Sports PR

I can’t believe I’m actually doing this, but I’m going to post some positive thoughts and opinions about Isiah Thomas – sort of. There’s no point in going down memory lane about Thomas, especially if you’re a Knicks fan, but here’s a quick recap (following his Hall of Fame basketball career): • Becomes part owner and first executive vice president for the expansion Toronto Raptors. After four years, Thomas leaves the organization with the Raptors in shambles following a dispute with new management. • After a short stint in broadcasting, Thomas purchases the Continental Basketball Association for $5 million. In [...]

To no fault of their own, the New York Mets have suffered some negative publicity as a result of issues related to the country’s economic downturn. The naming-rights of the Mets news stadium, Citi Field, belong to a financial institution that has received billions of dollars in bailout money. Many fans (and many more taxpayers) are understandably furious at the idea that the bailed out bank continues to honor its naming-rights and sponsorship deal with the Mets for $400 million paid-out over 20 years. The Mets have also taken some knocks because of their most famous season ticket holder, now [...]

Nobody would ever accuse me of being an expert in emerging technologies. But anyone working in public relations or marketing has to keep a steady eye on the technology and business news and stay aware of new tools that could help gain publicity for a client or assist in building a brand. Especially tools that are free and extremely easy to use. So when something like Twitter comes around a PR or marketing executive has to be able to recognize the potential of such an unusual instrument. Although created in 2006, Twitter didn’t break into the mainstream until last spring. [...]

As a sports PR professional, I believe that one of the best ways to learn and improve my craft is to monitor closely interviews with athletes and coaches. Most interviews, of course, are very generic with softball questions and answers that would force a yawn from even the most intense fan (Reporter: How did you feel out there today? Athlete: I felt good. I just wanted to play well for my teammates…etc.). But from time to time important questions, even tricky ones, are thrown at players and coaches – sometimes with the sole purpose of causing controversy (see Jim Calhoun [...]

It’s no secret any more that the pro sports industry’s overwhelming top priority is fast money, no matter how much it alienates the fans. Whether it’s the outrageous ticket and concession prices or the fact that kids and many adults miss most playoff action because the games begin after 8:30 pm and end way after 11:00 pm. These types of business practices and principles in sports have been going for some time and, sadly, we’ve all pretty much excepted it and shrugged it off as “oh well, what can you do?” But as pro sports continues to blindly chase the [...]

I was really disappointed to learn recently that longtime New York City sportscaster Len Berman is retiring from his day-to-day sportscasts in a few weeks, especially because he was pushed-out for budgetary reasons. Like most markets, New York is losing a lot of terrific on-air and print talent as a result of the changing media industry. Maybe one can look at the media industry as evolving, as advancements in technology have given us numerous new avenues to supply our thirst for news and sports with much faster and convenient options. But when a legend like Len Berman leaves before his [...]

For those of us who work in sports, or at least follow the world of sports business, we know how much the sports industry has been hurt by the United States’ recent financial collapse – one might even say the sports industry has been paralyzed by it. Of course sports is certainly not the only industry severely touched by the collapse. We all know most industries have been financially pounded to various degrees. I think one industry that’s been wrecked and is similar to the business of sports is the travel industry. So I find it encouraging that the travel [...]