advanced theory and practice in sport marketing - Marshalls University

■ Include quotes or research from credible or well-respected sources.
■ Have information that is relevant to the local community where the information
will be published or broadcast.
■ Provide information in a timely manner (in many cases, stories more than
24-hour old will not be covered).
Sports Information
A specialized area of media relations is sports information. Sports information
involves gathering results and other pertinent sporting information on individuals,
teams, departments, and leagues. Once the information has been gathered, it
is the responsibility of the sports information director to shape the message and
disseminate this information to all media outlets. This last aspect is where a
sports information director or department differs from sports journalism.
The largest entity in sports information dissemination is ESPN. Now a subsidiary
of ABC, ESPN started as an alternative to standard television news
broadcasts and the information found in “Sports” sections of newspapers. It
began as a fairly small operation and often had to broadcast unorthodox sporting
events, such as the World’s Strongest Man Competition; international sports
relatively unknown in the United States, such as Australian Rules Football, as
well as the short-lived United States Football League (USFL), to attract viewers.
In 1987, ESPN landed a contract to show National Football League (NFL)
games on Sunday evenings, an event which marked as a turning point in its
development from a smaller cable television network to a marketing empire, a
cornerstone to the enthusiastic “sports culture” it largely helped to create.
Sport Journalism
Sport journalism encompasses all types of reportage and media coverage of
current events in the world of sport. All forms of media are included: press,
magazines, television, radio, and electronic media. The various disciplines practiced
include writing, commentary, reporting, interviewing, and photography.
Sport journalism is highly specialized and requires specialist knowledge, but the
disciplines and practices employed by a sport journalist do not differ greatly
from those of a standard journalist.
Licensing
The licensing process gives sport organizations the opportunity to establish a
presence in a specified marketplace while also creating a new source of revenue.
This is most often accomplished through the creation of licensed merchandise,
such as hats, shirts, uniforms, and other apparel. The goal of licensing is to
enhance brand awareness and appeal, especially in new markets.
The licensing process involves protecting an intellectual property such as a logo
or mark. The intellectual property may be registered publicly, for example in
the form of a patent or trademark, as a means of establishing ownership rights.
COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT IN SPORT 209