While no doubt there is and will remain a certain market of women who will still respond to that strategy, the amount of money marketers are spending on sponsorships and activation warrants a more sophisticated approach.

Our research suggests that with the proliferation of new gadgets and constant upgrades, of instant this and bigger that, the consumer has begun to say "enough," and with that comes a desire for the meaningful versus the superficial; for a sense of belonging to a close knit community of like minded people. For many, sports can fill that space ... as long as we continue to make it accessible and inviting. It's really that simple.

The major sports leagues of today have become archeologists, sifting through the dirt of the fallen to find nuggets of branding and marketing concepts. The fact that these upstarts were Davids against Goliaths oftentimes meant that they could think way out of the box in marketing, sponsorship and branding concepts, all in the name of PR and garnering fan and media awareness.

What are NFL sponsors doing for fantasy football players? Surprisingly, the answer varies greatly from one sponsor to the next. You may have to get used to dealing with social media and fragmented campaigns -- but, then again, that is already the general trend in consumer marketing.

This is particularly true in sports marketing, as the battlefield for the attention of potential sponsors and fans has expanded to make the pursuit of time for thoughtful deliberation an often elusive aspiration. But the fact that we suffer cultural attention deficit disorder doesn't mean that we've regressed to the point that we can no longer resonate with the audiences that we are trying to influence.

There are two key questions to be answered: Can the sponsor brand foster genuine engagement with the members of the particular sports tribes? And, do the tribe members accept that brand as a part of their tribal existence?

The power of efficient markets should allay concerns that digital media disruption will kill the business of sports content publishing -- or any content publishing for that matter. So long as there are still siblings who crave stories about Brett Favre's latest drama or whether the Red Sox are a big bat away from making a playoff run, there will be vibrant and expanding sports content markets.

Among the most popular items is a Wilson Jumbo Tennis Ball (11" diameter), mainly used by those seeking autographs. They went for $40 each last year, and Wilson estimated it sold 8,000 (that's $320K to you and me). Those buyers, like the U.S. Open's marketing partners, will be back again, flashing plenty of green.

Sports marketing is usually defined as sponsorships or endorsements of sports events and athletes. It is a powerful way of associating a brand with stories -- equity in marketing terms -- that consumers are interested in and passionate about. But could there be more to it than that?

Too many of us don't go far enough in providing a holistic profile of that audience, that can add significant value to a sports marketing relationship. From our vantage point, it confounds me that too many of us rely, sometimes exclusively, on reach and frequency, while stopping short of assessing potential engagement levels and appropriate audience fit.