After further review … coach goes on a power trip
Alabama football coach Nick Saban helped us forget about Urban Meyer for a day. No, Saban didn’t lie, he was, in layman’s terms, a jerk. The reason I put the two in the same camp is because they violated the simplest of public-relations practices that all coaches, let alone two of the winningest in college […]
After further review … OSU’s PR is PU
The decision has been made. The Ohio State’s Board of Trustees’ announced that head football coach Urban Meyer will be suspended for three games and docked six weeks pay, and athletics director Gene Smith suspended for a little more than two weeks. After further review … You can’t handle the truth — The word “truth” […]
After Further Review … Meyer’s message plus Smith’s spin equals a PR mess
Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer released a letter in response to a media report and within minutes, his recently fired assistant, Zach Smith did a radio interview about his ex-wife Courtney’s domestic abuse accusations. Together the combination made like a parfait made of chocolate syrup, spinach and beets. It was nasty. There are lots […]
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 […]
UFC tossed years of good publicity in media power play
It wasn’t long ago that decades old sports leagues admired UFC’s creativity, popularity and fan loyalty. Publicity for this mixed martial arts organization was off the charts. Now we see it as a group that may have taken all of its positive publicity for granted. During the past weekend, well-known MMA reporter Ariel Helwani was reportedly […]
Media interview plunges Baylor crisis deeper, if possible
I won’t go into great detail about what was horribly wrong with an interview Waco, Texas KWIX-TV television reporter Julie Hays conducted with former Baylor University chancellor Ken Starr. All you have to do is watch it. You don’t have to work in public relations or as a crisis communications specialist to know that this […]
10 ways Twitter wins the sports business game
This week, Twitter-owned Periscope celebrated its first anniversary. Last week marked Twitter’s 10th year on our screens. As I’ve written, I use other social media and advise clients to use what meets their needs, but Twitter is my primary social media platform. To many in media and related businesses, Twitter is the first place we visit […]
Sports PR was front-and-center in this week’s news
It was quite a week of you’re into sports PR case studies. Or just into sports. Sure, there’s that college conference basketball tournament thing. A few overtimes, buzzer-beaters and upsets are always good for a sport that seems to emerge from a regular season slumber at this time each year. [Note to those people: the […]
Social media is changing the way athletes make big announcements
When it comes to professional athletes announcing their retirements, the media planets are in the process of a major realignment. Last week former Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Carolina defensive end Jared Allen announced that he was stepping away from professional football after playing 12 years in the NFL. He didn’t issue a press release […]
Sports network revenue stories educate consumers about more than stock prices
There is reason for sports networks and their corporate parents to be concerned each time a negative revenue report is released in 2016, and it’s not all about dollars and cents on the surface. Sports networks – ok, ESPN in particular – have a PR challenge, one I’m sure everyone in the sports television industry considers […]