Staying Inbounds: Managing Social Media In Sports

October 6, 2011 Edelman Seattle Percipio Presentation

How Many Of You Follow Your Favorite Athletes On Twitter, See Some Of Their Crazy Tweets And

Think,

“Wow, That Team’s PR Staff Has Its Hands

Full!”

If So, You Were Feeling Sorry For People Like Me

What We’ll Discuss

• Brief Look At How Teams Are Using Social

• Examples Of Player Use – Good and Bad

• How Leagues And Teams Are Addressing The Issue – The Social

Media Policy

• Player And Team Consequences For Policy Violation

• Examining The Grey Areas

• The Central Question: Open Discussion

• Note: Interruptions And Questions Welcomed!

Social Media Is Giving Sports Fans Ongoing

Access To Their Favorite Teams In Ways They Never Thought Possible

Teams Are Innovating Regularly To Increase Access And Provide More Value For Fans

Team Social Media Tactics Have Proven

Effective And Are Constantly Evolving

But What About The Players?

For The Most Part, Players Are Not Being

Trained Properly

Inappropriate Posts Often Lead To This…

And Sometimes This

Despite High-Profile Negative Examples, Some Players Are

Using Social Media Very Effectively

So How Do Teams Ensure Players Use

Social Media Responsibly?

For Many, The Answer Lies With The Social

Media Policy

Common Elements Of Team And League

Social Media Policies

Team

• Think of social media as a live microphone

• Always use the headline test before posting

• Be very mindful of external stakeholders

• Your posts are seen and discussed by fans of ALL ages, plus media, your agent,

opponents, current and potential sponsors

• Your presence on social media is a direct reflection of your personal brand

and therefore impacts your wallet• Prohibited from use during “team time”

League

• Set approved and prohibited time windows for social media use

• Parallel rules of traditional media comments with regards to officiating,

league offices, etc.• Allow for individual teams to customize

more comprehensive policies on their own

Consequences For Violation Of Social

Media Policies

Players• Fines

• Suspensions• Bans

• Lose Current Sponsors• Lose Potential Sponsors

• Create Lockerroom Conflict• Fall Out Of Favor With Current Team• Damage Reputation For Free Agent

Market

Teams• Lose Current Sponsors• Lose Potential Sponsors

• Agitate Fan Base• Negatively Affect Attendance,

Renewals, etc.• Hurt TV Ratings

• Strain Relationship With Community Organizations

But Due To Multiple And Sometimes

Conflicting Stakeholders, Lines Drawn In The Policy

Are Often Blurry

So Posts Like These Create Headaches For The PR Staff And Are

Hard To Manage

And Some Players Seem To Somehow

Transcend The Rules

Central Question: What are the most effective ways for PR professionals in the sports

industry to balance the rights of individual athletes with the priorities and best interests of the organization they manage?

In Summary

• Teams Innovating Regularly To Connect With Fans Through Social Media• Despite Team Success, Players Not Being Trained Properly• Inappropriate Player Posts Leading To Fines, Suspensions and Bans• Despite High-Profile Negative Examples, Some Players Using Social Media Effectively To Connect With Fans And Build Their Brand• To Increase Positive Use Of Social Media By Players, Most Teams And Leagues Implementing Social Media Policies• Despite Policies In Place, Some Lines Are Blurred And Challenges Persist For PR Pros• Biggest Challenges Center Around Partner Conflicts, Non-Team Related Personal Opinions, Labor Issues And Airing Grievances In Public Forum

Thank You