Question

Principles and Practice of Sport Management

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a) Explain how a sports communications professional should prepare an interviewee for an interview.

b) Develop guidelines for the preparation of a press conference.

c) Define a crisis.

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d) Explain the contribution of Alvin "Pete" Rozelle to Sports Broadcasting.

e) Explain the contribution of Roone Arledge to Sports Broadcasting.

f) Identify and explain the career opportunities in Sports Broadcasting field.

Answer 1

Ans 1)

• Before an interview, it is necessary for the interviewer to thoroughly prepare the interviewee. The structure of the interview should be outline to the interviewees in advance. This will make them feel more in control, and put them at ease. The planned duration of the interview should also be informed beforehand.
• It is necessary for the professional to introduce himself, his company and his position in the company. It cannot be assumed that the interviewee knows everything about the company. It is imperative to highlight the important information.
• The best interviews are always structured. In a structured interview, a particular set of questions are asked, that have been planned in advance. The questions should be asked in the same order as decided, to promote the smooth flow of the interview.
• Engagement with the interviewee is important. The interview should be prepared in such a way that it looks more like a casual conversation than an interrogation.

Ans 2)

A press conference utilizes a lot of time, effort and staff work. The effort is worth it because a successful press conference will result in an extensive coverage in newspapers, tv, radio and social media. However, a horrible press conference can have unwanted consequences. Hence, it would be beneficial to follow a set of guidelines to prepare a successful press conference:

THE OCASSION

There should be specific circumstances under which a press conference should be organised:

Big news – A press conference requires a fair bit of effort in organizing. Hence, it should only be held when there is a really big news to be conveyed as fast as possible in front of a large audience.

Breaking news – No journalist with good credentials will show up at a press conference to cover a news that has already been broken. It has to be an exclusive news.

Anticipation – If no one is asking, then it is likely that no one is interested in knowing about it. The most appropriate time to hold a press conference, is when the news is so highly anticipated that it is unable to manage the overwhelming number of calls from journalists.

LOGISTICS OF A PRESS CONFERENCE

Timing – News organizations aim at specific television slots. A mid-morning press conference is apt for occupying one of these slots. Mid-week is also a good option as the time is relatively quieter for news.

Location – A fancy location isn’t required to hold a press conference. The important point to consider is that the venue should be easy for the media to access, and that it should have all the necessary equipment required.

Equipment – A professional sound equipment is a must, accompanied by a technician to resolve any technical problems. Microphones, speakers, strong mobile signal and a Wi-Fi-connection should also be readily available

Attendance – The attendees, who will speak on the behalf of the organization, should be carefully chosen. The representatives should be articulate and possess some credibility. Ideally, only a couple of speakers are required to tackle the important queries.

Length – It is normal for organizers to put on a big show in a press conference. But the reporters are not interested in sitting for an hour through a mundane power-point presentation. Their only concern is asking questions and receiving answers. So, it is wise to keep the speech short and move immediately to the queries of the press.

Ans 3)

A crisis is defined as an event that will lead to a volatile situation, severely affecting an individual group, community or an entire society in the process. A crisis occurs abruptly and inflicts undesired changes in the economic, political and societal environment of the concerned group.

Ans 4)

The National Football league was the most impactful entity in American Sports broadcasting and the most important figure to that league was Pete Rozelle, Commissioner of the NFL from 1960-89. Rozelle implemented the changes that made NFL the nation’s premier professional sports organization. He took over the reigns of commissioner at the age of 33, and devised the blueprint of what would later become the business model for all of professional sports. The model highlighted the revolutionary belief that professional sports were analogous to big business.

He realized the fact that a league-first, team second concept was more lucrative and strived hard to enable the NFL and competing American Football league to become a single business. As a result of this initiative, instead of competing with one another to sell contract rights, the NFL put one shared broadcast package up for sale. This gave the NFL a level of bargaining power that was never displayed before by a professional sports organization.

Moreover, Rozelle made another radical move. He introduced a revenue-sharing scheme, encouraged by the belief that promoting on-field competition would boost the popularity of the league. This plan enabled each team to receive the same amount of money, thereby providing encouragement to all the equally talented rosters.

Of all the drastic changes that he implemented, Rozelle himself admitted the fact that his biggest achievement was introducing Super Bowl to the world. At the time of his retirement, nine of the ten television programs with the highest viewership in history were Super Bowls. It proved to be a nationwide craze and cemented Rozelle’s place as one of the greatest innovators in the history of professional sports.