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BY JOE FAVORITO
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
ON N.J. SPORTS MARKETING
He was born in 1925 in St. Louis, but New York Yankees baseball legend Yogi Berra is now, and has been for years, a New Jersey sports icon. Even though Berra's playing days were spent in The Bronx and his coaching time in both The Bronx and Flushing, it has been New Jersey that he has called home with his family. So it is fitting that the Yogi brand, and the Yogi legacy, not just for sports but for learning and values, resides in Montclair at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center.
While there are select other athletes who have been immortalized in stand-alone museums...the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore, the Bob Feller Museum in Iowa, the Ted Williams Museum in Florida...there is probably no sports icon whose brand has evolved over time than Yogi Berra's and the current and future plans for the museum reflect that brand growth.
In September the Museum will begin its latest evolution and develop more into a learning and education center reflective of the overall values that have framed Berra's life ... a purpose that goes beyond just housing a remarkable collection of artifacts from a Hall of Fame career. It will also use those values as it transitions both physically and philosophically beyond the borders of a "baseball only" museum into one that better reflects the overall philosophy of the museum...one of education, self-respect and hard work...a philosophy that athletes and peoples of all walks of life can relate to.
The first step toward speaking to that larger mission occurred this past Thursday, when the museum hosted an evening with Giants great Tiki Barber (pictured with Carmen Berra, Yogi's wife). Like Berra, Barber's on-field work may be more appreciated as the years go on. And also like the Yankee legend, Barber's off the field philanthropic work, as well as his business savvy, may yet be the most important part of his legacy. The parallels between their careers are very intriguing, and formed a great transitional launch for the next phase of the Yogi brand — becoming the physical center for all areas of sports and social consciousness, not just for the Garden State, but for the entire metropolitan area.
Now I'm sure that Yogi Berra wasn't consumed with the concepts of legacy and brand during his playing career as it is today with many athletes. But one thing is for sure, the growth of brand for this legendary athlete, exemplified in the evolution of the Learning Center that bears his name, is one that many athletes of today should pay attention to and emulate. And it is right here in New Jersey.
Joe Favorito has over 23 years of strategic communications/marketing, business development and public relations expertise in sports, entertainment, brand building, media training, television, athletic administration and business. Visit him at JoeFavorito.com.
