FC Barcelona, the King of soccer, doesn’t know PR, of course.

Have you seen Lionel Messi highlight? If you haven’t. Watch this youtube clip.           

Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez, David Villa, Andres Iniesta. If you followed soccer a little bit, you have heard of those names. They are all Spanish national team members and Andres Iniesta was MVP of 2010 FIFA world cup final against Netherland. And, they are all FC Barcelona.           

Spanish National Team squad from FC Barcelona. Picture obtained from FC Barcelona website

 

Not impressive yet? Barcelona just won it all in 2009. They just won every possible competition in club soccer. They won Spanish league (La Liga), Copa Del Ray, Super Copa de Espana, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and 2009 Fifa Club World Cup. Well, I really cannot compare this with any other sports in the U.S. This team may be the combination of New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox or Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys, or even Boston Celtics plus Miami Heats.           

And, as usual, those big soccer teams are getting some money with world tour before the regular season begins. Manchester United came to the U.S. this year and had game with Major League Soccer All Star. FC Barcelona also visited South Korea and they are now in China.           

And, of course, because it is right after the World Cup, none of the players in the picture above is with FC Barcelona’s world tour. Of course, in Major League Soccer All Star game, we could not see Evra, Rooney, Ferdinand, and Ji Sung Park, the star players of Manchester United.  Their games are event and a part of fan service or publicity. These are the missions of big club soccer teams to let more people in the world know the game of soccer. And, it is understandable why they do not bring their best players. And, they could accomplish their mission without those star players. Manchester United squad without their best players beat MLS all-star team easily with the score of 5-2.           

South Korean people seemed like they did not understand this marketing principle when FC Barcelona visited Korea to do some PR for the team. However, it is understandable, if we look at this incident little bit more closer. Of course, FC Barcelona might want to be the most popular soccer club in Korea with this tour, because the most popular soccer club in Korea is now Manchester United, because they have a Korean national team captain Ji Sung Park. So, FC Barcelona brought their back up players plus Lionel Messi, who played 15 minutes in the game against the K(orean)-League all-star team. Of course, they easily beat the K-League team, which made a team few days before the game, so barely knew whom they had to pass, if I exaggerate a little bit.           

John Duerden, my beloved soccer columnist, who also writes in Korea, explained about this match and all the mess in this ESPN article.           

OK.  I know I am a Korean, but, I don’t want to be too patriotic. If any of you can read in Korean, check this blog entry in Korean. I, actually, blamed K-league officials and the sports marketing company, who managed this whole event. I truly think they had to be more careful, when they prepared this event. It was a poor PR decision for them. I even called FC Barcelona as a victim.           

But, I truly think FC Barcelona could handle this issue much better and nicer.            

I, once, studied about NFL’s effort to spread American football to the world. And, this study is published for the next year’s special issue of Journal of Communication Studies. NFL began World League of American Football (WLAF)  in 1991, changed league to NFL Europe and managed it until 2007. They got some attentions from Europeans, introduced American football there, so, now, after ceasing the league in 2007,  they have one NFL game in London every year, and it always easily fill the stadium . But, NFL still had to spend $400 million for 16 years.           

My major finding for this study was that NFL was too proud of themselves to think about European culture. They just thought Europeans would love the league, even though they sent their minor league players. NLF officials proudly said WLAF was a “developmental league” and they wanted to make some money out of the league. It was a total mess, since Europeans did not care about the league after few games and players did not like the idea after all. Players even sued the NFL with anti-trust law suit, because NFL sent them to Europe promising bringing them back to NFL and did not keep the promise. First WLAF championship game was not played in the stadium of “best-record” team, London Monarch, because of regular British Premier League game in the same stadium. In 2007, NFL officials finally realized they had to stop the league, because not any single NFL Europe game was broadcasted live, even the NFL Europe Championship game. This was a misunderstanding of different culture and, finally, NFL’s international relations director, Mike Waller, who was born in Kenya, said, “they want to see the best product, not a minor league.” OK. Again, NFL spent $400 million and 16 years.           

This kind of things happen a lot today, in International business world. Google was criticized a lot after they left China and tried to correct human right issue in China by themselves. Microsoft had a lot of troubles in Europe with a monopoly issue and now they are cooperating European Union.           

This is an International PR issue and I always emphasize that understanding (not tolerating) differences make international PR successful. I really think FC Barcelona could handle this much better with their understanding of Korean culture. Korea is under the Confucius culture, which emphasizes the role of hierarchy. Korea is not a hierarchical culture any more, but, it still remains. If you want to do a business with Korean people, you must understand their hierarchical mentality. Koreans say you need to treat parents and teachers like a King. In the business world, if you want to make a deal successfully with Korean company, you should send your senior executives to the negotiation. And, they usually send their senior executives to the negotiation, too. This is International public relations. When U.S. soldiers accidentally killed two Korean middle school girls, if president Bush directly apologized Korean people and expressed consolation, there might not be a huge protest against the U.S. embassy in Korea. This CBS news article talks about Bush’s apology. Well, actually, president did not apologize, forma Ambassador Thomas Hubbard did. If the U.S. government tried to understand Korean culture and just president Bush simply expressed consolation to Korean people directly, this issues should have been resolved faster and better.           

FC Barcelona had a same mentality when they came to Korea. This is one little example of those from John Duerden’s ESPN article:           

There was no talking at the airport and while Lionel Messi and Dani Alves were obviously tired at the first press conference the day after, they seemed to neither know nor care where they were. Dani Alves said that “Brazil played against Korea in the World Cup. They were a very good team”. Messi, who actually did play against South Korea in South Africa, replied when asked for his first impressions of the country: “I didn’t see much. I don’t know where I am and what time it is. I’m too tired.”           

Well, yes, they are players, and may not know how to handle media, or, they are just too much of Super Star. Then, how about the head coach?           

If you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression there are always ample opportunities to make things worse. In the official pre-match press conference held the following day, coach Pep Guardiola told reporters that Messi would not feature in the match. The reaction around the room was audible. Lee Jun-ha, the general secretary of the K-League, shook his head, laughed and quickly left the room.           

Ok. Then, who are the victims in this case? FC Barcelona lost their potential fans in Korea. I followed Korean media and many fans said, they would cheer for Real Madrid, the archrival of FC Barcelona. Well, FC Barcelona deserves it. But, how about the head coach and how about the players? Because of poor PR, they were embarrassed and they were blamed by Korean media. FC Barcelona players were playing in Norway before coming to South Korea, then, after the game, they left to  China for the next match against Guoan team in four days. FC Barcelona made $3 million for the game against K-League all-star. And, players were just goods and products to earn the money. According to one Korean news media, Lionel Messi expressed the regret that he could not have more time in Korea after he had to fly quite distance. And, many players looked tired and sleepy because of jet lag. Well, it is understandable that players are professional and need to overcome those things, but, they really cannot know what to expect from Korean fans, if no one let them know.           

FC Barcelona also lost $300,000, because Messi did not play more than 30 minutes, which was indicated in the original contract between FC Barcelona and K-League. FC Barcelona also had to apologize Korean fans and say that they would return some money they earned for the match.  Good PR saves money for the organization. And, this is the exact example of bad PR.         

If they understood Korean culture and people, if they made players look good in the press conference, if they apologized first before just saying that “Lionel Messi will not play, ” could they solve the problem? Well, they might not solve a problem completely, because they, anyway, could not let their best players play. FC Barcelona announced to (not communicated with) Korean people, they would not bring players who played for the Spanish World Cup team. The first thing they had to do was explaining the situation, why they could not bring their best players. If they did, at least, their players,who played in the match and, actually, were good enough to beat the K-League All Star team 5 to 2, might not be criticized. Their players might not have to play in front of 30,000 people, which was less than half capacity of the stadium. Their poor head coach Guardiola, also,night not have to apologize and said they respected Korean fans, so let Lionel Messi play for 15 minutes, which made the head coach as well as FC Barcelona  look more arrogant. And, it, ultimately, made a story on ESPN by John Duerden, who is British, but, writes for Korean media. And, I am now writing this blog and tweet it to my 300 followers and facebook to my 100 friends.          

So, if FC Barcelona took care of their PR little bit more, everything should turn to the opposite direction. And, simply their PR did not do their role, FC Barcelona lost potential fans as well as their good reputation and players reputation in Korea and potentially in the World.           

I do not think, though, this would influence FC Barcelona right away. However, it is true that FC Barcelona did not know public relations in the international setting, and, if they do not change this mentality, they will never earn the world reputation Manchester United has now. Well, at least, I won’t cheer for FC Barcelona for a while, because FC Barcelona is,in my mind, an arrogant company, which does not know PR. Go Real Madrid!!        

Real Madrid team photo. Picture obtained from Real Madrid official website.

 

FC Barcelona, the King of soccer, doesn't know PR, of course.

Have you seen Lionel Messi highlight? If you haven’t. Watch this youtube clip.           

Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez, David Villa, Andres Iniesta. If you followed soccer a little bit, you have heard of those names. They are all Spanish national team members and Andres Iniesta was MVP of 2010 FIFA world cup final against Netherland. And, they are all FC Barcelona.           

Spanish National Team squad from FC Barcelona. Picture obtained from FC Barcelona website

 

Not impressive yet? Barcelona just won it all in 2009. They just won every possible competition in club soccer. They won Spanish league (La Liga), Copa Del Ray, Super Copa de Espana, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and 2009 Fifa Club World Cup. Well, I really cannot compare this with any other sports in the U.S. This team may be the combination of New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox or Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys, or even Boston Celtics plus Miami Heats.           

And, as usual, those big soccer teams are getting some money with world tour before the regular season begins. Manchester United came to the U.S. this year and had game with Major League Soccer All Star. FC Barcelona also visited South Korea and they are now in China.           

And, of course, because it is right after the World Cup, none of the players in the picture above is with FC Barcelona’s world tour. Of course, in Major League Soccer All Star game, we could not see Evra, Rooney, Ferdinand, and Ji Sung Park, the star players of Manchester United.  Their games are event and a part of fan service or publicity. These are the missions of big club soccer teams to let more people in the world know the game of soccer. And, it is understandable why they do not bring their best players. And, they could accomplish their mission without those star players. Manchester United squad without their best players beat MLS all-star team easily with the score of 5-2.           

South Korean people seemed like they did not understand this marketing principle when FC Barcelona visited Korea to do some PR for the team. However, it is understandable, if we look at this incident little bit more closer. Of course, FC Barcelona might want to be the most popular soccer club in Korea with this tour, because the most popular soccer club in Korea is now Manchester United, because they have a Korean national team captain Ji Sung Park. So, FC Barcelona brought their back up players plus Lionel Messi, who played 15 minutes in the game against the K(orean)-League all-star team. Of course, they easily beat the K-League team, which made a team few days before the game, so barely knew whom they had to pass, if I exaggerate a little bit.           

John Duerden, my beloved soccer columnist, who also writes in Korea, explained about this match and all the mess in this ESPN article.           

OK.  I know I am a Korean, but, I don’t want to be too patriotic. If any of you can read in Korean, check this blog entry in Korean. I, actually, blamed K-league officials and the sports marketing company, who managed this whole event. I truly think they had to be more careful, when they prepared this event. It was a poor PR decision for them. I even called FC Barcelona as a victim.           

But, I truly think FC Barcelona could handle this issue much better and nicer.            

I, once, studied about NFL’s effort to spread American football to the world. And, this study is published for the next year’s special issue of Journal of Communication Studies. NFL began World League of American Football (WLAF)  in 1991, changed league to NFL Europe and managed it until 2007. They got some attentions from Europeans, introduced American football there, so, now, after ceasing the league in 2007,  they have one NFL game in London every year, and it always easily fill the stadium . But, NFL still had to spend $400 million for 16 years.           

My major finding for this study was that NFL was too proud of themselves to think about European culture. They just thought Europeans would love the league, even though they sent their minor league players. NLF officials proudly said WLAF was a “developmental league” and they wanted to make some money out of the league. It was a total mess, since Europeans did not care about the league after few games and players did not like the idea after all. Players even sued the NFL with anti-trust law suit, because NFL sent them to Europe promising bringing them back to NFL and did not keep the promise. First WLAF championship game was not played in the stadium of “best-record” team, London Monarch, because of regular British Premier League game in the same stadium. In 2007, NFL officials finally realized they had to stop the league, because not any single NFL Europe game was broadcasted live, even the NFL Europe Championship game. This was a misunderstanding of different culture and, finally, NFL’s international relations director, Mike Waller, who was born in Kenya, said, “they want to see the best product, not a minor league.” OK. Again, NFL spent $400 million and 16 years.           

This kind of things happen a lot today, in International business world. Google was criticized a lot after they left China and tried to correct human right issue in China by themselves. Microsoft had a lot of troubles in Europe with a monopoly issue and now they are cooperating European Union.           

This is an International PR issue and I always emphasize that understanding (not tolerating) differences make international PR successful. I really think FC Barcelona could handle this much better with their understanding of Korean culture. Korea is under the Confucius culture, which emphasizes the role of hierarchy. Korea is not a hierarchical culture any more, but, it still remains. If you want to do a business with Korean people, you must understand their hierarchical mentality. Koreans say you need to treat parents and teachers like a King. In the business world, if you want to make a deal successfully with Korean company, you should send your senior executives to the negotiation. And, they usually send their senior executives to the negotiation, too. This is International public relations. When U.S. soldiers accidentally killed two Korean middle school girls, if president Bush directly apologized Korean people and expressed consolation, there might not be a huge protest against the U.S. embassy in Korea. This CBS news article talks about Bush’s apology. Well, actually, president did not apologize, forma Ambassador Thomas Hubbard did. If the U.S. government tried to understand Korean culture and just president Bush simply expressed consolation to Korean people directly, this issues should have been resolved faster and better.           

FC Barcelona had a same mentality when they came to Korea. This is one little example of those from John Duerden’s ESPN article:           

There was no talking at the airport and while Lionel Messi and Dani Alves were obviously tired at the first press conference the day after, they seemed to neither know nor care where they were. Dani Alves said that “Brazil played against Korea in the World Cup. They were a very good team”. Messi, who actually did play against South Korea in South Africa, replied when asked for his first impressions of the country: “I didn’t see much. I don’t know where I am and what time it is. I’m too tired.”           

Well, yes, they are players, and may not know how to handle media, or, they are just too much of Super Star. Then, how about the head coach?           

If you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression there are always ample opportunities to make things worse. In the official pre-match press conference held the following day, coach Pep Guardiola told reporters that Messi would not feature in the match. The reaction around the room was audible. Lee Jun-ha, the general secretary of the K-League, shook his head, laughed and quickly left the room.           

Ok. Then, who are the victims in this case? FC Barcelona lost their potential fans in Korea. I followed Korean media and many fans said, they would cheer for Real Madrid, the archrival of FC Barcelona. Well, FC Barcelona deserves it. But, how about the head coach and how about the players? Because of poor PR, they were embarrassed and they were blamed by Korean media. FC Barcelona players were playing in Norway before coming to South Korea, then, after the game, they left to  China for the next match against Guoan team in four days. FC Barcelona made $3 million for the game against K-League all-star. And, players were just goods and products to earn the money. According to one Korean news media, Lionel Messi expressed the regret that he could not have more time in Korea after he had to fly quite distance. And, many players looked tired and sleepy because of jet lag. Well, it is understandable that players are professional and need to overcome those things, but, they really cannot know what to expect from Korean fans, if no one let them know.           

FC Barcelona also lost $300,000, because Messi did not play more than 30 minutes, which was indicated in the original contract between FC Barcelona and K-League. FC Barcelona also had to apologize Korean fans and say that they would return some money they earned for the match.  Good PR saves money for the organization. And, this is the exact example of bad PR.         

If they understood Korean culture and people, if they made players look good in the press conference, if they apologized first before just saying that “Lionel Messi will not play, ” could they solve the problem? Well, they might not solve a problem completely, because they, anyway, could not let their best players play. FC Barcelona announced to (not communicated with) Korean people, they would not bring players who played for the Spanish World Cup team. The first thing they had to do was explaining the situation, why they could not bring their best players. If they did, at least, their players,who played in the match and, actually, were good enough to beat the K-League All Star team 5 to 2, might not be criticized. Their players might not have to play in front of 30,000 people, which was less than half capacity of the stadium. Their poor head coach Guardiola, also,night not have to apologize and said they respected Korean fans, so let Lionel Messi play for 15 minutes, which made the head coach as well as FC Barcelona  look more arrogant. And, it, ultimately, made a story on ESPN by John Duerden, who is British, but, writes for Korean media. And, I am now writing this blog and tweet it to my 300 followers and facebook to my 100 friends.          

So, if FC Barcelona took care of their PR little bit more, everything should turn to the opposite direction. And, simply their PR did not do their role, FC Barcelona lost potential fans as well as their good reputation and players reputation in Korea and potentially in the World.           

I do not think, though, this would influence FC Barcelona right away. However, it is true that FC Barcelona did not know public relations in the international setting, and, if they do not change this mentality, they will never earn the world reputation Manchester United has now. Well, at least, I won’t cheer for FC Barcelona for a while, because FC Barcelona is,in my mind, an arrogant company, which does not know PR. Go Real Madrid!!        

Real Madrid team photo. Picture obtained from Real Madrid official website.

 

My biased feeling about Nick Saban & Public Relations

Ok. I admit it. I’m biased. I love Alabama football and I love Nick Saban.

I know many people hate Nick Saban. I know, the other day, ESPN SportsNation said Nick Saban was a liar, after he made a  “pimp” speech. I know my best friend from Texas hates Nick Saban, so he really hates to see Nick Saban’s first game ticket displayed in my office. But, I love him.

When I went to Alabama for my doctoral program, Alabama just finished 10-2 season and I was excited to see Coach Shula’s pictures everywhere. It was my first big school, which had a big athletic program. But, I, soon, heard about the probation Alabama got from NCAA, observed 6-7 season and firing Coach Shula. Then, ESPN started talking no one wanted to come to Alabama.

Well, in social identity theory, people usually try to find their “in-group” identity more badly, when their “in-group” identity is threatened by others. I felt the same. Actually, that time really got me into the situation that I was becoming a die-hard Alabama fanatic. Then, Nick Saban came and he changed whole community. He immediately pulled bad weeds out from the team and brought players who committed to play. He was in a total-control of whole football program, which was almost everything of Alabama athletic program as well as whole community.

Then, Alabama started winning games from 2008 season and still haven’t lost a single regular season game since then. If you lived in Alabama in that kind of time, how can you not love Nick Saban? For me, I will never blame him, whatever he did before he came to Alabama, unless he is caught for unethical decisions, such as cheating, sexual assault, or something similar to those.

Especially, when I read this article on Al.com (by Jeff Sentell) this morning, I really thought, Nick Saban knows Public Relations, which is one of the biggest reasons I like him.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/07/high_school_coaches_see_the_so.html

First of all, he told to high school coaches,

Saban wanted the coaches listening to him to focus on helping their own players be successful.

“Maybe the participation in all athletics is not what it used to be,” Saban said.

“But I think it has tremendous value. So if they can engage and inspire and influence young people to develop better habits by participating, that would be the one thing I would want everyone to get out of this.”

Well, many people, including Colin Cowherd on SportsNation (ESPN), think Nick Saban is a liar, because he pretends to protect his players. When I heard that, even though Colin Cowherd might not directly mean it, I felt I was blamed. I am a professor. I am paid by University. I try to protect my students. I think about their career, BECAUSE I am getting paid to do that? Part of that, it is true. But, I totally agreed when Nick Saban talked about the agent issue. I could see what he was talking about. Of course, universities need to make sure they offer enough education to their student-athletes about agent issue. But, they are still students. And, it is easy to try to defend those students, if I am on the universities’ side. But, it can also be seen as just pretending or a lie. Maybe, as many people said, Nick Saban was saying that, because it was all business for him. But, sometimes, it’s all business for me, too. I know Nick Saban is paid way much more than I am paid as a professor, but, I think it is same. I do have a teaching philosophy and try to keep it in my mind when I teach and make a class plan. If I am not a professor, I don’t have to have those things. I don’t have to really care about students. Well, if I am a medical doctor, I would take care of patients, because that is my profession. I am always thinking of students and how to make them better, because it is my profession. In other words, it is my business. Then, are you going to call me a liar?

Anyway, my point is that I saw the teaching philosophy from Nick Saban. That is why I like him, even though many people blame him.

Then, Nick Saban has been always consistent with what he was saying, as I know.

Especially, in his first press conference at Alabama, he talked about his players and how he would teach them. And, after that, it was always the same way. Nick Saban always emphasized his players to do their best and to show their best and not to focus on the results.

And, today, what  did Jeff Sentell talk about him  in his article?

The message about freedom of choice not meaning freedom from consequences hit home. Players are free to act how they wish, but are also subject to seeing their careers penalized as a result. Smart high school coaches can motivate by replacing the NFL prize with college scholarships.

Do his players follow every word? The Marcell Dareus story proves that even projected Top 10 picks aren’t perfect.

But a great deal of his players excel off the field.

Aren’t arrest reports down?

Saban said Alabama had a record 22 graduates play in the national championship game. There were 13 players who graduated before the 2009 season and 12 freshmen who made Academic All-SEC.

Isn’t it something the University should do? I know Alabama is eager to sell tickets and have a very good athletic program, part of it, because of money. However, who do not want to make money? Every profession is paid. Who wants to work without being paid? Who wants to just sacrifice without supporting their family? Then, my question is, what is professionalism? Is it doing a pro bono? Or is it doing a right thing for the profession?

Now, it came down to my area. Public Relations, which is criticized by people with a same reason. People call it as a “spin doctor” or a “hype”. I even heard that some journalists said, “I hate PR, because they always try to give media same answers.”

I always teach my students, “don’t be a lazy PR person. If you are lazy, then, only thing you can do is hyping and spreading false information.” For Public Relations, its biggest goal is helping out its organization. To help its organizations, public relations need to consider employees, investors, customers, community, and even CEOs. And, I would say, if CEO does not know the importance of public relations, the company does not have a future, especially, in today, every company needs to deal with lots of media and people. Organizations really need to realize public relations is not a sending out press release, but, in charge of facilitating communication with organization’s all stakeholders.

So, honestly, I love Nick Saban, because he, of course, brought a National Championship to Alabama, but, I also love him, because he knows public relations. He has a philosophy. He understands college football and student-athletes. He can suggest the way where the athletic program needs to go. He does not say really weird thing in front of media. He always tries to give them the most accurate information. He is never afraid of saying, “I don’t know, but, I will let you know whenever I have more information.” He serves community. He is doing a charity. I know he is a millionaire, but, not every millionaire does a charity. The most importantly, he knows who is the most important public for collegiate athletic program. They are players, who are paid for their education. Well, in every sports organization, players are the most important public. But, in collegiate athletic program, they are “students.”

Well, those things are all I teach in my PR classes. I always have a bias toward Nick Saban and University of Alabama, because this is my alma mater. And, I always have a bias toward public relations. I even tell my students public relations will change the world. I also always have a bias toward students, because it is my profession and it is my business. Do you want to blame me, because I have biases? Well, bring it on, then.

Quick thought on NCAA and Agent issue

Marvin Austin created a huge wave in college football. Picture obtained from Espn

 

Marvin Austin at North Carolina twitted he was at the party and that just brought about big wave in college football, because the party was hosted by an agent. I remember that my beloved Alabama crimson tide football team was beat by Utah badly in 2009 Sugar Bowl game, partly because my beloved Left Tackle Andre Smith was illegally contacted by an agent (or Andre contacted the agent, whatever), and had to miss the game. So, I hoped the wave did not reach my sweet Alabama team, again. And, of course, the most influential player in Alabama at this moment was there. Marcel Dareus. Every football analysts predicted him as a first rounder for the next NFL draft. And, now, he is ineligible for now, probably, a whole season. I am feeling pain now as a fan and as a teacher.  

My beloved Marcel Dareus

 

We always have rules to follow. I am from Korea, but, I follow the rules and laws in the U.S., because I do not want to create any problem. That is not because I agree with all the laws and rules.  

If any American citizens go to Korea, they have to follow the rules in Korea. Google had to leave China, because they did not understand what they needed to follow. In my International Public Relations class, my students had a chance to talk with my chinese friend, who also will teach at the university from the upcoming semester, through Skype teleconference. Her opinion about Google was same as mine. They were arrogant to China. Google thought itself so wonderful, and even could change the Nation. Come on~~~. China has been in the world for more than 10,000 years. People’s republic of China was found in 1949. Way to go Google. You were brave.  

Google left China to change the nation LOL. Picture obtained from SEO and Internet Marketing News

 

Well, student-athletes also need to follow the rule, wherever they belong. Not just for student-athletes, every person who belongs to any organizations needs to follow the rule. Even I tell my son, who is 5 years old, “you need to follow the rule”. If I am at the Walmart, I have to follow their store policy, no matter what I like it or not. I learned it from my school. My teachers generously taught me that. So, I, now, can live in the U.S., because I know how to follow the rules. Anyhow, I had to learn it when I was young.  

For student-atheletes, National Collegiate Atheletic Association (NCAA) has a responsibility to teach them. And, schools need to teach them. Nick Saban, who is a head coach of Alabama football team also addressed that.  

Picture is obtained from NCAA website

 

Gentry Estates, a reporter of Mobile Press-Regitster (Al.com), quoted Nick Saban  

“Right now, agents are screwing it up,” Saban told ESPN.com. “They are taking the eligibility of players. It’s not right that those players do the wrong thing. We have a great education process here. We have a full-time worker who meets with players and their families and does everything else.”   

Then, Nick Saban also blamed NFL and NFLPA (Player Association), or, asked them for help.  

“What the NFL Players Association and the NFL need to do is if any agent breaks a rule and causes ineligibility for a player, they should suspend his license for a year or two,” Saban said. “I’m about ready for college football to say, ‘Let’s just throw the NFL out. Don’t let them evaluate players. Don’t let them talk to players. Let them do it at the combine.’  

So, now, it is between NCAA and NFL. I, honestly, have envied their relationship, because no other professional sports organizations require a certain amount of education to players in the world besides NFL and NBA, as I know. I, sometimes, praised NFL about their policies and relationships with players. Their college education requirement was, of course, one of them. OK. This is surely a brilliant idea. Players can get free education, so that, if they cannot make it to the NFL, they, at least, have a college degree. Someone may say the degree is useless, but, I am a college educator and firmly believe that the degree can definitely change one person’s life. At the same time, NFL can have better and mentally prepared players. Especially, student-atheletes have to handle  their time and all the attentions. I usually admire student-athletes, because they put a lot of efforts on their works as well as their future. They are creating their own assets, which they can carry for their whole life. I like it. I hope every student is like that.  

I hope, of course, student-atheletes do not make a terrible choice like Marcel Dareus, who became my new beloved player in last National Championship game, did. Student-athletes should learn the lessons at this time. As Nick Saban said, universities try to educate student-athletes about policies and issues. Well, someone says student-athletes should be paid because they create big revenues for universities. But, I think they are paid with education. That is what universities need to do. It should be about education, not about money. Then, everything will follow. But, still, student-athletes make mistakes, because they are “Student”-athletes. They are still getting an “education”.  

I remember that when I was a student, I, many time, did something wrong. I did not follow rules well. In my freshmen high school year, I was suspended once, because I did not follow one of their rules. I learned from it. I was immature and did not know the consequences. So, I learned a lesson in a hard way. I, sometimes, see the same thing from my students. They just learn from it in a hard way.  

I think Marcel Dareus should be suspended for whole season, if he broke the rule. He needs to learn the hard lesson, because he is a “Student”-athlete. But, there is something more important. NFL needs to listen to what, now, coaches are saying. It is, of course, a responsibility of NCAA, to educate student-athletes, and students should know what they have to do, when agents are approaching. But, remember, NFL. NCAA is one of the most important publics (or stakeholders) of you, if they are not the most important one. I may have a bias, because I am teaching those “student”-athletes. But, I, firmly, believe that NFL is something special today, because it has a special and healthy relationship with NCAA.  

In sports PR, I, personally, believe, and soon research about it, that the core value is understanding players. Not any organization has stakeholders (publics) like players, who are usually richer than their CEOs. So, they are often looked as goods or products. NFL is special, because, they, believe it or not, valued education of players. That, itself, is a good public relations, in my opinion. Agents, who only know (I mean some of them) money, need to understand the value of education. NFL should let them know, they have to follow the rules and understand the importance of education of “student”-athletes, if they want to do a business with them, because that is what the relationship between NFL and NCAA is all about. So, if NFL shows they care, it should mean something to players, who is also one of the most important publics (stakeholders) of NFL. I will surely appreciate that, because they are my students. And, you know what? I teach at least 100 students a semester. I probably tell them the good example of Sports PR. I have twitter. I currently have 300 followers. I probably add 100 followers every semester, since I let my students follow my twitter. Among my followers, some of them are very influential and have more than 10,000 followers. And, I will tell them NFL is a good example of Sports PR, because it considers players as players, not products. I would study this case and try to publish it in major public relations journal (of course, I know it is not easy). My conclusion would be the same. “Players are not products”. And, some scholars, who may be educators, will read my study. It might be good to keep my support. 

And, remember what Nick Saban said,  ” if they are not going to help us, why should we help them?” Well. I’m one of his fans. 

It's me and I'm not kidding.

 

All Stars Among Us, I like it, if it is a PR, not a hidden Marketing.

Well, I really clapped loud when I watched this event on TV. It was very meaningful for me, who really believe sports can do more than competition in the world. And, I can ambitiously say Public Relations can do that. When I watched it, I just kept saying, “Way to go, MLB, way to go.” And, my wife just looked at me like a crazy person. But, I really meant it and I was really happy about it.             

I know the “People’s all stars among us” program hosted by People Magazine started last year now, but, I did not know about the program until I watched it on All Star Game.             

Some of them had a tear in their faces and I just felt how they were proud of themselves by helping others and community. All Star players were all cheering those “everyday” heroes in the ground and all audiences were cheering for them. And, this means a lot for many people, even though much more people should be awarded as everyday heroes, and much more people are continuously helping their communities without even being recognized. But, the fact that one of those people were appreciated by many people in the stadium and watched by more than 400,000 people (even though MLB all star game recorded the lowest TV rating in history this year) means something to people who are currently everyday heroes and people who want to be everyday heroes.             

It might be a marketing, of course, MLB is filled with private baseball teams, and they need profits. It is big for any profit-organizations to create a good relationship with their customers. How to boost average fans to loyal fans is a very important issue for every sports organization. But, I would not cheer for them, if every charity event happens for just a marketing purpose.             

I will cheer for those charity events, only if those are good for keeping healthy relationships with various stakeholders (in PR, we call them publics).               

And, I really cheered People’s All Star Among Us program, because I could see those healthy relationships among various groups of people there. It was, in my opinion, perfect fit for a great PR campaign.             

First of all, it was good for organizations themselves.  MLB created a super community with People magazine and FOX. And, People Magazine could earn a very good recognition from public and boost their company image by sponsoring this event (they may need to evaluate it after each all star game). And, People’s All Star among us facebook page has now 399 fans and I’m now one of them.             

FOX made a very good video clip for this event. So, FOX could contribute to honor everyday heroes.             

Besides those super communities, Celebrities, including Amber Riley, who sang a song for everyday heroes, could also contribute for the program, because of the ceremony.             

The People who were recognized in Anaheim also rewarded by being cheered at the stadium and could feel proud of themselves.             

Players could also contribute to this program by commenting about the program, thanking the people and community, and cheering them in the ground.             

Each community of MLB baseball should be proud, because they have everyday heroes, and the heroes were representing their communities in front of more than 400,000 viewers and attendees at the stadium.             

Fans could have the “Aha” moment, which I had, that helping others can be recognized like that and is worthy. Children could learn from the ceremony and think about the meaning of heroes one more time.             

MLB, of course, was the organization, who got the most advantage out of it. The organization now earned the good reputation of caring communities and fans.             

This is not about a profit and is a long-term relationship building activity. And, this is a perfect role of public relations.             

One thing I noticed, though, I could not find many articles about it in newspapers after the ceremony. I tried to find a pitcure and news articles about it, and I found very few, probably four or five news articles. So, I was little bit disappointed. I teach Public Relations as a management function. And, I am always very sad, when Sports PR is recognized as a Sports information. PR should accomplish bigger role than just distributing information.            

I clapped very hard like a crazy man when I watched this big “PR event”, and immediately thought I would write about it. But, now, I am worrying about it. It may be, after all, a hidden marketing, again, like many people talk about PR.             

Well, there is nothing wrong with a marketing. I love marketing. Without marketing, MLB cannot exist. But, PR can really have its own role as a relationship builder, not as a hidden (I really hate this word) marketing. PR has to have an active role in organization. Why can’t we create more stories out of the big and excellent PR event? Only 400,000 people watched the event, and why don’t we boost that number to more people. Why don’t we spread the information about the event to more people by creating some stories about it? That is because public relations of MLB  do not recognize their role yet and they do not know they can change the world.             

Ok. So, I really like the People’s All Stars Among Us program, if its PR function works correctly. We need more stories out of it and make it a long-term project. It should be a year-long project and People’s All Stars Among Us Facebook page needs more than 399 fans. FOX should be able to contribute for this program more with a year-long campaign. Communities need more people who help their communities. More fans should be proud of being a fan of MLB because MLB and their local teams show they are valuing this kind of event. If this project works like this way, each community will become better with more volunteers and our children will have healthier mind. And, eventually, our world will become better and be full of everyday heroes.             

This is Sports PR, I think. This is how sports can contribute to society. This is how sports can be a perfect Social Capital, so that it can help community as well as create healthy relationships among communities. Then, I will like it.             

It is a very good PR campaign picture obtained from Mlb.com

Why, Micheal Vick? What do you want?

Public Relations. I would like to define this as a facilitator of communication between organization and  stakeholders (publics). Publics include employer, employees, legal personals, customers (of course), media, and in sports, players. I firmly believe that PR in any organization is THE department, who handle those relationships, because, first, my students will be in those positions someday and second, it is definitely PR, who will control information delivered to the outside of organization. 

In sports, and any kind of entertainment industry, where PR needs to deal with “celebrities”, PR pros, well, actually, whole organization has a very unique public. Players are people, who usually have high self-esteem and a strong competitive characteristic. Without that, they cannot be in that place. According to NCAA.org, there are 119 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Schools. There are also 144 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Schools. FBS has 85 scholarship limits and FCS has 63 scholarship limits. That number gives me about 20,000 football players. Assuming that one-fourth of them are seniors, we will have 5,000 football players graduating and waiting for being drafted by NFL, if they ever want to make it to the NFL. Then, how many players are drafted in 7 rounds of NFL draft? Approximately, 250 players or less. Just itself gives me this stat. One out of 20 students will be drafted. This is not all. If you want to play regularly and make a good money in the NFL, the situation becomes bit more competitive. Assuming that only first and second round pick-ups will have a shot at the starting position, one out of 85 students, approximately, will have a chance to be rich. Well, considering minimum salary of NFL for first-year players is about $300,000, if you are drafted, it means, your wage is already higher than average people. But, before thinking about college graduates, how good and competitive you should be to be recruited by one of the FBS schools. Alabama High School Athletic Association, which is not the biggest high school association in the state, solely has 401 senior high schools, according to Wikipedia website.  Well, after calculating all these, I would like to tell my son, who wants to be a soccer player, don’t even think about it. He may even need to compete with people in Europe, Asia, South America, well, literally, everywhere. 

Hew… Well, then, What’s the problem, Micheal Vick? 

Why did you work so hard, Michael? Picture obtained from nydailynews.com

I know it is hard to deal with celebrities and I think they deserve it, since they worked so hard to get what they wanted to get. So, it is really hard for sports organizations to communicate with these celebrities, because, very often, they do not have to think about their future, because they already accomplished their biggest dream. 

When Roger Goodell introduced Tony Dungy as a mentor of Michael Vick and even invited Wayne Pacelle, the head of Humane Society, to 60 minutes interview, what he was doing was PR. In one of my research, I analyzed many crisis situations in newspapers, and many of them blamed a person and tried to differentiate him or her from the organization. I know NFL needed Michael Vick, probably, but, not really. I don’t think so. Atlanta Falcons already found their quarterback at Matt Ryan. Which NFL team really needed a player like Michael Vick? Philadelphia Eagles might not need him with Donovan McNabb, who won 132 games for 11 seasons with Eagles as a starter. Then, why did Roger Goodell have to protect Michael Vick? 

I, often, tell my students, PR is a mother nature, well, parent nature, I guess. I have a son and I apologize when he does something wrong in public. Why? Because I love him and I want him to be successful. And, also, he will be my future, someday. He will be my happiness in the future, in my 60s and 70s. So, I would like to protect him as much as possible. Sometimes, I give him a punishment, because I really care of him. That is PR. And, what Roger Goodell did was exactly PR. Anderson William, a scholar, wrote an article about NFL’s PR history in Public Relations Review (2008)’s special issue. He insisted that NFL values PR the most among professional sports organizations in the U.S. Roger Goodell just showed that. So, I often told my students NFL handled Vick’s case much better than other organizations did with their crises, such as Steroid issue in MLB. I don’t really think MLB was supportive to players. 

In this case, though, PR hurt itself, eventually. If you are a business person, you may say, show me the money, and will say, look at Michael Vick. You should just let him go. Well, it was a typical conversation with people in business when I studied for my doctoral degree in communication. Does relationship and good communication bring a profit? Well, maybe not. Or, it may not be measurable at all. 

When my son makes same mistakes over and over, sometimes, he hurts my feeling.  And, I am saying that you just hurt my feeling and are you happy when I am sad? When my students try to fool me, it hurts my feelings so badly. And, I also want to tell my students, if you fool me, you may get a good grade in my course, but, you may not be able to be successful in your life. I just don’t want to see that. And, I really hope students understand that. 

Michael, I know and I hope you are innocent and you are not really related with the shooting the other day. I want to believe in your comments. But, look, what did Roger Goodell do to you? What did Tony Dungy do to you? What about the NFL? What about the fans who accepted you in the NFL again? What about the children you gave a speech to? And, most importantly, what about yourself? Did you really have to be there? 

Well, this is very sad Sports PR issue. I really hope he is OK and Eagles gives him one more chance. But, it is very sad. Michael Vick worked so hard to go to Virginia Tech and competed even harder to be picked by Falcons. In PR, we need to deal with this kind of public. And, the most important thing is to understand them and really try to help them in person. And, that is clearly a job of PR, because PR is a parent nature and PR is a facilitator of communication. 

The day Michael Vick became a son of NFL, Picture obtained from Sports Illustrated