Tony Stewart should forgo this weekend’s NASCAR event
If I was auto racer Tony Stewart’s publicist, I would, as I told the Bill Michaels Show, tell him to sit out at least another week. For those not following any media (the story made national mainstream news, not just sports) Stewart, a well known NASCAR driver, drove a sprint car that struck and killed Kevin Ward […]
PR element of Tony Stewart story evolving
There was only one right thing for auto racer Tony Stewart to do after his sprint car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. in a dirt track race Saturday night. That was to sit out of his scheduled NASCAR race in Watkins Glen, N.Y. the following day. It almost didn’t happen, and because of a […]
“The Good Wife” or the Good Life; Buzz Williams and Josh Charles choose theirs
Last night after hours (and hours and hours and hours) of NCAA basketball, I watched Sunday night’s episode of “The Good Wife” a CBS TV drama that stars Julianna Margulies, Josh Charles, Christine Baranski and Archie Panjabi. In a surprising, truly, shocking twist, Charles’ character, Will Gardner, an original cast member, was killed. As someone […]
Colts owner fails the big game PR test
There are times when someone just shouldn’t speak. If tempted, zip it. Are you reading this, Jim Irsay? Irsay is a football team owner. He’s not a player, not a coach and not someone who in most circumstances, has to comment more than a public-relations appropriate, “We love(d) our players and we look forward to […]
Johnny Football must become Johnny Truth. Today.
Never mind the Biogenesis-related Major League Baseball suspensions that are being announced as I write. We expected those. What we didn’t see coming is the latest sports crisis at the hands of Texas A & M and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Johnny Manziel. Last night ESPN business reporter Darren Rovell reported that Manziel, who has […]
Stupid happens. Just ask Riley Cooper.
Make no mistake about it. Eagles receiver Riley Cooper was caught in a swamp of stupid when a video of him berating an African-American security guard at a concert surfaced last week. Like many, I wrestled with whether his comment was blatantly prejudice. He used the “n word,” an ugly, unseemly adjective that I wish […]
Louisville’s Kenny Klein occupies the penthouse of sports PR professionals
Editor’s Note: I intended to post this one week after the Final Four. With all that happened in the sports world, including the tragedy at the Boston Marathon, there never seemed to be a “good” time. While I may have waited too long, the fact remains, Kenny Klein’s picture is next to the definition, PR […]
When it absolutely has to be there in 44 hours – a missed PR opportunity
The public has had several days to digest the news that Brewers left-fielder, Ryan Braun, became the first player to successfully appeal a Major League Baseball positive drug test. To date, Braun emphatically reiterated his innocence in a press conference at the Brewers Spring Training facility; Major League Baseball spoke out with its own words […]
Snow measurement tool is more than just a stick in the mud
As we work on a fresh version of this blog, we offer a story off the publicity path. PUBLISIDE has become friendly with some information-dishing inanimate objects lately (no, we don’t need professional help — Cleatus the Robot from NFL on FOX said we are just fine!). One such character in our own backyard made […]
Whatever Penn State did with its PR efforts, do the opposite
Sports, among other things, can serve as a respite for fans to forget about ills in the world. This week, the wicked face that stared us from our computer and television screens came from the world of sports. As a sports fan, I hoped what I read wasn’t true. As someone who respects the history […]