By Flickr user Ted Kerwin

With less than a week until the celebration of excess known as Super Bowl Sunday, you might be looking for business and economy tie-ins to the annual climax of the football season.  Here are a few ideas for traditional and offbeat approaches:

The usual players.  Bars, casino special events, TV sales at appliance and discount stores, food and liqour sales, pizza and other food deliveries are perennial subjects for the week leading up to Super Bowl.  In addition to amusing anecdotes, ask any of these merchants and service firms how reservations, sales and other benchmarks have ebbed and flowed the past five years – get actual sales figures or percent-changes if you can; it’ll give an interesting picture of how consumer spending on these frills echoes the national economy.

Social media.  Obviously if your area is home to major companies or entities liable to fork over the $3.5 million for a TV spot during the game, you’re probably following up on their plans, strategy and any hints about the super-secret ads.  But this story from Reuters is another way to tackle the topic; it says that advertisers are depending on social media to further the buzz and give them more bang for their Super Bowl dollar; according to the research at least 60 percent of game viewers are expected to be gripping another screen – smartphone or tablet – during the game.  You can talk with area advertising agencies and marketing consultants about whether any of their clients – Super-Bowl advertisers or not – are tying traditional compaigns to social media promotions and gimmicks. 

Local advertising.   Don’t forget that stations are allotted a certain amount of air time for local ads that won’t be broadcast nationally, as this Boston.com piece points out.  Check in with your local NBC affiliate about trends in pricing, types of advertisers, length of commercials, demand and what demographics they expect in the Super Bowl audience.

Super Bowl alternatives.  Sometimes malls, spas, hotel resorts and other venues offer pampering packages and other ideas for ‘football widows’ and others who want to escape pigskin fever.  I wonder if these promos are less prevalent in a down economy, or if they are picking up the pace compared to recent years.

Absenteeism.    The PR firm Androvett Legal Media and Marketing predicts 1.5 million cases of ‘Super Bowl flu’ on Monday, when hard-partying fans are expected to call in sick.  This is a great business/workplace story — especially when it’s an employers’ job market.  Will workers eager to cling to jobs be more inclined to haul in on Monday than in previous years?  Are managers issuing more pre-game warnings about unexcused absences and expectations?  What are they seeing in terms of scheduled days off by prudent employees who would rather burn a vacation day than have to crawl out of bed the day after the big game? (And why isn’t it held at a decent hour so people can party and still get to bed early?) 

Also – if you’re near a big NFL venue – what do stadium workers, parking providers, vendors and others do until next August?  You might find some interesting entrepreneurial activities taking place in the off-season.

Any local Super Bowl veterans?  What are they doing businesswise these days?  What’s the value of a Super Bowl stint to one’s marketability as a product endorser, public speaker, business investor or other post-football career options?

Memorabilia.  As I’ve suggested before, check Craigslist, do a ZIP-code eBay search for area vendors, talk with storefront merchants and otherwise gauge demand for past Super Bowl memorabilia as well as the appetite for this year’s licensed merchandise.  Does any of it hold or increase in value?   Scam alerts are in order as well; according to CNN, federal officials expect to seize millions in counterfeit Super Bowl gear. 

Food sales cycles.  Pre-Super Bowl sales on wings, snack foods, chili fixings and other snack makings at grocery stores are sort of the start of an annual cycle of event/holiday-related promotions.  Valentine’s Day (steak, lobster, champagne, other luxury goods), St. Patrick’s Day (corned beef, cabbage, green-frosted cupcakes, etc.), Easter (ham, butter for baking, eggs), Memorial Day (hot dogs, hamburgers, condiments, chips) and so on.  This could make for either a fun retail strategy/marketing story or a clip-and-save personal finance piece with input from food distributors and grocers about what typically goes on sale in each month and how they handle the spikes in demand for certain types of fresh foods like meat and produce.

I’m a diehard college football fan, so at this time of year, my Twitter feed is littered with snippets of conversation about teams, players, games, stats and standings. My unhealthy obsession has led me to follow a lot of sports journalists, and in the process I’ve noticed that they often get more traction out of their Twitter accounts than their colleagues in the business section.

Imitation truly can be the greatest form of social media flattery.

Here are some to follow to see how they do it. Muckrack: Sports Journalists on Twitter

If you spend a little time following sports journalists, it’s easy to spot a few techniques that really work for them on Twitter:

STAY CONNECTED: Their Twitter feeds suggest that many sports journalists watch sports all the time. That’s not true, of course, but I think they do a better job of staying connected during odd hours than business journalists. If they’re off-duty, they tweet on other games, injury reports or stories related to their beat. But, engaged reporters of all types spend a lot of off-duty time cultivating relationships with sources, reading stories that relate to their beats, watching relevant movies or T.V. shows, checking out new businesses and generally thinking about work when they’re technically off-duty. Constant curiosity about our work is sort of a journalism job hazard. Share those interests on your Twitter feed as they happen. Twitter followers opt in because they’re curious about the same things we are, and curiosity doesn’t stop at deadline.

OFFER ANALYSIS: Sports journalists have thoughts about every player, every play, every staff member on a team. They’re encouraged to pick winners and losers each week, and their job is to analyze performances.  at every level of a game. I know that we can’t afford to be quite so opinionated on the business side of the newsroom, but raising questions of businesses and analyzing a company’s performance is definitely our duty. Still, many reporters fear putting their reasoned, researched thoughts out into the world on Twitter because 140 characters affords such minimal context. Here’s the secret: Tweet more. If it takes five tweets for clarification, use them. If people ask questions, answer them. Your analysis is valuable to your followers. Like the sports reporter who gets to ask questions of the guy who dropped the ball, you have access to businesses that your followers lack.

PROVIDE LIVE COVERAGE: Many sports journalists get a boost from live coverage, because a lot of their audience watches the game they’re working. But, some of my favorite tweeters are the local high school sports reporters who sing the praises of kids who may never get on T.V. When you get an opportunity to cover something live — a meeting, a conference, a product launch or a big event — don’t pass it up. Giving your audience live coverage gives your Twitter feed immediacy and exclusivity. Not every event is the next Apple launch, but that little local trade show has valuable information for your audience too.

EMBRACE DEBATE: Every reporter expects that readers will disagree with angles and coverage, but Twitter allows them to do so publicly. I’ve noticed that sports journalists are often really good about responding to questions and retweeting their critics, but i often see news and business writers shy away from engaging in this way. Embracing debate rather than ignoring it demonstrates  that you’re listening to your followers and that you respect their opinions, even if you don’t agree with them.

DON’T TAKE IT TOO SERIOUSLY: Of all the journalists I follow, the sports journalists seem quickest with a joke. Having a sense of humor about yourself and your work helps your followers remember that a human being lives behind the avatar. When you take joy in your work, share it with your readers.

By Flickr user Adam Pieniazek

Will the buzzer sound on the upcoming National Basketball Association season?  And if so, how much a blow – if any, according to some skeptics – will the lack of a winter’s worth of professional hoops be to the economy?

The first two weeks of play are to be canceled if no deal is reached by Monday, according to the AP, as the long-running dispute over the players’ share of revenue continues.  The National Football League settled similar differences in time to mount a full 2011-2012 season (Go Lions!) but right now it’s unclear if the NBA will manage the same.

And if they don’t?  One task for business reporters is to reconcile the pronouncements of economic doomsayers who contend the cancellation will cost billions with those who say ‘nah, no big deal.”

Marketwatch.com, for example, wrote on Wednesday that the teams alone would lose $1 billion, and conventional wisdom has it that local economies will suffer irreparable losses from the absence of any pro sports team season.  But increasingly, contrarians and skeptics are challenging that notion.  Check out this recent Slate piece, “No basketball, no problem: Why an NBA lockout wouldn’t be a disaster for local economies.”  Like similar articles, it quotes University of Alberta economist Brad Humphreys, who has studied the effects of sports work stoppages.  Humphreys contends that the economic contribution of sports teams is no big deal in the first place, and that canceling the seasons doesn’t reduce the income of the region significantly.

People will spend those entertainment dollars elsewhere, he says, and perhaps in places where the ripple effect of the spending will make its way into more local pockets rather than being absorbed by huge player salaries and the private coffers of team owners.  It’s an intriguing theory though I – no economist by any means – wonder if per capita income is the right metric for measuring sports impact in the first place.  He seems to think so and his theories are getting play; this Portland Tribune article “No NBA season? Businesses may be benched”  is a great template for a balanced local take.

I suspect the reality falls somewhere in between. Even if a regional economy as a whole will be unaffected but there is no denying that specific bars, restaurants, vendors, suppliers to concession operations, charter or other transportation services, maybe even lodging would feel a pinch.  If fewer hot dogs are needed in  your metro area this winter, how does that ripple out to processors, meat packers and others in the chain?  Less cheese for nachos or fewer paper cups?  Somebody was making a buck selling those items and chances are that a large sports arena was a valued customer and that those sales were part of this year’s business plan — so how would the hit be absorbed?  Cleaning services, maintenance, painters .. the list of small business people keeping the engine of a sports team going is huge and no doubt brimming with fodder for a detailed economic impact story.  (And being a skeptic, I’d be asking for last year’s purchase orders, receipts or other proof of the usual volume of business, rather than taking anyone’s word for the amount of sales they stand to lose…)

If your area doesn’t host a pro team, there are still bars, cable franchises (NBA Season Pass sales), merchandise sellers, eBayers trading in NBA collectibles and other ties.

And while your at it, how about taking a look at other levels of basketball play and how it affects your region?  Amateur leagues, sporting goods sales, coaches and camps, parking at college games and other spin-offs from collegiate hoops – angles abound.

Philadelphia Eagles' Michael Vick takes questions as the 2011 season gets back on track.

To examine the finances of a sports non-profit pull at least the three most recent years of the organization’s 990s (tax return forms) and look to see how much money is coming in and how it’s being spent. See if there are high salaries and examine if money being raised really is helping a local community or if it’s being used to give someone a highly paid job with little money going into the community.

Also, look at money being spent on independent contractors and see what the relationship is with officers or board members. In Arizona, all businesses must register with the Arizona Corporation Commission, which posts online all of the basic information of a business such as the names of the owners and where a company is headquartered. This information may show you if there are ties between a business owner and officers and board members of a non-profit.

CIVIL COURTS

Also, if a sports non-profit organization or its executives look like they may be in financial trouble look up civil lawsuits at the county or federal courthouse to see if they have been sued. Most of these records are online.

In a community where prep sports are the bread and butter, look to see how much the executive director of the state’s athletic association is making and whether that person has received raises during the past few years at a time when many high schools have been forced to cut back on funding teams, travel, and coaches salaries because of budget problems. Also, if there is a dominant club team in the area or a non-profit booster club for a high school then obtain the 990s to see where the money is going.

If a non-profit organization is leery about turning over the information and wants to know why you want the information, it’s probably an early sign that there are questionable expenses. You don’t have to give any reason for wanting to examine these public records, and a non-profit cannot withhold records because they don’t want you to see their 990s. If this occurs, a call to your local IRS office should spur a non-profit to turn over the records. You also can go through guidestar.org to look at 990s.

GAMES vs. BUSINESS COVERAGE

The biggest difference between a sports game reporter and a sports business reporter is the former is more concerned about who wins and loses on the field, while the latter is more interested in how a team’s business operations affect fans and the future viability of a franchise.

For example, if a team spends heavily on players to win in the short-term, it could produce quick, positive results on the field, which is great for a sports game reporter. Yet, if the owner doesn’t have deep pockets and cannot sustain that type of spending then a sports business reporter could take a more introspective view, while the team is winning, to examine whether the franchise is competitive for the long haul.

Los Angeles Clippers.

Some reporters can do both game coverage and business reporting, but typically a sports business reporter has a better understanding of profit and loss statements and, in the main, communicates better with owners and chief financial officers than players.

FROM THE FANS’ SEATS

For most fans and consumers, it’s always better to have a deep-pocketed owner who can field a competitive team every year.

Fans of the Los Angeles Clippers long have complained about the frugal ways of owner Donald Sterling and the horrible performance on the court by his team. However, as a business operator, Sterling is one of the most profitable owners in the NBA, while other owners who have opened the purse strings to compete now are complaining that they are losing money.

Here are some terms you would find in the financial records for non-profit organizations, which run sports-related businesses in small and large communities. Keeping this list of terms handy will remind you of places to look for financial records:

501(c) – This is the designation by the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt non-profit organizations. This tax-exempt status allows non-profit organizations to not pay taxes on revenue and donations made to the non-profit are tax deductible.

Form 990 – This is the name of the tax return that non-profit organizations file with the IRS. Non-profits must, by law, make their three most recent years of 990 forms available for public viewing. You can also see the most recent filings for free at guidestar.org. For a subscription fee, you can pay to view records at guidestar that in some cases go back 10 years.

Total Revenue – This is all the money, including donations and investment income, that comes in for the year.

Total Expenses – These are all the costs, including salaries, benefits and money given away, during the year.

Revenue less expenses – This is the bottom line for the year. Like a successful private business, this should be a positive number.

Net assets or fund balances – This is the total amount of money the non-profit has. This is a historical measurement as money can accrue over time, and major non-profits like college bowl games could have tens of millions of dollars in net assets or fund balances.

Reportable compensation – This is the salary, bonus or other income of employees. Make sure you look to see if employees are getting compensation from organizations related to the non-profit. Also, look at Schedule J to see if any of the officers are getting additional perks like first-class travel or having their health club dues paid for by the non-profit. (That actually does occur).

Contractors – These are organizations that do business with a non-profit. A non-profit on Schedule O has to list the compensation of its top five contractors. This is a good place to look to see if there are questionable business relationships.

The biggest error I made in covering sports business came a few years ago when I didn’t do enough homework on a Phoenix-area businessman who tried to buy the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL.

Sometimes being able to wait for the full story helps a reporter avoid mistakes.

The investor told me he had a high net worth and gave me an outrageously inflated figure of what he was worth. Unfortunately, I published the figure – and it was dead wrong.

The investor also convinced the former owner of the Vikings he was wealthy, and there was even a press conference in Minnesota announcing the deal. The sale, however, fell apart when the NFL did some digging and realized the investor had nowhere near the resources he said he had to buy the Vikings.

While I wasn’t the only one who was bamboozled, had I done a better job of vetting the investor, I would have had a national scoop instead of eating crow.

The takeaway: Unless you can confirm financial data, don’t’ use it.

TAKING TIME TO GET IT RIGHT

Another challenge is putting pressure on yourself or succumbing to pressure from editors to have a story first, when it may be better to wait a day or longer to make sure the story is right.

About a year ago, I did a story on the Pat Tillman Foundation, which is named after the former Arizona State University and Arizona Cardinals star who was killed while serving in the military in Afghanistan. At first blush, the foundation’s most recent annual financial report appeared to show the foundation wasn’t giving away any money for scholarships – as it had promised – and was paying a six-figure income to a relative of Tillman’s to run the foundation.

Before running with the story, I put in a call to the executive director who was traveling at the time. She told me she was extremely busy and in New York, but if I could wait two days she would arrange a conference call with the foundation’s chief financial officer, accountant, Tillman’s widow and herself to explain everything on the financial forms, which she acknowledged may look a bit strange.

It was worth the wait. After visiting with the foundation’s officials, they told me the reason it didn’t look like they were providing scholarship money to Arizona State University and others was because the foundation made a pledge of more than $1 million years earlier and was making that payment in installments.

They said accounting rules didn’t allow them to “count the donations twice” because the foundation already had listed the initial pledge a few years earlier. Officials at ASU confirmed the money was being given in installments. And the relative actually took a pay cut to help run the foundation and was leaving to go back to his other job because he wasn’t making enough money.

Instead of having a “gotcha” watchdog story, I ended up with a fairly vanilla profile of the foundation and an event it hosted called Pat’s Run. In the end, I was fine with that because I would rather have a reputation as being fair.

Locker room interviews scratch the surface for business stories.

Other sources are:

• Forbes.com, which annually ranks the value of professional sports teams and estimates revenues and expenses.
• The sports section of USAtoday.com, which gathers all the salary information of professional athletes.
  Cot’s Baseball Contracts, (aka MLBcontracts.blogspot.com), has all the information for contracts with all major league baseball players. This site is even used by owners who want to see the contracts of players they may acquire.
• Sportsbusinessdigest.com, which covers the sports industry.
• CNBC: Darren Rovell, web page for CNBC’s Darren Rovell, one of the top sports business reporters in the country.
• Rod’s Sports Economics is a website by Rodney Fort, a former professor and one of the premiere sports business analysts in the country. He can be reached at (509) 595-0016 or at rodney@rodneyfort.com

Others who can provide insight on sports business are:

• Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. His office number is 541-346-3262.

• Dennis Howard, the Philip H. Knight Professor of Business at the University of Oregon. He specializes in stadium economics and signage deals. He can be reached at 541-346-3352 or dennish@lcbmail.uoregon.edu.
• Dean Bonham, the chief executive officer of Bonham & Associates. He has 25 years of experience in sports marketing. He was based in Denver, but is now in Europe. The best way to reach him is bonham.dean@bonhamassociates.com.
• David M. Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California’s Sports Business Institute and professor of sports business at USC’s Marshall School of Business. He can be reached at david.carter@marshall.usc.edu.
• Randy Vataha, is founder of Game Plan LLC. He’s a sports investment banker and former pro football player. He can be reached at 617-267-1000.
• Marc Ganis is president and founder of SportsCorp, a Chicago-based sports business consulting firm. He can be reached at 312-649-9200.

Covering sports business can be a significant beat in a sports Mecca like metro-Phoenix, where (so far) there are teams in all four major sports leagues along with Arizona State University, the Cactus League, NASCAR and the WNBA.

Good teams bring in the fans who bring in the money. Photo by WEBN-TV

Sports business coverage, however, also can be done in a town where college sports is king and there isn’t a professional franchise within miles. And the beat can produce in-depth, investigative stories in small towns where high school coverage is the franchise of the sports page.

And it’s not limited to daily journalism. One of the best sports business reporters in the country is Darren Rovell of CNBC. Rovell previously worked for ESPN.com, and his ability to understand sports and business opened the door to write two outstanding business books: “First In Thirst: How Gatorade Turned The Science of Sweat Into A Cultural Phenomenon” and “On the Ball: What You Can Learn About Business From America’s Sports Leaders.” In “First in Thirst,” Rovell provides intricate details of how Gatorade was created, and he provided a behind-the-scenes look into one of the biggest brands in sports.

BE NICE TO RUTHIE

Regardless of the market, the key to covering this beat is getting to know the “movers and shakers” of the sports community – along with their assistants.

In Phoenix, one of the top sports executives for many years was Jerry Colangelo, the former managing partner of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks. While Colangelo was one of the most accessible sports executives in the country, you could guarantee he would call you back if you had a good relationship with his longtime assistant, Ruthie, who often screened his calls.

If you were genuinely nice to Ruthie, she would make sure Colangelo got back to you, especially if you were on deadline.

TRACKING MINORITY PARTNERS

You can also develop interesting feature stories by finding out the names of minority owners in professional sports teams.

For example, Jenny Craig, the namesake of the international weight loss company, is a minority owner of the Phoenix Suns. Mike Chipman, who founded a company that developed TurboTax, is a minority investor in the Arizona Diamondbacks but keeps a low profile.

It’s also important to gather and review as many public records as possible to develop stories. Of course, professional sports teams are privately held, but their owners could hold large stakes in publicly held companies whose financial reports are available through SEC.gov.

Those records could show whether an owner truly is deep pocketed or leveraged, and you can find related-part transactions, a business deal or arrangement between two parties who are joined by a special relationship prior to a deal. And that relationship may not necessarily benefit shareholders.

TAPPING THE GOLDEN GOOSE

For example, until Howard Schultz sold the Seattle Sonics to Oklahoma City investors in 2006, the Starbucks founder had his coffee company spend $3.7 million during the course of four years on sponsorships for his NBA team. The sponsorships were a fraction of annual revenues for Starbucks, but the deal showed how one person’s successful business (Starbucks) was helping a business (Sonics) that was bleeding money.

Interestingly, the sponsorships ended as soon as Schultz sold the team, a move Starbucks said was coincidental. The information regarding the business arrangement was disclosed in a proxy filing that Starbucks had made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

MAKE FRIENDS WITH SEC FILINGS

Securities and Exchange Filings also can inform you about sports business relationships. Consider: Robert Sarver is the majority owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, and he’s the chairman and chief executive of the publicly held Western Alliance Bancorporation. One of the members of that board is George Maloof Jr., who is an owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. Sarver has complained publicly about the Suns losing money, while the Maloof family has threatened to move the Kings from California’s capital because of financial problems.

As the NBA continues its lockout, it will be interesting to see if Sarver and the Maloofs are part of an alignment among owners in the lockout and labor negotiations with players.

The Phoenix Mercury play the San Antonio Silver Stars. Photo by Women Talk Sports

PUBLIC RECORDS

In covering a public university, the athletic department’s entire budget along with all coaches’ salaries – and perks – are public record, and they can be obtained by filing a public records request. Be sure to ask for all outside contracts, such as those with apparel companies that may significantly boost a coach’s compensation. And, be prepared for a fight as many schools don’t like to disclose this information.

A number of years ago, the University of Arizona refused to disclose a contract then head basketball coach Lute Olson had with Nike, saying it was a private deal. The money, however, from Nike flowed through the university, which made the deal public and available through a public records request. To get the contract, I appealed to the Arizona Board of Regents, which runs the university system. The regents forced UA to turn over the Nike contract.

Also, get the contracts of peer coaches at other conference schools in order to have context and a fair comparison to what your coach is making.

NON-PROFIT DATA

Another great resource for sports business stories is GuideStar.org, which has annual financial records for more than 1 million non-profit organizations.

Non-profits run college football bowls, booster clubs for universities and colleges, state athletic associations (governing bodies for high school sports) and high school club teams. These records will show the revenues and expenses of each organization in addition to the salaries of top employees and independent contractors. See the “glossary and localize” sections for more information and how to develop a sports business story from these records.

By Flickr user Dennis Crowley

Even to non-sports fans, there are fascinating threads to the recent scandal stories about the recent resignation of Ohio State University head football coach Jim Tressel and the accusations that players were trading in team memorabilia with his knowledge.

And for business writers, there is plenty of fodder there for local stories about the sports-memorabilia market, from the relative value of local team merchandise to small businesses that deal in it.  As we all know, sports coverage is one of the big draws for news consumers, and jumping on these headlines with a look at the business of sports collectibles is a timely and eye-catching way to tie in to the national story.

(To keep the story focused, by the way, you might want to emphasize the distinction between memorabilia — defined by Merriam Webster as “things that are valued or collected for their association with a particular field or interest” — and garden-variety licensed merchandise which never really had any direct connection to athletes, players or teams.)

According to this 2007 PBS report, the sports-memorabilia market is a $2 billion annual industry.  From baseball cards to autographs to signed jerseys, millions of collectors are spending money on these keepsakes and dealers from top-of-the-line auction houses to eBay sellers to garage salers and swap-meet vendors are turning a profit on new and historic items.   The variety gives huge range to the possible business stories, depending on your market and the type of buyers and sellers you can find locally.

According to this CNN report, the “founding rules of basketball” sold in December at a Sotheby’s auction for more than $4.2 million, a record for an item of sports memorabilia.  That’s how big the business can get.  A small stack of baseball cards can fetch a quarter of a million dollars, while Super Bowl rings and other sports jewelry are stock in trade for ChampionshipRings.net.

The trade publications SportsMemorabilia.com and Sports Collectors Daily are interesting resources; if you want to focus on local team items you can use their search engines to find news and information about those organizations.   I’d also suggest searching eBay (try a ZIP code search to find sellers in your region) for small businesses and amateur dealers, along with other online-sales venues.   Curators of sports halls of fame, university collections, major-league team archives and other experts might also be able to help you identify prominent local dealers and collectors.

One other idea: If you can muster the expert resources, it might be interesting to hold a sort of online or in-print “Antiques Roadshow,” with experts evaluating readers’ prized memorabilia and explaining the history and value.   Assessing and ranking the relative value of items from local pro and college teams (going beyond basketball and football if possible) would make for an eye-catching chart or graphic, too.

As Tiger Woods returned to the 2011 Master's Golf Tournament, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12 hit the stores. Photo: Corey Perrine/The Augusta Chronicle

Sports. Sports is big, starting with today’s opening day for Major League Baseball (a good time for a quick hot dog price story) and swinging into next week’s PGA Master’s tournament in Augusta, Ga.   You’ve probably already looked at season ticket sales, concessions and other spin-off business from your local baseball field but another run at minor league teams, local softball leagues and sponsorships, baseball camps, equipment sales, etc. could yield a good small business centerpiece.

Same with golf – how are clubs and courses faring for memberships, special events hosting, equipment sales?  I saw a lot of unique promos last year, like earlybird mother-son matches, etc.  - what are savvy golf course managers doing to bolster business this year?  And what are they doing to cut or streamline course-maintenance costs?  Specialty landscaping services that service courses would make for a great career or tech profile, especially if they’ve found solutions for common cultivation problems in your region.  (Personal finance sidebar: Tips from the pros on low-cost lawncare.)

Don’t forget about the NFL lockout - reality is sinking in as players prepare to draw from a sort of unemployment fund in mid-April.  What plans are venues, concessionaires, parking sites, nearby bars and attractions, suppliers of everything from paper towels to beer making to cope with the worst-case scenario?  Do contracts with football fields include any protection for vendors, or insurance?  Worth another look.

Taxes. Tax return deadline is April 18 this year after getting off to a late start due to tax law changes.  Now is a good time to check in with practitioners – not just about filing season, but for larger stories about what they are seeing in this year’s returns.  More unemployment income declared in high-end neighborhoods?   More families with zero liability and refundable credits?  Changes to mortgage deductions as filers walk away from underwater loans?  Fewer dependent care writeoffs as unemployed workers take care of their own family members?  How about small business returns — are there fewer salary expenses as hiring plateaus, or more bad-debt writeoffs?  Get a few CPAs or enrolled agents to job their observations and compile them as a sort of local indicator of how tax filers are faring.

Earth Day. It’s April 22 this year, and over the decades April itself has, fittingly, become a sort of green month.  I’ll be posting a lot on green business story ideas in coming weeks, but just as a heads-up, you might want to pull together a structure for your coverage.  Green careers?  Alternative energy businesses in your region?   Unexpected green efforts, like energy efficient rest areas at highway stops.  Come up with a focus that will give your readers some continuity to follow in coming weeks.  (And sign up for the Reynolds Center online seminar, “Covering the Green Economy,” to be held April 19.)

The Associated Press says Americans spend $2 billion a year on Easter.

Easter, on April 24.   Even though churches tend to be non-profit, some — especially but not limited to the big non-denominational mega-churches — employ some savvy and interesting marketing campaigns, direct mail promotions and other business-like techniques worth taking a look at this year.  Other religious angles include supply houses (where do the palm fronds come from?), apparel sales for dressy services, Good Friday absenteeism policies in workplaces, etc.  Secular angles of course include grocery and catering businesses, sales of gifts and treats, mall-based decor and photo kiosks, commercial district egg hunts and other family-friendly promotions, and so on.

Royal nuptials. Scoff it you must but those of us who recall Charles and Diana’s I-dos remember the accelerating hype and the absenteeism as monarchy mavens stayed home to gawk at the pageantry and raise a toast to the royal couple.  How many workplaces are getting requests for vacation time on Friday, April 29 this year?  Are any anglophiles in your area planning parties?  (I realize that’s a features angle but somebody has to sell the champagne, scones and barons of beef to the rowdy revelers.)  You can also bet your local bridal consultants, shopkeepers and event venues will be in front of the TV taking notes, because the wedding of William and Catherine is expected to sway fashions and tastes of brides to be.

If you’re near a QVC home shopping distribution center, check on shipments of the royal ring knockoffs, and see if any local independent jewelers are selling big diamond-embellished sapphires these days.  And check out the plans at cruise lines that stop in your region; Norwegian Cruise Lines ships will be broadcasting the wedding festivities shipboard for cruisers that week, on two-story video screens, and will be offering special teas, brunches and shipboard “street parties” to celebrate the wedding day.  Fish and chips, of course, will be the featured meal in onboard eateries.  A number of other lines have said they too will mark the week with special events.

OK, those are just the highlights. In upcoming April posts we’ll take a look at the arrival of flooding season and its effect on agribusiness; the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the impending horse-racing season, National Financial Literacy Month and more. Oh and, should you be so inclined, April 4 is National Hug a Newsman Day.