Sports Public Relations Specialists and Planning Your Career as That

The dramatic growth of sports public relations (PR) stems from two perspectives: first, the desire by the fans and the media to learn more—and more, and more—about their teams and their favorite players, and second, the desire by colleges and professional teams to develop and/or maintain a favorable opinion of their organization or institution. Public relations specialists work to obtain publicity to fill stadia, increase the visibility of colleges, and promote players. The activities vary with the size of the college. For professional teams, the PR program will vary with the team level; major league team agents will be busier than those at the lower levels. Another factor that will affect this office's work is the success of the team and its players. Playoff teams and those with superstars create great interest and consequently test the energies of the PR staff.

The work setting is usually superior for professional and major college sports public relations specialists. Offices feature comfortable arrangements with the latest equipment, and the seats at the games are prime!

At the major college level (Division 1), the PR director is supported by assistants, a secretary, and a few interns (those studying for the profession). At the professional level, teams normally have a public relations staff consisting of a director, an assistant, a secretary, and a few interns. Smaller colleges will have a one person office, a part time person, or none at all.



One of the most enjoyable aspects of the job includes the opportunity to watch the game. Of course, pregame preparations are involved; for example, preparing news releases, compiling statistics, issuing credentials to the media covering the event, and arranging refreshments.

Some typical activities of sports publicists follow:

1. Prepare media guides-Booklets containing information on players and teams, they contain statistics and records for the sport; in addition, at the professional level, team yearbooks are produced.
   
2. Arrange or conduct media briefings-Meetings with newspaper writers and TV and radio reporters to bring them information about a player or team development.
   
3. Coordinate press conferences-Meetings with the media for the coach and/or players.
   
4. Send news releases to media-Usually two or three pages that provide new information and statistics for the newspapers, radio, and TV.
   
5. Send specific news releases-These provide information to a player's hometown newspaper, for example.
   
6. Maintain files-Collect information, including historical and statistical data, on athletes and teams.
   
7. Direct press box-For certain sports, arrange for seating and materials for newspaper, radio, and television representatives, as well as for distribution of admission credentials.
   
8. Maintain scrapbook-Clip newspaper items about the team(s)and players.
   
9. Provide and arrange for photography-Arrangements for a photograph of each player (head and shoulders portrait called a mug shot) must be made, along with action team photos and video for TV Videotape highlights and photographs are made available to the media.
   
10. Answer requests-Give information to the league office, NCAA/NAIA office, other teams, and to the general public.
    
11. Write stories-Not all newspapers send a reporter to cover an event, so a story often is written by the sports publicist and distributed to the press.
    

At the college level, the public relations specialist for athletics is called a sports information director (SID). If this position sounds demanding to you, you're right. Many days you work from9 A.M. to midnight! When the team is on the road, a sports publicist goes, too. This may be a trip to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena or to the Rainbow Classic Basketball Tournament in Hawaii, but it more frequently means a six hour bus ride to less glamorous cities or towns.

Discussing her role as senior vice president for communications for ESPN, PR pro Rosa Gatti said, "The primary objective of my department is to attain the most extensive and favorable exposure for the company in the media, in order to attract public interest in the network and, in particular, viewing of the network's telecasts."

Before joining ESPN, Gatti served as the first woman sports information director at a major college in the United States. She was named to this position at Villanova University and later held a similar position at Brown University. During this time, she held two executive positions: president of the ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) and SID and vice president of CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America. She likewise paid her dues on many game days; she followed this rigorous schedule on Saturdays in the fall:

Planning Your Career as a Sports Publicist

People wishing to enter this profession must have appropriate course work in college with a major in journalism, public relations, communication arts, or a specialty in sports public relations within a sports management program. Publicists have greater opportunities to move up in the field than others in sports, as sports public relations departments expand and as individuals move up regularly. For example, Vic D'Ascenzo, former Sports Information Director at Fairfield University, first obtained a position as a graduate assistant coach in the basketball program at Fairfield. He had served as an administrative assistant for the basketball team at Villanova University as an undergraduate English major. He then received an appointment as assistant SID at Fairfield. Later he received his master's and accepted the position as director.