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Madison Shipman Swings For The Fences With ESPN and Sportsnet

“With the growth of the sport, softball in particular, I just always tell my bosses, ‘I want to do as much as possible’.”

Derek Futterman

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Madison Shipman knows what it is like to compete for glory, and she hopes to impart the knowledge she learned from the softball field to baseball fans this season. Taking a swing to enter baseball was a calculated risk for Shipman, who had previously been contributing to softball coverage on ESPN and the SEC Network. It took immense preparation and an alacrity to make adjustments to her process in order to give herself a broad pedagogy into Major League Baseball at large.

“It’s been really fun to kind of dive into a different sport the same way that I would softball,” Shipman said, “[and] just getting to learn these players on a different level. You know that they play on such a high level every single day [and also] hearing the background stories of how they got to that point and the hard work that they put in the offseason.”

At a glance, baseball and softball are two sports based on a similar premise: scoring more runs than the other team. While similar principles apply, the means in which they are executed differ in softball because of the sizes of equipment, the underhand delivery of pitches and distance between the bases. Moreover, there are subtleties within the sport that Shipman is attempting to discern, such as the evolution of swings, approach towards fielding and physics of pitching. The analysis process is similar in and of itself, but expressing a comprehensive and logical point comes from understanding the game and combining it with unique, proprietary experience.

All of it, however, has arguably been sped up due to the strict enforcement of the pitch clock, a new part of the game absent from when Shipman consumed baseball in her youth. It has impacted both pitchers and hitters and provided the sport a more paradigmatic rhythm, favorable towards younger demographics. Combined with the young star power of the game with transcendent athletes including Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout and Sandy Alcántara, baseball is making a conscious effort to adapt to changes in media consumption and distribution. At the same time, it does not want to let go of the tradition that rendered it one of the world’s most popular and sustainable sports, and is endeavoring to amalgamate innovation with the innate purity of the game.

“I try to put myself back into my player shoes and try to think of how much time I was taking in-between pitches as a batter,” Shipman said. “I was somebody that never liked to step out of the box really, so I’m not sure it would have affected me a ton, but I think there are some players who have a very routine-oriented way that they step into the box. They kind of have to adjust how they do their routine up at the plate.”

Shipman played softball throughout her time as a student at Valencia High School and was named the No. 2 national recruit in the United States by ESPN and RISE Softball in 2010. In high school, she was named to the first team All-California Interscholastic Federation and received honors from The Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News among other publications.

By the time she took the field at the University of Tennessee, Shipman was quickly inserted into the starting lineup as the starting shortstop. She hit .292 as a freshman. Every game she played from the time she was a sophomore to a senior was as the starting shortstop, and helped lead the team to back-to-back Women’s College World Series appearances. Every year, her statistics gradually improved, so much so that she hit .416 as a senior with 18 home runs and an .833 slugging percentage. Her performance merited various honors at the season’s end, taking home the SEC Player of the Year award, along with the Senior CLASS Award and the Honda Sports Award as the top softball player in the country. Through the various tournaments, her team competed in, along with her abilities as a player, Shipman was frequently interviewed by those covering softball for major television networks.

“We got to do stuff with Holly Rowe and Jessica Mendoza and Michele Smith and Beth Mowins just to kind of prepare for the World Series [in 2013],” Shipman said. “I always tried to do my best in those interviews, and now when I look back at some of those interviews, I cringe just a little bit just because I was so young and so new to everything. Still, we made it a point of emphasis to be as poised as possible in those interviews.”

Following her senior season, Shipman remained in Knoxville, Tenn. with the Volunteers as a volunteer assistant coaching, offering her expertise to players and helping the team continue to improve as a whole. One of the means through which she achieved that goal was by repeatedly engaging in film study in an effort to extrapolate the tendencies and strategies of opponents. As a versatile broadcaster, she takes a similar approach into learning about both softball and baseball teams, and employs her observations in order to make clear and effective points.

“I tap back into the coaching side of things, and I will just watch game after game after game,” Shipman said. “I love diving into the hitters specifically and maybe something that they do in their swing that makes them successful.”

Shipman spent the ensuing four seasons as a volunteer assistant coach, but experienced an ostensible change of heart prior to the 2018 season and proceeded to move away from the game entirely. It turns out that executives at SEC Network had been keeping an eye on her for many years, viewing Shipman as a personality who could easily make the transition to sports media and invited her to audition. It was an opportunity she never thought of passing up despite having no experience on television and being handed a rundown at the audition with terminology that was all very new to her.

Once she landed the role, Shipman expeditiously immersed herself into softball coverage both as a studio analyst and color commentator for select Tennessee Volunteers games on linear and digital platforms. Personalities at the SEC Network, including Amanda Scarborough and Kayla Braud, took the time to reach out to Shipman and offer her assistance in learning how to discuss the game and experience success on television. Additionally, Laura Rutledge inspired Shipman to continue to work at her craft when they worked together at an SEC Tournament, especially when she quickly shifted from talking about softball to doing live golf hits for ESPN.

“I feel in my element because I get to talk about a game that I absolutely love and have been playing or coaching and been around for my entire life,” Shipman said.

Shipman believes her fastidious preparation for studio coverage helps her in being adept to move over to calling games and vice versa. It is in how the information she has learned and the perspectives she brings are delivered that differentiates one from the other. Nonetheless, it is all predicated on watching film, conversing with athletes and coaches around the sport and developing rapport with her colleagues.

Through learning the style of different play-by-play announcers, Shipman has been able to adapt her style to fit the broadcast. At the same time, her broadcast partners have taken the time to learn more about how she approaches analysis. In describing her style, Shipman expressed how it was influenced by her father, who enjoyed watching baseball games where it felt like the announcers were sitting in the living room having a laidback conversation. 

“I want to be teaching you maybe something about the game that you didn’t know before you started watching the game, or teaching you something about one of the players that’s on the field that maybe you didn’t know, but to do it in such a casual way and even in a fun way,” Shipman said. “I tend to be sarcastic at times every once in a while just so you’re fully enjoying the game, but also learning something about that particular team or player; whatever it might be.”

Over the last several years, the trajectory of women’s sports in terms of viewership has been steadily increasing. Last year’s Women’s College World Series averaged approximately 1 million viewers per game for the third consecutive year. Additionally, two games aired on ABC for the first time in the history of the tournament, giving linear television viewers an opportunity to be exposed to new athletes and new voices alike. Similarly, the 2022 Little League Softball World Series posted record viewership numbers – 294,000 across its two primary linear channels (ESPN; ESPN2) – the most since the tournament’s expansion occurred in 2017.

Outside of media growth, analyzing the changes in attendance reinforces the assertion that softball is on the rise. The Women’s College World Series set attendance records in both its first and second sessions last year, and Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. added an upper deck to its facility in 2019 to accommodate more fans. 

“There’s so many stadiums across the country where you just cannot build enough seats [and] people are trying to pack themselves in,” Shipman said. “It seems this year in particular, record-setting crowds are happening left and right. I think it’s phenomenal that these institutions have invested as much as they have into the sport of softball. Some of the facilities that you’re seeing out there are absolutely incredible, and I don’t think that growth is stopping anytime soon.”

While softball itself is predominantly played by women, professional baseball has seen few women take the field at all, let alone none at the major league level. There are, however, plenty of women working in Major League Baseball and professional sports in roles pertaining to scouting, coaching, game presentation and digital content creation. Unfortunately, many women encounter misogyny from colleagues and consumers; however, the possibility of that has not stopped Shipman and many other women from maintaining their pace and encompassing what it means to be trailblazers.

“I called my first baseball game last year kind of taking advantage of the fact that I live in Knoxville,” Shipman said. “I had asked to jump on a Tennessee baseball broadcast and they absolutely let me do it, and everybody was very welcoming.”

Although she is working remotely on Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts on SportsNet, Shipman has assimilated into the role and with it, become more comfortable discussing baseball. There are challenges she faces broadcasting in this way, largely due to the delay between the moment she speaks and hears from the studio host, but she has grown used to it and adapts to make it work. As she continues to penetrate into the industry, Shipman takes a similar approach to her role in sports media as she did as a player or a coach: steadily improving on a daily basis.

“I’m always probably the harshest critic when it comes to my own analysis of stuff. With the growth of the sport, softball in particular, I just always tell my bosses, ‘I want to do as much as possible; I want to do as many games as possible,’ of course for myself, but also to help grow the game.”

Whether it is on the field, in the dugout or perched high in the broadcast booth, Madison Shipman’s infatuation with the game of softball shines through. Now as she pairs her softball experience with an analyst position on Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts, she intends to ensure she continues to flourish both at a local and national level. Through preparation, persistence and passion, she wants more chances to engender the amplification of softball – and she seems to possess the work ethic and dedication to do it.

“Always work hard in whatever it is – whether it’s sports broadcasting or accounting or whatever you want to get into – just putting your full effort into everything every single day, I think is something that I’ve always lived by whether it be softball or something else,” Shipman said. “If your full heart is in it; if you’re passionate about it and you’re working hard, that hard work and passion is definitely going to overflow in the work that you do no matter what it is.”

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How to Help Your Clients with Low Website Conversions

Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

Jeff Caves

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Graphic for how to increase website conversions
Credit: WPDesigner.Biz

Are your clients dealing with low website conversions? Whenever a marketing campaign is run, and the goal is to convert website visitors into leads, the temptation is to blame low traffic, amongst other issues, for low form fills or appointments being generated.  Just spend more money, you may think! Sometimes, you must look at at least four other potential issues to tackle poor conversion rates. Here are some actionable steps using the IT services industry to increase website conversions.

IT Solutions specializes in providing products, services, or solutions related to technology, particularly in areas such as software development, hardware sales, IT consulting, cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, and digital transformations. They faced challenges with their website conversions. Despite driving substantial traffic through Google Ads and other SEO tactics, they struggled to convert website visitors into form fills for appointment requests. A 2% to 5% conversion rate could be considered reasonable. Of course, conversion rates can vary based on various factors, such as the competitiveness of the local market, the quality of the website (and radio stations help most to fix that) and its user experience, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and the reputation and offerings of the IT solutions business. Focusing on improving the quality of leads and providing exceptional customer service can be just as crucial as achieving high conversion rates. Don’t blame EVERYTHING on the marketing tactics! 

The Diagnosis

Upon thorough analysis, several critical issues were identified with IT Solutions’ website:

1. High Bounce Rate: Nobody was checking out the business. If 70% or more of website visitors only visit the landing page, that is an issue.  It could be slow loading times, irrelevant content, poor user experience, or unclear calls-to-action that prevent them from wanting to know more about IT Solutions. You can check the bounce rate on the Google Analytics page for the website in the left-hand sidebar, click on “Behavior” to expand the menu, then click on “Site Content,” and finally, click on “Landing Pages.” You’ll see a list of landing pages and their respective bounce rates.

2. Complex Navigation: It was hard to move around the website to find relevant information about IT services, and it was unclear who they were initiating contact with and for what purpose.

3. Unclear Calls-to-Action (CTAs): The website lacked clear and compelling CTAs guiding visitors toward requesting an appointment. Simply stating “click here for an appointment” is like asking for a meeting whenever or without establishing value. Here are 28 CTAs for free.

4. Lengthy Forms: The appointment forms were long, without qualifying information, and requested excessive information upfront, deterring potential leads from completing them.

Action Plan

1. Optimize Landing Pages:

   – Redo high-traffic landing pages with clear messaging and compelling CTAs.

   – Showcase IT Solutions’ services as benefits, making it easier for users to request appointments, thereby increasing user engagement and conversions.

2. Simplify Navigation:

   – Reorganize the menu and add more action-oriented links.

   – Provide additional options for users to access relevant information, such as “Get a free IT Solutions 15-point checkup NOW” and “Take this 5-question survey to diagnose your IT issues,” motivating them to book appointments.

3. Enhance CTAs:

   – Utilize concise and persuasive messaging throughout the website.

   – Encourage visitors to take action, whether requesting a free download about “5 things you can do to solve your IT issues on your own” or “get a free pizza for booking an appointment.”

4. Improve the Form Fill:

   – Add a further line about the number of employees who qualify for incoming leads.

   – Highlight the value of leads based on company size, prioritizing forms with higher potential impact.

Review landing pages, navigation, CTAs, and form experience to address website conversion issues. Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

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‘NHL on TNT’ Gives Hockey Fans the ‘NBA on TNT’ Treatment

Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

John Molori

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NHL on TNT studio

Let’s play a little word association, sports media style. If I say TNT, what is your response? Chances are it will be a three-letter abbreviation of your own, namely, NBA. Over the years, TNT has built a reputation as arguably the premiere network to telecast the National Basketball Association.

The NBA on TNT pregame and halftime shows have become the gold standard with stars like Ernie Johnson, Jr., Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal. Still, it’s not just this quartet of roundball royalty that has fortified TNT’s hoops coverage.

The rep was also built on tremendous play-by-play announcers like Bob Neal and Kevin Harlan, color analysts like Doug Collins and Reggie Miller, and courtside reporters like the late Craig Sager and current sideline star Allie LaForce.

Indeed, TNT and the NBA have become synonymous, but I have some news for you. This network is not just about professional basketball. This past week I went off the grid with TNT looking at their in-game and studio coverage of the NHL.

On March 24, the NHL on TNT provided coverage of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche matchup. Kenny Albert did play-by-play with Eddie Olczyk on color. Albert is not as noted as his legendary broadcasting father Marv Albert, but he has certainly staked his claim as one of the best in the business – able to cross over to multiple sports with equal aplomb.

Hockey is a strong suit for Albert. His rat-tat-tat, drama-building style draws viewers in and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Similarly, Olczyk is one of the top four or five NHL game analysts in the business. His style is understated, providing calm and clear analysis of key plays. They work really well together.

Albert eschews any kind of hackneyed and trite catch phrases for his goal calls. An emphatic, “He shoots and scores!” is plenty enough.

Hockey is a different beast when it comes to play-by-play. Unlike basketball, baseball, football, or even soccer and tennis, there is a minimum of breaks in the action. With hockey, a play-by-play announcer has to know the names of the players like he or she knows her kids’ names.

To me, it is the hardest sport for play-by-play and equally difficult for a color analyst. In basketball, after a team scores, the play-by-play announcer will keep silent and give the color analyst time to talk until the play crosses center court. In baseball and football, there is ample room for commentary.

Hockey does not offer such space, but Olczyk gets the most out of the minimal amount of time. Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

Coming back from a break in the game, Albert and Olczyk provided on air commentary and then tossed to ice level reporter Brian Boucher who has grown into a tremendous asset to the TNT broadcasts. Boucher provided real talk about Colorado’s objectives of staying on top of their division and vying for the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Penguins, squarely in a rebuilding year having dumped talent at the NHL trade deadline, surprisingly jumped out to a 2–0 lead in this game, and the TNT between periods studio crew was all over it. The excellent Liam McHugh hosted alongside Colby Armstrong, Anson Carter, and Keith Yandle.

Armstrong was especially entertaining. With Pittsburgh outshooting the Avs 16-4, Armstrong noted that it’s the best he’s seen Pittsburgh play in a long time. His reasoning was that teams get geared up for playing Colorado even if it’s out of fear. Great stuff.

Both teams tallied two goals in the second period giving Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead heading into the final frame. When Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon set up Jonathan Drouin for a goal to make it 4-3, Albert and Olczyk showed their strengths.

Albert called the pass from MacKinnon and one-timer goal from Drouin, and immediately noted that MacKinnon now had a point in all 34 of Colorado’s home games this season. On the goal replay, Olczyk showed how the play developed pointing out how McKinnon allowed Pittsburgh’s Evgenii Malkin to come in close before making the past to Drouin.

The TNT production team then showed a graphic displaying that McKinnon is now second all-time in longest home points streaks trailing only Wayne Gretzky. This was a sublime sequence of symmetry between talent and technicians like a songwriter, musician, and singer creating beautiful music.

What was supposed to be a blowout win for Colorado had now become a hockey barn burner, and the TNT crew was up to the task. Every goal and key play was followed up with replays from multiple angles showing the genesis of the action.

TNT has certainly taken to the velocity of the hockey broadcast with movement that challenges directors, graphics professionals, and videographers.

When there were breaks in this non-stop action, Olczyk was at his best. No hockey analyst draws on his experience as a player and explains that experience better to viewers. The TNT broadcast also lets Boucher freewheel and join in the flow of discussion without having to be introduced.

TNT does not merely rely on the traditional wide shot of the entire rink. We see close-up shots of each goaltender after a great save and the sweat of players on the bench or in the penalty box.

When McKinnon tied the game at 4-4 with 4:38 left in the third period, we got a series of tremendous crowd shots showing the Colorado fans going absolutely berserk. The sage Albert and Olczyk wisely remained quiet for several seconds, letting the cheers do the talking.

When Drouin scored the game winner at 4:06 of overtime, Albert exercised controlled enthusiasm, raising his voice on the call of the goal, but not becoming the show and overshadowing the play itself. He is definitely in the mold of Dan Kelly, Gary Thorne, and Sean McDonough, announcers who enhance but do not supersede the game.

Putting a cherry on top of this hockey Sunday, TNT showed a graphic that the Avalanche now led the NHL in comeback wins this season with 25 and that they were riding a 9-game winning streak. In analyzing the goal, Olczyk opined that the altitude of playing in Colorado was prevalent as the Penguins seemed to tire as the game progressed – really interesting insight.

In the postgame show, Anson Carter made a great point that the chemistry between Drouin and MacKinnon stems from the fact that they have been playing together going back to junior hockey. McKinnon joined in from the arena for a postgame interview. The analysts asked solid questions and even did a funny MVP chant together as the interview ended.

The NHL on TNT takes no back seat to its elder NBA sister. The broadcast provides viewers with flash, dash, and serious hockey talk from every angle – in studio, from the broadcast booth, and on the ice.

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Kim Mulkey Now Has Everyone Anticipating Washington Post Story

I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it.

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photo of LSU women's college basketball coach Kim Mulkey
Credit: Dailymail.co.uk

The Washington Post, you might’ve heard, has a story coming out about controversial LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey. The reason you might’ve heard is because Kim Mulkey told you. The Tigers coach read a fiery prepared statement just before her team started the Women’s NCAA Tournament. In the statement, Mulkey threatened to sue The Post for defamation before the first word was even published.

Now, I’ve never run a public relations firm but that did not seem like a good idea. The Washington Post story on Mulkey is one of the bigger stories in sports right now and nobody even knows what’s in it. The reason the story, apparently unflattering to Mulkey, is even on anyone’s radar screen is Mulkey herself.

It all started with an innocuous social media post by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde right in the middle of the most anticipated two days in sports, the NCAA Tournament Round of 64. On his X account, Forde posted: “Hearing some buzz about a big Washington Post story in the works on LSU women’s hoops coach Kim Mulkey, potentially next week. Wagons being circled, etc.”

You know what generally will go unnoticed at 4:00 on the first Friday of the NCAA Tournament? A post on X about a women’s basketball coach. But don’t tell Mulkey, she saw Forde’s post and decided to fight fire with nuclear weaponry. The result: the average person like me now is really interested in what has Mulkey so incensed. By “average person like me” I mean that I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it. Maybe:

“LSU Women’s Coach Discovers Ark of the Covenant”

Or:

“Mulkey Reveals True JFK Assassin(s)”

Perhaps:

“Famed Women’s Basketball Coach Reveals the Mystery Behind Slow Drivers in the Left Lane”

Literally any of those catch my attention more than whatever will likely be the Washington Post headline about Mulkey. But now Mulkey is “Mad as Hell and is not going to take this anymore” so I now have an interest I would never before have had in this story. It has been fascinating to watch the online speculation about the subject of the article and all we really know, as of now, is that it will be written by Kent Babb. This is a dream come true for Babb; he writes an article that is, presumably, not flattering about Kim Mulkey and, before it is even published, she gives the article the greatest commercial anyone could give it. Babb couldn’t have entered into a business agreement with Mulkey and had this turn out better for him.

For those who don’t follow Babb, he is a former NFL reporter who now is an award-winning writer for the Washington Post. In his 14 years with The Post, he has written sports features and authored a couple of books. One of those sports features stories was a deep dive into what he viewed as a large inequity in the level of pay for LSU head football coach Brian Kelly and his LSU players. It is this piece Mulkey described as a “hit piece” and, based on that piece, referred to Babb as a “sleazy reporter.” Babb, and many others, resented the fact his story was labeled as a hit piece. In fact, Babb essentially confirmed he was the author Mulkey was referencing when he shared the original article on X with the comment: “Hit piece?”

Whether a printed piece or a recorded interview, I can’t imagine a better promotion for it than the subject of the interview threatening a libel/slander lawsuit, especially before it is even released. That simply screams “This piece is salacious!!” Also, libel and slander suits get settled all the time, right? Of course they don’t, they seem to never even get filed. That little thing called discovery is a scary thing for most public figures.

The NCAA Tournament has been very entertaining, and I think the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be terrific. For only the fifth time ever, the top two seeds have advanced to the third round which sets up for a remarkable weekend. For me, I guess it will now include a Washington Post article, not a sentence I’d normally say.

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