The Checkers Let You Check Out Their "Cribs"

Are you looking for new ways to leverage housing/realtor partners? Are you looking for ways to help build the identity of your organization's players outside of the stadium/arena? 

The ECHL's Charlotte Checkers recently promoted their partnership with the Park at Steele Creek living community by creating a humorous "Cribs" vignette that features the apartment of defenseman Ethan Graham. The 8:31 feature does a tremendous job profiling "The Official Off-Ice Home of the Charlotte Checkers" and provide fans with an inside look at the lifestyle of a minor league hockey player. It's refreshing to see teams work so closely with their players to provide unique content for fans (even if we aren't dealing with mansions and luxury automobiles behind the scenes)...

The Checkers feature the Cribs vignette along with a collection of other videos on the team's official YouTube Channel (check it out - a nice benchmark for other minor league organizations). 

Check out the Checkers' Cribs segment below:

Hats off to Thomas Smith and Patrick Stack for continuing to do some great things for the Checkers organization... keep up the great work!

LSU Promotes Facilities with Cribs Segment...

Are you looking for new ways to promote collegiate facilities to potential student athlete recruits? Are you looking for new ways to subtly showcase corporate partners in the collegiate space?

LSU Athletics recently released a tremendous "Cribs" segment that showcases the athletic department's premier facilities. With assistance from senior guard Lyle Hitt, the segment takes fans and student athlete recruits behind the scenes of the Charles McClendon Practice Facility, consisting of:

• The weight room
• Training room
• Rehabilitation pools
• Indoor practice facility
• Equipment room
• Bowl Game banners
• The locker room
• The student athlete lounge
• The computer lab
• Meeting and film rooms
• LSU coaches offices
• Trophy cabinets

The segment even includes Muscle Milk product placement, glimpses of Nike team footwear and apparel, and an Everlast punching bag.

But what separates this piece from most others?

The segment, produced internally by LSU Athletics, is extremely well done. Viewers are provided a glimpse of the facilities from a student athlete's point of view in a very professional manner. The segment is currently being featured on LSUSports.net and www.LesMiles.net. The clip has generated 150K hits since it was posted less than two (2) weeks ago - a testament to the effectiveness of the high quality video production.

Yet the question remains whether this video will raise some concerns amongst members of the NCAA:

• With the video focusing on the "student-athlete experience", shouldn't LSU Athletics have at least included a feature/mention of the Academic Center (even if it is not a part of the practice facility)?
• Will the NCAA soon put an end to athletic departments/collegiate coaches posting content clearly student-athletes on their official websites (to drive more web traffic)?

Check out the 2009 LSU Cribs Edition below: