Winning Through MarketingParticipation in organized sports, from the youth level to the professional ranks, 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 field of play. Independent sports programs and schools want recognition because they want to produce newsworthy stories about the game itself or about an event surrounding the game. A team's winning product may not be the only reason fans support it. For some, it may be what the team represents, or attending a sporting event is an opportunity to be seen, to socialize, or in the purest case, to witness athletes perform at their best. themselves. Regardless, everyone who attends a sporting event is drawn to it for their own personal reasons and that is why sports marketing is an evolving process while traditional marketing is predictable (Masteralexis, 2012). To win the fan over, there must be a combination of a winning product on the playing field, a personal connection, a fair market price to attend and create an experience that extends beyond the game by creating a conversation between friends, colleagues and family (Masteralexis, 2012). Additionally, to succeed on and off the field, teams and the organizations that run them must create a recognizable brand that fans identify with. Mediocrity is not a winner. Nowadays, the emphasis is on winning whether in the corporate environment, in business career, in school and in athletics. The pressure to win has trickled down to our school-age 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-adreian-payne-story-how-to-the-star -of-the-state-of-michigan-has-become-the-ultimate-role-modelMasteralexis, LB, Barr, CA and Hums, MA (2012). Principles and practice of sport management. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Barlett Learning, LLC. Ronald, W. (2011, January-March). Social media tools for teaching and learning. Athletic Training Education Journal, 6(1), 51-52. Slavkin, M. L. (May 2007). Transforming education through service learning. New Horizons in Education, 55(1), 107-122.Wagner, RP (2011). Social media tools for teaching and learning. Journal of Athletic Education and Training, 51-52. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/technology-in-education/Yaman, M. &. Yaman, C. (January 2014). 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.