One of the most effective ways sports organizations or pro athletes can promote themselves is through community relations. Donating time, money, resources or other types of assistance to worth-while causes can garner significant media coverage and improve your overall brand and image to sponsors, fans, customers, clients, etc.

But the approach and manner taken in aligning yourself with an important cause can be tricky. Any hint of insincerity in your motives can backfire PR-wise and cause severe damage to your brand.

A community relations or charitable program by a sports entity must be designed so that its sole purpose appears to be only assisting the people in need. Any positive PR gained from the program should only seem as an accidental by-product of the nice gesture.

Wasserman Media Group, a major sports and entertainment agency based in Los Angeles, CA, recently launched an outstanding PR plan, focusing on community relations, when it partnered with the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (click here) to help raise money for the earthquake victims in Haiti.

Wasserman announced that for the rest of the season each of the 47 NBA players it represents will contribute either an x-amount of money for every point they score or a one-time large donation, promising a minimum of $500,000 in dontations.

The initiative was officially announced last Friday (January 22) by President Bill Clinton during an interview that was braodcasted live to the arena and on ESPN at halftime of a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden.

I don’t think you can deliver a more powerful PR punch than having a U.S. President announce to a huge crowd in the world’s most famous arena, and also aired live on the world’s biggest sports network, that you and your clients are doing a wonderful thing for people in need.

The exposure from that five-minute interview and subsequent media coverage is worth 10 times whatever amount of money that’s eventually donated.

Not only does Wasserman’s PR plan polish and strengthen its image in the sports industry but it also generates a ton of positive media coverage for its NBA clients.

This is not to suggest that Wasserman has no interest in helping the people of Haiti. Any money or assistance raised and delivered to the earthquake victims is a wonderful gesture for an extremely important cause.

But Wasserman was brilliant in recognizing the unprecedented trend of people wanting to help the victims and seized an opportunity to raise awareness of its agency and clients.

Wasserman capitalized in a respectful and professional mannor and it’ll payoff tenfold.

Wasserman Media Group basketball players donating monies per points scored include:

Antawn Jamison – Washington Wizards
Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls
Joe Johnson – Atlanta Hawks
Kendrick Perkins – Boston Celtics
Mike Dunleavy Jr – Indiana Pacers
Mike Miller – Washington Wizards
Pau Gasol – Los Angeles Lakers
Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
Spencer Hawes – Sacramento Kings
Tyreke Evans – Sacramento Kings

Wasserman Media Group clients participating in the donation efforts with generous contributions include:

Ben Wallace – Detroit Pistons
Brandon Roy – Portland Trail Blazers
Brian Scalabrine – Boston Celtics
Brook Lopez – New Jersey Nets
Dan Gadzuric – Milwaukee Bucks
Danilo Gallinari – New York Knicks
DeAndre Jordan – Los Angeles Clippers
DJ Augustin – Charlotte Bobcats
Dorell Wright – Miami Heat
Etan Thomas – Oklahoma City Thunder
Gerald Henderson – Charlotte Bobcats
Ike Diogu – New Orleans Hornets
Jamaal Magloire – Miami Heat
James Johnson – Chicago Bulls
Jarron Collins – Phoenix Suns
Jason Collins – Atlanta Hawks
Jason Kapono – Philadelphia 76ers
Jason Williams – Orlando Magic
JaVale McGee – Washington Wizards
Jermaine O’Neal – Miami Heat
JJ Redick – Orlando Magic
Jon Brockman – Sacramento Kings
Jordan Farmar – Los Angeles Lakers
Josh McRoberts – Indiana Pacers
JR Smith – Denver Nuggets
LaMarcus Aldridge – Portland Trail Blazers
Martell Webster – Portland Trail Blazers
Nathan Jawai – Minnesota Timberwolves
Robin Lopez – Phoenix Suns
Ryan Gomes – Minnesota Timberwolves
Sean May – Sacramento Kings
Sergio Rodriguez – Sacramento Kings
Shelden Williams – Boston Celtics
Tim Thomas – Dallas Mavericks
TJ Ford – Indiana Pacers
Tracy McGrady – Houston Rockets
Wayne Ellington – Minnesota Timberwolves

* List courtesy of SportsFeatures.com (click here)

One of the most difficult tasks as a sports public relations practitioner today is convincing professional athletes that they need someone to manage their PR and publicity-related interests. The same way a pro athlete may retain a lawyer, an accountant, an agent, a trainer or a business manager; today’s emerging technology has altered the sports industry to the point where athletes must have an expert, working on their behalf, monitoring the media and overseeing how their name and image is being presented to the public.

There are, of course, different levels of celebrity that pro athletes reach. But from the mega superstar ranks of LeBron James and Tigers Woods all the way down to third-string rookies on last place MLS and WNBA teams, all pro athletes, whether they’re aware or not, are fair game and potential fodder for the thousands of media outlets (much of them sleaze media) competing for salacious content.

And the list of those outlets gunning for athletes continues to grow as it was reported earlier this week that TMZ, the entertainment and gossip Web site and television show, has purchased the domain name TMZSports.com and will be launching a sports-specific site in the near future.

TMZSports.com will not be the first (or last) Web site or media outlet dedicated to embarrassing athletes. But if the new Web site is anything like its parent site, TMZSports.com will be more relentless in capturing revealing and humiliating videos, pictures and stories of athletes than all other media sources before it.

Since its launch on the Web in 2005 and TV airwaves in 2007, TMZ has been the leader in tracking and breaking news about celebrity deaths, arrests, break ups, divorces, lawsuits, fights and just about everything else that’s personal and private in the lives of famous people.

And now that the paparazzi-style media giant is creating a special division to focus specifically on sports, pro and possibly amateur athletes, of all levels, will become even bigger targets of media attacks. TMZ is not going to create a sports spinoff and not find the necessary content.

And not only are more and more media outlets dedicated to proactively “sniffing out” celebrity and athlete scandals but these outlets are drastically extending the shelf life of the stories.

It’s not enough to report the initial news and facts of, say, a DWI arrest or a compromising photo. These outlets post daily updates on any story and dig up the smallest bits of information in order to fill space and provide as much content as possible.

So for those athletes who feel they don’t need a PR rep or that their agent or manager can handle their PR needs…beware. Wise up and secure a PR expert to monitor, anticipate and spin any negative publicity that may lurking around the corner.

As there appears to be little doubt among sports media and public relations experts that Tiger Woods’ silence has increased the already severe damage to his name and reputation, his sponsors seem to be split on whether to continue its support of the world’s most well-known athlete or to cut ties and hide.

Of Woods’ major endorsement deals to this point:
• Accenture has flat out dropped him
• Gillette, TAG Heuer and Gatorade have suspended its ads and stated they are reevaluating the relationship
• Nike and EA Sports has stated it is standing by him

So with such different reactions by the large corporate names, it poses the question: “What’s the right move? How should a Tiger Woods sponsor, or any sponsor in a similar situation, now react?”

As a corporation, deciding which athlete or celebrity to endorse your brand name is a lot like investing in a stock – You do the necessary research, invest the appropriate amount of money and hope for the maximum ROI (return on investment).

Sometimes the investment pays off and your spokesperson delivers big returns over a long period of time. While other times your spokesperson’s athletic performance declines or their personal life suffers a scandal, and your brand name gets hurt.

For almost 15 years Tiger Woods has been the IBM of celebrity endorsers. Since his professional debut in 1996, Woods has served as the premier name in celebrity endorsements – both nationally and internationally – generating billions of dollars for his corporate partners.

But with the recent scandal in his personal life, any brand connected to Woods has to take a strong look at its investment and decide if it should “ride out” the storm or “dump it” and cut its losses.

Just like a stock, there’s always a chance Woods can rebound and return his image to a remunerative level.

Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault scandal in 2003 sent sponsors running for the hills, knocking each other over in order to dump the Los Angeles Lakes superstar.

But remarkably, over time, Bryant has regained his status as a bankable athlete pitchman. Bryant has maintained, even raised, his level of play since the incident and the embarrassing episode is all but forgotten.

So maybe Woods will recover as well.

Or maybe not.

The scandal is still only a few weeks old so nobody really knows for sure how Woods will ultimately emerge once all the dust settles. But as the story gets seedier by the day and Woods continues to refuse implementation of any crisis management or basic public relations action, his image is sinking faster than stock in Enron.

The safest move for any corporate brand is to sever ties and no longer allow Tiger Woods to be involved with its image. When in doubt you error on the side of caution. A corporation’s brand and image is too important to gamble on a person who’s obviously led a reckless life.

But just deciding to drop Woods is not enough. The manner in which you do so must be handled carefully and professionally or you’ll end up with a public relations fiasco of your own.

Accenture, the global management consulting and outsourcing company, almost immediately reacted to the Woods’ scandal. The company announced it was ending its six-year relationship with him and quickly removed all images and mentions of Woods in its marketing and promotional materials.

By denouncing the golfer and acting swiftly Accenture garnered hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of dollars of positive publicity and strengthened its brand and image.

The one brand, however, that may want to stick with Woods is Nike. The undisputed leader in the sportswear and sports equipment industry has aligned itself with Woods since he turned pro. Nike has been, by far, the most recognizable corporate name associated with Woods.

The two have been wrapped together in the public eye for so long that the image of Tiger Woods sinking a thrilling putt is practically synonymous with the Nike Swoosh. With such a strong commitment and brand recognition, Nike will be associated with Woods in most people’s minds regardless of whether its sticks with him or not.

So Nike might as well support the embattled golfer and stay with him for the long haul. Although it would be wise for Nike to subtly and quietly curb any advertising or marketing which features Woods for the time being.

As we reach Day 7 of Tigergate – the bizarre early morning car crash Tiger Woods was involved in that was apparently triggered by a domestic dispute – the consensus seems to be that Woods is mishandling the public relations side of the incident.

Both the media and general public perception, to this point, have been very critical of Woods’ reluctance or refusal to address the situation publicly.

And they’re right!

Woods has issued a pair of vague statements on his Web site regarding the incident. The first statement acknowledged the car accident while the next statement, three days later, acknowledged his “transgressions” and offered an apology.

But essentially, Woods has remained mute on the entire incident – including cancelling his annual appearance as host of the Chevron World Challenge golf tournament.

Woods’ reluctance to immediately respond and take control of the situation has allowed a minor story to blow up into an international scandal.

As the richest and arguably highest profile athlete in the world, the PR missteps Woods has made are baffling. With some of the industry’s top PR experts at his disposal Woods still made basic yet critical errors that will now require the assistance of a major crisis communications plan to rescue him.

Woods’ current predicament serves as very interesting PR case study. However the situation turns out; teachers, students and practitioners of public relations, especially sports PR, will be discussing and analyzing this Tiger Woods case for many years to come.

As someone who chooses to earn a living as a pro athlete and mega product endorser, Woods does have a responsibility to stand up and be accountable for his actions. He owes his public, sponsors and media some type of personal recognition and explanation.

No, Tiger Woods is not under any obligation to share the most intimate and sensitive issues of his personal life with the public. That’s not what this is about.

This is about how he moves on with his professional life – his brand, image, and golf career. This isn’t about his personal life.

There’s blood in the water and the sharks, whether it’s fair or not, are not going to stop circling until Woods steps up and addresses the situation – in person.

Woods has to stop the bleeding or he’ll always be followed by this PR mess. And the longer he waits to act, the deeper and uglier it will get.

In some respect, there’s a certain honor in Woods’ attitude of not dignifying the situation with a public response. The gossip and entertainment media dug through the mud to force this PR crisis on Woods. So it’s more than understandable if he’s angry and unwilling to give the media any more fodder.

But if Woods continues to ignore his pubic and media, and thinks the situation will just blow over, he’s going to be in a world of misery. The media hounding, questions and inquires will not stop until he takes control of the situation.

It’s the nature of the beast.

The hounding will be a constant disruption for a man who’s already high strung and cantankerous when it comes to the media.

Woods should nip it all in the bud with a press conference. He needs to stand up in front of the world with strength and confidence and address the situation. He should make a statement admitting what he wants to admit and denying what he wants to deny. That’s up to him.

Along with heavy assistance from his PR people, Woods should carefully craft a statement and make sure nothing he says can be deemed as not true or resurface to embarrass him.

The most important part of the press conference, after he explains what he needs to explain, is to finish by firmly stating that this is the last time he’ll address the situation publicly. Woods should boldly announce, “From this point on it is a private matter and will remain that way.”

This way, when any media approaches in the future and asks about the situation (and they will) Woods can simply say, “I’ve already addressed the matter and have no further comment.”

Woods will have to sustain some media heat for a while but it will eventually die down. It always does.

As more people begin to surface and become apart of the story, Woods won’t be able to control what they say or do. He’ll have to weather those storms as they come about and take the high road.

But he must remain calm and professional no matter how intrusive or inappropriate any media may act. The last thing Woods needs is more attention on this issue.

This Tiger Woods PR situation should serve as a strong reminder to the rest of the sports world to align itself with strong PR representation before a crisis hits…and if and when it does, heed their advice.

After years of poor drafting and signing mediocre players with bloated contracts, the New York Knicks, one of the NBA’s marquee names, have fallen into a deep abyss of losing and playoff-less seasons.

So along with adding new team president Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D’Antoni prior to the 2008-09, the Knicks have adopted a front office strategy of “waiting out” player contracts to clear much the team’s salary cap room in order to rid the weaker players and, beginning next season, sign elite-level talent worth the long term, multi-million dollar, contracts they’ll command (an unusually high number of these players will be free agents after this season).

So while waiting for the 2010-11 season to come around and with nothing to offer their fans this year except the league’s highest ticket prices (next to the Los Angeles Lakers, the reigning World Champions), logic would dictate that the Knicks would jump all over an opportunity to add one of the league’s most talented and exciting players for a bargain basement price with no obligation to that player for next year – hence, not disrupting their plan to clear salary space.

The Knicks had this chance…and passed.

Ten-time all star, owner of four scoring titles and former MVP Allen “The Answer” Iverson became a free agent last week after the Memphis Grizzles terminated his one-year contract, setting him loose for any team to pick up.

So it seemed like a natural move for the Knicks to add the electrifying scorer to their backcourt, giving the team a lift in the wins/losses department while boosting the organization’s ticket sales and marketing efforts at the same time. With all of the current Knicks possessing no national name recognition (and barely any locally), Iverson’s presence would at least give the New York fans, media and overall sports scene a much needed buzz.

So what’s the problem?

Well…Along with a killer cross-over move and an uncanny ability to put the ball in the hoop; Iverson carriers a tremendous amount of baggage and a reputation as an extremely selfish player (even by today’s standards) and a detriment to team chemistry and a winning team structure.

His off the court “antics”, including gambling issues and run-ins with the police, are well known. But Iverson’s attitude as a player can be best summed up with one statement he made during a press conference following a disappointing 2002 playoff series loss while with the Philadelphia 76ers. Iverson was asked about the critical comments head coach Larry Brown had made regarding the guard’s efforts and dedication towards practice.

“We’re sitting here, and I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re talking about practice. I mean listen, we’re sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we’re talking about practice.”

And, of course, Iverson’s most recent issue with the Grizzlies involved his disappointment with playing time. So he just quit on the team and his contract, just like that. He quit.

Now along with attempting to clean up the mess with their roster, the Knicks have also been cleaning up an overall public relations mess. Since the departure of hall of fame center Patrick Ewing 10 years ago, the Knicks have suffered both on the court and off.

Long story short, poor decisions by upper management have caused a number of embarrassing off-the-court episodes that have been played out in the media for the rest of sports world to see.

So with their eyes on the bigger picture, the Knicks broke from recent tradition and put the long term strength and health of the organization’s brand above the instant gratification of a few more wins and a few more tickets sold.

Although Iverson would have most likely made the team better in the short run, the Knicks mangement understood the public relations risk he posed and decided he wasn’t worth it.

When evaluating players in today’s age of professional sports, organizations have much more to consider than just talent and ability. Teams have to also recognize the public relations impact a high profile athlete will make on their community and organization.

By not signing Iverson, the Knicks demonstrated a strong concern for brand and image. Of course the bottom line with any pro sports team is winning. But it’s about building a champion, not collecting talented malcontents to compete for third place.

All real winners and championship teams represent well on the court and off. And the Knicks seem to be headed in that direction.