Gail Sideman Publicity

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 […]

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Different look, same writer

Welcome to my new blog. And my new look. In an effort to communicate the personal side of the publicity work I do, I decided to use what I identify with best — my own name. I continue to work with and consult with others who know how to do things better than I do […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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Customer service is part of public relations

Get your feet off the counter, stand up and greet your customers with a smile when they walk through the door! I realize that customer service is more than a polite “hello, may I help you?” It’s more than asking a customer‘s name or about their day when he or she calls or engages in […]

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Leading the Deflategate PR battle is …

During the last weeks, I have read more sports legalese than most anyone who’s not a sports agent should. I have read about more bickering than you will hear at a dinner table with small children. I have read about leaks and lies and they’ve had nothing to do with the CIA. As a sports […]

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Roger Goodell passed on opportunity to reenergize his NFL leadership

Super Bowl XLIX attracted 114.5 million viewers, making it the most watched show in U.S. television history. That’s ALL of television history. Not just sports programming. So it’s all good with the National Football League’s image because so many watched despite a football season fraught with controversy? Right? Not really. The NFL scored BIG thanks […]

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Wisconsin company’s endorsement deal with Seahawks’ Wilson is a PR dream

Sometimes public relations professionals work long hours to produce campaigns, craft precisely worded news releases, and hit “send” on messages at just the right moment for businesses. Other times their charismatic, performance driven and kind-hearted football-player endorser leads his team to the Super Bowl and their story tells itself … with thousands of media along […]

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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 […]

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Milwaukee Brewers, team owner step up to meet PR challenge

If there was any doubt that Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio wants to make good on not only a losing season but an unfortunate one for fans after leftfielder Ryan Braun accepted a 65-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s drug program, look no further than words and actions from the club’s front office during […]

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