Citizen Brand

Baby Jays

For those of you not interested in college basketball, you will likely ignore this post.  But I warned everyone in my first post that I am a rabid University of Kansas Jayhawk.  I will use this space to occasionally talk about my beloved Jayhawks.  While most of the sporting world was preparing for a football game on Sunday, those of us in Jayhawk Nation knew the real Super Bowl was tipping off in historic Allen Fieldhouse at noon.  We had a showdown with a great rival, the Oklahoma Sooners and it was a game for the ages.

Our team is made up of primarily freshman and sophomores and it has been a treat to watch this team literally grow up before our eyes.  ( I use the word literally very carefully here but I really mean it.) They were Baby Jays but now they are becoming a mature team and I think it's going to be a lot of fun to watch what happens from now through March.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Happy Super Bowl Day

Today is the 40th celebration of Super Bowl Sunday.  It's become a welcome respite in that long march between New Year's Day and Spring Break.  People will gather together in homes, restaurants, and bars today and some will actually watch part of the game.  But just how many will actually see the game?  The NFL has been telling us for years that "a billion people" watch the game worldwide.  Have you ever questioned that number?

I have read Sports Illustrated since I was a kid.  It's still a great magazine and absolutely still has the best overall sports photography week after week.  One of their best columnists is a guy named Steve Rushin.  He takes on the NFL and their billion dollar figure in this column. 

This is a perfect example of how easy it can be to overlook "facts" that are presented to you by organizations.  While this one isn't a life or death matter, how many "facts" do we accept as true and just move on without questioning?  As a professional communicator, this is an important issue.  A good reputation begins and ends with trust.  And trust begins with facts that you can trust.

Enough of the heavy talk.  Enjoy the game and enjoy being one of the "billion people" watching it today.