Tennis, Soccer take Different Paths to Positive Press

by Gail Sideman | June 29th, 2010 | View Comments

Last week former tennis star and current broadcast analyst, John McEnroe, was right when he said that the three-day, 11-hour record-blasting Wimbledon match between John Isner of the United States and Nicolas Mahut of France was “the greatest advertisement for our sport.”

The event lasted 186 games and broke nearly every Wimbledon and Grand Slam record each of the three days it was played. Officiating was near pristine. Even the head lines judge was wowed by the competition.

Change channels to World Cup soccer where referees became the story. Players, coaches and analysts seemed to question calls at every turn. Fans, particularly in the United States where soccer popularity remains infantile, have been outraged. Video replay isn’t used and officials do not have to explain their calls as in the National Football League and other professional sports with which we’re more familiar. In addition, former professional soccer player Alexi Lalas said on SportsCenter that FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), international soccer’s governing body, believes that controversy is good for soccer because it keeps the game in peoples’ discussions.

How Technology is Changing Athletic Scouting

by Lewis Howes | June 25th, 2010 | View Comments

(This is a guest article by Anthony Alsop)

Technology helps us do a lot of things; it saves time, saves lives and is now beginning to save the careers of sports executives. With sports being a multi-billion dollar industry, professional teams, and more specifically scouts are looking for anything that can give them the edge over their opponents.

Enter technology.

Traditional scouting methods meant a scout had to be out on the road, staying in hotels and costing teams money. Today, scouts can sit on their couch watch their latest prospect. Even if they can’t watch him or her on live television, they can get a DVD made up of highlights and watch that instead. With technology allowing us to become more mobile than ever, why should teams go out to the world, when the world now comes to them?

In 2006, Major League Baseball’s draft lasted 50 rounds, and had over 1500 players picked. The National Football League’s draft lasts for only seven rounds with 256 picks typically made. With sports executives being put under time constraints more than ever, how can they effectively research all these prospects?

Sports Organizations Enter Political Fray & PR Battle

by Gail Sideman | May 19th, 2010 | View Comments

In the last weeks I’ve thought a lot about a hot button issue that began with a political decision, yet has touched sports organizations from the National Basketball League to Major League Baseball…or should I say that they hit on the topic by no choice of their own.

As if the Arizona Immigration Law SB 1070 2010 needed more steam, the topic of immigration has jumped to Page One of several sports searches because professional organizations and athletes have either voiced opinions or taken action to show dissatisfaction for the legislation.

The law, which will require police to verify a person’s immigration status if there’s “reasonable suspicion” that he/she is in the United States illegally, is scheduled to take affect in July.

Professional Sports Age Requirements

by Michelle Hill | May 6th, 2010 | View Comments

Should athlete talent dribble through a season of aging before being presented to the pro sports world? Is college a necessary bridge between high school and pro sports?

Let’s think about it for a moment. What would the basketball world look like without LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Kobe Bryant; all of which jumped directly from high school to the NBA?

The NBA requires one year removed from high school. The NHL and MLB allow a player to be drafted once he is 18 years old. The NFL is the only major professional sport that prohibits the drafting of players who are not three years removed from high school.

Is it really in the best interest of the players or is it another way for the NFL and NCAA to profit? Let’s look at the different sides of lifting the age requirement:

Pro Athletes Help Fight Childhood Obesity

by Gail Sideman | April 19th, 2010 | View Comments

From the National Football League to the National Basketball Association, professional sports organizations and their athletes are realizing that they could have a positive influence when it comes to getting kids to move off the couch and onto playgrounds and in organized physical education.

Newest to the anti-obesity team isBoston Celtics forward, Paul Pierce, and a coalition of elite athletes from eight different sports who raise funds to fight children’s obesity as part of an effort called ‘nPLAY. A government tax exempt 501(c)3 organization, ‘nPLAY’s primary focus is to financially support physical education and activity programs in low income areas which statistically suffer the highest rates of childhood obesity in the United States.

5 Proactive PR Tips for Sports Figures

by Gail Sideman | March 26th, 2010 | View Comments

It’s official. Tiger Woods announced on his website that he will begin his comeback from the personal mega-bogey that derailed his professional career for four months.

Ben Roethlisberger is still fighting a sexual assault charge, his second such fumble in three years.

Four University of Oregon football players have been in trouble with the law in the month.

These are just some of the dozens of professional sports figures whose off-the-field actions have affected theirs and their organizations’ reputations.

Despite the proliferation of portable recording devices and media’s unprecedented coverage, athletes and coaches who enter the public limelight because of their talents, continue to endure public humiliation because of their own poor personal decisions. It’s for that reason I want to reach out via SportsNetworker with a PR primer. It could even be looked upon as an image savior.

Sports Business Weekly Buzz

by Ben Sturner | December 11th, 2009 | View Comments

Gatorade Drops Tiger (the Drink)

By Kenneth Hein

After less than two years, Gatorade is dropping Tiger Focus from its portfolio. There has been a great deal of buzz around the announcement given its timing. However, the plans have been in the works for months.

(www.adweek.com)

For Iverson and the Sixers, the Answer is Social Media

by Sam Taggart | December 10th, 2009 | View Comments

For the record, I am a Sixers fan, and I love Allen Iverson.

The Background

Three years ago, yesterday, Allen Iverson asked for a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. “As hard as it is to admit,” he said, “a change may be the best thing for everyone.” Eleven days later, Iverson was traded to the Denver Nuggets, seemingly having played his last game as a Sixer.

This September, Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. He played three games (starting none) and averaged 22 minutes, 12.3 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 rebounds. However, the veteran could not accept his role as a bench player, and his relationship with the Grizzlies quickly deteriorated. In early November, he left the team for personal reasons, and on November 25th, he announced his intentions to retire from the National Basketball Association.

Interview with Corky Truin of the Seattle Seahawks

by Matt Crevin | December 2nd, 2009 | View Comments

This week’s Voice of the Box interview is with Corky Truin, team photographer for the Seattle Seahawks. Corky discusses what its like to bring his two passions of photography and sports together. Learn some helpful tips on how to break into sports photography while gaining insight into this specialized role within the NFL.

The Bowl Conundrum Structure Needs Public Relations Help

by Gail Sideman | November 23rd, 2009 | View Comments

BCS.

Sometimes that’s all you have to say to launch a storm of criticism about today’s way to select the best team in college football.

Just ask Bill Hancock, last week’s newly named executive director of the Bowl Championship Series. To be sure, Hancock is no Johnny-come-lately. He was the first director of the Final Four who helped grow that event to its immense stature, and in my brief interactions with him, found him to be one of the nicest individuals in college athletics. None of that would save him from what Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples called “one of the worst jobs in the world”, or an interview with Dan Patrick during which Hancock answered with scripted rhetoric and at times, seemed truly befuddled.