As football’s PR efforts work to focus message on safety, violence rears its ugly head
When you’ve set a goal and created a PR plan to essentially rebrand football, the last thing you want are conspiracy theories and brawls in which one player could have killed another on national television. The public relations state of football is mostly good, despite complaints about officiating, reports about long-term head injuries and puzzling […]
PR buzz was great, but AAF not prepared to support it
If you’re a football fan, you know by now that the Alliance of American Football, the startup spring league that generated loads of positive publicity and was headed toward its first postseason, has suddenly gone dark. With some of its eight teams at practice preparing for this weekend’s games, a letter was reportedly sent out […]
Media availability is on ASU’s football agenda and reporters rejoice
Herm Edwards has never been one to shy away from a microphone. Sometimes that gets people in trouble, but the Arizona State football coach isn’t concerned. He’s doing just fine in his role with the university. Edwards’ speaks with conviction and he’s teaching his players to do the same. Among his team policies is to […]
Emotion and social good wrap Super Bowl pregame
This past pre-Super Bowl week was emotional for a lot of reasons. For one, I spent a lot of time and energy trying to get out of Wisconsin, a state that turned into the biggest block of ice I’ve ever seen or felt – and never want to again. I missed connecting with friends and peers […]
If I coached Roger Goodell this week …
Yesterday I reflected on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual State of the League press conference in Atlanta from a public-relations standpoint, and wrote a post to call it a win and a loss. After I made my thoughts public, I was asked how I would have advised Goodell to answer questions he likely knew would be asked. Since […]
Goodell posted a PR win — and loss — in State of NFL presser
About 24 hours ago, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took to a podium in Atlanta, host city of Super Bowl LIII, and scored a win. He scored a bigger loss. There are several reasons why the annual State of the League press conference was a toss-up, and each are posts unto their own. My focus here […]
After further review … football dominates PR week
Sometimes you have to know when enough is enough, not just for public relations sake, but your own. After weeks of excuses for statements to statements, Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer hasn’t realized that yet. Several Pro Football Hall of Famers may have had enough and suggest they may show it by not attending […]
After further review … Serena, tennis fans slam umpire, and football is back
By now you’ve likely heard about the chaos during the women’s final at the U.S. Open. It certainly led to more conversation about tennis, but likely not in a way the USTA planned for its biggest event and PR blitz of the year. And football, from college to the NFL, is back in a big […]
Sit, stand … athletes must back social messages with action
I’ve spent the last couple of months outlining evergreen blog topics to share insight into sports publicity and related business issues. As often the case, however, it’s a crisis that’s brought me out of my summer cave. The United States is in a big one, and once again, sports – today the NFL — is in […]
NFL takes another PR hit; NY Giants fumble words and inaction
Do you remember how the NFL and its teams were going to aggressively discipline those charged with domestic violence, and assured fans that they wouldn’t stand for it any longer? That was so 2014. Today if you look at facts that have come to light about New York Giants kicker Josh Brown during the last […]