Nothing tells or sells the story of the blood, sweat and tears of athletes better than imagery - but the rules regarding displaying, distributing, and selling images of athletes can be confusing. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when considering the use of athletic images for your organization.

With the explosion of connected devices, streaming services and social-media platforms, today's sports fans consume the games they love in more ways than ever. This combination of mobility and connectivity results in an experience beyond the big screen to an endless mesh of alley-oop Vines and non-stop social chatter and water-cooler analysis worthy of the Oakland A's front office. Fans are enjoying unprecedented immediacy, access and insight.

Brett Yormark, CEO for the NBA's Brooklyn Nets and the team's home venue, Barclays Center, is a man with a plan that he has been building for more than a decade.

March, and this week in particular in the U.S., stands for many things green. St. Patrick's Day had marketers scrambling for clever tie-ins, millions of NCAA basketball brackets get completed for flashing green dollar signs, and the sights and sounds of baseball's spring training melts (hopefully) the last bit of lingering snow away.

Rights of Publicity (ROP) are defined as the inherent right of every human being to control the commercial use of his or her identity. And much like typical Hollywood celebrities, athletes can increase their personal brand value by capitalizing on their own celebrity status.

Amidst marketers' continued obsession over everything Millennial, I've seen a number of brands looking to find lightning in a bottle by attempting to recast themselves as hip, trendy or too cool for school. Alignment with athletes or properties that personify that desired positioning is often among the marketing mix elements that rise to the top of the list of those seeking this re-polishing of an old apple. While such efforts are far from new, it strikes me that there are more than a handful of instances where this approach is doomed to failure, and that's unfortunate because the mistake could …

Last year at this time, I wrote an article for MediaPost about Major League Soccer's significant growth. The focus was on how the league's increasing success in attracting world-class talent earlier in their careers and developing domestic players through the Homegrown program, has improved the quality of the players on the field each year, ultimately, driving up the league's rights value and popularity.