Brian Laesch .com

Courtesy of my friends at Weber Shandwick in NYC, here’s a new campaign/contest via Champion. I’m going to give you the details below, straight up. Because, unfortunately, to paraphrase Lil Wayne, “I don’t write ish, ‘cus I ain’t got time.” (At least, temporarily.)

The campaign is called the Athletes’ Creed and is a response to a recent survey the brand commissioned which found the following:
* More than three-quarters (79%) say showing good sportsmanship doesn’t seem to be as important to athletes as it used to be
* 81% agree that athletes today would rather win the game than play completely fairly
* 73% indicate their athletic peers believe it’s cheating only if they’re caught

The Athletes’ Creed is a digital believe system that lives on the Champion Facebook page and invites players of all levels and across all sports to share what they think is important when it comes to attitudes on the field or court. The final Creed will be the collaboration of these real, everyday athlete submissions as well as those from a Council of industry influencers that cross the athletic landscape (think the ESPN’s Skip Bayless, Rashard Mendenhall, the AAU, US Lacrosse). Fans are invited to vote on “athletic principles” created by the Council as well as contribute their own between July 14 and August 6 at www.Facebook.com/Champion and each submission is an automatic entry into a sweeps for FREE Champion gear.

Sportsmanship is definitely not dead, in my opinion, but at the pro-level you have to wonder. There certainly are some bad influences out there in professional sports, and media and Hollywood seem to thrive on these bad influences.  As long the reality TV culture, 24-hour news cycle, ESPN filler-news continues, I think sportsmanship will continue to take a backseat to hype and “stars.”  Which hopefully isn’t a statement regarding the bigger picture in America, but sadly, may be.

That being said, sportsmanship is most certainly not dead.

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger, posting based strictly on merit, and due to an “emotional connection” to the Champion brand.

California lawmakers are considering putting flashing ads on license plates, doctors are urging the Coliseum not to hold another rave, and the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles beat the San Francisco Giants last night.

That’s what’s going on around Los Angeles, home of recruiting/staffing agency Eleventh Hour. Here’s what’s going on around the “creative world”:

• Toy Story 3 won the weekend box office for the second consecutive weekend (which THR dubs a “sophomore session”…OK).
• The Hollywood Reporter: B.O. trading venture won’t launch despite OK
• You’ve probably heard that Steve Carell is leaving The Office. This completely sucks, but, he has not changed his mind.
• AdAge: Why TV Advertisers Are Spending More for Less This Season
• Branded entertainment is set to increase, according to ADWEEK. I guess it’s better than advertisements on license plates.
• FIFA actually feels bad about some of the horrible mistakes made by referees during the 2010 World Cup. They are going to consider using video technology. (Technology: 1 – Stubbornness: 0)
• Mashable: iMovie Hacked to Work on iPhone 3GS
• The Rundown (USA): iBad: Admit you’re wrong with iPology
• CrunchGear: Barnes & Noble financials: e-book store blowing up like what
• And, in closing, yes, it was a tough loss for the U.S. weekend. But, let’s, at least, remember the good times.

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger posting on behalf of Marina del Rey-based boutique recruiting/staffing agency Eleventh Hour.

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A few weeks ago, before my three week “tour” of Washington D.C., Indianapolis and Chicago, I received some “Double Dry” sweat-wicking athletic gear courtesy of Champion via NYC-based PR agency Weber-Shandwick. Having grown up wearing Champion (usually shorts and socks during YMCA basketball leagues), I graciously accepted the opportunity to blog about their new “Double Dry” products.

I received three items: a t-shirt, a sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts (which I’m actually wearing as I write this). I had good reason to use these items. I spent about two weeks last month “training” hard for Hoop It Up Chicago which I played in this past weekend for the second consecutive year. The tournament features a team with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. I’m not sure if the tournament pays him to play, but it’s always well publicized that he will be there, and his team wins every year. Is this another scandal? A product of the Chicago political machine? I hope not, because…

But I digress…

I used the t-shirt and shorts for running/basic weight training and the sleeveless shirt for some outdoor pickup basketball. I was also going to wear the sleeveless shirt for the first day of the tournament, but that first day was rained out. So I wore it to FFC gym in Chicago where our team played about 6 games of 21. I won three of them, which I’m obviously blatantly bragging about on my blog. My friend, Kyle, told everybody in our group that it was because I don’t play any defense. I don’t agree with this sentiment. I believe that it’s a convenient excuse and that I played my share of defense. It’s not my fault that I made more shots and free throws than anyone else. Although, it would be interesting to see a breakdown of the number of possessions per player. This statistic could potentially change my mind. But I digress, again…

Here are the items:

So these are the items. And here’s my take on each…

The blue t-shirt was great for weight-lifting and running. It fit well, but loose.

The gray sleeveless shirt was actually perfect for basketball, although, I sweat a lot and it was drenched by the end of those six games  of 21. Unfortunately, I was not comfortable in that shirt at the end of the games. I had to remove it because I was drenched (however, I’m probably an extreme case). During the game, however, it was great and light. I couldn’t tell I was drenched until the games were over. (Did I mention I was drenched?) My point is, I did not stay dry, but I was more comfortable than I would have been in a regular cotton shirt.

The navy blue shorts were awesome for running on the treadmill. I also played a little bit of basketball in them as well. They were lightweight and comfortable. I can definitely recommend them for running.

It’s as simple as that for me. If you want comfort, you will enjoy these products. I wish I could go into a more in-depth discussion about the materials and fibers that this athletic gear is composed of, but you would probably be better served reading that information elsewhere. When I assess athletic wear I only consider the following criteria:

1. comfort
2. fit
3. drenchability (a word I just made up to sound like those silly Bud Light commercials that use “drinkability”)

These items passed all three tests, except for the sleeveless shirt reminding me immediately after playing six games of 21 that it was drenched.

On an overall scale of 1 to 10, I give these items, collectively, an 8.5. I can definitely recommend them.

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger who works out.

You be the judge…

It’s been an exciting 2010 Winter Olympics for the United States–especially for the men’s USA Hockey team (fingers crossed they continue the run). But I must say, so far, besides the U.S.-Canada hockey game the other night, my favorite coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver has been “Stephen Colbert’s Vancouverage 2010.” Here’s a recap of the week:

The Colbert Report	Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Recap – Week of 2/22/10
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Skate Expectations

As per usual, Stephen Colbert has managed to be hilarious and provide initimate, intriguing coverage at the same time. You get a taste of what it’s really like to be at the Olympics, albeit through the skewed lense of Colbert’s glasses (which Comedy Central should be selling, along with a Colbert toupee, by the way). I’ve thouroughly enjoyed recording these episodes and watching them during lunch this week. It’s been a great substitute for the lack of Conan (except on Twitter), and The Office hiatus (while NBC broadcasts the Olympics). I highly recommend “Vancouverage 2010.” And you should listen to me. I’m a man. I’m 29.

Brian Laesch is a blogger who enjoys Stephen Colbert’s official “Vancouverage 2010.”

We decided, after Super Bowl XLIV, people needed a day to recover before we posted our links. Yeah, that’s it…

In all seriousness, here are some links that aren’t serious. But some are. I think. Or maybe not. I guess it depends on your industry of employment. Whatever the case, here you go:

• Are you ready for Jack Bauer on the big screen? Get ready. (I wonder if it will be shorter than a ’24′ season premiere.)
• Daily Variety: Stars line up for Soderbergh project
• NBC’s SNL decided to bash their own show ‘Burn Notice’ (NBCU/USA)
• ‘Dear John’ has taken down ‘Avatar.’ The reign is over? (I only included this because I wanted to brag about meeting Channing Tatum. He lived next door to a girl I dated. Really nice guy in real life. You’ve gotta root for him.)
• AdAge: What Will Happen to Media When All the Billionaires Bail?
• Here‘s a good spoof of Google’s Super Bowl ad (which I thought was great). (And here’s the Tiger Woods version.)
• One of my favorite Super Bowl ads: Lebron James vs. Dwight Howard (ala the classic Jordan vs. Bird spot).
• Unfortunately, I believe I’ve been a victim of the new “2 A.M. Worm.” (The Onion)

Brian Laesch was rarely inspired by the Super Bowl commercials this year.

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Happy Super Bowl Week. Can’t wait for football to resume after a weekend off… What’s that? They played the Pro Bowl yesterday? Seriously? Oh…

Anyway, get your popcorn ready…and your burgers, hot dogs, beef brisket, Doritos, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Beer,  and anything else you consume on Super Bowl Sunday. The match-up between the Colts and Saints should be a good one.

Here are this week’s links:

• Here is Adweek’s official Super Bowl ad coverage.
• Ever wonder how the “Punch Bug” or “Slug Bug” game started? Volkswagen answers.
• A really bad Charles Barkley Taco Bell campaign launched…
• Here is Ad Age’s Super Bowl coverage.
• BrandFreak: Naming experts split on whether ‘iPad’ is a terrible name or not
• Beyonce took home a record-breaking six Grammy’s last night. (Or so I’m told.)
• By the way, Avatar won the box office, again, for a seventh-consecutive session. No big deal.
• NBC has renewed “Parks and Recreation” for a third season. I, for one, am glad. This show is extremely underrated and has only improved since it’s first season.
• Netflix has added about 300 indie films for on-demand streaming.
• And, in case you haven’t heard, “Jersey Shore” is returning for a second season with it’s original cast members. Our country is going down the tubes, because of the tube, but it’s never been so much fun.

Brian Laesch compiled these links for Eleventh Hour’s “beyond the world of recruiting” blog.

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I grew up playing basketball in Central Illinois. We sometimes played in “ghetto” gyms (which is a term I use in the most respectful way possible). I’m used to things getting “crunk” in the bleachers. I’m used to wooden pull-out bleachers being transformed into a surprisingly efficient percussion instrument. But in all my “travels” around Illinois to play basketball, I never, ever, saw anything like this:

Ladies & gentlemen, I give to you the crunkest homecourt advantage in America, the N.C. A&T Dawg Pound! Maybe even the crunkest homecourt advantage in the history of sports. The N.C. A&T Dawg Pound are doing it right! This has gotta be the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while. (You’d think I could remember.) I wish the fans of Arizona State basketball games would display just a third of the enthusiasm of N.C. A&T fans. Then again, the games are pretty empty, and the dancing of a mix of mostly Caucasian, Hispanic, Native-American and African-American fans would probably look a little different.

Brian Laesch can’t stop watching this video and thanks Austin for sending the link. Go N.C. A&T Dawg Pound.

Hi, my name is Brian Laesch. A few years ago, while living and working in miserable conditions in “Hollywood” (Hollywood and Burbank, respectively), I was inspired by the Phoenix Suns beating both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2006 NBA Playoffs. I was inspired because, to be completely honest, I hated my life in LA, and the Suns were my #2 team after receiving my undergraduate degree from Arizona State. (I’m still a diehard Chicago Bulls fan. Always will be, and still hope to live in Chicago, someday.) So, somehow, that gave me a little bit of vindication. And, for whatever reason–maybe because I was an aspiring actor taking improv classes, and the fact that I love basketball–that inspiration transpired into a little something I like to call, “The Steve Nash Video Blog.” The production value was horrible. The improv was hit or miss. It was OK. I liked it because I literally came up with it on the fly, in one or two takes. But, apparently, you don’t get signed at CAA after one YouTube video. Go figure.

Anyway, what started with me playing the role of an overly-cocky Steve Nash, knocking off both LA teams in the playoffs, turned into everybody thinking I hated Steve Nash. My friends thought it was funny. I had a little bit of random support on the Internet. But, people didn’t get where I was coming from or why I was making it. Heck, maybe I didn’t even know. My life was very interesting at that point, but I was also struggling to find my way.

Based on the somewhat positive reaction from friends, and YouTube, I felt obliged to continue to make these videos…even though I was pretty much over it. So, over a period of two years, I made a few more. Some were OK. Some sucked. Some could have used more than one take. Anyway, that’s what happened.

But now, I find myself back in Phoenix, in graduate school, and wanting to make up for any ills I caused Steve Nash and/or the Phoenix Suns. (I still think my video blog inspired those Vitaminwater commercials…

…but that’s another story.) Plus, I’m a huge basketball fan–especially good basketball. So, after watching a Phoenix Suns infomercial one Saturday morning, I made a call, got a tour of the U.S. Airways Center, and was sold. I bought half-season tickets. And I must say, between the free Suns scrimmage I watched courtside, and the games so far, I’m extremely happy that I did. The Phoenix Suns’ brand of entertaining, TEAM basketball is back. Steve Nash looks like he did 2-3 years ago, Grant Hill is playing like he’s 28, and the bench is promising for the first time since D’Antoni left. I’m still a diehard Chicago Bulls fan, and always will be, but I’m excited about Phoenix Suns basketball.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t really believe that by purchasing these season tickets, years after creating the “Steve Nash Video Blog,” I’ve magically reversed the fate of the team… But as I mentioned, I’m a Chicago sports fan. It’s fun to make these kinds of connections.

Brian Laesch promises not to buy an extra seat to a playoff game for his Steve Nash costume, be denied entrance by security, and place a Billy Goat-style curse on the team.

I’m currently working The Spirit International golf tournament at Whispering Pines in Trinity, Texas.

Where is Trinity, Texas? It’s in the middle of a densely wooded area, about an hour and a half north of Houston. Basically, it’s in the middle of nowhere by a summer camp called Camp Olympia. It’s an awesome place that makes you realize that wilderness still exists in this country. You really can get away from it all. There are deer and all kinds of wildlife everywhere. But anyway…

My dad is doing color commentary for the live webcast of The Spirit International. There are 20 teams from 20 countries. Which means there are people from around the world tuned in to watch it live on the internet. It’s a great event…and the best food I’ve ever had at a golf tournament. You can watch the webcast, courtesy of Indianapolis-based WebStream Productions, here.

Enjoy! The webcast will run live daily for each round until the final round this Saturday, November 7th.

Brian Laesch is professional blogger, specializing in Laesch family promotions.