Looking Ahead

What does the future of sports PR hold? I believe that the Internet will become the most important component of sports PR. Many, if not most, people get their news from the Internet. That means that PR practitioners can use the Internet to spread information concerning their clients. Also, many of today's professional athletes have their own blogs. Through their blogs, athletes can communicate directly with their fans rather than communicating through the media. PR practitioners must take care to ensure that their clients do not post any damaging information on their blogs; the wrong information could end up creating tremendous controversy for the athletes involved. As more and more people connect to the Internet, Web-based PR will become even more important, and those who practice sports PR must do everything possible to stay ahead of the game.

Thrashers Connect With Fans

Although the Atlanta Thrashers were swept out of the first round of the playoffs, their first ever postseason appearance generated some good PR. Because the organization has spent years forming relationships with its fans, it wanted to make sure that they were involved in the playoff experience. One of the primary ways in which the Thrashers did this was the "Unleash the Fury" video contest. Fans were asked to submit their video entries involving the team's playoff slogan, "Unleash the Fury." After the videos were submitted, the organization selected a winner and several runners-up. The team then showed these videos on the video board during the first game of the playoffs. The fans enjoyed watching the videos, and as a result they became even more excited about the game. By enabling the fans to become personally involved in the playoff atmosphere, the Thrashers were able to create a feeling of group unity and to show the fans that they were an important part of the team's success.

The Job Hunt

I knew that getting a job in sports would not be an easy task, but it's turning out to be even more difficult than I expected. After several unsuccessful attempts to land a job, I find that my post-graduation life is up in the air. Right now I am hoping to get a six-month internship with the Atlanta Falcons. I would make minimum wage as a community relations assistant. Despite the low paycheck, the opportunity to work for an NFL team would be too great to pass up. I would work out of the team's headquarters in Flowery Branch and would handle player and cheerleader appearances as well as youth activities during training camp. I am crossing my fingers on this one, because I do not know what my next step will be if I do not get the job. I am hoping that I get some graduation money from family members and the like, because that June rent payment will be coming up very soon.

The Media's Assault on Vick

Lately, the image of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has taken some hits. In the most recent "scandal," police in Virginia raided the home of Vick's cousin and found evidence involving drugs and dog fighting. Even though Vick was not present, does not live in the house, and was not involved in the illegal activities, the media has come down on him because he is the legal owner of the house. Because he did something nice with his money and bought a house for a family member, his name is being dragged through the mud. The media have accused Vick of having character problems and have compared him to Randy Moss, a man who, among other things, bumped a meter maid with his car. Vick has taken this undue criticism in stride and met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the day of the NFL Draft to discuss what has been going on. In a nice bit of media relations work, Vick sat down for an interview and said that he will be more careful about the people with whom he associates. The most important thing that Vick has done during all of this has been to maintain his composure. By keeping a level head, he has fended off most of the media's criticism.

Tony Stewart Sounds Off

NASCAR has found itself it in a bit of a PR mess recently. Tony Stewart, one of racing's most notorious and controversial drivers, said in an interview that NASCAR is like professional werestling in that the outcomes are staged. Needless to say, NASCAR officials were not happy. NASCAR has seen a rise in its popularity in recent years and has done everything it could to position itself as one of the top sports attractions in America. By contesting the authenticity of race results, Stewart has undermined NASCAR's credibility and damaged its reputation. Time will tell if the sport suffers serious injury from the remarks. It is unlikely, however, that NASCAR fans will believe the things that Stewart said. The comments probably arose from frustration or anger rather than from actual beliefs. Even so, Stewart has learned a very valuable lesson: you never can be too careful when talking to the media.

SportsCenter Commercials

Over the years, one of my favorite parts of watching ESPN has been seeing a new commercial for SportsCenter. These commercials usually feature famous athletes and always are hilarious. It recently occurred to me that the commercials do more than just promote a TV show; they also allow ESPN to build relationships with the athletes that it covers. These relationships are important to the network, because it needs athletes to participate in interviews and other segments. By having athletes work with broadcasters during the production of the commercials, the network establishes working relationships and ensures that the athletes will be willing to work with the network in the future. Without the commercials, the broadcasters only would work with the athletes during interviews, which probably would not breed the camaraderie that the commercials produce. This friendly atmosphere is what really makes the commercials a good PR move.

Schilling's Sock

Was it really blood? The entire baseball world seems to be asking itself that very question. During the 2004 playoffs, Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling had his ankle stitched up in order to temporarily fix a tendon problem. Schilling then pitched, and won, Game 6 of the American League Championship Series and Game 2 of the World Series while wearing a blood-stained sock. On Wednesday, a Baltimore Orioles commentator said that Boston catcher Doug Mirabelli had told him that Schilling had put red paint on his sock as a publicity stunt. Mirabelli has denied ever saying this, and controversy has ensued. In all likelihood, the sock really was stained with blood. It is hard to believe that Schilling would take the time to come up with something like this while trying to lead Boston to the greatest postseason comeback in baseball history. However, if this was just a publicity stunt, then Schilling is a PR genius. People were in awe of his "bloody sock" performance. He became a legend to Red Sox fans around the world. His sock even ended up in the Hall of Fame. If he could come up with a PR stunt like that, he definitely would have a new career lined up after his playing days are over.

Truth & Consequences

Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson recently was one of several top college football players to admit to past marijuana use. A number of people have had negative reactions to the news, claiming that the marijuana use represents "character issues" and should have a negative impact on the players' draft status. Another issue presented by this story is whether athletes should tell the truth about their behavior. If Johnson and the other players had lied about their marijuana use, then there would be no public issues concerning their character and draft status. However, because they told the truth, they have suffered some image problems. Even so, their honesty still was the best way to go. If the media or the public had found out about the marijuana (and thus, the lying) later on, then the players' problems would be even bigger. By telling the truth, they showed that they are honest and trustworthy. These traits should do more to assure professional teams of the players' character than should the marijuana use. When trying to manage an athlete's media relations, it usually is best to stick to the truth instead of trying to avoid the possible negative consequences.

NFL Draft Approaches

In the world of sports, no event is more overhyped than the NFL Draft. Every year, millions of people tune in for two days just to see which college players will play for which pro teams. The NFL has turned the entire weekend into a huge event. The league invites the best college players in the country to sit in the green room and wait to be drafted. The players' presence adds celebrity appeal to the festivities and can provide some drama when a highly touted player is drafted lower than expected. When the players who are present are drafted, they walk to the stage to receive jerseys and caps from their new teams, providing fans with their first glimpses of their teams' new stars. One of the most entertaining and enjoyable aspects of the draft is the fact that fans are allowed into the event as spectators. The crowd's presence and reactions give the impression that viewers are watching an actual sporting event as opposed to a selection process. The NFL's popularity has skyrocketed in recent years, and the league has used this growth to imbed itself into the public's consciousness, even when football season still is months away. The draft gives fans a brief peek at what the new season will bring, and its continued popularity shows that the league's presentation of the event has been a huge success.

Nationals Honor VT Victims

During the second inning of Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves, the Washington Nationals donned Virginia Tech hats in order to honor the victims of Monday's tragedy at the university. Although this action was undertaken by the team and not the PR department, it was a great way for the organization to reach out to the community. This is not the first time that a baseball team has used hats to pay its respects to victims of a tragedy. Everyone surely remembers when the New York Yankees and New York Mets wore NYPD and FDNY hats following the September 11 attacks. In times of grief and mourning, even the simplest gesture can have a tremendous impact on victims and their families. By wearing the Virginia Tech hats, the Nationals were able to express empathy for everyone involved in the tragedy. The players may never know for sure, but their actions may have helped someone to get through this ordeal.

Who Not to Represent

I give to you my list of the five worst athletes to represent as a PR practitioner:

5. Jose Canseco
No one really trusts Canseco, not even the people who read his book. He's seen as one of the poster boys for steroid use, and he even supports athletes' use of performance-enhancing drugs. The public, as well as other baseball players, are pretty much sick of him.

4. Dennis Rodman
Rodman hasn't played basketball in a while, but he's still in the public eye. When the public does see him, it usually is in a negative light. Many people view him as a freak or an outcast and are unnerved by his piercings, tattoos, and demeanor. His occasional run-ins with the police certainly don't help, either.

3. Terrell Owens
Owens has been called a "cancer" by fellow players, and they may just be right. Owens seems unable or unwilling to get along with teammates (no matter what team he plays for), and he always finds himself in the middle of some kind of scandal or ridiculous story.

2. Mike Tyson
The man bit off the ear of an opponent. That fact alone would make it almost impossible to give Tyson a positive public image. When you throw in the numerous arrests and the somewhat crazy interviews and soundbytes, things only get worse. Good luck trying to explain the tattoo on his face.

1. Barry Bonds
No matter what you do, you cannot get most people to like Bonds. His image is damaged beyond repair. The majority of the general public would like to see him suffer a career-ending injury rather than break Hank Aaron's home run record. Everything he does is smeared by the steroid scandal. He doesn't exactly help his own cause, either. He's never been known as a nice guy, and he frequently has negative encounters with the media. Bonds' PR people have the toughest job in the business.

If you find yourself representing one of these athletes, then you might want to start searching for a new job.

Peyton's SNL Performance

Last night, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning hosted Saturday Night Live. After years of being entertained by his commercials, I was excited to see what he could do in front of a live audience. For someone who is not an actor by trade, he did pretty well. One of his funniest performances was in a mock commercial that spoofed the National Football League's United Way commercials, in which NFL stars are seen helping out in the community. In the SNL parody, Manning plays a game of football with a group of young kids. The comedy ensues as he verbally berates the children for not playing well enough and his passes knock the kids to the ground. He goes on to teach the kids "lessons" such as how to break into a car, and he hires a tattoo artist to tattoo his own face onto a young boy's leg. The skit was hilarious, but did the comedy come with a price? Manning is widely regarded as one of the NFL's "golden boys," a great role model and an ambassador for the league. The performance obviously was in jest, but the sight of Manning harassing children still might not sit well with some members of the public. These people might stop buying into Manning's squeaky-clean image. If I was Manning's publicist or one of the Colts' PR people, I would have been just a little bit nervous about this performance. You never know when an audience is going to take something too seriously.

Social Networking and Sports

The past few years have seen a dramatic increase in the popularity of social networking Web sites, such as facebook and MySpace. Sports organizations apparently took notice and have begun to create their own networks for fans. The National Basketball Association has developed Fan Voice (http://www.nba.com/fanvoice/index.html), which allows basketball fans to connect with each other. The league's Portland Trail Blazers have created their own site (http://iamatrailblazersfan.com/). As more and more people become engrossed in online social networking, these sites only will increase in number. By giving fans the chance to interact with each other and to feel that they truly are part of a community, organizations can generate positive feelings among their target audiences. One of the best things about this PR tactic is its low cost; Web sites can get messages across without eating up organizations' advertising budgets. Sports fans should jump at the chance to interact with their fellow die-hards, and this PR trend should continue for a long time.

Distancing Yourself From Controversy

The National Basketball Association made the right moves following Tim Hardaway's recent anti-gay rants. This situation could have been disastrous for the NBA (for Hardaway, it already has been), but instead the league handled things calmly and smoothly. Once media outlets began reporting on Hardaway's comments, the league removed the former player from his scheduled All-Star Weekend appearances and all but disavowed his association with the NBA. John Amaechi's decision to come out could prove to be a very positive thing for the NBA, but that only will happen if the league can convince the public that it is OK with homosexuality and that homophobia is not as big of a problem in the NBA as Hardaway's comments would lead people to believe. The league could take steps to make itself more appealing to the gay community. For example, heterosexual players publicly could state their support for gay rights and for gay teammates. When dealing with such an important issue, the one thing that the league has to be sure of is that it is not promoting or disseminating hate. Hardaway found this out the hard way.

Welcome!

Hello there, everyone! I am new to this whole blogging thing, but I hope to get the hang of it soon. So here's the scoop: I am a senior at the University of Georgia majoring in public relations. I am in my final semester, with only a few months left until graduation (assuming that all goes according to plan). As part of my PR campaigns class, I must maintain a PR-related blog over the course of the semester. If you enjoy sports or sports PR, then you might have come to the right place, because that is what my blog will cover. I plan to discuss my thoughts on the latest happenings in the industry as well as my plans to participate in said industry following my graduation. I will be back soon with my opinions concerning the current state of sports PR.