Madden NFL fans and new announcers find mutual brand respect
I learned something about branding last week that shouldn’t be entirely surprising. When humans interact with humans as it relates to a brand, good things can happen. I had the privilege to attend EA Play with sports broadcaster Charles Davis, with whom I’ve worked several years. It was the culmination of a year during which […]
Sports PR is about helping media do their job
Sports PR, along with every industry, has changed, but I maintain that those that publicize teams, individuals and products are in the business of making information and access relatively simple for media that cover them. The opposite seemed to happen in Buffalo today where media received a laundry list of “do nots” that essentially gave “get […]
Lessons to learn from Tunsil’s NFL Draft PR inferno
Bill Belichick can get away with saying, “We’re onto [name-the-city],” each time he’s asked about a hot topic. A rookie that hasn’t played a down of football in the NFL? Not so much. As if Dolphins’ first-round pick Laremy Tunsil didn’t have a rough enough introduction to the league, he eventually met the media in […]
Auburn football coach’s new car is a cool recruiting tool
We are our brands. Each time we step foot out the door each day, we subliminally share our brands in how we dress, act, what car we drive and its color. That’s why when I read the headline “Recruiting tool? Gus Malzahn’s flashy new sports car” on USA TODAY’s website, I said to myself, “absolutely.” […]
The NFL could generate great PR beyond the Super Bowl
I was interviewed for a podcast last week when the host asked me about sports organizations that do the public relations thing wrong and what they could do to improve. I was really at a loss because there haven’t been any glaring examples as of late. Well … The host responded with, “you’ve been critical […]
The NFL could flip Concussion movie into a public relations win
I’m not a movie reviewer or a doctor. Like many of you, I’m a football fan, albeit one that often looks at professional football issues with a public relations eye. To me, there’s little that compares to the excitement of game days, so when statistics about the impact concussions have on athletes’ brains, I cringe, […]
The NFL, NFLPA legal wrangling has left many deflated
Nearly nine months have passed and frankly, I’m worn out. Had it. I’m deflated. No, I didn’t give birth or anything crazy like that. I’m simply breathing a sigh of relief that U. S. District Court Judge Richard Berman put an end to the madness that we got to know as “Deflategate.” At least for […]
Tampa Bay Bucs have women seeing RED but not in the way it intended
To those outside of Florida and the Twitterverse that haven’t heard of the Bucs RED for Women marketing campaign that was announced this week, you missed a publicity mess. Man or woman, it might make you react like I did: ARE YOU *&@$% ME?? Yes, it had me seeing, well, red. Mind you, I’m from National […]
Like a kid in a candy store, NFL Draft weekend is like a days-long treat for analyst Charles Davis
It’s a day he’s prepared for all of his life. Well, his life the last five months. For anyone associated with or is a fan of the National Football League, the NFL Draft is like every holiday on the calendar wrapped into one weekend. Tonight, NFL Network analyst Charles Davis joins his colleagues after countless […]
NFL Combine athletes: respect the media and the process. And lift heavy weights
It’s NFL Combine week, a time when potential NFL draft prospects don skin-tight Under Armor skivvies and run really fast and jump super far. Or at least that’s the goal. As important as it is for young football players to showcase their physical attributes, it’s equally as important for them to use their manners and […]