut him, they added him to the roster.
- Before the teams ever practice together, their positions are already figured out based on who their coaches are and where the coaches sons want to play.
- Coaches kids will play the key positions regardless of how many errors they make or how many runs they let in.
- Coaches use inappropriate behavior with and in front of the kids.
- The behavior of some of the kids – such as throwing tantrums, bats on the ground and crying. The coaches never say anything.
- Umpires swear in front of the kids.
- Parents fight and or threaten fights with one another.
At the end of our conversation, he told me his son will be skiing next year.
About the Author: Renee Martinez consults and speaks professionally on social media marketing, integrated marketing communications, public relations and branding. She is the president of Ruby Marketing Communications (www.rubymarcom.com), a boutique marketing communications company that specializes in providing branding, social media strategy and integration, and creative services. Her blog (www.lisac95.sg-host.com), provides resources on everything marketing and social media for her active audience.
Renee has contributed as a featured monthly columnist in the monthly jewelry industry publication, JCK on matters related to internet marketing as well as in InStore Magazine as a featured blogger where she writes about developing effective marketing strategies for the jewelry industry using social media. She is the founder of: Social Media Biz Summit (www.socialmediabizsummit.com), the first large-scale SM conference to come to Buffalo, NY; #jewelrychat, a weekly twitter chat for the jewelry industry and www.RaisingBoysWorld.com. Renee teaches social marketing courses at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY for the business school as well as offers small group social media marketing training and educational seminars for businesses in Western New York and beyond.
Renee has dabbled in internet marketing arena since the early 90′s and is not ashamed to call herself a “marketing geek”. From chatting in AOL, “sharing” music on Napster, and teaching HTML classes before it was considered “cool” to developing comprehensive social media strategies, effective public relations campaigns and managing online communities (most recently Chevy Girls Buffalo).
She enjoys being able to help people find their voice online and to create buzz about their product or service that will give them the results they desire.
Renee can be found on Twitter (@reneemmartinez) and Facebook (http:/www.facebook.com/RubyMarCom).
