Understanding Sports PR

Friends thank you very much for taking out time from your busy schedule to read my blog(s). Sharing knowledge with you has become my passion now. I feel encouraged after reading your feedback in the comment’s column. Friends’ Everything, I do or say is PR. I’m delighted to share 122nd Blog titled ‘Understanding Sports PR’. 

Friends sports and sports events have recently been increasingly popular. It is proven not only by the growing number of visitors of sports events but also many are attracted by sport indirectly through TV broad-cast. The sports event management has also been developing fast, the demand for it has been growing, mega shows and events are being organized globally. 

In the area of sport for example the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, World - and Continental championships of different branches of sport, FIFA, T-20 Cricket World Cup, Wimbledon, Formula One, etc. have so many viewers which result in considerable revenue from the sale of tickets, broadcast royalties, merchandising products, hospitality or tourism revenue. Entertaining function of sports events has been increasing and sports events are getting more dynamic, enjoyable, better sold through sports broadcasts. The magnificent opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, Commonwealth and Asian Games, the shows of cheer-girls in the breaks of the sports broadcasts are all demonstrating the spectacular and entertaining functions of the events.

TYPES OF SPORT EVENTS

There are two types of sports events based on the area of activity required i.e., Indoor and Outdoor.

a. Indoor includes: 1. Badminton, 2. Chess, 3. Table tennis, 4. Basketball, 5. Volley ball 6. Gymnastics,7. Boxing, 8. Weight lifting, 9. Billiards, 10. Snooker, 11. Judo & karate, 12. Yoga, 13. Swimming,14. Carrom etc.

b. Outdoor includes: 1. Cycling, 2. Athletics e.g., Sprints, Hurdles, Relays 3. Golf, 4. Beach Volleyball, 5. Water sports, 6. Baseball, 7. Polo, 8. Equestrian, 9. Football, 10. Hockey, 11. Cricket, 12. Lawn Tennis, 13. Car racing, 14. Trekking, 15. Kabaddi, 16. Track & Field events e.g., shot put, discus, javelin, hammer throw, long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault, 17. Road Running e.g., Marathon (10km), Half marathon (5km), 18. Cross country race, 19. Race walking, 20. Mountain climbing, 21. Para sailing & gliding etc.

In sports specific knowledge is necessary to plan, create and execute a sports event, also a number of skills are critical for success in sport event management. These are; the ability to organize, prioritize, supervise, delegate, promote, and ability to manage the time and professional resources efficiently and effectively. Planning for sporting events can be quite complex when we consider the number of decisions that have to be made and the number of people involved in those decisions. Specifically, multiple stakeholders are involved in organizing a sports event i.e., organizing committees, participants, sanctioning govt. bodies, facilities, sponsors, and so on, and multiple tasks have to be undertaken such as logistical planning, marketing, and leadership.

Every sport event has three parts: pre-production, production and post-production. The sports organization or the body planning a sports event must take into account these three stages to make the event successful. Also, sports market research provides data, analysis, insights and strategies on team(s), player(s) / athlete(s).

Understanding Sports PR

Sports PR as defined by Stoldt, Dittmore & Branvold - “Sports public relations is a managerial communication-based function designed to identify a sports organization’s key publics, evaluate its relationships with those publics, and foster desirable relationships between the sports organization and those publics” (2006).

Friends as the name suggests, Sports PR is about communicating with consumers and educating them. In other words, PR for sports, sports organizations, sports bodies, sports teams and individual players. Sports PR is also about building media relationships with sports correspondents and editors, and getting apt publicity for the team and its players through different channels of publicity, both online and offline. Sports PR helps promote teams, players, and sports organizations and bodies through different channels of communication. In essence, Sports PR helps to facilitate relationships on all levels, including those between media and teams, players, fans, and the sponsors.

Friends PR is all about managing relationships therefore Sports PR helps in creating and managing the reputation of a player or the team in a positive light. The purpose of sports PR is also to create and build team’s brand loyalty, team’s credibility, team’s image, and right positioning of the team’s as well as sponsoring brands. Sports PR helps to connect the sponsoring brands with a new audience through the fans of the team and its players that they would not have had access to otherwise. Sports PR is a great way to align with a sporting event, team, or player to create brand awareness, generate interest, and engage a target audience through online and offline media channels.

With the advent of internet and WEB2.0, Online or Digital PR has changed the marketing of sports events by targeting the audience more precisely when it comes to sending emails directly to the people the sports organizations wish to reach. Furthermore, utilizing hashtags and tagging people on social media platforms allows these organizations to reach the desired target audience. Social media helps sports organizations in engaging fans by keeping the fans updated on team news like new signings, contracts, announcements and events. Social media foster fan engagement with original content from leagues, teams, coaches, athletes / players, and promote sports – social events or teams.

Types of Sports PR are as under;

a.       Sports Organization PR

b.      Sports Business PR

c.       Sports Event PR

d.      Sports Team PR

e.       Individual Player’s PR

f.        Sports sponsor’s PR

We need Sports PR….

a.       To reach & connect with existing & new audiences including fans

b.      To create right image & brand awareness

c.       To increase brand loyalty 

d.      To increase sales of tickets & merchandise

e.      To manage sports related issues or a crises

f.       To give media training to the players & athletes

Key elements of a Sport’s PR Plan are….

a.       Identification of target audience

b.      Key messaging & media channels

c.       PR Tactics including SMM

d.      Budget

e.      Press relations

f.       Issues & crises management

g.      Feedback and evaluation

PR in sports is responsible for…….

a)      Help build curiosity around an individual player / athlete or a team.

b)   Manage the reputation of the team(s) and its players / athletes by using appropriate media.

c)     Strategic media management for the sports and the team(s).

d)   Create newsworthy content about the sport, team, players etc. to engage the media.

e)    Handle crises whenever it arises.

f)   Connecting the fans with teams /players through volunteer work, social / meet & greet events.

Media for Sport’s PR

Media plays an important part in sports promotion and marketing. Media has the capacity to reach a wide range of audience to promote sports, and sports events by using print, electronic and online media for example; Sports pages of a Newspaper, Sports magazines, Sports journals, Sports News TV & Radio Channels, Sports news websites & channels, sports related blogs, Sports related YouTube channels, live streaming of sports, social media i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Instagram, Pinterest etc. Effective media relationships are crucial in sports PR as they facilitate understanding, acceptance, and communication between the public and sports organizations, leagues and players / athletes. Sports PR aims to establish and maintain relationships between the sports persons, sport organizations - bodies and the public at large.

To conclude; PR is a fundamental element of any sports communication and marketing strategy and can be an extremely cost-effective way for an organization to enhance reputation, service, or product. Public relation is used in the sports industry to raise awareness, inform and educate, build trust, connect, give people a reason to support, and create fan engagement. One can explore the relevance and impact of PR in the marketing communications mix in the context of campaign planning, stakeholder engagement, sponsorship, and issues and crisis management across sports organizations, teams, and players at professional and grassroots levels. One can apply this knowledge for creating and pitching an authentic campaign for their sports client.

In the world of professional sports, reputation matters. How an individual player / athlete or sports team is viewed by the public can impact ticket sales and other forms of revenue. Social media has placed a greater emphasis on public perception since fans now have a platform to praise or criticize sports organizations using online channels of communication. The responsibility of maintaining a positive image of sport, teams, coaches, players / athletes and the sponsors falls on the sports PR by disseminating communication that is positive and represent the best interests of a sports organization, using effective media - press relations, and the social media platforms.

Friends the power of sports is far more than symbolic. Sports are the engines of economic growth. Sports are a force for gender equality. Sports can bring youth and others in from the margins, strengthening the social fabric. Sports can promote communication and help heal divisions between people, communities and entire nations.

 

Thank you for reading the blog.

 

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