Sports stars never anticipate that there is more that goes into
them being successful at their sport than just playing the game. One such
function that is usually last on their list is that they will have to deal with
people either than their coach, being doctors, nutritionists and even
publicists.
The services of publicists, when leveraged correctly, could
be very beneficial for sports teams. There are various tasks that they do that
ensure the success of not only the players, but also the entire team. One such
task is player relations. This is where the publicist devises programmes, with
the coach, to promote team unity. Looking at the national soccer team Bafana
Bafana, team unity goes a long way for the overall brand as they need to
support each other through the public scrutiny and ridicule that they face.
These programmes devised by the publicist can help counter negative
psychological factors such as THIS opinion piece written on News24 that could leave the team feeling despondent.
Community relations is another task done by the publicist.
The publicist strategically devises a plan that helps the team to interact in
the community which they are from. When fans see the team involved in the
community, they are even more motivated to support it. This programme includes
the involvement of the team in charitable ventures.
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| Bafana Bafana, like any other sports team, needs public relations activities to strengthen the brand. |
Investor relations is vital when it comes to helping the
team and players to get financial reward beyond just winning games. The
publicist plays an important role in negotiating sponsorships. The publicist
speaks to brands to sponsor the team and furthermore negotiates endorsements for
individual players. All appearances to enhance the public image are also
handles by the publicist. CNN wrote a piece on how Oscar Pistorius lost his sponsorships. It is also the publicist's job to try and negotiate if there is rooms for negotiation although they are not miracle workers. Read the full article HERE.
The final and probably the most important function that
public relations plays in sports teams is media relations. This is where the
publicist arranges media conferences, writes press releases and most
importantly, gives all the players in the team training in terms of dealing
with the media.
It is clear from the above mentioned that public relations
can be beneficial to the branding of a team when leveraged correctly.
Watch the video below of the Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalula lashing out at Bafana Bafana. One of the issues that they need the help of Public Relations in responding to.
Which other ways do you think public relations can assist when it comes to rebranding sports teams?Watch the video below of the Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalula lashing out at Bafana Bafana. One of the issues that they need the help of Public Relations in responding to.
I think that public relations need to somehow show the public and all people who interested in sports about how much work goes into being a sportsman and being part of a team.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Kuhle. Everyone assumes that being a sportsman only means playing the sports, but PR can go a long way into making sport as a career even better.
DeleteA little has been done and I feel like sports teams especially Bafana Bafana can do more on rebranding themselves. this starts with community engagement, getting more young and talented soccer players from junior teams and change of management.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. The problem is that not many people see the necessity of PR. hopefully it will change soon.
DeletePR plays a huge role in the branding of any image. I think it is also important that sports teams and stars spend more time in educating players about media etiquette and how to interact with media personnel. We might also need to give a few lessons to Mr Mbalula so that he stops calling the poor guys a bunch of losers
ReplyDeleteVery true Sipho. It should never be assumed that we all know how to behave in front of the media.
DeleteI agree with Sipho on his statement that the players need to be educated about media etiquette as well as the minster himself Mr Mbalula. To me that seems like the core foundation that needs to be sorted out first,before they start reaching out to the communities. Truly our boys have a problem with that certain factor.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sipho too, players need to also be informed on how to handle the media. They need to understand that Bafana Bafana is a brand that represents our country, its not just about them. They are our ambassadors.
ReplyDelete