Oct 23, 2009 by brian

Sportsvite’s Newest Teammate: The Nets

Nets Logo

The Nets have always realized the value of connecting with local amateur adult basketball players in their community. Last season, the Nets organized a 3-on-3 basketball promotion that was played at the IZOD center. Coming up on November 8th, head coach Lawrence Frank will host a coaches clinic and instructional lecture at the Nets practice facility. Also, the Nets players actually purchased 600 season tickets to share with underprivileged youth groups and community organizations.

So as the 2009-10 season is about to begin, Sportsvite and the Nets are again figuring out how to work with the Nets to reach out to basketball players/fans in the tri-state area.

Let’s cut to the chase, this means we have FREE Nets tickets and special discount offers for Sportsvite members! The Nets have been generous enough to give us a pair of tickets for the first three home games of the season that we can pass along to you.

Enter the Contest!

Entering our contest for free tickets is pretty simple. All you need to do is create a new Sportsvite bulletin and post it on the Sportsvite Facebook Fan page. We’ll pick one random entry for each game from all of the submissions. Hurry, submissions will only be accepted until the deadline listed below for each game. Not on the Facebook bandwagon? You can still enter to win by sending your bulletin via email to Sportsvite team member Nick B at nick@sportsvite.com.

Magic

Nets vs. Magic — Friday, October 30 at 8:00
Deadline: 2pm ET on Wednesday, October 28
Vince Carter makes his return on Opening Night

Nuggets

Nets vs. Nuggets — Wednesday, November 4 at 7:30
Deadline: 12 midnight ET on Sunday, November 1
Chauncey, Melo and K-Mart visit the IZOD Center

Celtics

Nets vs. Celtics — Saturday, November 7 at 7:30
Deadline: 5pm ET on Wednesday, November 4
Check out Boston’s Big 3

Discounted Tickets

You can still order select seats for the home opener against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic for 50% off the regular price. Plus, you’ll also receive 50% off hot dogs, candy and non-alcoholic beverages! Click here to learn more about the offer and to order your tickets.

Special Ticket Prices 50% OFF
$87.50 each (Regular price is $175, lower level)
$50 each (Regular price is $100, lower level)
$20 each (Regular price is $40, upper level)

How do I post a bulletin on Sportsvite?

Follow these six easy steps…

  1. Log in to Sportsvite.
  2. Visit the Bulletin Boards section on Sportsvite.com.
  3. Click on the blue CREATE A POST button in the top right corner.
  4. Select the Bulletin Board category from the list of six that best fits your request and click on it.
  5. Fill in the fields for your post: Title, Date Needed (optional), Sport and Message.
  6. Click the blue Create My Post button.

Sep 21, 2009 by Nick

Nick B. Joins The Sportsvite Team

It’s my pleasure to introduce myself to the Sportsvite Community as the new Senior Marketing Manager of Sportsvite. I have been a Sportsvite member since 2007, so I jumped at the opportunity to merge my career with my passion. I grew up in suburban New York City, but spent the last 6 years in Orlando, FL, before heading back up north earlier this month.

My path to 460 Park Avenue South began at Mount Saint Mary College, a small liberal arts college in Newburgh, NY, where I earned a B.A. in Public Relations. My undergraduate experience also included a very influential semester abroad at Middlesex University in London - the birthplace of my passion for the sport of soccer. I continued my education as part of the DeVos Sport Business Management program at the University of Central Florida, completing a dual Master’s degree that included a MBA and MSBM. My professional career has been a blend of sports marketing management and online marketing with organizations such as the Orlando Magic, MVP Sports Clubs and XOS Technologies.

I have had an affinity for playing and watching sports for as far back as I can remember. I grew up in a neighborhood filled with kids around my age (including a couple brothers) that shared my passion for athletics. From three-on-three basketball games to wiffle ball to tackle football, we played along with the seasons. I also spent my childhood on the baseball diamond, playing Little League baseball under the tutelage of my Dad from the time I was five years old. And when the weather didn’t cooperate with us, we relocated into the living room and created an indoor version of the sport in season (my Mom was never a huge fan of our ingenuity). We were also mimicking the swings of MLB players like Tim Teufel and Darryl Strawberry (yes, I’m a lifelong Mets fan) way before there was a Batting Stance Guy.

As an adult, I continue to play rec sports including pick-up basketball, college intramurals and soccer, volleyball and softball as part of the local sport and social club in Orlando. I’ve never been the best athlete on the field, but I take pride in my ability to play just about every sport respectably. I consider myself to be a fairly competitive guy (I’m not interested in playing if we’re not keeping score), but have also learned to have fun within the competitive climate. My definition of fun includes light trash talking, always rocking a headband and the occasional (well, incessant) use of the behind-the-back pass on the basketball court. I look forward to interacting with you online and, perhaps, you’ll be on the receiving end of one of those behind-the-back passes sometime in the future.

Drop me a note and say hey. You can find me on Sportsviteor twitter.

Aug 23, 2009 by samir

SV Adds New Sports: Airsoft, Cornhole, Floorball, Dragon Boat Racing, Camping

Sportsvite learns about cool new things in the wide world of sports every day. Often it’s by member sending us emails letting us know about new sports, events or tournaments. Every so often, the lunar calendar (and multiple member requests) mandates that we add new sports and activities to our community. We recently did just that by adding Airsoft, Cornhole, Floorball, Dragon Boat Racing and Camping. Obviously, this is great for those who are already participating in these sport and activities and can now use Sportsvite to help find other players or organize events. But it also allows everyone on Sportsvite to learn more about these new sports that are not familiar to them. Here’s a little 411 to get you started…

Airsoft

DID YOU KNOW: There’s a way to test out a lot of that military strategy you’ve learned on the History Channel without getting paint on your favorite camo pants.

Airsoft can best be described as bb warfare, though I wouldn’t recommend trying to invade your neighbor’s lawn with airsoft guns (they look just like real guns!). However, you can now use Sportsvite to find some airsoft buddies and meet up at an airsoft battlefield to shoot it out. Just be careful, BB’s can still sting from a distance. Unlike it’s militaristic off shoot Paintball, Airsoft relies on the honor system for a player to identify when they are hit since airsoft pellets do not leave visible marks on clothing. Nothing like relying on the person you’re trying to fake kill to be honest with you.

The name Airsoft is derived from the compressed-air gun that is used. It is usually powered by propane, compressed air or an electrically powered gearbox. Airsoft originated in the 1970’s in Japan. After it became illegal to own a firarm, manufactures filled the voide with realistic looking spring powered guns. The sport migrated to the US in the mid 1990’s. Learn all about airsoft on Wikipedia.

Here is a comical video on the 10 commandments of Airsoft by Airsoft Austria Television.

Cornhole

DID YOU KNOW: Beanbags can make your end of summer BBQs 100% more fun.

How much fun did you have throwing bean bags into cut-out holes when you were little? Add some good friends and a few beers, and you’ve got yourself a party. Cornhole (also known as tailgate toss, bean bag toss, bags, or baggo) is breaking out of its mid-Western shell and tossing itself onto Sportsvite.

The object of the game is to toss bean bags into a raised wooden platform with a hole at the end. A bag in the hole scores three points and a bag that lands on the platform scores one point. First team to 21 wins. You can find the official rules on the American Cornhole Association website.

Even Stephen Colbert has chimed in with his thoughts on the Cornhole craze calling it a “cross between horsehoes and sodomy”.

For those die hard players, check out the Cornhole Theme Song.

Floorball

DID YOU KNOW: There is a hugely popular global sport named Floorball.

Yes, floorball. You play it with a ball on the floor. Actually there is a lot more to it, as you hit the ball with short hockey sticks. The ball itself is unique in that it looks like a cross between a golf ball and a wiffle ball. The Czech Republic, Finland, and Sweden have pretty much mastered the game, but I don’t think that can stop any of us from having a good time playing.

There is actually an international governing body called the International Floorball Federation that was founded in 1986. 49 countries have national floorball associations that are recognized by the IFF. In December 2008, floorball received recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and they are now trying to make floorball an Olympic Sports in 2020. Get all the Floorball details on Wikipedia.

Check out some inspiring Floorball highlights.

Dragon Boat Racing

DID YOU KNOW: Dragons float.

Dragon Boat Racing is a sport that is similiar to Rowing (although a Dragon Boat paddler might disagree!), but based on the ceremonial Chinese dragon boat. Each Dragon Boat should have a drummer (similar to a crew team’s coxswain) who keeps rhythm of your team’s paddling with the beat of a drum. The paddlers (usually between 18 -22 per boat) sit facing forward, and a sweep sits at the helm, steering the boat. Dragon Boat Racing is one of the most requested sports to be added to Sportsvite.

Dragon Boat Racing is also one of the world’s oldest sports originating in China over 2000 years ago. It just recently became a more organized sport, with actual organized competitions beginning in Hong Kong in 1976.

One of the biggest Dragon Boat races in North America is in Vancouver. Here’s a video recap of this year’s event.

Camping

DID YOU KNOW: I went camping last weekend.

Camping is a fun activity which can be used as a hub for other fun activities. A few good friends and a nice fire is all you need to have a good time while camping, but many camping areas are close to places that offer other activities such as hiking, white water rafting, and paintball arenas. When it comes down to it, camping offers a fairly inexpensive way to vacation for the weekend, and can lead to good times that you’ll never forget.

Check out websites like camping.com, KOA Campgrounds, and Reserve America to find great camping locations and trips.

If you know of any sports that you play and aren’t part of our community then let us know about it! We’ll even let you write the blog post introducing the game to Sportsvite.

Aug 10, 2009 by brian

Hurry Up and Recruit; Tell Your Teammates Promotion Ends 8/15

Sportsvite’s “Tell Your Teammates” promotion ends this week (August 15). There’s just a few precious days left to recruit eight of your unenlightened friends to join Sportsvite thereby allowing you to receive a free $15 gift card to Sportsauthority.com. Right now, Miami Drag Boat Racer Kristen (53) has a solid lead over soccer player Diego (41) and Michelle (32).

tyt promo

A few SV members have really hit the pavement and are vying for the $200 grand prize that goes to the best overall recruiter. Check out the leaderboard to see who’s in the running.

Yeah, we know we shouldn’t have to bribe members to get their athletic friends to join the Sportsvite community. That’s why we don’t look at it that way. We’re just trying to enable our viral loop. That’s digital nerd speak for saying that We’re trying to shout out that the more people you know on Sportvite the stronger and more useful it makes the community for everyone.

For all you litigious athletes out there, feel free to check out the contest’s official rules.

tyt promo

Aug 05, 2009 by brian

The Sportsvite Weekly - Read All About It

Hopefully, you’ve noticed a new Sportsvite email in your inbox each Monday or Tuesday morning.   A few weeks ago we launched the Sportsvite Weekly email newsletter. The goal of the “Weekly” is to deliver a concise snapshot of all that is happening in a member’s local rec sports scene. The Weekly consists of a few different sections;

Personal Alerts and Updates

The Weekly has links to a member’s unread messages, pending requests and upcoming sports event and activites. It also provides a link to quickly update the sports status message.

Compatible Players

Displays new players in your area who share similar sports interests. Includes profile thumbnails and links to the players. Also includes a link to view even more compatible players.

Teams & Groups

Displays teams and groups in your area that are looking for playersBulletinsLocal bulletin messages from the Sportsvite Community

Promotions

We usually include a promotion from Sportsvite, a league partner, or occasional an advertiser or sponsor

So far, so good. We’ve had an encouraging response to the Weekly and the open and click through rates have been great. It super easy to unsubscribe for those old curmudgeons who don’t want to be bothered. We want to make sure this newsletter stays fresh and are always searching for new ways to make it more useful, informative and interesting. Get in touch if you have feedback or suggestions. We’d love to hear from you (and will send you a Sportsvite head band for a good idea — got to keep that precious brain protected).

Here is a screenshot of the newsletter:

sample newsletter