Hot Dogs and Basketball – Both Are A Good Time

Basketball season is coming to an end. As a Cavs fan, the season has been over for a long time now. Despite my team not having a chance at the playoffs, I had the privilege of attending the last Cavs home game this season. And I got to enjoy it from floor seats. FREE floor seats.

How did I get free seats you ask? A few weeks back I saw the Cavs (@cavs) tweet out a contest. All I had to do was follow Sugardale Foods (@SugardaleFoods) on Twitter and fill out the entry form. It was as simple as that. If you were selected as the winner, I got two floor seats to an upcoming game and a year supply of Sugardale hot dogs.

The Call

I was at work one day and saw that I had a missed call on my cell phone. I googled the number, and it showed no results for a match. I saw the caller had left a voicemail. It was Sugardale letting me know that I had been selected as the Cleveland Cavaliers “Follow @SugardaleFoods to Win” Sweepstakes winner. Needless to say, I thought it was a joke! I am NOT lucky. The voicemail continued to tell me that I won two floor seats to the Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards fan appreciation night game and a year supply of Sugardale beef franks.

All of my friends, family and co-workers were beyond excited to hear that I won a year supply of hot dogs. All they could think about was how many hot dogs a year supply was. For those of you wondering, it’s 1 lb. of Sugardale beef franks for 52 weeks. In total, I received 52 coupons for free hot dogs. They are even personalized for me!

For weeks now, I’ve gotten countless hot dogs recipes sent to me. Who knew there were so many options for hot dogs?!?

Despite the Cavs playing like a D-League team their last game, I had a great time! Floor seats we’re awesome! We had access to a private bar, hor d’oeuvres, lots of clean bathrooms with no waiting, and nice padded seats. As it turns out, we sat by Browns player Phil Taylor, former Brown Bernie Kosar, Cavaliers great Big Z and Cavs GM Chris Grant. It was a star-studded event 🙂

My PeRspective

Social media is great. It connects so many people and provides many opportunities. It’s crazy to think that all I did was follow @SugardaleFoods on Twitter and I won floor seats and a year supply of hot dogs!

I had such a great time at the game and couldn’t help but tell people about Sugardale. Everyone I work with is now drooling over hot dogs and may have gone out to buy some when talking about winning the sweepstakes with me. It’s a great promotion for Sugardale. And who knows, once I try some of these hot dogs it may make me brand loyal.

The only down side, it was fan appreciate night at the Cavs game and I did not win anything! Maybe I should take that up with Dan Gilbert.

Enjoying our floor seats at the Cavs game!

*Please note, Sugardale Foods and the Cleveland Cavaliers did not ask me to write this post. Neither organization gave me anything monetary. I am responsible for all state and local taxes associated with the sweepstakes.

 

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Love for Cleveland

Picture this: a 5’11”, 21 year-old man sitting courtside at a Cavs game in a full basketball uniform and a painted on beard.

Great visual, huh? Do you picture that man as the “ultimate” Cavs fan? Well, right now, he could be considered that.

Haden posted this picture on his Twitter page on March 29th

That “ultimate” fan is Cleveland Browns’ cornerback Joe Haden. Was Haden born here you ask? No, he is from Maryland. Did he go to college here you ask? No, he went to Florida. If he has no Cleveland ties other than playing here, why does he do it?

In an interview with Waiting For Next Year on March 14 Haden said:

“I want to make sure that I can get my face out there as much as possible and show the fans that I appreciate them. We have amazing fans that come out. And just for them to show the support, the least I can do is give autographs or hold events for the fans who watch Cleveland sports.  As much as I can give back, I try.”

Haden talks to his fans on Twitter, he visits local establishments, he goes to Monsters and Gladiators games and he’s even having his 22nd birthday party at Barley House in Cleveland. He has totally committed himself to this city and I love it.

Haden’s crazy antics have made him one of the most likable Cleveland athletes. (Ranked right up there with Josh Cribbs!) I mean, how can you not like someone jumping around in a full basketball uniform cheering on the Cavs? 🙂

Even Dan Gilbert (@cavsdan) took notice of Haden in a Tweet on March 23:” @joehaden23 Thanks 4 your big time support Joe(& all Cavs fans).Sorry we didn’t deliver 2Nite.This pain will continue 2 be our motivation…”

Don’t get me wrong, just because you’re a professional athlete in Cleveland doesn’t mean you have to be a Cleveland fan. Browns player Eric Wright (@ithinkurwright) is a well-known LA Lakers fan, but he gives the Cavs credit when credit is due. You can’t be mad at that.

It’s great to see such a promising athlete give back to the city that’s embraced him. I think Haden has it all figured out. There’s a new #23 in Cleveland! Come Browns season, Haden Nation will be in full swing!

Credits L to R: Chuck Crow/Plain Dealer, Jared Wickerham/Getty Images, Tony Dejak/Plain Dealer, Joe Haden/Twitter

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Born Here. Raised Here. Played Here. Betrayed Here.

Wait, don’t leave my blog post just yet! Don’t let the title fool you!

I know what you’re thinking: Melissa, I don’t care about Le-you-know-who! I’m so mad about what he did!

I’m not going to talk about someones “talents” going to South Beach. I’m not going to talk about how betrayed I feel as a Cavs fan. I’m not going to talk about how mad I am that someone went on national television just to boost their ego in a one hour “special”. I’m not going to talk about the fact I’m not mad that someone left, I’m mad about how someone went about announcing it. I’m not going to talk about how someone possibly threw the playoffs.

Above, are things I’m not going to talk about 🙂

Chris Grant’s Statement

After a one hour “special” to break Cleveland’s heart, the Cavs responded quickly. General Manager Chris Grant issued a statement on the Cavs website:

“We believe in this team, this organization, this community, and what we will do to compete at the highest level. We believe in the new coach and leader we have in Byron Scott, and the world class basketball organization and positive and strong culture we’ve established. Dan Gilbert and our ownership group are firmly committed to reaching our goals and succeeding on the court and in the community, at the highest level.”

“Our fans stepped up and showed their support, to a degree unlike anywhere else. We are fortunate to have the support of the best fans in the NBA. That passion and dedication will be rewarded. We will work relentlessly to continue to build a team that will contend. A team that will win championships. We are all competitors and our one goal is to win, that and Dan Gilbert and our ownership team’s commitment and investment in this organization and community are constants that will not change.”

This statement was 100% appropriate. It was issued in the correct manner, at the correct time.

Dan Gilbert’s Letter

The statement heard around the world is more like it! Dan Gilbert decided to write a letter to Cleveland.

When I first saw it, I thought it was fake! I had to check the Cavs homepage a couple of times to believe that the letter was real. (I also did a screen shot so I’d have the letter just in case it got taken down) Did I mention that the entire letter was in Comic Sans font? It was like a 13 year old girl was writing it! Lots of bold, capital letters and quotation marks, too.

Here’s a little snippet of what Gilbert said after someones decision:

Gilbert also made a big statement in the letter: “I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVILERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE.”

My PeRspective

I love my Cleveland Cavaliers. I will continue to go to games at The Q. I will continue to wear my Cavs gear and smile. I will watch the Cavs when they are televised.

I thought the statement issued by the GM was very classy. He issued a statement to try and reassure fans that it will be okay. It was the right thing to do. He didn’t say anything in the statement that could come back and hurt the organization.

Now, the statement issued by Gilbert……… You have to love his intensity. I truly believe that he meant well by issuing that letter. I love his passion, it jumps off the page. I think he was trying to channel the anger that fans had into positive energy towards the Cavs team next season. I think he wanted everyone to forget about what just happened and keep in a positive mindset with what the Cavs are capable of. Promising a championship…I’ll let that one go.

I think Gilbert could have toned down certain areas of his letter. Maybe he needed to make a draft, sleep on it, then come back and see what he thought. (I would love to see what the original draft looked like). Many people have been reacting to this letter. I don’t think this letter will have a negative impact on the Cavs. If you’re a Cavs fan, you’re still going to buy tickets after reading this letter.

I do believe some parts of the letter were appropriate. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t pumped after reading it. Dan Gilbert got me excited. He made me start to get excited for the things that are to come. I just hope that people aren’t actually offended after reading this letter. If they are, they need to step back and take a look at the entire situation. I’m sure most of us would act irrationally in Gilbert’s situation. I’m looking forward to all of the details coming out about what else fueled the writing of the letter.

If you take anything away from Gilbert’s letter, make sure it’s this:

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One Goal

Welp, Cleveland it’s that time of year again. NBA playoff time.

Hearing that just makes me cringe. Playoffs. I have flashbacks to so many missed opportunities. But, this year is our year! (I’m sure we all said that when the Spurs swept the Cavs in the finals).

There’s something different about the Cavs this year. And I’m not talking about their skills, drive or team unity. I’m talking about how they are promoting themselves.

Twitter

Twitter is slowly taking over social media. Everybody is doing it: athletes, celebrities and political figures. Yes, even the Cleveland Cavaliers.

@cavsthrowback gave away a free vintage style T-shirt during playoff game 1. They had many people start to follow them on Twitter and gained instant publicity. This was a great way for them to promote their T-shirts to all the Cavs fans.

@clecavs has over 3,000 followers on Twitter. Throughout the playoffs @clecavs has been giving away prizes such as signed merchandise and even tickets! I was at playoff game 1 and I kept checking my Twitter to see if I could win anything. I didn’t (Sad, I know).

How cool is it the Cavs are using social media to promote their games? News flash- it’s working. @clecavs gives updates of scores throughout the entire Cavs series. They are also giving followers on Twitter a code to use to buy tickets for upcoming playoff games! (You should probably follow them).

Cav Fanatic

The Cavs even have their own official fan site called Cav Fanatic. The site has over 9,ooo registered fans. Fans are able to make blog posts and upload pictures. The one thing I love about the site is the freedom that the fans have to talk about their team. Nothing is better for an organization than word of mouth.

That’s a lie, there’s another thing I love about the site. That would be Joe Smith’s profile. I’m a huge Big Joe fan and was pumped when he came back to Cleveland. Joe Smith has a playoff song posted on his Cav Fanatic page.

I LOVE IT!!! What a great way to promote your team during a time when the fans need to be behind them! This song got me pumped to watch the Cavs. (And I’m listening to it while I’m typing this, it’s rather catchy).

You Tube

You Tube. What a great place to post a video that you don’t mind the entire world seeing. The Cavs did just that.

This video is one of the most hysterical things I have ever seen. And boy did it go viral quick. The video started to appear on ESPN almost instantly. It was an instant classic. The Cavs are known to be one of the teams in the NBA that have the most fun. I think this proves it.

My PeRspective

I think the Cleveland Cavaliers have done the most amazing job using social media to get Cleveland fans pumped. Everyday I log onto my Twitter and hope that I can win something. (I won a tape measure when I was like 5, otherwise I haven’t won crap in my life).

Listening to Big Joe’s playoff song is a great way to get fans pumped. The song also helped Cleveland fans embrace Big Joe when he came back to Cleveland. The Cav Fanatic site even had a special ticket offer for all registered users. Currently, they are giving away tickets to the most spirited fan. Are you going to register?

The Playoff Proposal video will forever be embedded into the minds of Cleveland fans everywhere. I personally won’t be able to get the image of Delonte West sniffing a shoe or crying on Curly’s shoulder out of my mind.

Every way the Cavs used social media has been successful. And I bet they will continue to be successful. I know it’s getting me pumped up about playoffs. And I’m sure it’s helping ticket sales.  (I went to playoff game 1). Mike Brown being Coach of the Year is also great publicity for the franchise and a great accomplishment and honor.

I just have one thing left to say: One Goal. LETS GO CAVS!!!

*All the pictures you see I took during the Cavs v Nets and Cavs v Detroit.

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LeBron James signs with the Cleveland Browns

LeBron James…you either hate him or you LOVE him. I personally like him as a basketball player and a basketball player only. He’s been a great boost for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland.

LeBron has many nicknames, whether you agree with them or not:

• The King
• Cleveland’s Golden Boy
• Bron
• LeMazing
• Bron-Bron
• LBJ
• The Chosen One

Now that you’ve gotten your very own LeBron James history we’re ready to move on. (Not like you didn’t know something about him already).

I’m sure you may have noticed, but LeBron has quite a few commercials airing on television. He’s done a few for SportsCenter (I like the one with a copy machine and another with a throne). These commercial always seem to captivate me because I want to see what dumb things they’ve paid him to do. LeBron also has a commercial that he did for State Farm Insurance. Once seeing this commercial I’ve decided his pr person is amazing. I’d like to shake his or her hand (and get a job with them). 8)

There was a lot of suspense built up to this commercial. Television channels would show a picture from behind LeBron with him having a press conference. It made me wonder…what stunt is he going to pull this time? People honestly wondered if he was going to leave the NBA not knowing this was a cheap trick to get you to tune in. When the commercial aired, I was dumbfounded.

I THOUGHT IT WAS GENIUS.

LeBron has made it known that he is a Yankees, Bulls and Cowboys fan. (Weird since he grew up in Ohio. Front runner? Maybe.)He’s even been photographed wearing those teams merchandise while attending Cleveland sporting events. After events like these, LeBron needed some good pr. The State Farm commercial was exactly that.

“I’m going to a Cavaliers game and sit right behind their bench, wearing a Detroit Pistons cap. Let’s see how LeBron likes that.” -Bob Feller to a Plain Dealer reporter

Seeing LeBron in a Cleveland Browns jersey was what fans needed to see. Giving the fans hope that LeBron doesn’t hate our city and our team is what I needed to see. This was a great way for LeBron to start making amends with fans who are still  upset about the way he supports other teams.

I personally was so upset when LeBron walked around supporting other teams. *Insert bad name for LeBron here* I really do feel like his “people” and hopefully himself are trying to let everyone in Cleveland know that he cares. The next step is for him to attend a Browns and/or Indians game while wearing that teams logo. (I don’t think that’s asking a lot). But hey, it’s a step in the right direction.

AP Photo/Tony Dejak

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