Uncomfortable PR events in Cleveland no surprise
The backdrop with team logos, microphones and team personnel sitting behind a curtain-draped table … looked like hundreds of other team welcomes, but this was no typical player introduction. In fact, if the Cleveland Browns intended for Deshaun Watson’s first press conference to be business as usual, it missed the mark. To be honest, there may not be any scenario during which someone who publicly accepts a job while facing 22 pending civil lawsuits for sexual misconduct would feel comfortable.
Social media presents opportunity for young athletes
[This post was previously featured in the June 22, 2021 issue of the gpublicity newsletter, SIDEbar. We repost as college athletics prepares for monumental change in just a few hours.] As we approach July 1 when Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) laws kick in for college athletes in several states, it’s worth mentioning how important […]
Re-upping social media do’s/don’ts for NFL Draft
Social media already a topic before athletes move to the next level Three years ago I wrote one of many pieces (there were a few before that) about athletes’ social media posts that can come back to bite them. That week my list of do’s and don’ts were prompted by an NFL Draft social media […]
After Further Review … LeBron James is king after all
LeBron James showed this week why is a king. Of his community. I was never a huge LeBron James fan. I respected his hoops magic, but for whatever reason, he wasn’t that “must see” athlete for me. Yesterday changed all of that. He leads this week’s After Further Review. • The man’s got class — […]
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 […]
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 […]
Football players: it’s time to step up your social media game
A few weeks ago I wrote about why coaches and front officer personnel should care about social media and how their players use it. Since NFL training camps started last week and college football practices aren’t far behind, it’s time to address some things that coaches, administrators (including public relations specialists and sports information directors) […]
Coaches, administrators and front office staffs are athletes’ key to sports social media education
New sports seasons are almost upon us and with that, it’s time to start training. Not on the field or court this time, but on smartphones. We live in an era in which 64% all American adults own handsets that people use for most everything except talk, so it seems. Many of them will leave […]
Curt Schilling tracked Twitter trolls and put social media ugliness on notice
People have tasked to find ways about how to silence anonymous Twitter users that post threats and bully others. It only took Curt Schilling a few hours. Last week, Schilling, a retired Major League Baseball pitcher, proudly tweeted congratulations to his daughter Gabby, who earned an opportunity to play softball in college. What began as good […]
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 […]