Lessons from KU- an oxymoron...

Today, I attended my first Mizzou-Kansas basketball game. Not only the biggest rivalry in the Big 12/potentially midwest (I don't care what you say Big 10), but two really great basketball teams. As we unfortunately lost the game 77-56, I thought I'd highlight some interesting facts I've learned.

• As Amy pointed out, the experience of going to this game was practically 11 hours. We spent 3 hours picking up our tickets from 5 am to 8 am in the morning last month, got at the game at 8:15 this morning when the doors opened at 11:30, the game started at 1 and lasted until about 4. While every time of waiting was barely productive, they were all very fun and flew by talking with friends and hanging out. But what does it say about college students that we have 11 hours of time to spend (waste?) on such things? I'm definitely a basketball fan, so that's why I don't say waste, but that's the amount of classes a full time student takes, and we just dedicated it all to a team that we rival and hate...then lost. Sad lives, you have to love competition though. And that's the lesson I take away from KU. Competition causes people to do a lot of things.

Ilyse, Alyssa, Jackie and I waiting early this morning to get into the KU game at the Mizzou Arena

Our nice, close Zou Crew seats during warm-ups. If we didn't get them....I don't even know what we would have done.

• The next lesson I learned from the KU game is a successful business strategy. As we waited outside, spirit committees distributed signs that said GO MIZZOU, sponsored by Boone County National Bank, on one side on about a 4 inch by 12 inch flier to hold up at the game. The other side contained the Google logo. At one point in the game, I looked above and noticed a vast amount of the crowd holding the poster on the GOOGLE side, not the Go Mizzou side, and was slightly confused. Then, Google reaffirmed their success by advertising with these posters. Printed in smaller lettering at the bottom of the flier, it said "Help bring Ultra High Speed Internet to Columbia from Google! Be a part of internet history with 16000 other Tiger fans. During the first timeout of the 2nd half, start chanting GOOGLE and hold up your sign. Go Tigers!" Google is attempting to use their trial wireless internet service with Mizzou students, and hit their target audience perfectly at this basketball game. What a successful business strategy. I saved the flier to put in my scrapbook so one day when I own my PR firm, I can utilize such ideas :)

Well, thanks KU and Economics 1051 for teaching me the meaning of competition and advertising in today's society. Have a great Saturday!