In today's society, the role that sports plays is changing. The perception of the professional athlete is undergoing an overhaul as well. Never before have the lives of sports celebrities been more exposed, and the verdict is out as to whether the public likes what it sees.

With the evolution of the Internet, fans have a front row seat to the show that is a professional athlete's life. It used to be that we blindly worshipped our hometown sports heroes for the feats they performed on the field, and then didn't think about them again until it was time for the next game. These days, we see the inside stories of how they got to be where they are, how they are handling their fame, and the train wrecks that happen when someone gets too much too fast.

The perception of how the Pros live their lives can have an impact on the business side of the sport. We are witnessing this effect in one of the most quantifiable measures available: Television Ratings. The NFL, whose policies on drug testing are generally considered to be the most stringent among professional sports, has enjoyed steady growth in popularity in recent years. According to NFL.com, NFL games were the top rated shows in their time slots 73% of the time for the 2003 season. This was up from 69% the previous year and 55% the year before that.

Major League Baseball has experienced a recent resurgence in their television ratings (up 14% from 2003) and, perhaps not coincidentally, they have stepped up their drug testing policies. This presents an interesting trend to us here at KL Communications. We have decided to apply our Marketing Research tools to this subject and see if we can make hay out of it. With that in mind, we will be producing "Professional Sports in the 21st Century - a Look Ahead." This study will examine the effect of public perception on the business side of sports. This promises to be an interesting ride, so stay tuned!

This will be part of our continuing ventures into the sports world. Working with clients such as HBO Sports and ESPN, we have experience in the sports arena, and this promises to be another fascinating project.

KL Communications offers expertise in these additional areas:

Print Publications/Magazines
Entertainment
The IT Industry
Financial Services
Pharmaceuticals/OTC

Pharmaceuticals/OTC The pharmaceutical industry is well represented in New Jersey, and we are right at home conducting research for this segment. In addition to our research experience, KLC is an active member of PMRG (Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Group), the leading organization dedicated to market research in the Pharmaceutical industry. With our finger on the pulse of this ever-changing industry, we can help you spot key shifts before your competitors.