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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]