A good public relations team is essential for every sports team to thrive and maintain a positive image within the general public.
In sports, public relations is about ensuring the team and brand appear well-represented—not only to the public but also to their fans. They are the most important people to keep happy, because if the outward appearance isn’t good enough, fans will question their loyalty to the team.
Every great PR department must examine multiple angles within public relations. They look at having a positive social media presence that represents authenticity within the players and fandom itself, and creating an unforgettable image through effective advertising.
Another aspect PR departments look at is celebrities. The Kansas City Chiefs had an excellent opportunity to leverage celebrity when Taylor Swift started dating their tight end, Travis Kelce.
While Kelce was already well-known among Chiefs fans, once Swift started dating him, not only did his fandom grow, but the Chiefs’ influence also expanded. Swift would regularly be shown on the Jumbotron or broadcasting channels. “Swifties” (fans of Swift) would be in the crowd cheering them on, and sports broadcasting channels would also feature a segment explaining the game of football to their newfound fans.
Although Swift’s presence increased Chiefs fandom and merchandise sales, some viewers didn’t like her “taking over” the NFL. This eventually led to her not being shown as regularly—out of respect for Kelce, the viewers, and the original Chiefs fans, but also as a safety measure.
Although the public relations lens worked great for the Chiefs at first, it ultimately backfired due to conflicting fan interests.
Authenticity is a big one for PR, especially in sports. A team that executes this well is the Philadelphia Eagles. They are known for their strong social media presence and succeed through the authenticity of their players. Their social media accounts showcase their players’ personalities through videos of them reacting to plays, catching up with fans, and highlighting the fun side of being part of the Eagles.
When a crisis arises, whether it involves the team as a whole, a player, a coach, or a challenging situation, the PR team must act swiftly.
An example of a bad direction when a crisis was taking place was in 2009, when Tiger Woods was involved in a sex scandal. The backlash was intense, and he didn’t have a PR team to help him lead in the right direction. Between the silence, the discrete apology, and the pause in his career, it didn’t make the situation better at all.
A great example of a crisis resolved with a PR team was in 2016, when tennis player Maria Sharapova failed a drug test at the Australian Open. The PR team acted quickly by calling a press conference where Sharapova could announce the failed drug test herself. Sharapova took responsibility, stating that she had been taking the medication for years.
Following the movement of honesty and her taking her own stand to announce it, which people saw as courageous, the hashtag “IStandWithMaria” emerged, where supportive fans were able to show their continued confidence in her.
PR departments aren’t just there to make the teams and players in sports look good. It’s about helping them show their true selves through the use of media and strategy.
Whether it’s creating and maintaining beliefs, handling issues that arise, creating content that aligns with their representative, or coming up with press releases that influence public perception, PR departments are responsible for it all, and so much more.
Public relations is essential in the sports industry. I, myself, want to pursue a career in the industry because I think it’s not only a great job, but a needed one at that.
The importance of making sure a sports organization, team or player is creating an exceptional public image for themselves is game-changing as they will carry it with them their entire career.