the louisville leopards
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Louisville's new professional football team in the NFL, The Louisville Leopards!TRANSCRIPT
THE LOUISVILLE LEOPARDS
ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE LEOPARDS The Louisville Leopards are going to explode into the professional football
scene. We are a professional football organization aimed at bringing the finest
professional sports entertainment to the great city of Louisville. Football is woven into
the very fabric of this great country. We want to bring this historic game to the citizens of
Louisville. It is our privilege to bring a competitive football team to the National Football
League and compete for championships. So get ready Louisville, for your next national
championship!
The Louisville Leopards Contact: Travis Brockett Team member, National Football League Director, Public Relations Louisville, KY. 270-‐255-‐5674/[email protected]
L O U I S V I L L E L E O P A R D S B A C K G R O U N D E R
We are proud to announce that Louisville Kentucky will finally have a professional
football team located in the heart of the city. Louisville is the largest city in the country
without a professional sports team and it is our privilege to put an end to that unfortunate
fact. Louisville will finally have a team to call their own that will compete in the
National Football League.
SO WHO ARE WE?
We are the Louisville Leopards. This mascot was thought about long and hard and was
agreed upon unanimously. We have assembled a fantastic staff of coaches who have all
had several years of experience coaching at the collegiate and professional level. Our
head coach, Sean Payton, spent 6 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, leading them to a
Super Bowl Victory in 2009 against the Indianapolis Colts. Our general manager is Jon
Gruden. Now retired, Gruden was a Hall of Fame coach, leading a dominant stint with
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team is owned by Mark Cuban, self made billionaire
entrepreneur. Cuban is also the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks professional
basketball team.
WHO’S ON OUR TEAM?
We have assembled a very athletic 52 man roster. Our starting quarterback will be none
other than recently acquired, Cody Masterson. Masterson spent 4 years playing collegiate
football for the Florida Gators. Now, a rookie, we are excited to see him grow and mature
into a professional football player. He shows tremendous promise and we hope to build a
strong offense around him. At running back we have a seasoned pro, Dan Roberto.
Roberto, a power back with tremendous drive, spent 5 seasons with the Chicago Bears.
After failing to ever make it to the playoffs with the Bears, Roberto decided to take his
talents to a team that shows great potential. At wide receiver, we were fortunate enough
to acquire Austin Sherfy. Sherfy played his college football at Alabama and has had 7
straight seasons with 1,000 receiving yards with a total of 39 touchdowns. Now, to
discuss the defense. We’ve had the privilege of drafting the electrifying linebacker out of
Georgia, Thad Castle. Castle was a Heisman Trophy candidate his senior year and was a
standout amongst all the collegiate linebackers in the nation. We believe he can be a great
building block for our new up and coming defense. At safety, we’ve signed the veteran,
Ed Reed. Reed has been a dominant force at the safety position his entire career and we
are lucky to have his talents in Louisville. At the corner position, we’ve signed Asante
Samuel, an excellent press coverage corner with a knack for finding the football. We are
very confident about our core key players on offense and on defense. We believe they are
going to bold well for our team and the future of the Louisville Leopards.
WHAT ARE OUR GOALS?
We know that our first season will be the toughest. We’re a team starting from the ground
up but that doesn’t limit our expectations. Even though we are new and our players are
young, we believe we can compete with the rest of the teams in the NFL. We will have a
competitive mindset and focusing on winning games. We want to build a solid fan base
with the people of Louisville. We aspire to make the city proud and represent Louisville
as best as we can.
WHAT WILL WE LOOK LIKE?
Our team colors will be maroon, black and white. We plan on have a leopard’s snarling
head on our player’s helmets. We also plan on featuring a leopard mascot at each game to
entertain the crowd. Our uniforms will be sleek and sharp in design to help emulation the
sleek body style of the leopard itself. We are excited about our uniforms and team
apparel. Our logo and mascot is featured below.
THANK YOU!
We are so very excited to be Louisville’s professional football team. We have already
received so much support from the great citizens of Louisville and we can’t wait to bring
them a Super Bowl trophy. It is our honor and privilege to play for this great city and we
promise to make you proud!
The Louisville Leopards Contact: Zenena Moguel Team member, National Football League Director, Public Relations Louisville, KY. 270-‐255-‐5675/[email protected]
THE LOUISVILLE LEOPARDS AND THE COMMUNITY
OVERVIEW
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, it was devastating and many were lost.
The New Orleans pro football team’s, New Orleans Saints, superdome was also
destroyed, and that meant no home games for the Saints. Being true Saints fans, the
community felt hopeless like everything was being taken away from them because of the
devastation. But, the superdome was able to be rebuilt for the following year allowing the
Saints to have eight home games. The team and the community came together, and
rebuilt the city together.1
Although it was a challenge, this is what a sports team can bring to a community.
The Saints gave the community faith and hope to move on and to be positive. This is the
impact that the Louisville Leopards want to have on its community. The Leopards will
not just serve as a financial support to the community by participating in the National
Football League, but as a team providing community service to contribute to the growth
of Louisville in bringing everyone together.
NFL AND THE COMMUNITY
The National Football League is a professional league of 32 teams participating in
the league. According to NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, (2011) “for the National 1 Kushner, A. (2010). Newsweek Magazine. New Orleans fell in love with the Saints-and then the Saints fell in love with New Orleans. Retrieved from http://mag.newsweek.com/2010/02/11/requited.html.
Football League, the game of football is about more than making plays on the field.”2
The league provides service at a national level and at a local level. Some players go as far
as individual and team level services to the community. Some examples of these services
include community programs such as youth football, fitness programs such as the NFL
Play 60 Challenge, and supporting different community issues including breast cancer.
NFL main goal is to “strengthen America’s communities” (Goodell, 2011). 2
Louisville Leopards are determined to be a team whose main goal is to support
the people in the community. The Louisville Leopards realizes that they must prove that
they can be the team for the community to believe in by not only playing well, but most
importantly by being there for their fans. The team will begin some of the NFL programs
with the Louisville community as well as programs of their own specifically for the
community. These programs include NFL Play 60 Challenge, NFL Punt, Pass and Kick,
Breast Cancer Awareness, My Big Brother is a Leopard, and The Leopards Care.
LOUISVILLE LEOPARD’S PROGRAMS OVERVIEW
The Louisville Leopards will be implementing five different programs in the
Louisville community. Two of which will target the issues of obesity and fitness. Firstly,
the NFL Play60 fitness challenge for the youth of America. By teaming up with the
American Heart Association, kids will be able to partake in physical activity for 60
minutes a day. According to the American Heart Association (2013), one in three
2 National Football League (2013). A letter from the Commissioner. Retrieved from http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82054f96/article/a-‐letter-‐from-‐the-‐commissioner
American kids is overweight or obese.3 Research found that “participating in sports can
have benefits for adolescent girls that reach beyond simply staying physically fit,” and
especially allowing athletic females to “have better images of their own bodies, higher
levels of self-esteem and more trust for others.”4 This is another factor that the Play60
Challenge will address. It will allow young women and men to work as a team in
supporting one another and building their self-esteem. Being a part of a sport and on a
team will motivate kids to appreciate themselves and find something that they believe in.
Multiple middle schools in Louisville such as Jefferson County Public School, Knight
Middle School, Westport Middle School, and Noe Middle School have agreed to partake
in the challenge. Every six months, team players will visit these schools in order to
motivate the children to push and believe in themselves. There will also packets for the
children to take home for the parents where fitness doesn’t have to finish at school, but
continue at home.
Secondly, in order to keep football alive in the eyes of the youth, the NFL Punt,
Pass and Kick program is all about the game of football. It teaches the youth how to play
football, the terms used in football, and the right way to play the game. The team players
of the Louisville Leopards will be the ones teaching the youth the rules of football in a
non-contact environment. Hoping to build the skills of future football players and
3 American Heart Association (2013). Overweight in Children. Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Overweight-in-Children_UCM_304054_Article.jsp
4 Harmel, K. (1998). Science Daily. UF researcher: Participating in sports gives girls strong self-images. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/11/981117150259.htm
keeping the youth off the streets as well as staying fit and having the kids fall in love with
a fun fulfilling sport, it is made for the kids. Promoting a safe competitive environment
for the youth where in some way all of them get something in return, the NFL Punt, Kick,
and Pass holds true meaning to the value of football.
Additionally, there will be the NFL campaign for raising breast cancer awareness.
Team players, trainers, and coaches will be wearing pink at the games, and items will be
auctioned to raise funds for the American Cancer Society in Louisville. Also, the rate of
homeless children in the Louisville community is growing which is why St. Joseph
Children’s Home agreed to team up with My Big Brother is a Leopard for this impacting
program where each player will be designated a younger child to be his little sibling.
Because some of the team players came from a childhood where there was no one there
for them, My Big Brother is a Leopard touches the players at heart. Overall, St. Joseph
Children’s Home is excited to work with the players in building and impacting the lives
of orphan children by educating, teaching, and guiding.
In addition, Louisville is a society that likes to know that they are cared for.
Believing in a team that cares for the environment and the people in the community is
better than believing in a team that has no impact on their community. Leopards Care will
allow the players to go into the society and make a change. By inspiring others, caring for
the society and just showing people that they matter is a way for the Louisville Leopards
to keep that strong bond between the fans and themselves.
All in all, being the first professional football team to come out from Louisville,
the Leopards are determined to dedicate their time to football and the community because
they will be the team that the community can have faith and believe in. Giving back a
great amount of service to the community shows that it is not all about the game and
money, but it is about the supporters, the fans, and the community.
The Louisville Leopards Contact: Alysha Holmes Team member, National Football League Director, Public Relations Louisville, KY. 270-‐255-‐5676/[email protected]
CONCUSSIONS IN THE NFL
“There is a new system and a new concern about the long-term health of the guys out
there when we talk about concussions and head injuries… It’s no longer, ‘How many
fingers am I holding up?’ It’s a lot more involved these days and every player must get
used to this,” Daryl “Moose” Johnston, a former Dallas Cowboys fullback and current
NFL analyst, said.
Owen Thomas was like many young men he loved doing just anything to keep him
active. Thomas dreamed of graduating high school and continuing to play his favorite
sport: football. He began playing football at the age of nine or 10 and, as more than just a
pastime, by playing every single down of his high school football career at Parkland High
School where he was a three-year letter-winner and the team's captain for two years.
After high school, Thomas went on to play on the varsity football team at the Wharton
School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. While playing for Penn., Thomas
set numerous records and made many accomplishments; however, that couldn't keep the
unfortunate from unfolding.
In April 2010, his Junior year of college, Thomas suffered a “sudden and uncharacteristic
emotional collapse.” This became so serious that it led to him taking his own life at 21-
years old.
Doctors at Boston University were ones in charge of reviewing Thomas' brain tissue and
the doctors who came to the conclusion as to what led to such a “unexpected, premature
death.”
Dr. Daniel Perl, professor of Pathology at Uniformed Services University of the Health
Services, said this after confirming Boston University's findings: “It's not unreasonable
that aspects of his behavior were related to the underlying brain disease that was
detected...this is real.”
The examination of Thomas' brain proved what many feared, it showed that he had the
same disease found in many NFL players that have undergone multiple hits on the field.
Owen Thomas was found to be in the early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
CTE is
“a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) with a
history of repetitive brain trauma.”
Since the 1920s, CTE has been known to affect boxers; however, it recent has been found
in retired NFL players as well as in other athletes with a history of brain trauma. The
brain damage caused by these changes can be associated with memory loss, confusion,
impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression and progressive
dementia.
Thomas was reported as being the youngest and first amateur football player to be found
with CTE. Unfortunately, stories like this run rampant throughout the athletic world and
especially in the NFL.
“We wish we could have Owen back. Owen was a wonderful person and a great leader,”
Katherine Brearley, Thomas' mother, said about her son's untimely departure. “If his
death could leave a legacy of making youth football for young people, it would be
wonderful.”
That is where the Louisville Leopards come in. The Leopards have closely partnered with
the University of Louisville's Trauma Center. With the help of the Louisville community,
the Leopards have raised $80 million to help fund scans and treatment for potentially
injured players.
“On top of making sure each player receives the best care possible, we are also going to
ensure that each player diagnosed as having even a mild concussion is left off the bench
for no less than a week,” Leopard's coach Sean Payton said, “I'm not going to take any
chances or make any shortcuts when it comes to making sure my team is safe: mentally
and physically.”
The Louisville Leopards Contact: Madison Johnson Team member, National Football League Director, Public Relations Louisville, KY. 270-‐255-‐5677/[email protected]
BACKGROUNDER ON LOUISVILLE JAGUARS: LOUISVILLE, KY NFL TEAM
INTRODUCTION
The city of Louisville Kentucky is a bustling city with lots of community pride.
The people of Louisville are proud to call their city home and take pride in what their city
has to offer. Louisville is a huge metropolis with multitudes of money making
opportunities; however one of these opportunities has not been tried for many years.
What the city of Louisville now needs is a National Football League team, the Louisville
Jaguars.
The people of Louisville are already die-hard Louisville Cardinals fans and the
NFL wants to make this city the next host city for a new team. Having this team in
Louisville will help Louisville’s economy, add to the community spirit and add to the list
of local heroes the younger generation already looks up to.
CITY OF LOUISVILLE
Louisville, KY is the largest city in Kentucky, with a population of 253,182; it is
the 27th largest city in the country and is the largest city without a professional sports
team. Over the years the city of Louisville has been the home to five minor league
professional and semi-professional sports teams.
Not only will the Louisville Jaguar’s team bring in outside visitors but it will also
help generate jobs and income for the Louisville residents. As of right now, Louisville’s
unemployment rate is at 8.6%, more than Indianapolis and Cincinnati. If a new
organization was to be brought into Louisville it would help decrease the unemployment
rate and create jobs for many.
In 2002, a study showed the NFL’s New Orleans Saints impact on the state was
revenue of $402 million dollars. The average impact on a city for hosting the Super Bowl
was around $400 million in 1999, and that was just for the Super Bowl game alone.
COMMUNITY
Not only would this NFL team help Louisville’s economy, but also help its local
community. The NFL set up grant programs that provide funding for youth football
leagues to get resources they need, ensuring the players have a safe playing environment.
The NFL also runs campaigns like Play 60. The campaign encourages kids to be active
for at least 60 minutes a day to help cure childhood obesity. Being a host city for an NFL
team would be an amazing opportunity, to not only bring these programs into the
community, but also a great opportunity for local children to be able to participate with
the players in person.
The NFL gives to the whole community however, not just the youth. They
support many different non-profit organizations like American Cancer Society in the
Fight Against Breast Cancer. NFL helps sponsor programs to tackle prostate cancer along
side the Urology Care Foundation. The NFL is also a strong supporter of our troops and
gives to Pat Tillman Foundation, USO and Wounded Warrior Project. All community
members are important to the National Football League and will be shown support from
their city’s football team.
With the population becoming more aware of their environment, so is the NFL,
and we want to keep the city of Louisville as clean and efficient as possible. They have
taken a vow to keep minimize their waste and utilize the resources they use to the fullest.
The Super Bowl environmental program is a long standing program that has five main
initiatives: solid waste management, material reuse, food recovery, sports equipment and
book donations, and greenhouse gas reduction.
MEET YOUR TEAM
The NFL wants the Louisville Jaguars to join in with Louisville’s already
outstanding teams. We have selected Coach Teddy Capri to be head coach of the Jaguars,
he has had 20 years coaching experience including 10 years at Kansas State University.
His assistant coaches will be Coach Edward Carter and Coach Aaron Miller. A strong
team needs strong leadership and that’s exactly what is lined up for the Jaguars.
Louisville will not only get to watch these wonderful coaches in action in their back yard
but also in a perfectly structured stadium. Plans for the stadium will come from the
architect Paul V. Bradley, who has designed many professional sports stadiums and
entertainment venues.
OVERVIEW
Louisville is the perfect city for the Jaguars; it could benefit the state and local
community in so many ways. It would create job growth, boost the local economy, give
back to the community and give the people of Louisville one more team to rally for.
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
The Louisville Leopards professional football team is going to reach out to its fans
through the popular social media outlet “Twitter.” The organization believes that this can
greatly increase awareness of the football team and increase the team’s fan base.
The Louisville Leopards want to communicate with their fans on a personal level and
the organization believes that having a strong presence on “Twitter” is the best way to
accomplish that.
• SOCIAL MEDIA PURPOSE
The organization wants to create a connection with their fans. A personal connection
will help build these relationships between the team and players with its fans.
• SOCIAL MEDIA GOALS
The organization aims to be one of the top trending topics on Twitter on game day.
We hope to increase our “followers” on Twitter by 200 each month. Finally, we hope
to see our tweets retweeted at least 100 times per game.
• HOW IT WILL BE MEASURED?
The organization will use twitter insights and also track goals by measuring how many
favorites and retweets the team receives.
• FOUR TACTICS:
We will use “Vine” to post: “The Louisville Leopards of the first kickoff.
#LouisvilleLeopards #Gameday (insert video clip of Thomas Morstead kicking
football to begin game).”
o Twitter updates of the score of the game: “Leopards lead the Patriots 17-
10 going into the half. #LouisvilleLeopards”
o Twitter update on community outreach: “Team visits local children’s
hospital to visit with kids and sign autographs. #LouisvilleLeopards”
o Twitter announcement of upcoming newsletter: “To get more information
about your #LouisvilleLeopards, click the link to receive our free biannual
newsletter.”
• EVALUATION FOR SUCCESS
Overall, the Louisville Leopards professional football team believes that Twitter
will be an excellent resource for reaching out to our current fans, as well as
reaching new ones. The organization is focused on using Twitter and its resources
to increase awareness of the team and increase the team’s fan base.
MEDIA LIST
• WAVE3NEWS
News Director
Brian Shory
• WHAS11
Sports/HSGametime
Alef Koe
• Louisville Courier-Journal
Sports Editor
Jonathon Lintner
(502) 582-4199
• WLKY
Editor Sports/ Photographer
Sports
Scott Eckhardt
(502) 893-7300
• WKYI-TV 24
StationManager
Craig Hoffman
MULTIMEDIA -‐ INFOGRAM
LOUISVILLE LEOPARDS’ BI-‐ANNUAL NEWSLETTER
THE LOUISVILLE LEOPARDS