The batting stance guy - Gar Ryness
If you like baseball and haven't seen him - The Batting Stance Guy is worth a view. He recently appeared on Late Show with Dave Letterman demonstrating his ability to imitate hundreds of current and former major league players' batting stances.
The 36 year-old started imitating players during a whiffle-ball game that was videotaped and it made its way to youtube.com, growing quickly in popularity. He has his own website, http://www.battingstanceguy.com/ and is signed with Fox Sports to appear on all of their affiliate stations between now and the end of the baseball season.
So, other than a good laugh, why is the batting stance guy on http://www.ultimatesportsinsider.com/? Because his imitations provide some food for thought:
1) There is value in scouting your opponents and imitating their best attributes.
2) Emphasizing (or over emphasizing) the subtle nuances of your competition can provide you with an advantage.
3) It may seem obvious, but there is incredible power through the Internet to create an instant sensation and quickly determine what people want to see and what they don't.
Twenty years ago, the batting stance guy probably doesn't even exist. Today, the power of Internet based video can spread a message more quickly and effectively than most written pieces.
So what's your department's "stance"? Fun? Quirky? Forward thinking? Contentious? Mundane? Progressive?
A creative Internet presence with constantly updated content can expand your base of supporters, whether they are ticket buyers, prospective student athletes or donors.
A bad "stance", and you're a moment away from being a parody.
The 36 year-old started imitating players during a whiffle-ball game that was videotaped and it made its way to youtube.com, growing quickly in popularity. He has his own website, http://www.battingstanceguy.com/ and is signed with Fox Sports to appear on all of their affiliate stations between now and the end of the baseball season.
So, other than a good laugh, why is the batting stance guy on http://www.ultimatesportsinsider.com/? Because his imitations provide some food for thought:
1) There is value in scouting your opponents and imitating their best attributes.
2) Emphasizing (or over emphasizing) the subtle nuances of your competition can provide you with an advantage.
3) It may seem obvious, but there is incredible power through the Internet to create an instant sensation and quickly determine what people want to see and what they don't.
Twenty years ago, the batting stance guy probably doesn't even exist. Today, the power of Internet based video can spread a message more quickly and effectively than most written pieces.
So what's your department's "stance"? Fun? Quirky? Forward thinking? Contentious? Mundane? Progressive?
A creative Internet presence with constantly updated content can expand your base of supporters, whether they are ticket buyers, prospective student athletes or donors.
A bad "stance", and you're a moment away from being a parody.
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