Today’s world of sports is greatly enhanced by its media coverage. No doubt about it.

The hundreds of media outlets in today’s sports landscape, along with its thousands of sports media reporters and pundits, have transformed pro and major college sports into the multi-billion dollar entertainment mega-force it is today.

To have a voice in that mega-force is a powerful thing. When thoughts and opinions about the day-to-day activities in sports, whether written or spoken, are followed by tens of thousands to millions of people, egos tend to become very large. That’s only natural.

But from time to time those voices in sports need to step back from their roles in their extremely competitive industry and get a grip. They have to remind themselves that what they do, in the bigger picture, is really not that important and just another form of entertainment.

One of those times occurred this past week when the news was released that ESPN commentator and Fanhouse.com writer Jay Mariotti was arrested Saturday, Aug. 21, and booked on suspicion of a felony after a domestic altercation with his girlfriend.

Now most people who are immersed in sports – the type who watch and read most of the popular sports media personalities in America – are aware that Mariotti is not a very popular guy with other colleagues in his industry.

Breaking into the business as a columnist for the Detroit News in the early 1980’s and becoming a national name after moving to the Chicago Sun-Times and then also ESPN’s Around the Horn in the nineties, Mariotti has had dozens of feuds and run-ins over the years with athletes and other media colleagues.

His style is brash and confrontational and as a result Mariotti has developed a reputation as a sometime mean-spirited and vindictive sports media personality.

Perhaps his actions that have created this reputation have been a deliberate attempt to standout in the cluttered sports media world and create a unique image, separating himself from his competitors. Or maybe the reputation is an accurate reflection of him personally and thus fair and well deserved.

Either way, the gleeful and revenge-type reactions of Mariotti’s arrest by many of his detractors have been disgraceful.

Various writers, commentators and executives in the sports industry (who shall remain nameless in this post) have used Mariotti’s arrest as an opportunity to take shots at him on a public stage and attempt to cause him further pain and embarrassment.

I’m not suggesting it’s wrong or even unprofessional to possess ill will towards someone in your industry. But to use a serious and extremely personal situation, like an arrest for domestic violence, as a platform to voice your abhorrence for another person is very classless and not a reflection of someone with solid character.

Along with facing serious criminal charges, Mariotti will most likely lose his job at ESPN and suffer other career setbacks and financial hardships as a result. Not to mention the fact that a woman may have been hurt or even beaten up during a domestic dispute. Clearly not a situation to make light of.

So if there ever was a time to take the high road, this was it.

The industry feuding and fighting with Mariotti always made for good entertainment and interesting debate. But as a media personality you must know where to draw the line and not allow your own personal feelings to blur it.

For the ranks of a minor league sports organization, like teams in the MLS, WNBA, MLL and MiLB, seeking out inexpensive ways to successfully market itself is crucial. Most minor league organizations operate on extremely tight budgets and rely on revenue that’s generated from attendance to survive (ticket sales, food concessions, merchandise, parking, etc.).

So if a pro sports team can’t attract fans with the allure of big named athletes or pricey multimedia advertising campaigns, other marketing avenues must be developed to spark interest and attention that, hopefully, increases attendance.

One of the most reliable and tested forms of “minor league marketing” is community relations. Regardless of the level a sports organization competes on, area businesses, community groups, schools and most other local organizations will appreciate its local sports teams and have an interest in aligning itself with them.

Whether its school kids selling your team’s tickets for fundraising, arranging for players to work on a house for the local Habit for Humanity chapter, or your team’s mascot handing out orange slices and free tickets at a local 10K charity run, the community is rich with opportunities to get your name out there and promote your organization and possibly secure media coverage for your good deeds.

And just as important, a minor league team can generate attention for community groups and causes with its support and help make a difference for people in need. A true win-win.

But there’s only so much a minor league team can accomplish with its community relations efforts and only so much of a difference that organization can make.

So what about teams at the major league level?

Sure, most of the “big four” teams (MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL) are involved in their communities and have programs designed to keep in touch with local groups, schools and businesses. Those major league level teams and athletes involved in their communities not only help improve their organization’s image but, more importantly, improve the lives of people in need – a commendable act.

But this past week the sports world saw a major league level team take the community relations concept of improving your brand and helping out in the community and absolutely blow it out of the water.

HOPE Week (Helping Others Persevere & Excel) is a unique week-long community program by the New York Yankees that has redefined community relations and perhaps blazed a new trail for teams to support their communities.

Created and coordinated by the Yankees’ Director of Media Relations, Jason Zillo, and his staff, HOPE Week’s purpose is to provide hope and encouragement to special people and inspire individuals into action in their own communities.

For one designated week each year, every single Yankees player, coach, the manager, general manager and team executives will spend ample time with selected people who are in need or have made a tremendous impact on their community and give them an experience they’ll never forget.

Although the Yankees experiences during HOPE Week is tailored to be special for each of the selected people or groups, the special experience usually consists of a visit with some Yankees, a tour of the field and locker room, lunch and a suite to watch the day’s game.

Jorge Grajales, a quadruple-amputee is surprised by New York Yankees Mariano Rivera (l.), Mike Harkey, Dustin Moseley, Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher (r.) at a party in New Jersey (photo courtesy of the N.Y. Daily News)

One of the special experiences for the first HOPE Week in 2009 was tailored for a group of kids stricken with Xeroderma Pigmentosum, an extremely rare genetic disorder (suffered by only 150 people in the United States) that prevents sufferers from going outdoors in daylight. UV light, including florescent lighting, causes the sufferers severe burns and eventually skin and eye cancer.

The kids (and their families) from a special camp that caters to their unique needs traveled to Yankee Stadium, arriving after sunset to watch the remainder of the evening’s game from a party suite. Immediately after the last pitch, the field was transformed into a massive open-air carnival for the families, who were joined by Yankees players and their families. The special experience lasted until about 4:00 a.m. (with the entire Yankees team staying the whole time), when the XP families re-boarded their buses to get back to camp before daybreak.

This year’s HOPE Week (Aug. 16-20) included a day for the ”Beautiful People”, where a number of Yankees (including Mark Teixeria, A.J. Burnett, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Javier Vazquez) were paired with a child with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or other challenges and became their buddy for the day. The players also assisted the kids while they played a baseball game on the field at Yankees Stadium.

The “Beautiful People” program was started in 2005 by Peter Ladka from Warwick, N.Y. Mr. Ladka got the idea to create the program while playing T-ball with his healthy daughter. He said he felt that there was something he could do for children and their parents who couldn’t enjoy what he enjoyed with his kids.

Since the first official “Beautiful People” gathering, the game has grown from eight players, their families and 20 volunteers to over 60 players, their families and 65 volunteers.

Another fantastic example of a major league level team using its established fame and resources to support a community group is the Boston Red Sox and the Jimmy Fund. An organization dedicated to raising money for children with cancer, The Jimmy Fund, along with its partnership with the Red Sox, has raised more than $600 million to date.

Obviously what the Yankees and Red Sox have achieved for their communities is not attainable for every sports team. But it should serve as a lesson that pro sports teams (minor or major) possess the power to make a difference in their community while marketing themselves at the same time.

Which brings to mind the old sports marketing saying: “If you take care of the fans, the fans will take care of you.”

For more information and a detailed account of HOPE Week 2010, click here

One of the main reasons it’s so important for a professional sports organization to possess a strong public relations department is the high profile nature of the sports industry in our country. The media has always been attracted to pro sports the way flies are drawn to honey. It’s almost like an instinctual act. Any good newspaper reporter, blogger, magazine editor or television producer knows that a story involving a pro sports angle is going to generate some extra buzz and attention.

So pro sports teams have to be especially aware that unexpected media stories can pop out of nowhere, at any time, targeting your organization with an attack.

Regardless of how strong and successful a sports organization’s front office directs its operations; a team is always at risk for an attack by the media.

Such was the case when ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” aired a story recently detailing the numerous health code violations discovered by its investigative reporting team that, the story claims, were committed by many major professional sports stadiums and arenas in the United States.

According to the report, OTL “reviewed health department inspection reports for food and beverage outlets at all 107 North American arenas and stadiums that were home to Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association teams in 2009. At 30 of the venues (28 percent), more than half of the concession stands or restaurants had been cited for at least one “critical” or “major” health violation. Such violations pose a risk for foodborne illnesses that can make someone sick, or, in extreme cases, become fatal.” (click here to read the entire transcript of the program)

Among the stadiums specifically pointed out for severe health code violations and gross neglect of its food service operations was Tropicana Field, home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays.

“…Every one of (Tropicana Field’s) 47 food and drink outlets inspected incurred a critical violation during inspections within the past year, according to Florida inspection reports. Violations include food residue in a cooler, toxic chemicals stored too close to food preparation areas, ’slime’ in the ice machines and thermometers not readily visible to measure the temperature of hot foods.”

Yikes.

An immensely important revenue source for any sports team is its home attendance and stadium operations (tickets, parking, food, merchandise, etc.). So obviously a report by ESPN detailing the dangers of eating at your team’s ballpark has the potential to turn into a catastrophe for your business.

Although the food service operations for the Rays at Tropicana Field (and virtually all pro venues) is a handled by a separate outside company, the Rays are entirely responsible for the product offered to their fans. And that product includes the food service.

The Rays’ front office and business operations did not directly cause this PR crisis but it’s still their mess to cleanup. The organization must counter the negative media attention (that’s now been picked by dozens of local and national media outlets) with a fresh PR campaign to spin ESPN’s report and ease the minds (and stomachs) of their fans. But to this point the Rays have not responded or addressed the report with any kind of PR effort.

Already suffering from a poor stadium image, the Rays have yet to use PR to counter ESPN’s report.

Bob Pascal, a senior vice president for marketing for Centerplate, the Rays’ food and beverage vendor, and the ones really responsible for the bad PR, did respond to the report by stating to the media, “(The violations) are simply recommendations on how the company can improve its processes….Any deficiencies that are identified during the course of an inspection are corrected, usually immediately in the presence of the inspector.”

That won’t exactly reassure the fans and ease their minds the next time they think about biting into a hotdog at Tropicana Field.

Hiding behind a statement by your food service provider is not the best way to tackle this problem.

The Miami Dolphins, on the other hand, have launched a PR attack attempting to combat any potential long term PR damage.

Sun Life Stadium, home of the Dolphins, was also specifically mentioned in ESPN’s story.

“Other complaints to inspectors came from employees, including one food service worker at what is now called Sun Life Stadium near Miami who told them that several small insects were mixed into frozen alcoholic beverages at a stand where workers hadn’t cleaned equipment.”

Just that one mention in a national story is enough to trigger your PR department into crisis mode, which is how the Dolphins have treated it.

The Dolphins quickly acted to defuse the bad pub, sending letters to all of their season ticket holders promising that all of their Stadium’s food is safe.

In the letter, Dolphins CEO Mike Dee blasted the accuracy of the ESPN report, with regards to Sun Life Stadium, saying it was “misleading”, “inaccurate”, and “inflammatory.” Dee went on to write that none of their Stadium vendors failed any inspection and at no time was a vendor shut down.

The Dolphins letter also included a link to a letter by the president and CEO of Centerplate, Des Hague, reassuring fans that the food they provide at Sun Life Stadium is safe. The Centerplate letter was also run as an ad in local South Florida newspapers. (click here to read)

Although the Dolphins, and all the organizations specially mentioned in the report, may want work with their food service provider to launch a broader and more strategic PR plan.

Included in that plan could be a new advertising campaign showing off the stadium’s “clean” and “fresh” food service facilities and also introduce new pricing plans in order to retain customers and encourage new fans to try the food.

Either way, the Rays must acknowledge the ESPN report internally and respond externally with a plan to improve the image of its food service. Tropicana Field is already known as a subpar and outdated stadium with virtually no aesthetic appeal for fans.

So for an organization with a World Series contending team but has histroically struggled with low attendance, additional damage to its brand has to be immediately countered and fought with heavy PR action.

FOX broadcaster Tim McCarver broke SportsPR101’s golden rule when he referred to World War II-Europe on the air.

A major function of any solid public relations game plan is media training – the act of preparing a client for interviews and keeping him or her skilled in the specific messaging points that should be delivered to the media.

A good PR practitioner should be able to anticipate the general themes and types of questions a client might face and properly prepare him or her accordingly.

The teaching and reviewing of important messaging points with a client should also always include what subjects or issues to stay away from – i.e., it’s just as important to know what to say to the media as what not to say to the media and to the general public.

Taking that point one step further, it’s extremely important to advise clients on certain trigger words or phrasing to absolutely avoid. People who frequently speak to the media and to the general public – like athletes, coaches, team executives and broadcasters – can have a tendency to get “comfortable” around the microphone and, on occasion, say something inappropriate or offensive without intending to.

That is why it’sso important for sports PR executives to periodically drill clients on areas and topics to stay away from. As a PR practitioner my first rule in media training, for example, is to NEVER refer to Hitler or Nazism – or anything that could be connected to World War II-Europe. That’s an area where no matter what, your point will be overshadowed by your perceived insensitivity. You just can’t win there.

It may seem silly to have to instill that rule into media professionals, but from time to time those types of  references are made and a strong backlash of negative publicity results.

The most recent example of this media backlash occurred this past week when, last Saturday, FOX analyst Tim Carver was discussing during a broadcast the manor in which the New York Yankees have treated Joe Torre, their former manager, since he left the organization under strained circumstances following the 2007 season.

“You remember some of those despotic leaders in World War II, primarily in Russia and Germany, where they used to take those pictures that they had … taken of former generals who were no longer alive, they had shot ‘em,” McCarver said Saturday. “They would airbrush the pictures, and airbrushed the generals out of the pictures. In a sense, that’s what the Yankees have done with Joe Torre. They have airbrushed his legacy. I mean, there’s no sign of Joe Torre at the Stadium. And that’s ridiculous. I don’t understand it.”

Almost immediately following that comment came a wave of criticism from numerous media outlets, condemning McCarver for linking Torre and the Yankees to that that difficult time in history. Although McCarver never said the words “Hitler” or “Nazi” his statement automatically conjured up those thoughts.

Maybe McCarver’s analogy was accurate but he lost his audience because he used a World War II-Europe reference to make his point. Fair or not, McCarver was severely criticized and had to issue an apology.

Dwyane Wade added a new term into SportsPR101’s rules of “what never to say”when he referenced the September 11 attacks.

We also saw another sports media personality take some heat (no pun intended) this week when Miami HEAT guard Dwyane Wade was discussing with the media the pressure on his team to win following the acquisitions of superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

“…You all are going to make it seem like the World Trade has just went down again. But it’s not going to be nothing but a couple basketball games lost and we’ll have to get back on track.”

Certainly not the wisest choice of words but in no way was Wade trying to compare a HEAT losing streak to the worst tragedy in American history. But because he referenced the World Trade Center disaster Wade opened the door to the misunderstanding and received heavy criticism as result. Subsequently, Wade had to issue an apology.

Wade had also left himself open to being misquoted and making the impact of his quote even worse – which is what happened when AOL Fanhouse reported Wade’s statement as, “If we lose a couple in a row this season, it will be like the World Trade (Center) is coming down again.”  A totally different meaning from what Wade actually said.

AOL Fanhouse eventually published the correct version of the quote (apologizing for the error) but for the few hours it had it wrong additional PR damage to Wade was done.

So now, after learning from the Wade slip, I’ve amended my media training rules to include no references to World War II-Europe and absolutely no mention of the September 11 attacks.

Those two areas are powerful subjects for obvious reasons and will always incite anger and hurt feelings when referenced in a sports context.

One of the great things about sports is its ability to tap into one’s emotional side. Nothing else in life except sports can make a person experience joy, anger, fear and frustration in a span of thirty seconds.

Whether it’s a big playoff game, a coaching change or a simple player acquisition; sports thrives on the emotional rollercoaster it can send people on.

Fans, of course, are encouraged to be opinionated, loyal and obnoxious when it comes to sports (hence the term “fan” from the word fanatic). Even players and, on occasion, head coaches and managers are permitted to act out publicly and display their emotions from time to time.

But the one area of sports where losing your composure is unacceptable is the front office. Front office personnel, although vital to the business success of a sports team, should always remain invisible to the general public. A member of the front office should never put themselves in a position to receive media attention – and that includes an owner.

Dan Gilbert, the majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, broke that rule (actually, shattered it) last week following the news that his organization’s most prized possession defected to the Miami Heat.

In a scathing letter released to the public, Gilbert absolutely blasted LeBron James for not re-signing with his Cavs and for also holding a media event to announce his joining of a different team.

Referring to James’ departure as a “shameful display of selfishness and betrayal”, Gilbert promised that a curse would befall on James and that the Cavs would win an NBA title before James does with the Heat (click here to view the entire letter).

Ouch.

Now, no one could blame Gilbert for being angry and disappointed in which the manner of the LeBron sweepstakes played out. But any negative response by Gilbert, or a team executive, on a public level is a reflection of the total organization – not just ownership.

It was the Cavs' PR execs ultimately responsible to prevent Dan Gilbert from issuing his negative statement.

Gilbert pushed the best interest of his organization aside and lashed out publicly with a personal denouncement of James. Not a good move…

Gilbert’s letter hurt the Cavs’ image by making the organization look like a sore loser that’s crying to the world. He certainly damaged the team brand and hurt the Cavs negotiating power the next time they try to sign a free agent.

One has to wonder where the Cavs’ PR people where when Gilbert drafted the letter and released it publicly.

The possibility of James leaving Cleveland and signing with another team had been evident for quite some time. The Cavs PR department should have had at least two or three different press releases ready to go, anticipating every possible outcome, with the appropriate draft immediately released following James’ announcement.

Of course it’s certainly possible that the appropriate release was ready to go and Gilbert, acting in anger, insisted that his statement be released instead. But despite Gilbert being the boss and owner, the highest ranking PR official for the Cavs should have intervened with Gilbert and absolutely insisted that the negative statement not go out (with cooler heads prevailing).

That’s not an easy thing to do. To challenge the owner of the team (your boss) in such a manner could cost you your job. But sometimes it’s necessary to standup and fight for what you believe in. As a PR executive, your top priority is the image of the client or organization you represent. I’m sure in a more calm state Gilbert understands that and would never have released such a statement.

Ultimately it was the Cavs’ PR department that was responsible for the inappropriate and damaging letter Gilbert released.

My credo as a sports public relations and marketing professional has always been “Anything Goes Outside the Lines”. By which I mean that as along as you don’t interfere or disrupt the action on the field or court, nothing is off limits when it comes to promoting your team and trying to draw more fans to a game (within the spirit of good taste, of course).

Even organizations for the major league-level teams can not just rely on the team and game itself to attract fans, especially in today’s sports age. Now battling numerous other avenues of entertainment that did not exist 20 years ago (Internet, expansive cable television sports packages, a sinking economy, etc.), sports organizations are constantly researching, developing and executing unique promotions and marketing strategies to “put fannies in the seats”.

Although at times there can be a fine line between aggressive promotions and encroachment on an athlete’s performance. A great example of that fine line occurred Saturday night during the Florida Marlins-Tampa Bay Rays game at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

Attempting to capitalize on the popularity of the World Cup (a brilliant idea, especially for a South Florida sports team); the Marlins gave away 15,000 vuvuzelas to fans before the start of the game. As a result, the game’s atmosphere was dominated by that low, but loud, buzzing sound you hear during World Cup matches.

The promotion was certainly a success, at least from a front office point of view. Attendance for the game included about 7,000 more people than on average. And the promotion also drew a heavy amount of media attention – which is always fantastic!

However, a fair amount of that media attention resulted from some players complaining about the odd noise by the vuvuzelas. Players on both teams along with Rays manager Joe Maddon made disconcerting remarks about the promotion to the media after the game, claiming the additional noise was very disrupting.

There was even a critical miscommunication which, according to home plate umpire Lance Barksdale, may have been the fault of the vuvuzelas. Prior to the start of bottom of ninth inning, Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez visited with Barksdale to make a change in the lineup. Barksdale, however, apparently misheard Gonzalez and didn’t officially record the change, causing a Marlins hitter to bat out-of-order and cost the team an out in their eventual 9-8 loss.

Marlins 2B Dan Uggla only hurts his team and brand with critical comments like, “That was the worst handout or giveaway I’ve ever been a part of in baseball.”

So does this example of the Marlins vuvuzelas give away challenge my credo? Should it cause me to rethink that statement of “Anything Goes Outside the Lines”?

Although I’d have to stay no, because the vuvuzelas promotion could be chalked up as an exception and not the rule, it’s always advantageous to observe the work of colleagues and other sports executives in order to learn from their successes and failures (as you should learn from your own).

Perhaps the Marlins could of anticipated some type of backlash from the players and, prior to the game, discussed with both teams the impending added noise (which they may have done), better preparing them for any distractions.

Or the Marlins could have simply reduced the number of vuvuzelas handed out (thus limiting the noise level) but that could have hurt the impact of the promotion.

Although the Marlins and Rays are Major League teams and should expect and deserve the highest quality of game operations, the players should still understand that their organizations work very hard to put fans into the seats to watch them play. Those front office and game-day staffs work long hours to assist the players. So players should take that into consideration before making critical statements to the media about their front office staffs – which only hurt their team and brand.

An important side note to the whole affair was the terrific public relations job Marlins president David Samson did to defuse much of the negative feedback of the promotion.

“It was absolutely outstanding,” Samson told Tom D’Angelo of the PALM BEACH POST. “As far as we’re concerned it absolutely worked. People were here, they enjoyed themselves, it was a great atmosphere.” (click here)

It was a smart move for Samson to shift the story’s focus to the success of the promotion, not just simply refute the complaints.

At just 16, Abby Sunderland was allowed to risk her life and attempt to sail a boat solo around the world.

It’s always interesting the type of sports stories the media decides all at the same time to pounce upon.

Aside from the obvious sporting events that are routinely covered (the World Cup, Major League Baseball, the NBA Finals), there always seems to be an unusual story in the world of sports that most media outlets give special attention to.

That story this past week was Abby Sunderland, the 16-year old American who was attempting to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. Her most recent attempt drew heavy media coverage when on Thursday it was thought she was in serious danger as her satellite phone contact was lost and two of her manually operated emergency radio beacons were activated.

It was apparent that Sunderland was in distress and missing somewhere on the high seas, hundreds of miles away from the nearest ship or vessel.

The story had a happy ending as a rescue team was assembled and Sunderland was found alive and safe by a French commercial fishing vessel.

Throughout the almost 48-hour ordeal virtually every national media outlet issued frequent updates on Sunderland, painting a bleak picture for the young sailor. So when she was found alive and rescued it made for a great “feel good” story.

All’s well that ends well, right? I don’t think so.

It was certainly great news that Sunderland survived and was returned to her family safe and sound. But why was such a young person allowed to take such a great risk?

It’s dangerous for any person to attempt to sail around the world solo. So it is very disturbing that a child is not only allowed to risk her life for a sports record but encouraged to do so with heavy media attention.

Perhaps it’s not my place to question the judgment of Sunderland’s parents or even the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing) for not strongly denouncing the child’s attempt. But the media has a responsibility to at least pose the question as to why the life of a child was put in harms way.

Despite having to be rescued in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Sunderland has boasted the she’s going to try to sail around the world again.

Today’s sports media is well passed the role of just reporting the scores and news. Media outlets now-a-days routinely issue editorials and opinion pieces but did not do so about Sunderland’s foolish risk. It only focused on her incredible skills and abilities for a sailor at such a young age.

If the sailor attempting the extraordinary feat was a legal-aged adult then there would be no place for the media to object. But something is wrong when the life of a child is put at serious risk and no one bats an eye.

If Sunderland were to have successfully completed her journey she would have been hailed as a hero by the media. That’s a very dangerous precedent to set as it would encourage other youths to put their lives at risk for a sports record.

But even being hit with the harsh reality that Sunderland almost didn’t make it back home alive and two days went by with the possibility she could be dead, nobody in the media seems to be bothered that she was allowed to put her life in danger.

I’m not suggesting that one of the functions of sports media is to serve as an oversight committee or some type of watchdog service. But from time to time, when a situation calls for it, the media does need to step up and point out wrong doings or injustices. It has a responsibility to shed light on issues that need to be brought to people’s attention.

Allowing a child, regardless of how skilled, to take a sailboat all alone with no supervision into the middle of the ocean for a number of weeks is extremely reckless and, in my opinion, criminal.

But with all the positive attention the media has created for Sunderland and sailing, more children are likely to attempt similar risks in sports – like sailing, mountain climbing, racecar driving, etc.

Aspiring to achieve goals and break records in sports is a wonderful ambition, at any age. But when a child puts their life at risk for something as trivial as a sports record, someone has to point out the absurdity.

And that “someone” in this case is the media.

It is generally considered throughout the sports industry a good idea to stay as far away from political issues as possible. Sports teams understand that they are in the business of providing entertainment via athletics to as many people as their advertising, marketing and public relations efforts can reach.

The absolute last thing any sports executive would want to do is alienate a demographic with a political opinion or message.

However, once in a great while there comes a time in our country when a political issue collides with sports and some type of public response or action is necessary.

On April 23 of this year the state of Arizona signed into law the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (aka Arizona Senate Bill 1070 or Arizona SB 1070). Scheduled to go into effect beginning July 28, the law will make it a misdemeanor crime for an alien to be in Arizona without carrying legal documents.

Although, like all laws, the official legal wording is very detailed and specific; the scope of this new law gives all law enforcement officials the right to approach any person in Arizona, under any circumstance, and demand proof of citizenship or legal status.

Obviously this is an extremely controversial law that’s causing outrage and protest throughout our nation. The eye of this storm, of course, is set directly on Arizona but because this has become a national debate and can, ultimately, affect every state all sports teams are being forced to address this issue.

With Hispanic and Latino Americans as the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S. (according to the U.S. Census Bureau), every sports team and league executive must be seriously exploring its strategy on handling this issue.

We’ve already seen two sports organizations step up and offer its position on the matter.

Already an aggressive marketer to its large Latino and Hispanic community, the Phoenix Suns wore jerseys that read “Los Suns” on the front for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday night (which also happened to be Cinco de Mayo).

The Suns also issued a press release where owner Robert Sarver stated:

“The frustration with the federal government’s failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in passage of a flawed state law. However our players and organization felt that wearing our ‘Los Suns’ jerseys on Cinco de Mayo was a way for our team and our organization to honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona, and our nation…However intended, the result of passing the law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question.”

Steve Nash, the Suns all-star guard and future NBA Hall of Famer, also voiced his opinion when he appeared earlier this week on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption.

“(The Arizona law) really damages our civil liberties. I think it opens up the potential for racial profiling and racism. … It represents our state poorly in the eyes of the nation and the world.”

MLB and every sports league and team in America has a social responsibility to address the controversy surrounding the new law.

Major League Baseball, a sport in which 28% of players on Opening Day rosters this year were foreign-born, has yet to offer any public stance on the issue and will have no choice but to do so in the near future.

According to SI.com’s Melissa Segura, an MLB league spokesman recently declined comment on the issue (click here).

Half of MLB’s teams play their Spring Training games in Arizona and the league’s 2011 all-star game is scheduled to be hosted by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Also, many players have already spoken out against the law including Chicago White Sox manager (and Venezuelan) Ozzie Guillen who said, “I don’t think (the law) is fair to anybody from any country.”

To put even more pressure on commissioner Bud Selig and MLB, the Major League Baseball Players Association has jumped into the mix by issuing a statement of its own denouncing the law.

“…The Major League Baseball Players Association opposes this law as written. We hope that the law is repealed or modified promptly. If the current law goes into effect, the MLBPA will consider additional steps necessary to protect the rights and interests of our members.” (click here for entire statement)

As a rule, professional sports and politics don’t mix simply because it isn’t good for business. But sometimes things occur in life that are more important than sports and generating revenue…and this is one of those times.

Regardless of ones personal thoughts and opinions on the new Arizona law and how it will affect the rest of the country, every pro team and league has a responsibility to be socially conscious of the important issues surrounding its players and fans.