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Sports information is the statistics and likely outcomes on sporting events. Sports promotion is used to make these events more appealing and exciting for the fans by using publicity, sales promotion and personal selling (Irwin, Sutton, McCarthy, 2002). These specializations are found in every aspect of sports, whether it is professional sports, collegiate sports, or sporting goods. Public relations in sports is one of the most important fields of public relations because there is such intense public and media interest in sports (Stolid, Demerit, Branford, 012).
Public relations tactics that are widely used in the sports field include, preparing media kits, writing bios on players, compiling statistics on players, wine and dining with sports reporters, maintaining the press box, arranging media interviews, booking player appearances on television and radio sports shows, handling crises when players run afoul of the law, maintaining the team website, writing a team blob, and providing constant updates for fans on Backbone, Mainstream and Twitter (Wilcox, Cameron, 2012).
Sports organizations simultaneously compete and cooperate, therefore, another essential goal of sports public relations is to maintain beneficial relationships with all sports organizations, even if they are competitors (Mulling, Hardy, Sutton, 1993). Sport has been around since the existence of mankind. People have used it as a form of entertainment and also as an activity. Public relations within sports has technically been around forever. People have always had to promote sporting events, players and organizations. Public relations within professional sports came about in the sass with the growth of television (Handle, 2000).
Television is responsible for bringing sports into mass Edie. Once viewers could watch live sporting events in the comfort of their homes, it completely transformed the game. Because of television, teams and organizations now have the liability of being watched all the time, consent intently having to maintain a beneficial relationship with the public. Sports are extremely successful because they have the potential to engage fans on an emotional level (Alfonse, 2012). Without public relations promoting the game, the players, the organizations, the memorabilia and the sporting goods, sports would not be who they are today.
Sports public relations has rowan drastically since the 1 sass and the development of television, as a result of advancements in all aspects of media. With developments in technology and media, every sports team and organization can potentially be watched 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The recent advancements of social media have changed the public relations of sports from predictable to unexpected (Alfonse, 2012). All teams and organizations have at least one form of social media to promote themselves, whether it is a Backbone, Mainstream or Twitter account.
Players alike run their own social media counts, and have hundreds of thousands of followers. Social media hype will only grow in the future. There are advantages and disadvantages in all aspects of public relations. The advantages include the credibility the specialist receives, the cost effectiveness of the profession, the efficiency of the messages public relations professionals produce, and the ability the professional has to reach specific groups. Disadvantages include the lack of understanding that surrounds the field and the uncontrollability of publicity (Hoped, Skinner, Kitchen, 2010).
When an individual is working in sports public relations, it is likely that they have a love for sports in general. A sports public relations specialist will get to provide assistance to something they love, especially if it is a team they have always rooted for or a specific sport they played as a child. Another advantage a sports public relations specialist has is the ability to meet distinguished athletes all around the world and be a part of notorious sporting events that a regular public relations specialist may not get the chance to participate in.
The travel demands a sports public relations specialist must deal with can be seen as an advantage or equidistant. If a specialist is working with a team, they may need to travel the country and possibly the world, on a daily basis when in season. If the specialist is young, it could be a good experience to travel, but if the specialist is trying to start a family, it could be difficult. Another disadvantage of working within professional sports public relations is the constant workload. Public relations is definitely not a nine to five job.
With the advancements in media today, the workday never ends. When dealing with athletes, public relations specialists are working with constant publicity. For example, if an athlete sots something on social media that could cause controversy, the public relations specialist will immediately have to deal with it. The goal of a public relations specialist is to maintain a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics (APRS, 2014). This remains uniform among all career specializations within public relations.
In order to maintain this beneficial relationship among all publics, public relations specialists are likely to use similar techniques. Public relations specialists must have critical thinking skills, networking skills, reminisces for promoting and knowledge about the media and social media and its advancements in the future. They must also know how to write a press release, identify a target audience, and develop the public relations techniques to boost and develop an organization’s image (Coeducation. Info, 2014).
All specialists need to use social media, arrange interviews, book showings, and deal with crisis, regardless of what the field of public relations is (Wilcox, Cameron, 2012). Professional sports public relations IS most similar to entertainment public relations because sporting events are seen as a form f entertainment. These specialists must promote their events and players/ celebrities as best they can to achieve approval from the public. An entertainment public relations specialist must aid their celebrity client in dealing with the public and how their client uses social media.
A sports public relations specialist must do the same thing with their athlete client. The difference between sports public relations specialists and other types of public relations specialists is the knowledge the sports public relations specialist must have about sports. In order to work in the field, the specialist just know the rules of the game and how athletes achieve higher status. Additionally, they must be mindful of the top players within the sport.
The sports public relations specialist must be aware of their organization, team, and players contracts. The specialist must also be familiar with the law to make sure their Star athletes do not get into trouble with it. Like any job in public relations, in order to achieve status in professional sports public relations, one must acquire a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Although a degree in public relations seems most obvious, it is not necessary. Public elation’s professionals are successful with degrees in journalism, communications and marketing.
It is not necessary to receive a master’s degree in public relations; however, professionals with contain due education will likely receive higher-level positions, such as a public relations manager (liberationists. Com, 2012). When applying for entry-level positions in the professional sports public relations field, it is helpful to have internship experience as well. As a public relations professional, it is important to have good people skills, such as a cooperative and outgoing personality, good public speaking skills, good networking skills, and familiarity with social media, as that is now a Vital part in all aspects of public relations.
As a professional sports public relations specialist, it is necessary to have knowledge of all sports in general, in addition to the specific sport the specialist is working with (Spoilsports. Com, 2012). When working in professional sports public relations, an entry-level position would likely receive the title of Public Relations Specialist. This job, like most jobs in public relations maintains a beneficial relationship between the public ND the organization, which in the case of sports would be the team or association. An entry’ level position like this would receive an average salary between a year.
More experience earns higher salaries. A Public Relations Manager in the sports field earns an average salary of a year (salary. Com, 2014). Public Relations Managers usually have a master’s degree or more experience in the field. As a professional sports public relations specialist, it is expected to gain a higher status quickly if one shows the good communication skills that are vital to public relations (Spoilsports. Com, 2012). The future of professional sports public relations seems very bright. Public relations is a fairly new profession but it is predicted to grow about 12 percent in the next 10 years (money. Us. Mom), especially due to social media (West, 2012). A critical part of public relations today is social media. About 93% of marketers use social media (Pick, 2013). Social media has only been around for a few years and will only continue to grow. It is such an integral part of everyday life, especially in sports. Every single sports team and organization solicits themselves on at least one form of social media, if not all arms of social media. Almost every player uses social media and has hundreds of thousands of followers. Players are using their own public relations tactics to promote themselves by allowing their fans to “follow’ them.
Social media is also a great thing for professional sports public relations because it allows the players, teams and organizations to interact with their fans. Social media will continue to grow in future generations with the increases and advancements in technology; therefore public relations will grow as well. Public relations within sport will inevitably grow in the future cause sport in general is a growing and very popular field. There will always be a love for any sport whether it is basketball, football, cheerleaders, or swimming just to name a few.
With the certainty that sports will forever be a part of peoples lives, comes the certainty that public relations within the field will continue. I have always had an interest in public relations within sports. Whenever anyone asked me what my dream job would be, I always respond with, “I would love to do public relations for the New York Nicks or for the NAB”, even though never really knew what the job would entail. After finishing this research paper on the career in sports public relations, now know that I will do whatever it takes to continue down this path to achieve my dream job.
The entire essay intrigued me from the moment I began. Public relations has always been an interest for me because I believe I have a personality that would fit the job requirements, along with good communication skills, teamwork abilities, and an obsession with social media. I always liked the idea of sports because I am passionate about basketball. I love how working in sports public relations offers the basics of public relations along with the advantages of working with teams, players, and associations that provide enjoyment for the country, because lets be real, everyone enjoys some kind of sporting event. Also believe that working in this particular specialization of public relations would be empowering for a woman. Although women are the majority gender in public relations as a whole, the particular sports public relations I am interested in working for is men’s basketball. If I worked in the field, I would have to prove myself as a woman studying and working with professional men’s basketball. Although this would not be an easy task, my eviction to watching men’s basketball since high school will serve as an advantage.