Winning with Marketing Participation in organized athletics, from the youth to professional levels, has become a major priority in American society. The competition for fan support has become as intense as the sporting event taking place on the playing field. Independent athletic programs and schools want to be recognized because they want to produce newsworthy stories about the game itself or an event surrounding the game. A team's winning product may not be the only reason why fans support it. For some it might be what the team represents, or attending a sporting event is an opportunity to be seen, to socialize or, in the purest form, to attend to see the athletes perform at their best. In any case, anyone who attends a sporting event is attracted to it for a personal reason and this is why sports marketing is an evolving process while traditional marketing is predictable (Masteralexis, 2012). To win over the fan, there must be a combination of a winning product on the field of play, a personal connection, a fair market price to participate and create an experience that extends beyond the game by creating conversation between friends, colleagues and colleagues. family (Masteralexis, 2012). Furthermore, to be successful on and off the field, teams and the organizations that manage them must create a recognizable brand that fans identify with. Mediocrity is not winning Nowadays, there is a great emphasis placed on winning whether in the business environment, in a sales career, in school, and in athletics. The pressure to win has filtered down to our school children with a win at all costs attitude. On the other hand, there are sports organizations that have become complacent and settled... middle of paper... the-story-of-adreian-payne-how-the-michigan-star-became-the -star -ultimate role modelMasteralexis, LB, Barr, CA & Hums, MA (2012). Principles and practice of sports management. Sudburry, MA: Jones & Barlett Learning, LLC. Ronald, W. (2011, January-March). Social media tools for teaching and learning. Journal of Athletic Training Education, 6(1), 51-52.Slavkin, M. L. (2007, May). Transforming education through service-learning. New Horizons in Education, 55(1), 107-122.Wagner, R.P. (2011). Social media tools for teaching and learning. Journal of Athletic Training Education, 51-52. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/technology-in-education/Yaman, M. &. Yaman, C. (2014, January). The use of social networking sites by future physical education and sports teachers (Gazi University sample). Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology - TOJET, 13(1), 223-231.