Does public relations in sports do more harm than good?
Professional and collegiate athletics have been becoming more and more popular every year. The problem is, it is not just the athletic aspect of the games that audiences are interested anymore. Every day people look for new gossip and/or scandals in the sports world, and unfortunately other people are giving them exactly what they want. The Public Relations industry was originally supposed to be used for managing the flow of information between an organization and its public audiences. The question is; is the industry doing more harm than good in this field today? Social media has gone out of control in modern day. From Facebook to Twitter, news (or rumors) travels at the speed of light. The problem is that most channels do not know the correct way to control a crisis or deliver information. Most of the time, this will result in exaggeration and scandal. If public relations classes are properly taught, there is a chance this problem can be avoided at some level. The article, “Public Relations Professionals As Shapers Of Public Information: The Role Of Theory In Their Education,” written by Dave Ogden, Chris Allen, and Joan Latchaw, discusses a survey which was used to find out whether majors in mass communication programs were required to study theory as part of the curriculum, and which theories were thought to be most important.
The Essay on Public Relations Contigenct Theory Of Accommodation And Advocacy
... changing any problems the public saw as a hindrance. The contingency theory is, by any means, a good way of practicing public relations. One good ... amount of time it takes to expend all the collected information of the interviewees. The study seems too extensive to ... any beneficial quality for the interviewer and interviewee and the information collected will not serve any purpose to the interviewee ...
The results showed that about 75% required students to study theory in some format. Mass communication theories such as public relations were identified as the most important. If this continues to be the case, people in the public relations industry will know how to deal with crisis, but that does not mean people will stop looking for scandal. Professional and Collegiate athletics are a business just like anything else. This means that there is a need for investors in athletics as well. When an investor is trying to decide whether or not something is going to be a successful investment, they study up. Investors will get their information through public relations channels and eventually make their decision based on statistics and perceptions. The paper, “The Value Of Public Relations In Investor Relations: Individual Investors’ Preferred Information Types, Qualities, And Sources,” by Timothy Penning, discusses a survey which targeted investors about the information which this specific public seeks and values. The results of the survey identified specific conditions associates with investors seeking sources of information considered to be public relations content which have value to the investors.
This study proves that public relations communications content has significant value than information from news media and/or other sources in an investor relations context. One example of an investment in athletes would be the recent NFL Draft 2012, last week. Teams research players statistics which have been recorded over their college careers and decide if they think that individual would be an asset to their team. The investment comes into play when they pay the players’ salaries. During their research, they also look for any scandal such as difficulty listening to authority or drug (steroid) related issues. These would be pertinent whether or not a team decides to sign a player. When a team invests in a player, they are hoping to train them even more specifically to succeed with their own team. They would not want to waste time and money training an individual just to send them somewhere else to get more money. Public relations practice in sport is not always evident in the business today, it has much to offer.
The Term Paper on Public Relations
Public relations is the process used by businesses or organizations to present the most favorable image for them to the public. It is the responsibility for public relations professionals to provide carefully crafted information to the target audience about the individual, its goals and accomplishments, and any thing else that may be of public interest. The public relations professional also helps ...
The paper, “Applying The Public Relations Function To The Business Of Sport,” written by Maria K. Hopwood, discusses the value of public relations to professional sports organizations. Cricket was chosen because although it does not enjoy the same popularity as soccer in the UK, it has an extremely loyal fan base and widespread support at grass roots level. An important finding is that the communications strategies used in cricket are appropriate to use in other sports as well. Cricket regards itself as part of the entertainment industry and competes for its share of the global market. A key strategy here is to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with a range of publics; an objective that is usually achieved through the systematic and structured implementation of public relations. The issue with cricket is that it is thought to be past its prime. If someone were to want to turn the image of this sport around, they must appeal to a more demographically diverse audience. A case study was used to examine to what extent clubs understand and utilize public relations. Communications and relationship-building strategies were analyzed and key theoretical principles of public relations, insight and understanding were applied.
Christian Lopez was just another average Joe before summer of 2011. When he caught Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit, which happened to be a home run, his life changed forever. Not only because he was the lucky fan, but because he was generous enough to give it back to Jeter when he easily could have made a fortune off of it on eBay and paid off any debts he had and more. Since then he has been rewarded with Yankees memorabilia and tickets and much more than he could ever have asked for. In the article, “Catching Jeter’s 3000th Pays,” Bruce Horovitz discusses the fan who returned Derek Jeter’s historic 3000th hit-ball, Christian Lopez. Lopez has been targeted by the social media in both positive and negative ways. Deals have been fired at Lopez from all directions. Miller High Life has offered to pay the estimated $14,000 tax bill for memorabilia and tickets which he received. Modell’s Sporting Goods has dubbed a “Christian Lopez Week” donating 5% of Yankee merchandise sales to him with a minimum of $25,000.
Steiner Sports Marketing auctioned sports memorabilia on its site, with profits going to Lopez. PR firm JCPR, which specializes in financial public relations, gave Lopez free PR advice on how to deal with his new found celebrity. Christian Lopez was rewarded with all of this for what?–A simple act of kindness which had the minimum relation to sports. It seems the Yankees wanted to thank Lopez for bleeding blue. Public relations has many downfalls, but when a coach does not give journalists anything to work with, that is their own fault. When a team does not win games, and therefore does not acquire fans, what positives can be publicized about a team? At this point it is the coach’s job to try and turn a program around and until some positives start appearing, the negatives will keep on flowing. The article, “A Tiger By Its Tail,” written by Joe Pollack, reflects author’s reaction regarding public relation in the athletic department in his university in the U.S. The lack of public relation can be pointed out to the problem of the football coaches that the team had neither won the games and the fans. Other problems can be blamed on the recruitment process of players and the perception that university’s athletic department lack faith in their ability to find the right coach.
The Essay on Historical and Contemporary Figures in Public Relations
Over the years, key figures in public relations have contributed to its shaping through intrinsic criticism, major additions and re-evaluation that has seen latter applications being highly effective in creating cohesion and ultimate higher productivity and sustainability in the society. Notably, the concept of public relations dates back to eighteenth century, however, many authors appear to ...
The highlight of the coach issue was focused on Mike Anderson, a new coach and a replacement of Quin Snyder who was praise for his good public relation. Professional athletes are normally shut up before they have a change to explain themselves. What everyone would like to think is that if you don’t make any mistakes, you will not have to make any excuses. The one thing people keep forgetting is that no one is perfect. This paper shows that fans both discriminate and empathize with Curt Schilling’s conservative political views and his Red Sox affiliations. The paper, “The Nation Stands Behind You: Mobilizing Social Support on 38pitches.com,” written by Jimmy Sanderson, analyzes the posts on Curt Schilling, Boston Red Sox pitcher, blog, www.38pitches.com surrounding troubling events disclosed. 514 comments later, readers identified as a support group confirming Schilling’s identity as a sports media critic and active sports medial participant as well as a symbol in Red Sox baseball culture. It is suggested that blogs are a valuable public relations window for professional athletes, especially individuals who have been portrayed in a negative way by journalists, ect. Athletes are public icons based on their profession. If they want to express their opinion on other topics that are irrelevant to sports that is their right.
The Essay on Public Hangings
Capital punishment seemed to have been regenerated from the beginning of mankind, where beheading was considered an honorable method of meeting death, whereas hanging carried with it a definite stigma. The era of public hanging was emotionally satisfying even though the surroundings was emotionally tense. In contrast to private hangings where they were fewer observers, less theatrical from the ...
Everyone will be criticized at some point based on their beliefs, but it should not change someone’s view of them in their profession as well. Tiger Woods has obviously been involved in his fair share of scandals, which, yes, were brought on by himself, but does that mean that the public should be informed of all of them? If he were cheating at golf, which would be a different story because he turned professional and signed endorsement contracts based on that singular talent. Cheating on his wife? Sure it was a terrible act to commit, but “At the end of the day, how many of us inside or outside athletics can boast of being completely faithful to our partners, in either body or soul?” His fans didn’t give him their loyalty because of his personal life, but his career in professional golf. The article, “Public doesn’t have right to invade Woods’ privacy,” discusses the amount of Tiger Woods’ personal life which is released in front of the public eye. From his car crash to his many infidelities, it is questioned whether he should have a right to his personal privacy not.
Multiple opinions on this topic are given, and it seems a common conclusion has been reached. One objection that could be valid is that his reputation as a spokesman has developed some cracks. He did sign on to represent a brand, and while the product may not be commitment related, the brand may not want someone who would cheat in general to be their public icon. The drawback to this is, the brand would have the right to terminate that relationship, but there is still no reason for the general public to be let in on the personal scandal. Exaggeration is a huge negative in the Public Relations industry. The Dallas Mavericks head coach claims that billions of people are Maverick fans. The only problem is that 311 million accounts for the USA, so apparently the Miami Heat are also internationally hated. This superstar team-turned bad, has a public relations problem. “They hype you to absurd proportions, and then tear you down when you turn out less than unbeatable”. James claims that fans invest too much into the games. They forget that the day after a game, their lives don’t change and they will have to continue to live their lives.
The Essay on News Article On Bally Total Fitness Can Use For A Public Relations Class
Bally Total Fitness is the largest and only nationwide commercial operator of fitness centers in the United States, with approximately 4 million members and 320 locations in 27 states and Canada. There are currently 5 in the Baltimore area. (Bally p.1) Bally Total Fitness claim is to be committed to offering its members the best resources to help them achieve their personal fitness and health ...
The question is, why are the Miami Heat hated? And what can they do to turn this around? In the article, “Heat In Need Of More Palatable PR,” Mike Lopresti discusses the level of bad publicity directed at the Miami Heat basketball team. As he compares the Heat to other “hated” “superstar” franchises such as the New York Yankees and Duke Men’s Basketball team, he also discusses strategy to market the Heat in a positive way. First of all, no more over-the-top demonstrations, such as James, Wade and Bosh introduced like a Vegas floor show. They could use a more modest slogan for the future along the lines of, “The Miami Heat: We’d like to win a championship, if it works out.” Even better, “We’re back and more humble than ever.” “The golden rule of public relations is you have to get something out in the first 60 minutes. And mentioning the victims always comes first”. This is because bad news doesn’t get better with time; on the contrary, it gets worse.
This is when rumors are created and continue to spiral out of control. Canceling Joe Paterno’s weekly news conference 30 minutes before it was supposed to begin was a huge misstep according to Manual because “Paterno should have had his moment in time to have his say.” This scandal single handedly ruined a beloved man’s legacy right before retirement and shortly after death. The thing that people keep forgetting is that “This isn’t the Joe Paterno scandal. This isn’t the 2011 Penn State football scandal. This is the Jerry Sandusky scandal”. The article, “Handling Scandal In The Worst Way,” Andy Gardiner discusses the Penn State scandal surrounding involving child sexual abuse charges filed against former football assistant Jerry Sandusky. Gardiner elaborates on the poor public relations job done with this case which led to the firestorm directed at iconic football coach Joe Paterno which ended up costing him his job as well as the university President Graham Spanier. A climate of silence in the middle of a scandal reads as one thing, and one thing only, guilty. “The crisis was in the making of at least three years. Penn State knew this shoe was going to drop, and it was not prepared.” It seems that Penn State was not only not prepared, but more like blind sighted. They tried to act like it never happened, and that came back to bite them in a crucial way.
The Essay on Public Relations 4
Public relations In promoting products of software the potential and real users and customers usually meet the problems, which are common among the PR campaigns of various software companies and often virtually deceive you the product which you ultimately receive often appears to be absolutely different to what is written and told through advertising. Simultaneously, the necessity to use marketing ...
Manual believes Paterno made major mistakes in his response to being fired. “When he announces his planned retirement at the end of the season and said the board of trustees should not spend another minute debating his future, it threw down a gauntlet.” Paterno was trying to control his exit from Penn State football giving the board of trustees no choice but to fire him. Now that they cannot turn back, Penn State needs to separate Jerry Sandusky form the rest of the university. A clean cut fresh start campaign is exactly what they need, but easier said than done. A crisis is something you plan for but hope to avoid. Michael Vick’s scandal is known and judged all over the world by now. Eric Webber, a professional in the public relations business, has his own take on what Vick could have done better during crisis control. Michael Vick deliberately participated in dog fighting, knew if he were caught that there would be serious consequences, but convinced himself he would not get caught. Things often get misinterpreted in social media, so when Vick described his actions as immature, it is almost as if he is saying dog fighting is the equivalent to “making fart noises in math class”.
One of the worst things you could do is try to take a terrible thing, and play it down to almost nothing. When Vick claimed that he found religion through his situation, he made it seem like an after-thought. This is commonly interpreted as an attempt to gain sympathy. This is dangerous in the public eye due to the fact that religion is a serious part of many individuals’ lives and should be taken seriously. At this point, Vick should have simply apologized and laid in the bed in which he made for himself. In the article, “If I Had Been Handling These Crisis Strategies…” Eric Webber comments on public relations mistakes made by football player Michael Vick and U.S. Senator Larry Craig. The author says the men failed basic public relations technique in crisis management. He says Vick underestimated his case which included killing dogs, while Craig, who was charged with solicitation in an airport men’s bathroom, failed the DTSSTY test which stands for Does That Sound Stupid to You?
This includes rehearsing what you plan on saying to the press to someone else and ask, “Does that sounds stupid to you?” In short, yes it sounded stupid. Whether the topic of an article is a sexual abuse scandal or adultery, the only reason these stories are news worthy is because of the professions of the individuals involved. When you turn to a sports network such as ESPN and see coverage on these issues, hopefully that is not what you are looking for. Public Relations firms need to step up and protect their clients like they are paid to do instead of allowing the industry to be polluted with unrelated scandals. The question is, was it the individuals themselves who messed up in trying to control the crisis, or were their publicists advising them to do those things? A qualitative study about the quality of professionals in the public relations industry based on these articles and more would successfully answer these questions.
Public Relations: An Annotated Bibliography
Andy, Gardiner, and TODAY USA. “Handling scandal in worst way.” USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. This article discusses the Penn State scandal surrounding involving child sexual abuse charges filed against former football assistant Jerry Sandusky. Gardiner elaborates on the poor public relations job done with this case which led to the firestorm directed at iconic football coach Joe Paterno which ended up costing him his job as well as the university President Graham Spanier. “The golden rule of public relations is you have to get something out in the first 60 minutes. And mentioning the victims always comes first”. This is because bad news doesn’t get better with time; on the contrary, it gets worse. This is when rumors are created and continue to spiral out of control. Canceling Joe Paterno’s weekly news conference 30 minutes before it was supposed to begin was a huge misstep according to Manual because “Paterno should have had his moment in time to have his say.”
This scandal single handedly ruined a beloved man’s legacy right before retirement and shortly after death. The thing that people keep forgetting is that “This isn’t the Joe Paterno scandal. This isn’t the 2011 Penn State football scandal. This is the Jerry Sandusky scandal”. Bruce, Horovitz, and TODAY USA. “Catching Jeter’s 3,000th pays.” USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. In this article, Horovitz discusses the fan who returned Derek Jeter’s historic 3000th hit-ball, Christian Lopez. Lopez has been targeted by the social media in both positive and negative ways. Deals have been fired at his from all directions from Miller High Life, Modell’s Sporting Goods, Steiner Sports Marketing and PR firm JCPR. Christian Lopez was just another average Joe before summer of 2011. When he caught Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit, which happened to be a home run, his life changed forever. Not only because he was the lucky fan, but because he was generous enough to give it back to Jeter when he easily could have made a fortune off of it on eBay and paid off any debts he had and more. Since then he has been rewarded with Yankees memorabilia and tickets and much more than he could ever have asked for.
Hopwood, Maria K. “Applying The Public Relations Function To The Business Of Sport.” InternationalJournal Of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship 6.3 (2005): 174-188. Academic Search Premier. Web.22 Apr. 2012. Public relations practice in sport is not always evident in the business today, it has much to offer. This paper discusses the value of public relations to professional sports organizations. Cricket was chosen because although it does not enjoy the same popularity as soccer in the UK, it has an extremely loyal fan base and widespread support at grass roots level. An important finding is that the communications strategies used in cricket are appropriate to other sports as well. Cricket regards itself as part of the entertainment industry and competes for its share of the global market. A key strategy here is to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with a range of publics; an objective that is usually achieved through the systematic and structured implementation of public relations.
The issue with cricket is that it is thought to be past its prime. If someone were to want to turn the image of this sport around, they must appeal to a more demographically diverse audience. Latchaw, Joan, Chris Allen, and Dave Ogden. “Public Relations Professionals As Shapers Of PubliInformation: The Role Of Theory In Their Education.” Simile 9.1 (2009): 18-27. AcademicSearchPremier. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. This article discusses a survey which was used to find out whether majors in mass communication programs were required to study theory as part of the curriculum, and which theories were thought to be most important. The results showed that about 75% required students to study theory in some format. Mass communication theories such as public relations were identified as the most important.
Social media has gone out of control in modern day. From Facebook to Twitter, news (or rumors) travels at the speed of light. The problem is that most channels do not know the correct way to control a crisis or deliver information. Most of the time, this will result in exaggeration and scandal. If public relations classes are properly taught, there is a chance this problem can be avoided at some level. Mike, Lopresti. “Heat in need of more palatable PR.” USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 22Apr. 2012. In this article, Lopresti discusses the level of bad publicity directed at the Miami Heat basketball team. As he compares the Heat to other “hated” “superstar” franchises such as the New York Yankees and Duke Men’s Basketball team, he also discusses strategy to market the Heat in a positive way. Exaggeration is a huge negative in the Public Relations industry. The Dallas Mavericks head coach claims that billions of people are Maverick fans. The only problem is that 311 million accounts for the USA, so apparently the Miami Heat are also internationally hated. This superstar team-turned bad, has a public relations problem.
“They hype you to absurd proportions, and then tear you down when you turn our less than unbeatable”. James claims that fans invest too much into the games. They forget that the day after a game, their lives don’t change and they will have to continue to live their lives. The question is, why are the Miami Heat hated? And what can they do to turn this around? Penning, Timothy. “The Value Of Public Relations In Investor Relations: Individual Investors’PreferrInformation Types, Qualities, And Sources.” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 88.3(2011): 615-631. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. Penning’s paper discusses a survey which targeted investors about the information which this specific public seeks and values. The results of the survey identified specific conditions associates with investors seeking sources of information considered to be public relations content which have value to the investors. This study proves that public relations communications content has significant value than information from news media and/or other sources in an investor relations context. Professional and Collegiate athletics are a business just like anything else.
This means that there is a need for investors in athletics as well. When an investor is trying to decide whether or not something is going to be a successful investment, they study up. Investors will get their information through public relations channels and eventually make their decision based on statistics and perceptions. Pollack, Joe. “A Tiger By Its Tail.” St. Louis Journalism Review 36.285 (2006): 10. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. The article reflects author’s reaction regarding public relation in the athletic department in his university in the U.S. The lack of public relation can be pointed out to the problem of the football coaches that the team had neither won the games and the fans. Other problems can be blamed on the recruitment process of players and the perception that university’s athletic department lack faith in their ability to find the right coach. The highlight of the coach issue was focused on Mike Anderson, a new coach and a replacement of Quin Snyder who was praise for his good public relation.
Public relations have many downfalls, but when a coach does not give journalists anything to work with, that is their own fault. When a team does not win games, and therefore does not acquire fans, what positives can be publicized about a team? At this point it is the coach’s job to try and turn a program around and until some positives start appearing, the negatives will keep on flowing. “Public doesn’t have right to invade Woods’ privacy.” USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. This article discusses the amount of Tiger Woods’ personal life which is released in front of the public eye. From his car crash to his many infidelities, it is questioned whether he should have a right to his personal privacy not. Multiple opinions on this topic are given, and it seems a common conclusion has been reached. Tiger Woods has obviously been involved in his fair share of scandals, which, yes, were brought on by himself, but does that mean that the public should be informed of all of them? If he were cheating at golf, which would be a different story because he turned professional and signed endorsement contracts based on that singular talent.
Cheating on his wife? Sure it was a terrible act to commit, but “At the end of the day, how many of us inside or outside athletics can boast of being completely faithful to our partners, in either body or soul?” His fans didn’t give him their loyalty because of his personal life, but his career in professional golf. Sanderson, Jimmy. ““The Nation Stands Behind You”: Mobilizing Social Support On 38Pitches.Com.” Communication Quarterly 58.2 (2010): 188-206. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. This paper analyzed the posts on Curt Schilling, Boston Red Sox pitcher, blog, www.38pitches.com surrounding troubling events disclosed. 514 comments later, readers identified as a support group confirming Schilling’s identity as a sports media critic and active sports medial participant as well as a symbol in Red Sox baseball culture. It is suggested that blogs are a valuable public relations window for professional athletes, especially individuals who have been portrayed in a negative way by journalists, ect.
Professional athletes are normally shut up before they have a change to explain themselves. What everyone would like to think is that if you don’t make any mistakes, you will not have to make any excuses. The one thing people keep forgetting is that no one is perfect. This paper shows that fans both discriminate and empathize with Curt Schilling’s conservative political views and his Red Sox affiliations. Webber, Eric. “If I had been handling these crisis strategies..” Advertising Age 10 Sept. 2007: 16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. In this article, the author comments on public relations mistakes made by football player Michael Vick and U.S. Senator Larry Craig. The author says the men failed basic public relations technique in crisis management. He says Vick underestimated his case which included killing dogs, while Craig, who was charged with solicitation in an airport men’s bathroom, failed the DTSSTY test which stands for Does That Sound Stupid to You?
Michael Vick’s scandal is known and judged all over the world by now. Eric Webber, a professional in the public relations business, has his own take on what Vick could have done better during crisis control. Things often get misinterpreted in social media, so when he described his actions as immature, it is almost as if he is saying dog fighting is the equivalent to “making fart noises in math class”. When Vick claimed that he found religion through his situation, he made it seem like an after-thought. This is commonly interpreted as an attempt to gain sympathy. This is dangerous in the public eye due to the fact that religion is a serious part of many individuals’ lives and should be taken seriously.
