Sep

29

Texas Tech bans its players from Twitter

Filed Under Social Media | 2 Comments

Texas Tech has a Twitter account, but the football team’s head coach Mike Leach has banned its players from using the social networking website.

Leach said players don’t need Twitter or Facebook. He called them “stupid” distractions.

“I think that a guy who plays college football gets enough attention,” he said. It’s “a bunch of narcissists that want to sit and type stuff about themselves all the time. We’ll put mirrors in some of their lockers if that’s necessary but they don’t have to Twitter.”

Leach said players’ Facebook pages will be monitored. He joked about who would be watching.

“That’s a committee that’s very secret and the names of those people are in a vault deep in the bowels of our training center, which even the entrance to that is highly classified,” he said.

The blog Dr. Saturday has a video of coach Leach talking about technology if you want to see him talking about all of this. With Texas Tech sporting a 2-2 record, Leach does not want technology to be a distraction as the team attempts to get back on track.

Leach fired back at the disgruntled players Monday on the Big 12’s weekly coaches’ teleconference.

“Anyone who is a malcontent doesn’t stay around here long,” Leach said. “We’ve got a full group of players who are ready to take (his) place. And interestingly enough, he doesn’t have a Twitter page anymore.”

The sniping across Cyberspace is the last thing the Red Raiders needed after the disappointing losses to Texas and Houston — their first back-to-back losses since midway through the 2007 season.

A couple of incidents from two players led to the ban according to Mashable.

Under his former Twitter name, @kos39, Marlon Williams tweeted, “Wondering why I’m still in this meeting room when the head coach can’t even be on time to his on meeting.” …

Meanwhile, after a team loss, Brandon Carter, who was @BCSLAM on Twitter, openly expressed his malcontent saying, “This is not how I saw our season. I just cried like am idiot. I want us to be so good.my last year and I feel like I’m letting everyone down.”

While those comments are not the worst ones to be posted by an athlete, it’s still in the realm of things that should be avoided when tweeting whether you’re an athlete or not. Saying something negative about your boss or coach and how you feel your job/scholarship/team (that isn’t positive) is not a good idea whether you play for a professional sports team or you are a college student.

Sep

25

Twitter and Sports News

Filed Under Social Media | Leave a Comment

A few interesting tidbits have come out over the past week with regards to Twitter and social media. I wanted to make sure I pointed them out to you:

The Washington Post took a look at the Washington Capitals’ players and whether they had a Twitter account or not. Some of the players didn’t even know what it was and/or had no interest in the social networking website. Others had an account or planned to get one just to ensure that fans knew it was the legit account.

Twitter did not respond to two e-mails seeking further comment on the policy, but the fact that most of Washington’s players’ accounts are parodies is not obvious to everyone. Last week, one member of the team’s front office called Ewell to ask if Alzner’s alleged account was legit.

“If that can happen to a staff member . . .” Ewell said.

Ewell said he plans to urge Washington’s players to sign up for accounts in an effort to discredit the fakes.

“That way, they can say: ‘Hey, this is the real Jeff Schultz. I might not post on here, but this is me.’ ” Ewell said.

In other news, a Washington Redskins rookie Robert Henson went too far on his Twitter account and got a fair amount of media attention because of it. He first tweeted “All you fake half hearted Skins fan can .. I won’t go there but I dislike you very strongly, don’t come to Fed Ex to boo dim wits!!” He followed that up by replying to some followers and D.C. Sports Blog rounded up all of his tweet comments. It’s not usually a good idea to call out your fans. Social media is supposed to help bridge the gap between athlete and fan and engage the fans, not get them upset about someone who didn’t even play in the game.

Finally, PR News Online has some tips to help sports organizations effectively use social media and why it’s important for sports PR professionals to understand.

2. Listen and engage

Being successful in the social media space isn’t only setting up Twitter and Facebook accounts.  You have to constantly engage fans in conversation.  A good way to start is by monitoring social media tools to see what fans are saying about your brand and respond to those conversations.  You also should regularly participate in targeted conversations by commenting on blogs, responding to Tweets and adding value to other social networks.  Also, don’t be afraid of negative comments because they’ll be shared with or without you.  Instead, listen to feedback and try to quickly and diplomatically address specific issues.

Sep

24

Rich Hammond joins LAKings.com

Filed Under Blogging, Sports Media | 2 Comments

Rich Hammond will no longer cover the LA Kings for the Los Angeles Daily News. Instead, he will write for the team’s website LAKings.com. This is just another example of the trend we’re seeing as the newspaper industry struggles and reporters jump ship to the team side of things.

Hammond will continue his blog “Inside the Kings” at his new digs and will go about his business as normal. He will be an independent writer and have editorial control over his writings. None of his articles or blog entries will have to be signed off by anyone in the organization. Hammond will start writing exclusively for LAKings.com on October 1.

Hammond made the decision in part because it allowed him to actually go on the road and cover every Kings’ game. He had been limited to home games and practices over the past four years. He also was the Deputy Sports Editor at the Daily News and his new gig will allow him to focus solely on his beat.

The Kings obviously like this arrangement as they have a reputable beat reporter covering their team daily and generating content for their fans. LA struggled to get coverage when they went on road trips, sometimes asking freelancers to cover a game when the Kings played against the team in their area. Hammond’s presence will ensure that the Kings have at least someone covering every single game — home and away.

“In this changing world as it relates to the landscape and consumption of sports news content, we are making an organizational commitment to give our fans one place to go – LAKings.com – to satisfy their appetite for Kings news and information ” said Kings President, Business Operations Luc Robitaille. “We feel this is a landmark step for us as Rich will have full editorial control in his new position. Kings fans deserve the best Kings coverage, and we’re excited that LAKings.com will be the new home for Rich’s insightful, objective and thorough reporting and analysis.”

I think this is a good move for the Kings, especially since they had struggled for coverage on the road. But what do you guys think? Share your opinion in the comment section.

Sep

21

Interview with Joe Favorito, Sports PR veteran and author

Filed Under Career, Interviews | 1 Comment

I first want to apologize for the lengthier-than-expected hiatus SPRB took. One week, it was moving in to a new place, being without internet, and starting classes. This week, it was working 70+ hours while still juggling classes. I finally got a chance to take a breather today to post something on SPRB.

Today, I am pleased to post an interview with Joe Favorito. If you read any sports business blogs or have been involved in the sports PR industry, I’m sure you’ve heard of Joe. He runs the popular Sports Marketing & PR Roundup blog, wrote the textbook on sports public relations entitled Sports Publicity, and has worked for and with a variety of top sports brands throughout his career.

1) In your impressive 22-year career, you have worked for a variety of sport organizations ranging from NBA teams to the USTA to the WTA Tour to the IFL. How much of a challenge is it adjusting from one sport/league to another? What advice would you give to someone trying to make the jump to a different league or sport in this industry?

I don’t think it really matters.  What matters are the stories, the relationships you have in the industry and the ability to do a good job and enjoy what you do. Right now I have several clients that have nothing to do with sports…one is a security and risk mitigation company called Global Options, another one is Big Apple Comic-con.  The same skills can translate easily from sports to entertainment to politics to the public sector.  You have to understand the client and the goals and be able to use what you know to assist them in growing their business.

2) Your book entitled “Sports Publicity” was published in 2007. When did you decide to write this book and what made you want to do so? How long did it take you to write it?

I was actually asked to write it by my friend and colleague John Genzale.  I had left the Knicks and Reed Elsevier was looking for someone to do the first real book on sports publicity as a business.  The decision was actually made in a day…a did the sample chapter and the outline in about a week and wrote it over two months.  It really has little to do with me…its a compendium of best practices in the industry.

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