Chapter 16

Sport Communications

Introduction• Communications

– Defined as all methods used by a sport organization to deliver its key messages proactively to a diverse group of constituencies

• A dramatic shift in sport industry’s communications needs has occurred because advances in technology have made the world much smaller

• Sport organizations have found that more aggressive and strategic communication plans are vital to overall success

History

• First outlet to cover a sporting event was the Boston Gazette when it sent a reporter to London to cover a boxing match.

• Much of the growth in the sport industry has been caused by the expansion of cable television and its use of sport programming to lure subscribers.– Substantially increased rights fees paid to sport

entities

Changing Landscape of Media and Sport Communications

• Sport communications has undergone dramatic changes in terms of the number of stakeholders and the methods used to communicate.

• Media changes:– Cable television introduced the concept of 24-hour

news and later 24-hour sport programming and news channels.

– Sport radio has become one of the top formats on the radio dial.

• Corporate world has taken notice of sports.– Franchises are no longer run as secondary

businesses, managed on a game-to-game basis

Changing Landscape of Media and Sport Communications (cont.)

• College Athletics:– Sports information director (SID): covers media

relations and other communications jobs– Athletic department have gone from one-person

staffs to five to ten person staffs• Internet skills needed:

– HTML skills, video production, uploading and downloading

Key Concepts: Media Relations

• Most media outlets turn public’s desire to know all they can about their favorite team and players into dollars by selling more papers and advertising to increase the outlet’s own profits.

• Wire service stories have the potential to reach the largest audience through a distribution network consisting of hundreds of newspaper, radio, television, and Internet outlets.

• Beat reporter – daily contact assigned by local media

Key Concepts: Media Relations (cont.)

• Press release – Basic interpretive mechanism to let people know

what an organization is doing – Sent out to editors and reporters in hopes of

stimulating favorable stories about an organization

• Press conference – Media invited to a specific location– Accommodating the needs of attending media is

a top priority

Key Concepts: Media Relations (cont.)• Annual team media guide publications must be

created and distributed to the media before the season begins– Include staff directories; biographies of all

coaches, players, owners, and front-office staff; as well as team and individual records

– Media guides not usually in digital format, not just print

• Ex. MLB Red and Green books• Photography – need capable photographer to cover

events (games, press conferences, etc.)– Digital photography standard now

Key Concepts: Media Relations (cont.)• Video news release

– Preproduced piece that includes a written story summary or press release that is edited for broadcast, making it more attractive for a TV producer to air, as well as online

• B-roll– A tape of raw footage that is not a finished segment that

would accompany a written news release • Conference calls

– Successful way to communicate with media fast– Will likely give way to Web conferencing

Legal Issues• Defamation may come into play if the sport

communication professional gives inaccurate information to the media

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)– Also known as the Buckley Amendment– FERPA sets the parameters for providing

personal, academic, and medical information to the media

Legal Issues (cont.)

– FERPA requires that student-athletes at universities that receive federal funding consent to the release of their academic and medical information to nonuniversity personnel, such as college conferences and the media

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)– Sets limits on providing medical information to

others

Public and Community Relations• Public relations

– All non-media-related communication efforts aimed at delivering a direct message to the fans

• Most public relations activities are undertaken to have a positive impact on the community, resulting in positive media attention

• Community relations objectives include – The development of substantive programs to

benefit charitable causes– Educational and outreach programs in an

organization’s area of business

New Media and the Internet• New media industry

– Combines elements of computing, technology, content, and telecommunications.

– Creates products and services that can be used interactively by consumers and business users.

• Web sites are one of an organization’s most valued public relations outlets.

• Web site – Allows for message to be published in the way that

organization wants it to be presented, and not filtered by the media.

– Web site allows team to distribute message and product to a worldwide audience (ex. e-newsletters)

The Interview• Interview

– A question and answer session employed by media to gather information and present it to an audience

• First item is to prepare key messages that the organization wants to convey to the media during the interview.

• Sports communications professionals should create a list of potential questions, including suggested responses, before the interview.

Crisis Management• Crisis

– Any nonroutine event that could be disruptive to an organization

– Unusual short-term incident that has real or perceived negative impact

• Crisis plan – Identifying crises, identifying the probability of

their occurrence, creating a plan of action• Overreaction is the most common mistake made

during a crisis • A prepared sport organization should create a crisis

team

Crisis Management - Issues• Speculation – hypothetical questions asked by the

media; “what if” or “suppose” – Better not to answer

• Off-the-record comments – dangerous practice unless very trusting of media member– Can be used if newsworthy

• Awareness – Need to be mindful of what is said and done when media is around– Can be picked up on recorders, cameras, phones, etc.

• Media Training – Companies offer tips for communications professionals and for anyone likely to be dealing with the media

Internal Communications

• Communicating to an organization’s staff is often overlooked• Daily/weekly e-mail from the president or general manager to

include the following:– New partnership agreements – New hiring– Ticket sales updates – Status report– Employee of month award and anything else to engage

employees• Weekly or monthly breakfast where staff can gather in an

informal environment can be beneficial

Integrated Marketing Communications

• Integrated marketing communications– Symbiosis of advertising, marketing, and public

relations

• Advertising– Information placed in media by an identified

sponsor that pays for time or space – More costly than public relations but more

controlled

Integrated Marketing Communications (cont.)• Media planning

– Choosing the correct medium to place advertising– Requires a thorough examination of each

potential outlet’s ability to reach the most people fitting a target audience’s demographic profile

• Direct marketing – Success rates vary widely– Successful campaigns return a positive response

from approximately 2% of individuals targeted

Career Opportunities• Growth in industry

– There are currently 144 teams at the major league level, with hundreds of communications-related positions.

– However, obtaining one of these coveted positions is as difficult as ever.

• Important to accumulate experience in public relations, communications, marketing, advertising, public speaking, and journalism.

© Bruce C. Murray/ShutterStock, Inc.

Current Issues• Emerging technology

– Internet-based Web conferencing will become increasingly popular in sports communications

• Outside agencies – Hiring of outside public relations firms to help

develop and administer public relations programs or special events

• Government relations – Most organizations hire outside firms to represent

their legislative interests and other government contacts