Nye Lavalle is an American sports marketing executive and social scientist turned consumer and investor advocate and activist. He is known for his studies on American sports, culture, charities, and media conducted during the 1980s and 1990s. In recent years, Lavalle has focused his time on advocacy and activism for consumer and investor issues, primarily on fraud in mortgage servicing and securitization.
Sports marketing career
Lavalle began his career managing professional tennis players with Pro Tennis International and consulting sports agents, major corporate sponsors, advertisers, ad agencies, and media. He was the founder of the American Sports Marketing Association in 1989 and was a partner and managing director at World Sports Group, an international sports marketing firm.
In 1986, Lavalle established Sports Marketing Group (SMG), a sports and sponsorship research consultancy based in Boca Raton, Florida. From 1988 to 1994, SMG conducted what many media sources considered the largest surveys and research of spectator sports and sponsorship in America. In 1991, Adweek Magazine called the studies "the most comprehensive popularity study of its kind." In 1993, Adweek again stated "The head of one international ad agency called it the first social and cultural census of America." The AP called SMG's 1993 survey "the most detailed survey ever of America's sports tastes" researching "114 spectator sports they might attend, follow on television or radio or read about in newspapers or magazines."
Most notable in Lavalle's career was the January 16, 1994 edition of US News & World Report that quoted Lavalle as saying "more people will view the Winter Olympics than any event in the history of sports. It's the dream team of figure skating." While many sportswriters and columnists scoffed at Lavalle's prediction, Adweek reported "Dallas researcher and sports marketing specialist Nye Lavalle has said it ever since the results of his first sports popularity survey came out in 1989: figure skating rivals NFL football in popularity in this country and will one day become recognized by TV programmers and advertisers. That day has come with the controversy and drama surrounding figure skating at the '94 Winter Olympics."
SMG's studies, often reported on by award winning Associated Press columnist Steve Wilstein, received widespread media attention around the world for not only disclosing the most popular sports in America, but also its most hated. Even the Russian newspaper Pravda would publish American likes and dislikes of sports. In 1991, Lavalle and Wilstein also collaborated on the first study of the economic size and impact of sports marketing and the business of sports in America. The joint SMG/AP study documented that the entire sports industry was one of the largest industries in America totaling $180 billion a year. The Sports Business Journal has built upon Lavalle and Wilstein's methodology and continues to conduct an annual study of the economic size of the sports industry in America.
Lavalle's last known published SMG study came in 2003 when results of the "most hated" sports in America were released via Wilstein and the Associated Press. Dogfighting was America's most hated sport with 81% of Americans over 18 years of age saying they hated or disliked a lot the sport of dogfighting. Rounding out the top 10 of most hated sports in America were No. 2 Pro Wrestling; No. 3 Bullfighting; No. 4 Pro Boxing; No. 5 PGA Tour Golf; No. 6 PGA Sr. Tour Golf; No. 7. LPGA Golf (29.2%); No. 8 NASCAR (27.9%); No. 9. MLS Soccer; and No. 10 ATP Men's Tennis.
Lavalle was one of the original board member's of Mark Tudi’s Sports Careers with Robert Helmick (then-president of the USOC), Jerry Colangelo (sports owner), Gary Bender (sportscaster), and Charles Higgins (Ohio University Professor). Colangelo later purchased Sports Careers before selling the business to Franklin Covey.
Sports Marketing Group has advised and counseled major corporations, ad agencies, sports leagues, networks and organizations across four continents on issues ranging from Olympic and World Cup sponsorship to sports league television and expansion plans.
SMG's work has been sourced, quoted and featured in thousands of stories in newspapers, magazines, television and radio shows throughout the world and Lavalle has appeared on shows for the BBC and Tokyo Broadcasting as well as on Hardball with Chris Matthews to discuss Tiger Wood's first win at the Masters and on CNBC’s PowerLunch to discuss Wood's signing with NIKE. He has made numerous appearances on CNBC as well as a number of appearances on PBS’ Nightly Business Report. Lavalle is even quoted in a version of Meriam Webster's Dictionary of Allusions.
Sports predictions
Lavalle obtained prominence in the media, advertising and sports marketing industries for his prediction in 1989 that figure skating and NASCAR would be the sports of the 1990s in the US. NASCAR indeed experienced major expansion during this era, building new tracks across the US outside of its traditional Southeastern base, and continues to be a major American sport today.
Soccer fans in America have particularly railed against Lavalle's assessment of soccer in America and many were unhappy over Lavalle's analysis on soccer in the US following the 1994 FIFA World Cup The New York and LA Times quoted Lavalle as saying "for World Cup soccer worldwide, the World Cup gets a grade A; for staging of the World Cup in America, it gets a grade A. But for the future of soccer in America, the grade is incomplete. If you want a prediction, it seems like the term paper will be turned in and it will get a failing grade. To say that it will ever be on par with hockey or golf or even wrestling is way off the mark."
Major League Soccer, the primary professional soccer league in the US, has operated continuously since 1993 while experiencing slow, but steady growth. It remains behind the PGA Tour, WWE Wrestling, and the NHL in attendance, fan, television, and sponsor support.
Nye Lavalle & Associates
In 1994, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a non-profit industry publication, released the results of the first and largest study of charitable and non-profit organization popularity and credibility in America, conducted by Nye Lavalle & Associates, founded by Lavalle. The study measured the popularity, credibility and support of over 100 charitable organizations and non-profits in America. Results showed that the International Special Olympics ranked as the "most credible charity/non-profit in America of over 100 charities researched with 73% of Americans over the age of 12 choosing Extremely and Very Honest for Special Olympics. The study also reflected that Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was viewed as the "most popular charity/non-profit in America with 51% of Americans over the age of 12 choosing Love and Like A lot for MADD.
Presidential popularity poll
As part of Lavalle's America's study in 1992, Lavalle applied the popularity polling metrics he created for sports, athletes, and celebrities to presidential candidates and presidents. So as not to influence elections and draw wider scale criticism from both left and right leaning political groups, Lavalle withheld the results. However, in 2004, Lavalle for the first time released results of his presidential poll finding for the Pew Research Foundation. The impetus behind the release was that current day presidential "approval" polls did not adequately measure the hatred and vitriol many Americans were exhibiting towards presidential candidates and presidents.
Lavalle was quoted as saying, "We keep seeing likeability and favorability polls released that don't say what we know Americans are really feeling. Most of these polls just give a quick black and white snapshot of American's opinions and don't go far enough in showing us how much people like and, most importantly, dislike each candidate. Our poll, instead of just giving an up or down number, asks Americans to choose one of seven balanced responses from love to hate. It shows the gray as well as the black and white picture." "The poll provides better insights. Someone who chooses hate/dislike a lot would be highly unlikely to support a candidate while someone who chooses love/like a lot would be more likely to support a candidate."
President Bush received a "total popularity" score of 49% (love 8%, like a lot 25% and like a little 15%, rounded numbers). John Kerry's "total popularity" score was 45% (love 3%, like a lot 23% and like a little 19%). Each candidate's "total unpopularity" numbers were: Bush 39% (11% hate, 18% dislike a lot, 10% dislike a little); Kerry 39% (hate 5%, dislike a lot 21%, dislike a little 13%).
The metrics proves the theory that America is equally divided with about 40% on one side of the political fence or another and 20% in the middle or non-committal.
Financial and mortgage fraud career
Since the Olympics in 1996, Lavalle has pursued the investigation, analysis and exposure of mortgage fraud, abuse and predatory lending, servicing and securitization schemes. He began his investigation in 1993 after identifying mortgage fraud on a family property in Dallas, TX.
In 2000, Lavalle as a whistleblower and activist registered a number of Internet domain names involving the trademarks and service marks of Bear Stearns and EMC Mortgage and claimed on the websites that they were engaged in predatory servicing and lending abuses as well as cooking their books. Lavalle claimed that Bear Stearns and EMC's mortgage practices would ultimately bring down
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