While studying photojournalism, sports writing and photography was a great passion of mine and a focus I wished to pursue. I loved the excitement of being included on media lists, connecting with the teams media relations representatives and building my collection of media passes. There is nothing more thrilling than being on the sidelines during any sporting event, getting an up close glimpse at all the action and emotion.
When I discovered my interest in Public Relations, I thought it was an ideal opportunity to combine my love for sports and previous media experience. Prior to the start of classes in September, I contacted many sporting organizations in search of PR internship and was lucky to obtain a position with a hockey team within the Ontario Hockey League which has turned into a great learning experience.
What does a PR professional do on a sports team you might ask?
PR for a sports team involves the coordination of the flow of information from teams to the media and providing the public with sports news items, team data and player information. Public Relations also plays an important "promotional" role in generating public interest, increasing teams' visibility and filling stadiums with fans. They do everything from writing newspaper stories and media releases to preparing media kits. They are responsible for responding to media information requests which can include setting up coach or player interviews after games and media attendance requests for games. PR representatives are also often required to deal with difficult or sensitive news stories relating to the team or players. On top of their media relation duties, PR sport experts are also typically accountable for the team’s social media and community initiatives and promoting the organization in an effort to increase fan followers, game attendance and the teams’ visibility.
Public Relations for a sport organization is a vital component to a team’s success and as long as the public has a desire for sporting events, there will always be a need for a great sports PR expert!
Don't forget to add this sports PR blog to your blog reads which offers a look into the sports industry from a PR point of view, written by the Community Relations Manager for the Detroit Red Wings. http://sportsprblog.com/blog/
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