Djokovic Ejected From US Open
This was already going to be a strange U.S. Open. With some of tennis’ top stars not even bothering to show up for the competition due to COVID-19 concerns, most expected tennis superstar – and number 1 ranked player – Novak Djokovic to run away with the title in the men’s division. That, as it turned out, was not to be. Instead, Djokovic was tossed out of the tournament after hitting a line judge with an errant ball. At the time, Novak was trailing in the first set of his fourth-round match against Carreno Busta. Angry with himself and his play, while walking off the court, Djokovic smacked a ball, which, according to press reports, “flew right at the line…
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Will Seahawks’ Gordon Make the Most of This Opportunity?
Josh Gordon may be out of chances, but the Seattle Seahawks are going to give the “embattled” wide receiver one more shot if he’s cleared to play this season by the NFL. The ‘Hawks recently signed Gordon to a one-year deal, even as he’s waiting to see if the league will allow him to play. It’s an interesting move, given that Seattle is in the process of trimming its final roster to the 53-player league maximum. That seems to indicate they believe the NFL will let Gordon play… or at least they think his talent level is worth the risk.
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Netflix Flexes Talent for Picking Winners and Getting the Royal Treatment
Ever since Netflix started producing original content, the streaming service began to transform the small screen marketplace. With massive hits like Stranger Things, Orange Is The New Black, Narcos, Daredevil, and Ozark, the streaming service changed the way people watched – and talked about – television, while transforming the kind of programming people could see on TV. Sure, there have been some “misses” over the years, but for the most part, Netflix has gotten significant to acceptable ROI from its original programming.
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Facebook Doubles Down on Challenging Misinformation
Social media titan, Facebook, is continuing to position itself and a tech brand fighting back hard against misinformation. After a fiasco during the last presidential election that brought the company year after year of negative publicity and bruised consumer PR, Facebook is promising to do better, as Americans prepare to vote in the next Presidential election this November. In a recent statement, Facebook said the platform would be “restricting” new political ads up to a week prior to election day, as well as removing posts that “convey misinformation about COVID-19 and voting.”
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What Ramifications will ESPN Coverage Shift Have on the Brand?
For years now, ESPN’s stable media channels have obeyed a hard and fast rule: “Stick to sports.” That rule was in play a few years ago when the network denounced an employee, Jemele Hill, for tweeting negative comments about the U.S. President. Recently, though, some people, both viewers and professional media critics, have noticed a shift, at least in the application of that policy.
Read MoreAuschwitz Memorial Blasts TikTok
TikTok is supposed to be funny. Of course, we all know humor is open to interpretation, and there’s an old saw in comedy that says you don’t know where the line is until you cross it. That’s not bad as a general rule in the funny business, but some fairly well-understood societal rules put some topics off-limits. At the top of the list? You probably already know. Unfortunately, and unbelievably, a lot of TikTok users never got the memo.
Read MoreHow Pepsi Created a Global Media Event Remotely
When the pandemic hit, Pepsi had just launched a brand new tagline for the first time in 20 years. The brand was also just coming off a very successful Super Bowl campaign for the Pepsi Zero Sugar. However, instead of putting all of the marketing campaigns on hold, Pepsi decided to shift gears, which included cutting the precious campaigns short and creating new packages that the brand could have an easier time adjusting under the newfound circumstances.
Read MoreLarson Tells Media he was “Just Ignorant”
Kyle Larson races for NASCAR, a sports brand that has spent some time this year, making strides in improving the racially-tinged stigma on the brand. However, Larson had also been branded. In fact, a recent story in the Associated Press asked a significant rhetorical question about the professional racer: “What do you do when the world believes you’re a racist?”
Read MorePromotions Heading into Race Day
Ask any racing fan, and they will tell you there’s absolutely no substitute for being there, in the stands, on race day. This year, though, has closed many of those stands to live spectators, making TV and the internet the only way to watch their favorite drivers compete in their favorite races.
Read MoreNFL Doc Says Expect Positive Cases
The NBA, NHL, and MLB are already back to living competition, without fans, but they’re playing. Some players and teams have had to stop or temporarily step away due to COVID-19 infections, however, play continues. This puts an even brighter spotlight on the NFL, which recently began training camp and has plans to begin playing live games in the coming weeks.
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