Graduate students responsible for Globetrotters' Athens appearance
By Jackie Zimmermann, Staff Writer
January 18, 2008 | 7:30 p.m.
The Globetrotters dazzled the crowd Wednesday night with jaw-dropping trick shots, elaborate passes and a 77-66 win over the Washington Generals. If it weren't for a group of 32 graduate students, however, Athens may have never gotten to experience the Globetrotters’ wild antics firsthand.
Dr. David Ridpath’s Sports and Sports Consumers class took on the responsibility of planning and promoting the Globetrotters visit and in doing so learned valuable lessons to apply to their future careers.
“I’ve really learned how important it is to believe in the product,” said the sponsorship committee chair Pat Stack, who has seen the Globetrotters perform in the past.
“If I believe in it,” he continued, “I can look someone in the eye and get them to buy into it as well.”
Stack and his peers have been planning the event since early fall quarter. Even with all the pre-preparation, winter intersession took a toll on the planning, and the students had to really hit the ground running when they returned to Athens.
“Normally the eight weeks before an event is one of the busiest times for planning and preparation,” Stack said. “It was difficult to get everything moving again when we came back.”
However, with dedication and the help of a few students that remained in Athens over break, the group was able to kick it into gear and managed to end up with presale numbers close to their actual goal.
“We are at over 3,000 tickets with presales,” ticket manager Michael Jacobs said, “and our goal was 4,000 to 4,500.”
Impressive tickets sales, which reached to areas in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, were a result of a vigorous advertising campaign that included a promotion with the Athena Grand and a visit from Globetrotter ambassador “Moo-Moo” Evans a few weeks before the event. “Moo-Moo” spent his afternoon in Athens talking to over 100 kids at the recreation center and visiting local radio stations, Jacobs said.
Unfortunately for Ohio University students, the visit took place before many had returned from winter intersession.
Even if students missed seeing a single Globetrotter up-front and in-person, the team’s performance provided both students and community members with a spectacular night of trick shots, dancing and witty confrontations with the referees. The crowd was a top priority for the Globetrotters, and members of the audience were often called on to participate in the performance. Whether it was stealing a little boy’s popcorn to eat while playing or getting a young woman to give a peck on the cheek in return for her snatched handbag, the crowd involvement was just as entertaining as the basketball tricks.
At one point, the team even succeeded in getting the entire crowd on its feet and dancing to the YMCA. For co-chair of the event Brian Brantley, the crowd’s obvious appreciation for the members of the team and their antics gave him a sense of accomplishment, and he hopes to see the Globetrotters back in Athens again.
“Next time we’ll get the Convo completely filled up,” he said, enthusiastically motioning to the third tier of the center that had been scattered with fans during the game.
The first and second tiers, however, were packed full of cheering, laughing spectators that reminded him of his own experience with the Globetrotters.
“I saw the Globetrotters as a kid,” he said, “and it was moving to see that even though the style of entertainment has evolved, it is still a positive and exciting experience for kids and families.”
All the hard work and dedication from Brantley, his peers and the community allowed for the event to be pulled off without a hitch.
“I mean we aren’t the Brady Bunch,” Brantley said, referring to the minor “hiccups” that occurred during the planning process, “but everyone really came together on this: the Center for Sports Administration, the Athletic Department, local businesses and the OU and Athens Police. Everyone just stepped up.”
The game brought in 5,342 spectators.
A percentage of the profit will go back to the Sports Administration & Faculty Management program.
“It was great to see this many people come out on a Wednesday night in January,” Brantley said. “It was just a lot of fun.”
---