Text 32 pr in Sport

Sport is both a major international business and a key structure in globalised society. It encompasses business communication as well as cultural and inter-cultural communication, and political communication. To illustrate the political component we have only to consider the communicative aspects of events such as the Olympics and the way in which they are utilised as cultural diplomacy to promote national ideals and cultural identity internally and externally and to stimulate tourism (sport, business and leisure).

Sport’s newsworthiness derives from its financial growth as well as its central role in culture. Football, for example, is a ”media product” for many organizations put vast sums of money into the game to secure live television rights. Football provides the consummate example of personal PR and branding. This is where the worlds of sport and celebrity overlap. The case where PR tends to be a marketing tactic is sponsoring. That is created from a centralised marketing strategy because sponsorship practice is changing to take a more holistic approach linking corporate affairs and marketing communications (including hospitality).

In addition to the business and news value of elite sport and celebrity sports stars there is a vast sports market comprised both of giants that encompass clothing, equipment, footwear and, to some degree fashion, (Nike, Adidas) and niche specialists (De Rosa bikes, Aquaman wetsuits). Such strongly branded companies are highly newsworthy and maybe vulnerable to whistleblowers. Internal and external corporate social responsibilities are vital PR functions. Of course, all such commercial companies require public relations expertise beyond marketing, not least to effect productive employee relations but also to facilitate an understanding of organisational culture and climate and their relationship to organisational vision and mission.

The field of sports PR is wider yet. Sports tourism includes both the promotion of events worldwide to sports-specific fans and holidays which offer sports facilities at a variety of recreational levels and targeted at different markets (family orientated, adventure or ‘adrenaline junkie’, training camp). The importance of the concept of lifestyle should be emphasised as markets and media fragment.

As with any sector in public relations, there are career opportunities in sport in agencies and in-house. One of the important things to bear in mind is that public relations work may be described by another term such as ‘sports direction’ (US term), ‘sports promotion’, ‘sports development’, ‘sponsorship exploitation’, ‘event management’ or ‘sports marketing’. Agencies specialising in the field likewise present themselves in a variety of ways including ‘sports PR’, ‘sports PR and brand building’, ‘brand and event promoting agency’, ‘sponsorship marketing’, ‘brand and events promotion’, and ‘athlete management’.

However, a very different level of public relations takes place in minority sports, some of which may be new on the market, for example parkour a form of free fall street gymnastics using street furniture as props. Others may be struggling to establish their identity, for example, korfball, practised in Holland for over a hundred years but not so well-known in the UK. Identity construction and management is essential to minority sports.

Questions:

1. How are the communicative aspects of events such as the Olympics utilized?

2. Where does sport’s newsworthiness derive from?

3. Where do the worlds of sport and celebrity overlap?

4. In what case does PR tend to be a marketing tactic?

5. What is a vast sports market comprised of?

6. Why do some commercial companies require public relations expertise beyond marketing?

7. What does sports tourism include?

8. What career opportunities are there in the field of public relations?

9. In what way do agencies specializing in the field of sports present themselves?

10. Where does a very different level of public relations take place?