University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Managing professional athletes’ and sports team owners’ reputation in times of crisis: why it’s necessary to follow these crisis communication and public relations techniques

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Managing professional athletes’ and sports team owners’ reputation in times of crisis: why it’s necessary to follow these crisis communication and public relations techniques

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Content MANAGING PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES’ AND SPORTS TEAM OWNERS’
REPUTATION IN TIMES OF CRISIS: WHY IT’S NECESSARY TO FOLLOW THESE
CRISIS COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS TECHNIQUES

by
Brenda Gonzalez

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS (STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS)
May 2017

Copyright 2017 Brenda Gonzalez

2

Table of Contents
Methodology .................................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4
Origin of Public Relations and Crisis Communication ............................................................. 6
Origin Of Organized Sports ....................................................................................................... 12
Characteristics Of A Crisis ........................................................................................................ 13
Four Phases Of Crisis Communication ..................................................................................... 16
10 Steps For Communicating In A Crisis ................................................................................. 17
Planning and Developing A Crisis Communication Plan For The Sports Industry ............. 21
Case Studies ................................................................................................................................. 25
Case Study 1: Kobe Bryant ..................................................................................................................... 26
Case Study 2: Donald Sterling and the NBA ........................................................................................... 32
Case Study 3: Lance Armstrong .............................................................................................................. 40
Case Study 4: Tiger Woods ..................................................................................................................... 48
Case Study 5: Tom Brady and the NFL ................................................................................................... 55
Future Sports Public Relations Professionals .......................................................................... 64
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 71
References .................................................................................................................................... 74

List of Exhibits
Exhibit A Potter Box Diagram ................................................................................................. 5
Exhibit B Donald Sterling Word Cloud ................................................................................ 34
Exhibit C Lance Armstrong Word Cloud ............................................................................ 46

List of Appendices
Appendix A Crisis Communication Expert Interview ........................................................ 81
Appendix B Sports Public Relations Expert Interview ....................................................... 83
Appendix C Sports Public Relations Expert Interview ....................................................... 86
Appendix D Professional Athlete Interview ......................................................................... 88

3

Methodology
In preparation for this thesis, both secondary and primary research were conducted to
show and analyze how public relations professionals manage the public images of professional
athletes and former team owners, especially in times of crisis. The qualitative research included
interviews with Brenda Lynch, Crisis Communication expert and Senior Partner at Rogers Finn
Partners, Keren Lynch (no relation), Publicist for the Anaheim Ducks, Alex Caulfield, Senior
Director of Communications for the Seattle Sounders FC and Lee Lopez, Professional Golfer
with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). In addition, the researcher also studied
two word clouds created specifically for two of the case studies analyzed, Donald Sterling and
Lance Armstrong. The word clouds were drafted from secondary research of interview
transcripts, news articles, research from Crimson Hexagon, and research from the business
Document Capture Co, which collects data and creates word clouds. The result would show
some shocking terminology that, in turn, would support the notion that crises are not to be
ignored or minimized; their effects are very real and lingering. The secondary research included
assessments of news articles, journals, websites, books, blogs and magazines. The overarching
question that will be considered throughout this thesis is why it is necessary and important for
athletes and sports team owners to have a strategic public relations team. The researcher has
analyzed and specifically looked at research, case studies, crisis management and public relations
techniques and methods to show the best-possible way of dealing with a crisis.

4

Introduction
After taking a crisis communication course, the researcher learned that it could be defined
as “any situation, which has the potential to have a significant negative impact on your business
or reputation”.
1
According to The Handbook of Crisis Communication, the authors have a similar
definition as they consider a crisis to be unusual occurrences that cannot be predicted but are
expected”.
2
In addition, the authors state that “the first definition for crisis comes from the work
of Coombs, whose definition of crisis relies on four criteria: unpredictability, threat to
stakeholder expectations, impact on organizational performance, and potential for negative
outcomes.”
3
Several authors in this book explore the definition of crisis in specific ways. For
example, they analyze the theory and definition of crisis of Priscilla Murphy, professor of
Strategic and Organizational Communication at Temple University in Pennsylvania.
4
Murphy
believes “incidents become crisis when they mark bifurcation points in social values….Some
theorists define crisis as a point in an organization’s history which irreversibly changes its
culture and business.”
5
The authors of The Handbook of Crisis Communication also explain a
definition from other crisis experts Winni Johansen and Finn Frandsen, who explain more in
depth how they define crisis communication. “Crisis communication consists of a complex and
dynamic configuration of communicative processes which evolve before, during, and after an
event, a situation of a course of events that is seen as a crisis by an organization and/or one or
more of its stakeholders. Crisis communication also includes various actors, contexts, and

1
Brenda Lynch Interview
2
Coombs, W. Timothy, and Sherry J. Holladay, eds. The handbook of crisis communication.
Vol. 22. John Wiley & Sons, 2011., p 19
3
Ibid. 97.
4
Ibid. 5.
5
Ibid. 554.

5

discourses related to each other.”
6
However for this thesis, the researcher will be referencing
another ethical definition and theorist, Ralph B. Potter, Jr., professor of social ethics emeritus of
Harvard Divinity School. This theorist developed the Potter Box, a model and approach to
deciding on ethical actions,
7
which will further be discussed throughout this thesis. This four-
stage model is necessary in trying to help an individual or PR professional explain a specific
aspect of an ethical problem they are encountering.
8
The brilliant Potter identified the stages as
four quadrants of a box in which you systematically counter clock wise go through four steps,
which include: defining the situation, identifying the values, identifying the principles and
choosing your loyalties (See Exhibit A).
9
Thanks to Potter, the Potter Box has helped the
researcher base this thesis off of this definition. It is imperative to analyze crisis communication
and PR techniques through this useful tool for ethical guidance. When ethical questions arise, a
PR professional and or team should use this tool in order to work out the situation or crisis to
ensure an ethical and smooth crisis communication plan.

Exhibit A – Potter Box Diagram

6
Coombs, W. Timothy, and Sherry J. Holladay, eds. The handbook of crisis communication.
Vol. 22. John Wiley & Sons, 2011., p 10.
7
Straubhaar, Joseph., Media Now, 2010 Update: Understanding Media, Culture, and
Technology, Enhanced. Enhanced Sixth, Boston, MA, Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009., p
476.
8
Ibid.
9
Black, Jay, and Chris Roberts. Doing Ethics in Media: Theories and Practical Applications.
New York , NY, Taylor &Amp; Francis, 2011., p 53.

6

Origin of Public Relations and Crisis Communication
Crisis communication plays an important part in public relations. In 2012, the Public
Relations Society of America (PRSA) decided to modernize how to define public relations by
leading an international effort.
10
Through a crowdsourcing campaign and public vote, PRSA
came up with their new definition of public relations: “a strategic communication process that
builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”
11
According to
PRSA, the origin of public relations began when “the formal practice of what is now commonly
referred to as ‘public relations’ dates to the early 20th century.”
12
Public relations encompasses
essential functions such as analyzing and interpreting public opinion, advising, researching,
planning and implementing.
13
When specifically dealing with crisis communication, public
relations professionals are vital as they can predict and anticipate what can occur to prevent a
crisis. In this day and age, there is a need for public relations and public relations professionals to
apply communication theories and PR practices.
According to The Handbook of Crisis Communication, the field of crisis communication
has had remarkable growth in the professional and academic community.
14
The growth is a
testament to the need of having effective crisis communication management, as there are many
threats in several situations in our world today. Crisis planning set off and arose when the “need
for preparation and readiness to respond to crisis management.”
15
Crisis management is the

10
Yann, Yann, Arthur. “About Public Relations.” What Is Public Relations? PR Definition:
PRSA Official Statement
11
Ibid.
12
Ibid.
13
Ibid.

14
Coombs, W. Timothy, and Sherry J. Holladay, eds. The handbook of crisis communication.
Vol. 22. John Wiley & Sons, 2011., p 21.
15
Ibid., 19.

7

critical function that holds the reputation and existence of individuals and organizations.
16
That is
why public relations professionals are crucial in crisis management. With effective crisis
management, a crisis can be handled successfully through specific techniques and tactics.
However, if not handled properly, there are serious threats that can damage and inflict harm such
as financial and reputation loss.
17
That is why one needs crisis management training in the
workplace. According to Marilyn Vinch, freelance writer and HR professional, training is a vital
tool that will help the right individuals be prepared for a potential crisis. “Training is essential to
ensure that everyone knows what to do when an emergency hits,”
18
said Vinch. “Members of the
crisis management team should be trained so they are familiar with their responsibilities within
the emergency, communications and business continuity plans,”
19
continued Vinch. In addition,
there should be proactive communication channels that provide training for the crisis
management team. For example, Vinch provides channels including: company intranet, HR help
center, telephone hotline for employees, daily board postings, emails and password-protected
Internet site with a discussion section for managers.
20
These are a few reasons as to why the
researcher believes that without crisis management training, one cannot successfully handle
crisis communication.
In a crisis, the first 15 to 20 minutes are the most critical.
21
How one responds in the first
15 minutes can either make or break the reputation of an organization or of an individual.
22
The

16
Coombs, W. Timothy, and Sherry J. Holladay, eds. The handbook of crisis communication.
Vol. 22. John Wiley & Sons, 2011., p 19.
17
Ibid., 19.
18
Vinch, Marilyn. “Crisis Management in the Workplace and the Role of the HR Team.”
Bernstein Crisis Management, 16 May 2014.
19
Ibid.

20
Vinch, Marilyn. “Crisis Management in the Workplace and the Role of the HR Team.”
Bernstein Crisis Management, 16 May 2014.
21
Interview with Brenda Lynch

8

famous saying “slow and steady wins the race” does not come into play here as speed actually
matters, because without rapidly addressing the crisis and an organization’s silence can be
equated to guilt. It is vital that within these first few minutes of a crisis, the PR professional or
team reacts immediately. The PR professional or PR team then must deliver the right message
using the right words for the right target audience, and in the right way.
23
Whether this takes
place at a press conference, or via a statement, one will be deemed asleep or neglectful if one
does not talk to the public or to the press. Directness also matters. No one is more important than
any other person and every person must receive the same facts about any situation. This is why
transparency matters. The jaded public blogosphere has changed the style and expectations of
communications during a crisis. All of this is even more essential given the speed at which
messages travel across social media.
It is also important to note that the timing of a statement and its content are extremely
crucial and go hand in hand in a crisis. “Quick and decisive action regarding your first and
subsequent statements is essential,” stated crisis expert Professor Lynch.
24
“In many cases the
timing of the statement is part of the content. How quickly you respond has a direct correlation to
how much of the narrative you can manage or at least insert your side of the story.”
25
Therefore,
PR professionals should take into account that timing is everything. Ensure that one uses the
right words and manage the narrative to tell their story clearly and correctly.

22
Temin, Davia. “You Have 15 Minutes To Respond To A Crisis: A Checklist of Dos And
Don'Ts.” Forbes Magazine, 6 Aug. 2015.
23
Ibid.
24
Interview with Brenda Lynch

25
Ibid.

9

Research from Crisis Communications: Theory and Practice shows that there are
different types and categories of crises and issues.
26
Some of these that will be important when
analyzing different sports case studies include: sexual harassment, product tampering, social
media rumors, deception and internal affairs. Below is a list of a few of these categories with
brief explanations and examples drawn from secondary research for each.

Sexual harassment: the type of conduct such as sexual harassment can have devastating effects
on an individual or organization. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC), “the definition of sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for
sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.”
27
In the United States,
organizations are subject to regulations on sexual harassment under Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964.
28
The EEOC clearly explains, “Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature,
however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex.”
29
In addition, a victim can be
a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same-sex.
30
Harassment is also illegal
when it creates a hostile work environment.
31
Jacqueline F. Strayer, faculty member in the
Graduate Programs at NYU in PR and Corporate Communication and Integrated Marketing
argues that PR professionals can make a difference to combat this issue from occurring in the
workplace. “PR and communications practitioners have an opportunity to step up on this issue by
identifying contemporary ways to support their organization’s policies on sexual harassment and

26
Zaremba, Alan Jay. Crisis Communication: Theory and Practice. Armonk, NY, M.E. Sharpe,
2015., p 96.
27
Strayer, Jacqueline F. “Five Key Communication Strategies To Combat Sexual Harassment in
the Workplace.” Institute for Public Relations, 8 Aug. 2016.
28
Ibid.
29
Ibid.
30
Ibid.

31
Strayer, Jacqueline F. “Five Key Communication Strategies To Combat Sexual Harassment in
the Workplace.” Institute for Public Relations, 8 Aug. 2016.

10

advance organizational understanding and commitment,”
32
notes Strayer. Though Strayer
suggests this isn’t a typical communications issue PR
practitioners encounter every day, she
states that “when poorly communicated we could find our company on the front page and then
scrambling to do something to address it.”
33

Product tampering: the idea and action of tampering a product can lead to serious repercussions
like damaging the image of someone by disqualifying them in competing in something or firing
them. Under the Federal Anti-Tampering Act, section 1365 discusses the laws and consequences
of tampering with consumer products. The FDA defines product-tampering as “Whoever, with
reckless disregard for the risk that another person will be placed in danger of death or bodily
injury and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk, tampers with any
consumer product that affects interstate or foreign commerce, or the labeling of, or container for,
any such product.”
34
However in this thesis, the researching will focus on tampering in the
investigative jurisdiction, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation has investigative
responsibility for some laws under the section code.
35

Social media rumors: when someone creates a statement or story that is not accurate or true via
social media. The central point here is that either it is believed as factual or goes viral and takes
on a life of its own. According to Coombs “rumor and challenge crisis are those that emphasize

32
Strayer, Jacqueline F. “Five Key Communication Strategies To Combat Sexual Harassment in
the Workplace.” Institute for Public Relations, 8 Aug. 2016.
33
Ibid.
34
U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page, Office of the Commissioner. Legislation -
Federal Anti-Tampering Act.
35
The United States Department of Justice. 1447. Tampering With Consumer Products --
Investigative Jurisdiction.

11

the risk to the organization.”
36
Coombs also notes that, “the organization is at risk from damage
created by the rumor or the challenge to its practices.”
37
He also argues that, “social media makes
it easier for rumors to spread and for stakeholders to challenge an organization.”
38

Deception and Internal Affairs: when someone lies, is deceitful, breaks the law, cheats or
demonstrates slyness. According to Dr. Peter Rehwinkel, “some organizations face a crisis of
deception because the management of another organization they are dealing with may
deliberately tamper business data and information.”
39
Rehwinkel also states that, “managements
make wrong commitments and fake promises about their services/products to their customers or
clients,”
40
which by communicating wrong information by management can result in a crisis of
deception. In addition, internal stakeholders can misunderstand or misinterpret information about
their organization as the media.
41
According to Jonathan Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis
Management, Inc., it’s the responsibility of a PR professional to minimize the chance of that
happening. All of these are reasons as to what can cause this type of crisis to arise.
42

36
Coombs, Timothy W. Ongoing Crisis Communication: Planning, Managing, and Responding.,
Thousand Oaks, CA., SAGE Publications, 21 Jan. 2014., p 157.
37
Ibid.
38
Ibid.
39
Rehwinkel, Peter. Manage Your Next CRISIS!, Bloomington, IN., Booktango, 26 June 2015.
40
Ibid.
41
Bernstein, Jonathan. “The 10 Steps of Crisis Communications.” Bernstein Crisis Management,
1 Sept. 2016
42
Ibid.

12

Origin Of Organized Sports
To better understand the different types or categories of a crisis that will be addressed in
this paper, it is important to recognize the origin of the popular hobby that humans love and
enjoy – sports. According to Sports and Games of the 18
th
Centuries, sports “originally had links
either to fertility/ harvest rituals or to agriculture and hunting in general (e.g., soccer, polo, jai
alai) were taken out of their original contexts and modernized.”
43
The culture of sports public
relations is also necessary in understanding the role and scope of the sports PR practice. PR
professionals whose emphasis is in sports, need to have a full grasp of specific cultures
including: sporting cultures, organizational and corporate cultures and ethnic and national
cultures.
44
Just like the physical nature and activity of sports, sports PR implies the struggle
along with the success and failure that can occur in any given situation.
45
Public relations in
sports involves a great deal of factors whether it be handling sponsorships and media rights
deals, to staffing sporting events, promoting athletes and celebrities and increasing
participation.
46
Specifically when trying to understand what sports PR is, it is best to see it as a
“specialty area of PR practice” which shows certain perceptions keen on the role and function
that PR plays in the contemporary society.
47
In addition, it is important to note that PR plays a
vital role in sports business. PR deals with major communications disciplines in sports business
including: crisis management, media relations, promotion, corporate communications and public
affairs. PR and sport go hand in hand as they both facilitate communication and relationships.
48

43
Crego, Robert. Sports and Games of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Westport, CT, Greenwood
Press, 2003. P 1.
44
L'Etang, Jacquie. Sports Public Relations. London, SAGE, 2013. p 85.
45
Ibid., p ix.
46
Ibid., p ix.
47
Ibid., p ix.
48
Ibid., p ix.

13

According to Routledge Handbook of Sport Communication, sports PR is under-
researched and there is plenty of room to explore case studies and the analysis from a PR
perspective.
49
That is one of the reasons the researcher thought it was important to analyze later
on in this thesis certain case studies that show how PR in sport demands lots of attention with
regards to many aspects such as conflict resolution and economic benefits.
50
The sports industry
hasn’t fully seen how much power sports has to change our world, just as a PR professional
asserts that their assets and values have significant effects on institutional and global
relationships.
51
However, when you mix both the sports industry and PR together, there can be
impressive and committed behavior.
52

Characteristics Of A Crisis
The role and responsibility of the PR professional at the pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis
phases are also quite essential when discussing the characteristics of a crisis. In the pre-crisis
phase, PR professionals are concerned with prevention and preparation techniques. That is why
it’s important that PR professionals scrutinize the crisis communications strategy for warning
signs before a crisis happens. One question that PR professionals should always ask themselves –
how can one tell when a crisis is about to hit? Below one will find information and a list of some
characteristics that the researcher has learned from a crisis communication course she took along
with contributing thoughts from the author and business etiquette expert, Jacqueline Whitmore
and the Brenda Lynch interview on what can cause a crisis:

49
Pedersen, Paul Mark. Routledge Handbook of Sport Communication. London, Routledge,
2013., p 509.
50
Ibid., p 509.
51
Ibid., p 509.
52
Ibid., p 509.

14

Surprise: An agency representative or company individual claims “no one knew.” It’s usually
apparent that someone knew a crisis was about to happen but the information was withheld or
ignored. This could also involve operations or the legal team.
53

Insufficient Information: What went wrong? You may not have the whole story. If people are
asking about the potential issue, and one wants to be as transparent as possible. However, if you
are barely learning the information, you may need to revise and update information on a
continual basis..
54

Escalating Flow of Events: Before a crisis hits, there can be a constant flows of events and
information that can begin to escalate negatively. Try to keep calm, but work in a timely and
correct manner.
55

Loss of Command and Control: PR professionals like to be in control and the CEO and CFO
want an answer from them and they expect them to communicate their way out of a potential
problem. One way to communicate this information to the top executives in a controlled manner
is to use a strategic tool called “The three-minute drill.” This organizational and communication
model distills the issue down, no matter how complex to a three minute explanation the problem
and possible solutions. To briefly explain the situation (as if the person has no knowledge),
analyze and make assumptions (why the person should care), the goal (ultimate outcome),

53
Interview with Brenda Lynch
54
Ibid.
55
Ibid.

15

options (give three solutions), recommendations (what choice you think is best) and lastly, the
justification (why is the choice you chose the best over the other choices).
56

Intense Scrutiny: This occurs when an individual or agency is being judged and assumed that
there will be more problems. Again, try to keep calm and be confident by staying positive and
focusing on the facts.
57

Siege Mentality: Every time one bad thing happens, another bad thing happens.
58
One can
designate people who can focus on strategy and where they need to be at the end of the crisis.

Panic: One doesn't know what to do and everything begins to become chaotic. Instead of
esculating the problem by panicking, don’t ask oneself “what if.” Rather, focus on the facts and
try to work on a potential solution.
59

Firefighting, not engineering: PR professionals tend to waste time putting out fires that are
popping up instead of building a solution.
60

Impact on Diverse Stakeholders: When there’s different people involved and they all can and
may be affected. This crisis impacts all of one’s company’s stakeholders, from employees to

56
Interview with Brenda Lynch
57
Whitmore, Jacqueline. “8 Ways to Stay Calm During a Crisis.” Entrepreneur, 7 Oct. 2014.
58
Interview with Brenda Lynch
59
Ibid.
60
Whitmore, Jacqueline. “8 Ways to Stay Calm During a Crisis.” Entrepreneur, 7 Oct. 2014.

16

customers, to the supply chain to the government. The impact of a crisis is wide and can’t be
underestimated.
61

Four Phases Of Crisis Communication
Before diving into how to communicate when these particular characteristics align, it is
essential to understand the four phases of crisis communication. These four phases are the best
tool a PR professional should use when dealing with a crisis or analyzing a different case. The
reason being that in order to have effectively handled a crisis, one must go through these phases
and threats sequentially. If one does not go through these phases sequentially, more problems can
occur.
62
Patricia Swann of Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics, describes conflict
management cycle or crisis management starting with the proactive phase, strategic, reactive and
the recovery phase.
63
In order to plan for a crisis, one must first go into the Proactive Phase,
which is where you think about what is going on and “includes environmental scanning, issues
tracking, issues management, and the crisis plan”.
64
Next one must proceed into the Strategic
Phase by predicting what will happen so one is ready for it.
65
According to Swann, “the strategic
phase includes risk communication and conflict positioning while adapting the crisis plan.”
66

Then you have the Reactive Phase, which includes crisis communication, conflict resolution and
litigation public relations” and where one is actually involved in it and is trying to figure out

61
Interview with Brenda Lynch
62
Coombs, Timothy W. "Crisis Management and Communications." Institute for Public
Relations. 30 Oct. 2007.
63
Swann, Patricia. Cases in Public Relations Management: the Rise of Social Media and
Activism. New York, Routledge, Taylor &Amp; Francis Group, 2014., p 154
64
Ibid., p 154
65
Ibid., p 154.
66
Ibid., p 154.

17

what is actually going on.
67
Lastly, the Recovery Phase is where a PR team or professional
analyzes and tries to figure out how they’re going to recover.
68
This includes reputation
management, image restoration strategies and where PR professionals try to see how they can
create the transformation of making an individual better.
69

In crisis preparation, it is also critical to know and understand whom PR professionals
should care about. There are about nine factors that should definitely be taken into consideration,
which include: fans, potential fans, consumer groups, employees, social media posts, legislators,
shareholders, competitors and the media. All of these can significantly be hurt by a crisis or can
be the one that can damage the image of an individual or organization during a crisis.

10 Steps For Communicating In A Crisis
Below are 10 useful steps that all PR professionals should use when managing crisis
communication. In the midst of the chaos, Jenn Lisak explains how crucial it is for all PR
professionals to have a plan set in place and follows specific steps in order to better communicate
the end goal of handling a crisis successfully.
70
Lisak also provides insights on how to deal with
a PR crisis through these 10 steps.
71
Without these steps, PR professionals will not succeed in
defeating a crisis. Before starting these 10 steps, Lisak also advises to “inhale, exhale and
repeat.”
72
PR professionals need to be calm before starting these steps in order to focus on the
next steps.
73
The steps provided below are a combination of Jenn Lisak, Brenda Lynch and the

67
Swann, Patricia. Cases in Public Relations Management: the Rise of Social Media and
Activism. New York, Routledge, Taylor &Amp; Francis Group, 2014., p 154
68
Ibid., p 154.
69
Ibid., p 154.
70
Lisak, Jenn. “10 Steps to Managing Crisis Communications”., MarTech. N.p., 28 Apr. 2016.
71
Ibid.
72
Ibid.

73
Ibid.

18

researchers rational.

1. Gather the crisis team: The PR professional gathers all those who should be on the
team: the CEO, CFO, PR person, Legal Counsel, Head of the Dept. IT, HR (Internal
Communications) and the PR professional needs to brief the team on what happened,
gather everyone’s thoughts and wait to respond to reporters and the public until you have
a clear plan of action.
74

2. Activate the communications system: By activating the communications system, one is
activating the already pre-set plan for crisis that can occur. One must go into crisis
mode and ensure that everyone is following what they are supposed to be doing and
everything is in order.
75

3. Conduct research: Key members of the crisis team and the PR professional must
investigate what exactly happened. It is important to also note here what the public thinks
happened, how the public is reacting and which media outlets need attention.
76

4. Evaluate the situation: This step is crucial as one needs to evaluate and understand
how the PR professional’s decisions may impact the business, certain individuals,
revenue and reputation. Now is the right time to also check ones social media monitoring
tools to see what the overall reactions are of the public and the media.
77

74
Lisak, Jenn. “10 Steps to Managing Crisis Communications”., MarTech. N.p., 28 Apr. 2016.
75
Interview with Brenda Lynch
76
Lisak, Jenn. “10 Steps to Managing Crisis Communications”., MarTech. N.p., 28 Apr. 2016.

77
Interview with Brenda Lynch

19

5. Determine goals and objectives: Now that the PR professional has investigated and
knows what has happened and the impacts/implications that can arise, one can now try to
determine their goals, objectives and have a better understanding of what position they
should take.
78

6. Establish an action plan: When developing a full action plan, it’s important to decide
on the position, messaging and tone. Based on those, the PR professional should note
the best delivery channels, what ones team should and shouldn’t respond to and lastly,
how they should respond.
79

7. Make crisis team assignment: Each person on ones crisis team will have a role and
responsibility in this crisis. It’s important to fully utilize them and work as a team.
80

8. Develop and issue a preliminary statement: The PR professional begins to develop and
draft a solid statement that will help maintain ones message and the crisis. After the team
has approved this statement, the PR professional must issue and send a preliminary
statement in order to get the message out and control it.
81

9. Monitor the response: Now that the statement is out, the PR professional must monitor
the response in social media monitoring tools, in news articles, radio and TV. The PR

78
Interview with Brenda Lynch
79
Ibid.
80
Ibid.
81
Ibid.

20

professional also needs to maintain a log of all media and other audiences contacted
during a crisis. The reason for this is that an individual cannot remember it all and God
forbid if this crisis where to happen again, the individual will know who will come and
cover it. It’s also important to review all current communications, which means to turn
off all ads and emails and check scheduled posts on social media platforms such as
hootsuite and tweetdeck.
82

10. Implement all aspects of ones plan: the PR professional must evaluate the response
and or statement they provided to the media and the public, and now adjust the plan and
resolve it.
83

After the crisis has settled down, it is imperative that you follow up with reporters,
develop a new PR/marketing program and make new friends and relationships. By doing this, it
will not only show that one cares about what happened and who it affected, but that one is
proactively trying to ensure that this crisis will not happen again. Some may question and
wonder if this crisis communication plan actually works. In the researcher’s opinion, without a
plan, the crisis can and will occur and has a higher probability to turn into an even worse
scenario – even a disaster -- if not properly planned and faced head on. For example, when
dealing with an organization or a professional athlete, there can be serious PR implications if the
media starts to create their own narrative and the PR professional may no longer have control. In
fact, crisis experts say it’s important to react to the crisis before the media starts reporting on it.

82
Interview with Brenda Lynch
83
Ibid.

21

“It is always better to play offense than defense when managing a crisis,” said crisis expert
Professor Lynch.
84
“If you control the playbook, you can control the playing field.”
85

Planning and Developing A Crisis Communication Plan For The Sports Industry
Once a PR professional comprehends and fully understands these 10 steps, the next phase
is to plan and develop a crisis communication plan. When developing a crisis communication
plan, one should keep in mind that all crises can become a major crisis. “Go into every situation
as if it is a major communications crisis,” said crisis expert Professor Lynch.
86
“You are
prepared, poised and actively engaged. If the situation is actually less severe than you thought,
you can stand down and let it fade away. It is almost impossible to catch up and manage a
situation, if you go in unprepared.”
87
This is why it’s inevitable that no matter where you work, a
PR professional should always have a crisis communication plan ready to go. However, it is
important to note that the PR professionals and the crisis communication team they form build
their plans to address specific types of crises.
88
The reasoning behind this is that there are certain
actions that must take place in order to manage one specific type of crisis.
89
On the contrary,
those actions may be different from other actions needed to manage a different type of crisis.
90

According to the 2
nd
Edition book Sport Public Relations: Managing Stakeholder
Communication there are five steps in developing a crisis communication plan. First, one must

84
Interview with Brenda Lynch
85
Ibid.
86
Ibid.
87
Ibid.
88
Devlin, Edward S., Crisis Management Planning and Execution. Boca Raton, FL, Auerbach
Publications, 2007., p. 84.
89
Ibid, p. 84
90
Ibid, p. 84

22

ensure that the senior management can and will support the development of the crisis plan.
91

Without these important people and their support, employees won’t take the planning seriously
or make it a priority.
92
Second, one must ensure to keep the key personnel on the planning
committee and involved at all times.
93
These are the members who were critical in anticipating
and foretelling a crisis, which means they are vital in providing insights for the planning of a
crisis communication plan.
94
It is important to note that when dealing with a sports organization,
the legal counsel is a huge contributor as they are in many other industries as well.
95
The
reasoning behind this is legal action against a sports organization or athlete can be the major
factor for a crisis to occur.
96
The legal counsel will offer legal advice and analysis on what can
de defensible and what can’t.
97
However, there can also be a negative aspect when dealing with a
legal counsel. They sometimes will advise an athlete or sports organization to say little to
nothing when a crisis is happening.
98
PR professionals would argue against this in certain
circumstances, as PR professional’s best interest is the image and reputation among the public
and the media instead of worrying too much about legal issues.
99
Arguably, the law is the law
and PR professionals need to follow the law. PR professionals care about communicating as
transparently as possible instead of stonewalling. That is why a PR professional must stand their
ground and make sure that an athlete or sports organization puts their complete trust in them.
Keren Lynch, Publicist for the Anaheim Ducks says though she’s never experienced much

91
Stoldt, G. Clayton et al. Sport Public Relations 2nd Edition: Managing Stakeholder
Communication. Second, Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics, 2012., p 202.
92
Ibid., p 202
93
Ibid., p 202
94
Ibid., p 202
95
Ibid., p 202
96
Ibid., p 202
97
Ibid., p 202
98
Ibid., p 202
99
Ibid., p 202

23

pushback from her clients, the best way to have them trust you during times of crisis is by
“explaining to them the situation in a rational way and giving them their options on the way we
see things go about it.”
100
Professional golfer, Lee Lopez expressed that if an athlete does
pushback, a PR professional should “explain the different ways they may be ruining their
reputation or how it can lead to problems down the road.”
101
“It's important to establish an open
and honest line of communication from the very beginning,”
102
said Lopez. “If and when a crisis
does occur then you already have a strong relationship.
103
She also added that PR professionals
“should support what you are trying to communicate with examples and/or real life situations
that have happened in the past.”
104
She also mentioned how important it is to work together with
them as it is “their brand and brand perception”
105
that’s on the line. “Our PR team and I are
trying to help them build. You definitely need to work with them and come up with a strategy
together that they are comfortable with. Give your guidance and expertise to the situation.”
The third step is to make sure that all employees understand and acknowledge that there
is a plan in place and how important it is to consult the plan when a crisis occurs.
106
However,
this doesn’t mean that all employees need the crisis plan in their possession. Instead they need to
always keep in mind that if in fact a crisis could develop, they should know who to contact from
the crisis committee in order to alert them of the possible harmful crisis.
107
These employees also
need to refer any crisis-related inquiries to the correct crisis communication committee

100
Interview with Keren Lynch
101
Interview with Lee Lopez
102
Interview with Lee Lopez
103
Ibid.
104
Ibid.
105
Interview with Keren Lynch
106
Ibid.
107
Stoldt, G. Clayton et al. Sport Public Relations 2nd Edition: Managing Stakeholder
Communication. Second, Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics, 2012., p 202.

24

member.
108
That means that employees should be armed with an easily accessible committee
contact list. Coaches are also an important part of a crisis communication plan. Quite often,
coaches want to take matters into their own hands and make statements that can be damaging or
used against them in a court of law.
109
They must be on the same page with the crisis committee,
legal counsel and PR team so that they do not encounter contrary positions and opinions.
Testing the plan is the fourth step. These tests include mock drills, written or oral exams
and callback exercises to make sure the crisis communication committee have gone through their
contacts to see the importance of having connections such as the media.
110
Finally, the fifth step
entails the Sports PR professionals and managers staying committed to their plan that has been
developed and be ready to use it when a crisis occurs.
111
Though it may sound like common
sense and a bit naïve, a PR professional should always remember not to wing a crisis when it
explodes. Instead, be prepared and use the plan. If you wing it, you could potentially threaten,
harm or forever taint someone’s life, image and reputation eternally. Athletes and sports owners
rely on their PR teams and put all their trust in them; don’t let them down.

108
Stoldt, G. Clayton et al. Sport Public Relations 2nd Edition: Managing Stakeholder
Communication. Second, Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics, 2012., p 202.
109
Ibid., p 202.
110
Ibid., p 202.
111
Ibid., p 202.

25

Case Studies
One of the biggest reasons crisis communication in the sports industry is important is that
the image of an individual plays a key role in sports. A sports figure can encounter or cause a
crisis at any given time without any notice. For example, typically an athlete has limited time
period to be at their peak. Therefore, if they are embroiled in a crisis, it will have a tremendous
impact on their earnings. Professional athletes and team owners have to maintain a certain
image as they are constantly on TV, in the news, portrayed on social media and in the limelight.
Individuals connected to the sports industry are admired and seen as role models for adults and
children. “It is important an athlete has an understanding of the spotlight they are in and that
they have a large responsibility to be good role models and inspire future athletes,”
112
says
professional golfer Lee Lopez. That is why it is so important for them to maintain a strong
image and to have a PR team at the ready in times of crisis. There can be many effects that can
result from not having a public relations team,. To better understand why these PR
professionals are needed, the researcher analyzed four examples of athletes and/or sports team
owners who employed successful and unsuccessful Crisis Communication/PR techniques.
Some of the case studies will apply the four phases of crisis and each will include a descriptive
timeline, background, research, explore actions taken, execution, evaluation and conclusion.
The case study will identify how the PR teams were successful, unsuccessful, and/or ineffective
in their messaging, as well as and the best strategic ways of communicating to the athletes’ fans
and media during a crisis. Also, the researcher has examined the specific communication or
lack there of with the PR teams and the media/fans. Each case study presented will demonstrate
how prominent the athletes and their crises were in the media. In addition, the researcher has
looked into what their publicists or PR teams did in order to maintain their reputation or how

112
Interview with Lee Lopez

26

they failed to keep these athletes in good faith (as individuals and as teammates). What could
their PR teams have done to make the situation better? Were there any ethical issues, why is
why is why the Potter Box is needed? How did these individuals’ PR teams cover these
individuals up? Was it the right strategy? Why or why not? These are the questions these PR
teams and/or professionals should’ve have been prepared to answer before handling their
client’s crisis. In order to answer these questions, the researcher will review crisis
communication strategies in general public relations practices as well as focus on four specific
examples of dealing with crises in public relations:

Case Study 1: Kobe Bryant
The basketball star helped the Lakers win five NBA championships over 20 years.
113

With a whopping 25,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists in his career, Kobe is also
one of just four players in NBA history to achieve such acclaim. For the past two decades, “The
Black Mamba” has won two Olympic gold medals, five championship rings, participated in 17
All-Star selections, scored an impressive 81-point game that ranks as the second-best in NBA
history and more than 32,000 points. In his final year with the Lakers, Kobe was the NBA’s
highest-paid player as he had “a two-year deal of a $25 million contract in 2015-16.”
114

On November 29, 2015, Kobe announced his retirement on the The Players' Tribune
website, which was one of the biggest PR announcements of the year. Although Kobe will be
known as one of the best basketball players of all time, there will always be a controversial
question that even disturbs the most devoted admirers and fans of Bryant – the rape case. His
name has become forever linked with the rape accusations of a woman while on the road in

113
Holmes, B., Stein, M., and Shelburne, R., “Kobe Bryant to retire after this season.”
ESPN.com.
114
Ibid.

27

Colorado that has tarnished his career. On July 1, 2003, at approximately noon, a 19-year-old
woman accused Bryant (24 years of age at the time) of raping her at The Lodge and Spa at
Cordillera, a hotel in Colorado.
115
At that specific time, Bryant was undergoing an arthroscopic
surgical procedure on his right knee at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic; however, he had not
informed the Lakers that he would be leaving LA and having surgery.
116
Which prompts the
first question: Did his PR team or publicist have an alibi or statement ready for Bryant in case
word got out that he was supposed to be meeting with his team about his problems with
tendinitis in his knee, instead of going to have the surgery? Celebrities and professional athletes
like to always do things at their own will and sometimes ignore their publicists. However, the
publicist should be ready to explain this situation in case a crisis was to happen. Between
11:30pm on July 1
st
and 2:30am on July 2
nd
, Bryant was taken 52 miles away to Valley View
Hospital to provide samples of DNA.
117
At this point, Bryant should have been able to call his
attorney and his PR team or publicist. If he was not able to for whatever reason, Bryant had two
other companions with him that could have done this for him. At this moment, though not clear
through the research on this case if Bryant was able to or not, his publicist and PR team needed
to be ready with a statement in case this was leaked. Since the crisis erupted, Bryant always
maintained that he engaged in a consensual sexual encounter with the alleged victim and
employee of the hotel.
118
Fortunately for Bryant, criminal charges were dropped just a year
later when the alleged victim did not want to testify against Bryant, which ended in a settlement

115
Howard, Adam. “Sexual assault allegations cast shadow over Kobe Bryant legacy.” MSNBC.
NBCUniversal News Group, 30 Nov. 2015. Web.
116
Ibid.
117
Ibid.
118
Ibid.

28

in court and a public apology that the alleged victim asked for.
119
Shortly after, Bryant gave his
wife, Vanessa Bryant, a $4 million, eight-carat purple diamond ring as an apology.
120
Was this
a bribe to make everything go away and ensure that his wife would not leave him? Or did he
actually mean well and give this ring to his wife as a sincere apology? In my opinion, this was a
PR stunt to show the public that he was sorry and that his wife forgave him for his wrong
doing. While sometimes gifts go a long way when you fight with a significant other, however
when you cheat on her, you can’t just buy her a diamond ring and hope the case just disappears.
Though for Bryant, the stunt worked. One important thing to note is that Bryant did in fact
admit the case and allegations were a “turning point” in his life, and one of the reasons his wife
suffered a miscarriage.
121
“I lost sight of what is the most important thing, and that’s family,”
said Bryant in the Kobe Bryant’s Muse documentary on Showtime.
122
“It’s the man’s job to
protect your family. It’s the man’s job to look out for your family .… It’s the man’s job to
always be the anchor of stability for your family. From that aspect, I failed miserably.”
123

Fortunately for Bryant, he is still married to his first wife and now has three daughters.
Some media outlets even suggest and allude to Bryant giving money to the alleged
accuser, though the statement says otherwise. “Although there was no mention of a financial
payout in the court filing or the statement, the Laker guard is widely believed to have agreed to
write a check to the woman to bring about a quiet conclusion to the case,” said Los Angeles

119
Howard, Adam. “Sexual assault allegations cast shadow over Kobe Bryant legacy.” MSNBC.
NBCUniversal News Group, 30 Nov. 2015. Web.
120
Stern, Marlow. “Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s
Story, and the Half-Confession.” The Daily Beast., 04 Nov. 2016. Web.
121
Ibid.
122
Ibid.
123
Ibid.

29

Times writer.
124
In the researcher’s opinion, after reviewing the evidence and timeline of events
of this case, Bryant’s PR team could have educated him further on media training. For example,
he badmouthed and essentially tried to tarnish another image of a former friend and Lakers
teammate, Shaquille O’Neal in the police report. When questioned by officers about the sexual
assault, Bryant said, “I should have done what Shaq does. Shaq gives them money or buys
them cars, he has already spent one million dollars.”
125
The report also mentioned, “Kobe
stated that Shaq does this to keep the girls quiet.”
126
Regardless of the need for more media
training, research showed that Bryant consistently got his message and point across throughout
the process. The approach Bryant took of never admitting guilt was one thing that his legal and
PR team had to instill in his brain in order to reach the settlement he did. Bryant had to
publically apologize in court and his alleged accuser approved this statement:

“I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman. No
money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used
against me in the civil case. Although I truly believe this encounter between us was
consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same
way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her
testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this
encounter.”
127

After analyzing this statement, though the researcher does not agree or support him at all,
his PR team’s approach actually worked, and can’t fathom how. His PR team chose to stick to
denial until the end and had him use words that sound compassionate and apologetic without
saying the word “sorry” or admitting guilt. Some words that stood out to me in this statement
that many PR professionals use for crisis or every day statements include: recognize,

124
Henson, Steve. "Bryant and His Accuser Settle Civil Assault Case." Los Angeles Times, 3
March 2005. Web.
125
Stern, Marlow. “Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s
Story, and the Half-Confession.” The Daily Beast. 04 Nov. 2016. Web.
126
Ibid.
127
Ibid.

30

reviewing, listening and understand. These words try to demonstrate compassion and try to
allude that he understands the situation, however still maintaining his clear message of
disagreement.
Although his rape crisis is very controversial and disturbing, it’s vital to note that this
incident could have cost Bryant fans and decreased the ticket sales for the Lakers at that time.
In addition, large corporate brands were more likely to not want to endorse Bryant or may have
even backed out on their sponsorships with Bryant because of this wrongdoing. This could
have essentially lead brands to take a risk on other players who were great basketball players,
but who were not necessarily as well known as Bryant. Even with Bryant’s alleged rape
scandal, people still loved him. When comparing Bryant to another iconic basketball player
who had to endure a crisis, Michael Jordan comes to mind. Of course Michael’s scandal was
not as sensitive as Bryant’s, but he was accused of gambling on his games, which set him back
just a little as the NBA asked him to take a year off and come back. Though there wasn’t
sufficient evidence to prove this, the researcher argues that Bryant’s PR team may have thought
that if Michael Jordan was able to be let off easily with one year off, how hard could it be to
maintain and keep Bryant’s image intact despite his alleged rape crisis. They may even have
been depending on the loyal Bryant followers that he always had.
Overall, this unethical PR scheme worked because Kobe and the Lakers are clearly still
making lots of money, ticket sales are up and marketers are continuing to brand Bryant
everywhere. “Kobe is the perfect example of someone who really turned around his entire
brand,”
128
said Keren Lynch. “He was dropped by a lot of sponsors. He did a lot in the
community and did some fan base outreach, which he hadn’t done much before. This is a good
example of going back to your roots and giving back to your fans and winning them back over.

128
Interview with Keren Lynch

31

He did a pretty good job of not letting it drag out, settling it in court and providing the public
apology.”
129

Though some may argue this crisis was unethical, Bryant’s PR team played their cards
right and was able to control the narrative in a way that made the crisis go away. It is also
important to apply the Potter Box for this case. Through this case study, one can define and
notice the ethical situation between Bryant and the accuser. There was clear evidence of the
situation that occurred; yet the celebrity prevailed because of his status. Some values that relate
to the situation includes: Journalistic values such as the public’s right to know, truth telling,
balance and fairness and legal values. In this case, as one analyzes the ethical issue, there are
three philosophers that play a role and should’ve been considered when handling this case.
They include Aristotle, Kant and Mill. Their theories and beliefs resemble values that came into
play in this crisis. Aristotle believed, people should be happy, but in moderation. So why
couldn’t Bryant pay off his accuser? It would fulfill his happiness to settle the issue, and he’s
worked extremely hard to keep up his reputation and name. It’s not like Bryant encounters
these types of problems all the time. Arguably, would Bryant be able to be truthful or honest if
a reporter asked him if he sexually assaulted this woman? In the researcher’s opinion, Bryant
probably would not be able to be honest. Kant believed in law and order – was it against the
law for Bryant to sexually assault this woman? Yes, according to the laws of the United States.
Therefore, rules are rules, and though Bryant did in fact go to court and followed the rules with
legal proceedings, he may not have been honest the whole time. Mill’s believed that our
decisions should be based on what was right or better for the greater good. Ethically, of course
it felt as though if Bryant ended up acknowledging and admitting that he had sexually assaulted
this woman, there would’ve been consequences right from the start of the crisis. Whether one

129
Interview with Keren Lynch

32

believes Bryant sexually assaulted this woman or not, there were a lot of people who had a
stake in the situation. That is why it’s important for Bryant and his PR and legal team to
consider who their loyalties are before proceeding with their decisions in this case. It’s clear to
see that there is a chain of effect here. Not only will Bryant and his PR and legal team be
affected by their decision but also so will, the NBA, the Lakers franchise, the owner of the
Lakers, Bryant’s teammates, Bryant’s family and friends, Lakers employees, fans, law
enforcement and many other stakeholders. Perhaps Bryant and his PR and legal team were
considering the good of these people and how they could be affected because of Bryant’s
actions. Arguably, they weren’t necessarily putting into account the emotional stress this
woman or future women would have for the rest of their lives. After careful consideration and
applying the four elements of the Potter Box, it was not ethical for Bryant to avoid transparency
behind this case in order to protect his own interests. It is in Bryant’s and his PR and legal
teams best interest to be more cognizant of what can happen in the future even though it will
affect them. Bryant came out a winner in this case, but he and his PR and legal team need to
take full responsibility by being transparent moving forward.

Case Study 2: Donald Sterling and the NBA
The researcher used a word cloud specifically for Donald Sterling and the NBA, to
demonstrate some interesting terminology. While analyzing this particular case, it was
interesting to see how a PR team handled a situation in which they were serving both the owner
of an NBA team and the actual NBA itself. They had to choose their words wisely without bad
mouthing either side until Sterling hired his own legal team.

33

Donald Sterling bought the Clippers in 1981 and was the longest-tenured owner in the
NBA since Lakers owner Jerry Buss died.
130
He’s known for making discriminatory comments
and has been involved in many previous lawsuits (including one with former executive vice
president and general manager of the Clippers).
131
Rochelle Sterling, Sterling's wife, filed a
lawsuit against V. Stiviano, alleging she had a sexual affair with her husband.
132
The suit,
which states Sterling and Stiviano began their relationship after meeting at the Super Bowl in
2010, asked for a return of all cash, land cars and other items that under California law are the
community property of the Sterlings.
133

On April 25, 2014, TMZ released a discriminatory and racist recording of Donald
Sterling and his girlfriend.
134
Sterling was speaking to his girlfriend and questioned her about
her association with minorities. His girlfriend, whose ethnicity is African American and
Mexican, had posted a picture of herself with Magic Johnson on Instagram. TMZ released the
recording, which had Sterling stating the following: “It bothers me a lot that you want to
broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?” the man believed to be
Sterling says. He continues, “You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you
can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring
them to my games.”
135

After these comments were leaked, according to a word cloud created by Adam
Colasanto, a Customer Success Manager at Crimson Hexagon, the conversation was being

130
"LA Clippers owner allegedly says: 'Don't bring black people to my games'" The Guardian.
Guardian News and Media, 26 Apr. 2014. Web.
131
Ibid.
132
Ibid.
133
Ibid.
134
"Donald Sterling -- I'm Not a Racist." TMZ.com, 29 June 2016. Web.
135
Ibid.

34

dominated by Donald Sterling.”
136
It can be best summarized with this word cloud (see Exhibit
B):

Exhibit B – Donald Sterling Word Cloud
According to Adam Colasanto of Crimson Hexagon, the exhibit shows the “news sharing,
tweets of anger and frustration, emotional hurt, and a call for swift and decisive justice,” which
are only some of the examples of the many tweets stirring the pot and trending on Twitter.
137

When considering the proactive phase of a crisis, the NBA most probably had already
developed action plans set for: legal problems, and make sure that every player, coach owner
would receive due process when involved in a lawsuit. Also, when an Owner, Sterling in this
case for example, caused uproar or was involved in a lawsuit, the NBA would have a crisis plan
in order. This is also the time when the NBA should realize that because they could potentially
enter a lawsuit, Sterling should have a lawyer of his own and hire a separate PR team to defend
him. The reasoning behind this is because the loyalty of the PR team may be more with the

136
Colasanto, Adam. "Did Sterling Remarks Create a Brand Crisis for the NBA?" Crimson
Hexagon. n.d. Web.
137
Ibid.

35

NBA, and not with Sterling. In addition, if Sterling’s actions ultimately are seen as in
opposition to the NBA, it would be a conflict of interest. Or maybe in this scenario, the PR
team took into account impact this case would have on the Clippers head coach, Doc Rivers.
The PR team should ask themselves what if Rivers quits next season because Sterling still
owned the franchise? During this phase, advertisers also began to cut ties, which harmed the
Clippers as they started to lose money.
138
The NBA needed to be constantly telling the public
what was going on or what they were doing. The Clippers as a team protested.
139
Luckily, the
Clippers played their next few games, however what would have happened if the team decided
not to play? The domino affect continued as fans also started protesting. Some fans decided to
boycott the games because of Sterling’s behavior. Should the team be punished for the Owner’s
outlandish behavior? In the researchers opinion no, but the researcher would have made sure
that the NBA and the Clippers had a strong legal counsel and PR team to help with these
problems.
During the strategic phase, the NBA assigned spokesperson, Adam Silver for the initial
contact with the public and the media, serving as the face of the NBA at any press conferences
and be the author of press statements.
140
What is important to note is that this also was Silver’s
first year as NBA Commissioner. Silver was under great scrutiny and pressure from the public
and the media to do something to punish Sterling.
141
This was when the PR team needed to ask
themselves certain questions to continue to handle their crisis successfully. How should Silver
be handling these action plans? What are the strategies and tactics on how the NBA should
respond? Is a fine to a billionaire sufficient punishment for such behavior, and what

138
"Donald Sterling Timeline." NBA.com. N.p., 12 Aug. 2014. Web.
139
Ibid.
140
Ibid.
141
Zillgitt, Jeff. "How will NBA's Adam Silver punish Donald Sterling?" USA Today Sports.
Gannett Satellite Information Network, 29 Apr. 2014. Web.

36

punishments are available as alternatives? Do you just fine a team or do you stray from the
norm and sell the team? In the opinion of many fans, sponsors team players and the researcher,
the question shouldn’t be whether the NBA should punish Sterling; it’s simply how harsh the
terms will be. During this time, the PR team needed to analyze and figure out that no matter
what decision was made, the NBA had to be and show authority, confidence and decisiveness.
The reasoning behind this is to show the world the NBA is not messing around and positive
change is happening. When the reactive phase came into play and the recording was leaked,
this is where the NBA issued the following statement from spokesperson Mike Bass: “We are
in the process of conducting a full investigation into the audio recording obtained by TMZ. The
remarks heard on the recording are disturbing and offensive, but at this time we have no further
information.”
142
In addition to this statement, Andy Roeser, Clippers President also released the
following statement on behalf of the Clippers & Donald Sterling:
“We have heard the tape on TMZ. We do not know if it is legitimate or [if] it has been
altered. We do know that the woman on the tape -- who we believe released it to TMZ --
is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled
more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would “get even.” Mr. Sterling is
emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect
his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how
he has lived his life. He feels terrible that such sentiments are being attributed to him and
apologizes to anyone who might have been hurt by them. He is also upset and apologizes
for sentiments attributed to him about Earvin [Magic] Johnson. He has long considered
Magic a friend and has only the utmost respect and admiration for him -- both in terms of
who he is and what he has achieved. We are investigating this matter.”
143

It was also a smart move by the NBA to have Chris Paul, the National Basketball Players
Association President, who happens to also be the captain of the Clippers, release a statement
as well: “On behalf of the National Basketball Players Association, this is a very serious issue
which we will address aggressively. We have asked Mayor Kevin Johnson to expand his

142
"Alleged Sterling talk being probed." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 27 Apr. 2014. Web.
143
Ibid.

37

responsibilities with the NBPA, to determine our response and our next steps. As players, we
owe it to our teams and our fans to keep our focus on our game, the playoffs, and the drive to
the Finals.”
144

Lastly, the NBA held a press conference where NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, gave
another statement and answered questions from the media.
145
At this press conference, Silver
announced that Sterling was going to be fined and banned for life.
146
Shortly after, Sterling sent
a thirty two-page statement suing the NBA for one billion dollars.
147
While all of this was
happening, news spread everywhere and the PR team was checking what was being said in the
media and various social media platforms. In addition, they were checking who the media and
social media was turning to whether it be to point the finger or to see who was going to make a
decision for the betterment of the team. Current and former players around the league began
reacting on social media as news of the investigation spread.
148
There were even public
responses from Obama, respected basketball legends like Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron
James, as well as current Clippers players like DeAndre Jordan.
149
Numerous owners also
spoke out on the matter, many offering their vocal support of the commissioner's office to
respond appropriately.
150
Everyone had strong sentiments about Sterling on social media,
however, everyone was questioning the NBA, telling them how they had to handle the matter,
banning or selling it.

144
"Alleged Sterling talk being probed." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 27 Apr. 2014. Web.
145
"Clippers owner Sterling banned for life by the NBA." NBA.com. N.p., 30 Apr. 2014. Web.
146
Ibid.
147
Price, Satchel. "The complete Donald Sterling saga timeline." SBNation.com., 30 May 2014.
Web.
148
"Alleged Sterling talk being probed." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 27 Apr. 2014. Web.
149
Ibid.
150
"Donald Sterling receives lifetime ban." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 30 Apr. 2014. Web.

38

Finally, during the recovery phase, in my opinion is where the PR Team for the NBA
began to shine and make the most out of what they could. Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft
CEO bid two billion dollars for the Clippers. The NBA and team owners voted on a new owner
and the Clippers Franchise was sold to Ballmer. Shelly Sterling and Ballmer reached the
agreement after medical experts deemed the 80-year-old Donald Sterling to be “mentally
incapacitated,” turning over sole trusteeship of the franchise to his wife.
151
This was the perfect
opportunity for the PR team to rebrand the Clippers as they had been drowning for decades of
awful basketball and a headline-grabbing racial scandal. So what did the PR professionals do?
They publicized their rebranding. Ballmer unveiled the Clippers new logo on Conan O’Brien,
and handed out shirts and cupcakes at Sprinkles in downtown L.A. with former player Cuttino
Mobley.
152
Head Clippers coach, Doc Rivers handed out shirts and hot dogs with longtime
announcer Ralph Lawler at Pink's in Hollywood.
153
In addition, there also were T-shirts draped
over seats and greeted travelers at LAX and students arriving for their last day at a nearby
middle school found the same.
154
Though the new look received a lot of criticism from fans and
reporters, the PR team did an excellent job of portraying real change, not a marketing gimmick.
It’s imperative to restore an athlete’s or sports team’s image and repair their reputation after a
crisis settles down. But how does a PR professional do it? Keren Lynch says, “It’s important to
address the issue in an organic way.”
155
And that’s just what the Clippers did. Keren Lynch,
continued, “Depending on the issue, definitely taking a look at your overall brand and seeing if
there’s a way you could give back to the community, making sure you’re doing it in a natural

151
Price, Satchel. "The complete Donald Sterling saga timeline." SBNation.com., 30 May 2014.
Web.
152
Markazi, Arash. "Steve Ballmer, Doc Rivers to Hit Streets of L.A. to Promote Rebranding
Effort." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 18 June 2015. Web.
153
Ibid.
154
Ibid.
155
Interview with Keren Lynch

39

and organic way so it’s not seen as something that you’re just doing because you got into these
issues. You need to take it from a brew about your intentions. You can’t just do something
because you think it’s going to make you look good. Make sure this is [giving back or helping
charities] something that your passionate about and you do it for the right reasons.”
156
Caulfield
also agreed it depends on the scenario, but also shared the importance of the fluidity in the
response. “Restoration is contingent upon what the incident might be,”
157
said Caulfield. “I
don’t necessarily think there’s a one size fits all when it comes to crisis communications. I
don’t think there is one direct playbook for any one situation. Because every club and every
city and every crisis scenario are so different, you really have to be really fluid on how you
respond.”
158
The fact that fans and the media were debating the design – while nobody was
talking about Sterling, which just a year ago was big news, – is in itself a triumph for the
brand. The focus was less now on Sterling, and more on the Clippers new brand and the fans
could now wear their team’s new colors with pride. Although there were many difficult steps of
change, thanks to their PR team, the Clippers along with the NBA entered a new era. Sterling
on the other hand is now one of the most hated men who ever stepped foot in Los Angeles and
on the basketball court.
In the researcher’s opinion, after reviewing the case, this PR team handled the Sterling
crisis successfully. However, this positive endorsement doesn’t include the Sterling’s PR team,
if he actually hired one. Sterling’s problems continued on and on and silence ended up
prevailing. “He dragged out for months because there was a whole court battle,”
159
said Keren
Lynch. “The wife sued the mistress who had released the tapes and it kept going and there

156
Interview with Keren Lynch
157
Interview with Alex Caulfield
158
Ibid.
159
Interview with Keren Lynch

40

wasn’t really any comment from Sterling’s team.”
160
Some things for a PR professional to
consider when dealing with a crisis such as the Donald Sterling and NBA crisis is that once the
remarks went public, things could have gone way differently. The PR team could have advised
the NBA to go in a completely different direction and brush off the accusations at all cause.
One would think that they could have done a normal PR blitz, promise a bunch of non-existent
change and then rebrand in hopes of making this crisis go away. However, the PR team took a
very different path. First, they dealt with the employees, then the players and then made the
players cover the logo on their jerseys as they walked onto the court. Because of that protest,
and the tons of backlash on social media across the globe, Commissioner Silver had no other
choice than to ban Sterling. Lastly the Clippers franchise PR team did an amazing job of
rebranding with a new owner who came in search of the change that the Clippers longed for.
Even with this major crisis on their hands, the Clippers PR team successfully executed its
rebrand.

Case Study 3: Lance Armstrong
Seven-time Tour De France winner and testicular cancer survivor, Lance Armstrong was
known as one of the most inspirational and iconic athlete for at least two decades. This was of
course, until there were allegations made about him using performance-enhancing drugs in
2012. Who would have thought the founder of the yellow “Livestrong” bracelets would get
caught up in such a crisis?
In October of 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer and in
1997 after surviving cancer, he founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation to fund and help

160
Interview with Keren Lynch

41

people affected by this disease.
161
In 1999, during his first Tour de France, several articles in
French newspapers suggest that Armstrong used the drug Peloton after cyclist Paul Kimmage
made some allegations.
162
Shortly after taking a urine test, it was revealed that Armstrong used
an approved cream for saddle sores that contained corticosteroid.
163
Armstrong continued to
win 7 consecutive Tour de Frances, that is until French journalists Pierre Ballester and David
Walsh published the book L.A. Confidentiel – Les secrets de Lance Armstrong, which is when
things start to crumble.
164
The book alleges that Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs
and discusses how his former assistant was asked to “dispose of used syringes and requested
makeup to conceal needle marks on his arms.”
165
During this time, it would have been
interesting to see if Armstrong received many media inquiries regarding these allegations. If he
did, what were their responses? If he had one, his PR team during this time should have been
ready with their crisis communication plan. However, some may argue that Armstrong was
repeatedly questioned and people did indeed speak against Armstrong. Unfortunately,
Armstrong was a noted bully who brutally destroyed anyone who questioned him, which may
have been a reason as to the difficult measures his PR team has to deal with. The first thing a
PR professional should question is if one or two people have brought up these allegations, how
do we know that more people won’t come out and say the same thing? Knowing that there is a
book out there with ones clients’ name and assistant with serious accusations, there should have
been some kind of response or statement about it. However, if he was hiding something, which
in this case he was, that is probably why his legal team and PR team advised him not to admit

161
News, CBC. "The Life and times of Lance Armstrong." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 18
Jan. 2013. Web.
162
Ibid.
163
Ibid.
164
Ibid.
165
Ibid.

42

to doping because at the time, there wasn’t enough evidence to confirm his alleged actions,
though there were numerous rumors.
A year later, Armstrong retired from competitive cycling and Texas Company SCA
Promotions wouldn’t pay for his Tour de France victory in 2004 until the doping allegations
were confirmed to be false.
166
However in the end, SCA ended up paying Armstrong $7.5
million for his bonus and legal costs.
167
In 2008, Armstrong returned to pro cycling in hopes of
winning another Tour de France. Two years later, another person came out and accused
Armstrong of doping. Teammate Floyd Landis sent emails to sponsors and officials’ claiming
Armstrong was using illegal drugs.
168
Again, at this moment, his PR and legal team should
have been ready for a crisis to stir. Arguably, in this case, Armstrong was said to be the man in
charge and making the calls. Therefore, the PR team had to follow orders and Armstrong flatly
denied the charges and repeatedly lied. With regards to this specific circumstance, if
Armstrong’s PR team knows for a fact that Armstrong is lying and can put himself and his staff
into ethical or legal problems, the researcher believes it is best to resign respectfully from ones
job as it is not worth damaging and jeopardizing one’s name and future. For example, if
Armstrong is caught doing something ethically or legally wrong, one may want to apply for a
new job but may have difficulty, as no one will want that individual to represent their company
or work for their company.
Armstrong announced his retirement again, but this time “for good.”
169
Once more,
another teammate Tyler Hamilton told CBS’s 60 Minutes that Armstrong used performance-

166
News, CBC. "The Life and times of Lance Armstrong." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 18
Jan. 2013. Web.
167
Ibid.
168
Ibid.
169
News, CBC. "The Life and times of Lance Armstrong." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 18
Jan. 2013. Web.

43

enhancing drugs during the 1999 Tour de France in addition to preparing for the 2000 and 2001
races.
170
Even though these allegations were coming forward, Armstrong continued to compete
in Ironman competitions and triathlons, and on June 29, 2012, the US Anti-Doping Agency
(USADA) charged Armstrong with doping and trafficking of drugs, with evidence from blood
samples dating back to 2009 and 2010.
171
As the investigation unraveled, Armstrong lost
several sponsorships and started negatively trending on Twitter. Still, Armstrong had yet to
make a public statement about the alleged doping until August 24, 2012.
172
Armstrong released
a long and detailed statement where he did not admit guilt and used a different tactic:
“There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ For
me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair
advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been
subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart's
unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our
foundation and on me leads me to where I am today—finished with this nonsense.”
173

Though well written and clever, this ‘statement’ or essay, goes on for another five more
paragraphs declining arbitration. His PR team could have come up with a shorter, more
strategic way of responding to these accusations. Instead they advised him to respond with a
six-paragraph statement, which didn’t admit his wrongdoing. Nevertheless, his statement made
the USADA come across as insistent on finding Armstrong guilty no matter the means. They
also seemed to try to ensure they made headlines as being the DA who caught one of the most
well known cyclists of the world. After all, rules are rules and Armstrong broke them and his
PR team should have supported a plan that helped him come clean from the beginning. Maybe
if he had come clean earlier on, he could have made a statement that he was working on getting

170
News, CBC. "The Life and times of Lance Armstrong." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 18
Jan. 2013. Web.
171
Ibid.
172
Ibid.
173
Ibid.

44

treated or something the along the lines of bettering himself. There needed to be some serious
damage control early on, and the PR team failed to do that until later.
Although there was enough evidence to prove Armstrong guilty, he continues to have
support from the Livestrong Foundation fans. Armstrong had a speaking engagement at the
15th anniversary celebration of the Livestrong cancer-fighting charity in Texas and asked the
crowd to support him by saying:
“The mission is bigger than me. It's bigger than any individual. I am ... truly humbled by
your support. It's been an interesting couple of weeks. It's been a difficult couple of
weeks for me and my family, my friends and this foundation.”
174

This comes off as him asking for sympathy for what he had done, rather than admitting to
the alleged doping. This language was clearly written carefully by his PR team and legal
counsel, though the researcher questions if it is sincere. From a PR perspective, Armstrong was
clearly going through a rough patch, however, one can argue that people did not seem to care
about the doping allegations and supported him along the way. On the contrary, understandably
so, they probably could not have him say too much or admit to anything as the investigation
was still ongoing and could have jeopardized the integrity of the investigation. Sometimes a PR
professional may want to share enough information and provide the truth, however, sometimes
their boss or legal counsel can disagree and overrule them.
Finally, on October 22, 2012, an announcement was made that Armstrong would be
stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life.
175
A day after the
announcement, Armstrong removed the wording mentioning his seven Tour de France wins in
his profile on his Twitter account, which had about 3.8 million followers.
176
The new statement

174
News, CBC. "The Life and times of Lance Armstrong." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 18
Jan. 2013. Web.
175
Ibid.

176
Ibid.

45

at the time read, “Raising my five kids. Fighting Cancer. Swim, bike, run and golf whenever I
can.”
177
Today, the profile states, “Love the sūffer-fest.”
178
What is important to note is that this
change and removal was the only immediate reaction from Armstrong because of the titles
being stripped. There were no formal statements or immediate interviews. Being stripped of his
seven titles is a serious issue and he should not have been silent. His PR team should have
advised him to appear publicly and give a statement. By this time Armstrong was widely hated
by his peers and mistrusted by the public. His PR team needed to try to get Armstrong to
acknowledge that many despised him, and he must show transparency to earn back trust from
his peers and the public. By simply changing words on his Twitter account, it showed that he
didn’t care to share with his loyal supporters or fans what he has done or even apologize to
them for this wrong doing. It is unfortunate that it took him a year later to go on the record and
admit to using performance-enhancing drugs during the Tour de France competitions and to
being the leader of a doping scheme on the U.S. Postal Service cycling team in an interview
with Oprah Winfrey.
179
Though the researcher does believe doing an interview with Winfrey
was a smart move, the researcher also strongly thinks it took his Armstrong way too long to for
him to admit to the doping. In addition, when Armstrong admitted he was guilty during this
interview, he received strong criticism from the cycling industry. For example, Document
Capture Co, a family run business, which has been collecting data for 15 years, gathered the
most often used words and phrases uttered by Lance Armstrong during his interview with

177
News, CBC. "The Life and times of Lance Armstrong." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 18
Jan. 2013. Web.
178
Official Lance Armstrong Twitter Account
179
News, CBC. "The Life and times of Lance Armstrong." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 18
Jan. 2013. Web.

46

Oprah Winfrey.
180
These words provide detailed insight to Armstrong’s thought process and
can be summarized and demonstrated in the following Word Cloud (see Exhibit C):

Exhibit C – Lance Armstrong Word Cloud
One can notice the size of certain words, which signifies how frequent this word was
used.
181
For example, the larger words show the most common phrases used by Armstrong.
Words such as “know”, “yes” and “one”, shows seclusion.
182
There is also a pattern. The words
“Leader”, “story”, “win”, “winning” and “perfect” all show up as some of the most repeatedly
spoken words in Armstrong’s interview, which makes him come across as being self-important
when he was supposed to be admitting guilt.
183
Some other words used are ‘culture’, ‘team’,
‘generation’, ‘people’ and ‘everybody’, which demonstrate Armstrong trying to avert the blame
away from himself.
184
In addition, the size of the words ‘apologize’, ‘sorry’, ‘cheat’ and ‘fault’

180
"What We Can Learn from the Lance Armstrong Word Cloud - Doc Capture Co." Document
Capture Co. N.p., 20 Feb. 2013. Web.
181
Ibid.
182
"What We Can Learn from the Lance Armstrong Word Cloud - Doc Capture Co." Document
Capture Co. N.p., 20 Feb. 2013. Web.
183
"What We Can Learn from the Lance Armstrong Word Cloud - Doc Capture Co." Document
Capture Co. N.p., 20 Feb. 2013. Web.

184
Ibid.

47

suggest they were hardly stated in comparison to the other words used.
185
What was also
interesting to see was the size of the word ‘drug’, which can imply why the cycling community
was displeased and unhappy with the apology that Armstrong supposedly delivered.
186

Armstrong’s allegations went on for years and could have been squashed early on. Even
though he would still go through the crisis, it would not have severely impacted his image as
much as it did many years later. His legendary status and inspirational story was crushed
because he continuously dodged rumors about himself and his doping. It was also interesting to
learn that Winfrey said Armstrong came well prepared for the interview, though he “did not
come clean in the manner [she] expected.”
187
According to an interview on CBS This Morning,
Winfrey stated, “We were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers. I feel that he
answered the questions in a way that he was ready. … He certainly had prepared himself for
this moment. … He brought it. He really did.”
188
Even though Armstrong called all the shots
was constantly in denial, he ultimately knew he had to speak since he waited for so long to
come out and admit to the doping. He finally turned to his PR team to make some sort of
statement to try to fix things. During this particular time, it seemed as though his PR team paid
particular attention to his media training and prepared him very well for this interview. Media
training is such an important part of getting the right message across because if the athlete
cannot perform well in an interview, and the media and public will continue to criticize him
and his image will continue to plummet. The issue here was that one can deny and deny until
proven guilty, yet there was enough evidence to prove that he was in fact using illegal drugs,

185
"What We Can Learn from the Lance Armstrong Word Cloud - Doc Capture Co." Document
Capture Co. N.p., 20 Feb. 2013. Web.
186
Ibid.
187
Karlinsky, Neal. "Oprah Winfrey Describes Intense Lance Armstrong Interview." ABC News.
ABC News Network, 15 Jan. 2013. Web.
188
Ibid.

48

which should be the sign for a PR professional to sound the alarm for a potential crisis, whether
it be severe or not. Armstrong was unprepared in this case and let it escalate. Not only did he
know he was doping and kept his staff in the dark or may have even forced their silence.
Unfortunately Armstrong tried to let his crisis fade away and didn’t pay attention to his PR
team. One cannot let a case like this vanish when multiple people are coming forth against you.

Case Study 4: Tiger Woods
Since becoming a professional golfer, Eldrick (Tiger) Woods, has had an exceptional
record-breaking career winning 105 tournaments (79 of those on the PGA TOUR), including
Masters Tournaments, PGA Championships and Open Championships.
189
The golf all-star is also
known as the first ever to hold all four professional major championships at the same time.
190
In
addition to being an all-time favorite golfer, Woods established the Tiger Woods Foundation in
1996, which was founded with the mission of giving children an opportunity at college and
reaching the underserved youth in all stages of academic life.
191
Unfortunately in in 2009, Woods
was caught up in one of the biggest public sex crises of all time.
Woods, who at the time was married to Swedish-American former model Elin
Nordegren, was accused of infidelity with a New York nightclub hostess, Rachel Uchitel.
192
The
crisis began to unfold when The National Inquirer leaked a story on Nov 25, 2009 that Tiger
Woods had been cheating on his wife.
193
The story revealed that Woods crashed his Cadillac

189
"About Tiger." TigerWoods.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
190
Ibid.
191
"About Tiger." TigerWoods.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
192
Bacon, Shane, and Jay Busbee. "The Complete Tiger Woods Timeline, from Escalade to
Divorce." Yahoo! 23 Aug. 2010. Web.
193
Ibid.

49

Escalade into a fire hydrant just outside his home at 2:30 a.m.
194
This report was not only
mysterious, but also came into question as the fire hydrant damage and timing of the crash did
not match up.
195
There was also a rumor that Elin had smashed Woods’ car window with a golf
club to attack the golfer and knock out his teeth.
196
Two days after the accident, Woods released
the following statement:
“As you all know, I had a single-car accident earlier this week, and sustained some
injuries. I have some cuts, bruising and right now I'm pretty sore. This situation is my
fault, and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I'm human and I'm not
perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again. This is a private matter and I
want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false,
unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me
are irresponsible. The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted
courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me.
Any other assertion is absolutely false. This incident has been stressful and very difficult
for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have
received. But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve
some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be.”
197

As mentioned earlier on in this thesis, crisis expert Professor Lynch mentioned that the
timing of a statement is as critical as its content in a crisis. Though Woods took full
responsibility for the incident, this statement needed to be released within 24 hours at a
maximum, not two days later. There were so many rumors and speculations going around, and
unfortunately Woods and his PR team were not controlling the message out there and allowing
reporters to tell and create the story. Woods waited too long and needed to address the situation
immediately because he then faced the problem of having to give more specific details in
addition to sounding unapologetic. After analyzing the statement, it also seems as though his PR
team’s strategies were to have Woods accept blame for the episode that occurred and apologize.

194
Bacon, Shane, and Jay Busbee. "The Complete Tiger Woods Timeline, from Escalade to
Divorce." Yahoo! 23 Aug. 2010. Web.
195
Ibid.
196
Ibid.
197
Busbee, Jay. "Tiger Releases Statement: 'This Situation Is My Fault'." Yahoo!, 29 Nov. 2009.
Web.

50

However, he apologized and accepted what happened by referring specifically to the car accident
and avoided anything about infidelity. “Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false,
unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are
irresponsible,” stated Woods.
198
With careful choice of words, he also discretely attacked the
accuser when addressing the allegations.
Two additional factors to point out from this statement are that he did not fully
acknowledge the rumors, but he did ask the public to respect the request for things to stay
private. It seems his PR and legal team carefully wrote every word in this statement, however,
they should have also known that by asking the public to respect the privacy of a famous athlete,
celebrity and hero to some is not something that will likely happen. Because Woods is a public
figure and famous across the globe, the media and public always want to know his business,
whether it is good or bad. Unfortunately, the reputation and image of a celebrity is not something
that you can always protect and keep private.
Several weeks passed after the statement was released and 10 other women came forward
admitting to having had affairs with Woods.
199
Story after story, the affairs played a role in the
damaging influence on public opinion. Due to these affairs and continuous negative stories,
several big-name sponsors such as Accenture, Gillette, and Gatorade, cut ties with Woods
because he no longer represented the values of their organizations.
200
His unfortunate actions led
to terrible media backlash, made him take an “indefinite leave” from golf, enroll in a sex rehab

198
Busbee, Jay. "Tiger Releases Statement: 'This Situation Is My Fault'." Yahoo!, 29 Nov. 2009.
Web.
199
Bacon, Shane, and Jay Busbee. "The Complete Tiger Woods Timeline, from Escalade to
Divorce." Yahoo!, 23 Aug. 2010. Web.
200
CBSNews. "Tiger Woods Regrets "Transgressions"." CBS News. CBS Interactive, 02 Dec.
2009. Web.

51

facility, and divorce his wife.
201
In a second statement made on December 2, 2009, Woods
actually made his first public apology for the adulterous affairs by using the word
‘transgressions’, tried to emphasize his family’s privacy, tried to get sympathy from the public
and his fans and lastly, tried to clarify and deny any claims made against his wife for a physical
assault.
202

“I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family de serves.
For all those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.
Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I
have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For
the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our
personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car
accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our
family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.”
203

The third statement, which was released on December 11, 2009, is when Woods finally
affirmed his indefinite break from golf.
204
This was also the first time he took responsibility for
cheating.
205
“I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to
so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am
profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've
done, but I want to do my best to try. I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good
people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their
understanding. What’s most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe
haven we will need for personal healing. After much soul searching, I have decided to take an
indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband,

201
Bacon, Shane, and Jay Busbee. "The Complete Tiger Woods Timeline, from Escalade to
Divorce." Yahoo!, 23 Aug. 2010. Web.
202
CBSNews. "Tiger Woods Regrets "Transgressions"." CBS News. CBS Interactive, 02 Dec.
2009. Web.
203
Ibid.
204
Bacon, Shane, and Jay Busbee. "The Complete Tiger Woods Timeline, from Escalade to
Divorce." Yahoo!, 23 Aug. 2010. Web.
205
Ibid.

52

father, and person.”
206
After reviewing the dates and the statements carefully, it took Woods
about fifteen days from the time of the mysterious accident for him to mention he had cheated on
his wife. Unfortunately, fifteen days is a long period of time to be silent on something such as
this. The public and the media criticized him for being quiet on this and waiting to acknowledge
and admit his wrongdoing. Again, this goes back to what has already been mentioned earlier on
in the thesis: A PR professional should not advise or let their client wait to have a reporter or the
public tell their story. Instead the PR professional should have advised Woods to deal with this
head on from the beginning versus letting him drag his story on. Just like PR professionals have
a job to keep Woods image in good standing, reporters also have a job to inform the public about
juicy news they are all dying to hear about. Whether it is personal matters or part of the sports
industry, the public and the media always want to know what is going on with an athlete,
because it gives them ammo to write many stories.
After plenty of back and forth, the fourth statement came as a surprise. Wood’s staff
announced that he would address the media publicly, some select reporters.
207
It is important to
note that this was the first time Woods had addressed the media since the crisis began. However,
it was not at a standard press conference, which arguably may have been a better choice. Instead,
only some were allowed to speak to Woods, which left many others criticizing everything about
Woods since they were not invited. His agent, Mark Steinberg stated the following:
“Tiger Woods will be speaking to a small group of friends, colleagues and close
associates. Tiger plans to discuss his past and his future and he intends to apologize for
his behavior. While Tiger feels that what happened is fundamentally a matter between
him and his wife, he also recognizes that he has hurt and let down a lot of other people
who were close to him. He also let down his fans. He wants to begin the process of

206
Staff, WSJ. "Tiger Woods Taking Hiatus From Golf." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones &
Company, 11 Dec. 2009. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
207
Candiotti, Susan. "Tiger Woods to Speak Publicly for First Time since Accident." CNN.
Cable News Network, 19 Feb. 2010. Web.

53

making amends, and that's what he's going to discuss.”
208

It is unfortunate his staff, including his PR team, did not allow Woods to speak at a press
conference. Reporters always have questions and this was a time for Woods to share his story
and answer some questions. By doing this, reporters could not ask questions, which most likely
made reporters even more upset that they couldn’t get answers to their unproven theories and
assumptions. On the contrary, when playing devil’s advocate, maybe his PR team did not think
Woods was ready to be confronted by many stern reporters. If he did address them publicly,
maybe he would have derailed his image and their strategy completely.
Finally, Woods gave his long-awaited apology and detailed speech on February 19, 2010
in hopes of ending this critical crisis and transition into a recovery phase.
209
Woods
acknowledged the hurt he caused family, fans and business partners, and also referenced his
foundation. “To everyone involved in my foundation, including my staff, board of directors,
sponsors, and most importantly, the young students we reach, our work is more important than
ever,” stated Woods.
210
“Thirteen years ago, my dad and I envisioned helping young people
achieve their dreams through education. This work remains unchanged and will continue to
grow. From the Learning Center students in Southern California, to the Earl Woods Scholars in
Washington, D.C., millions of kids have changed their lives, and I am dedicated to making sure
that continues.”
211
Unfortunately, this received much criticism because it came across as Woods
strategically using reinforcement tactics to pitch his foundation, when he should have been

208
Candiotti, Susan. "Tiger Woods to Speak Publicly for First Time since Accident." CNN.
Cable News Network, 19 Feb. 2010. Web.
209
"Tiger Woods' Apology: Full Transcript." CNN. Cable News Network, 19 Feb. 2010. Web.
210
Ibid.
211
Ibid.

54

focusing on the apology.
212
Woods also admitted to his time in a sex rehabilitation facility and
diverted attention to his Buddhist background and how he wanted to return to the instilled value
of faith. “It is hard to admit that I need help. But I do,” said Woods.
213
“For 45 days, from the
end of December to early February, I was in inpatient therapy, receiving guidance for the issues
I'm facing.”
214
Lastly, his call to action was that he would return back to playing professional
golf, but asked for help from people in the room. “I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don't
know when that day will be…
Finally, there are many people in this room and there are many
people at home who believed in me. Today, I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in
your hearts to one day believe in me again. Thank you.”
215
What is unfortunate is that he
addressed all of the speculations and rumors months after the crisis began and he could not
acknowledge any of this from the beginning. Instead his PR team thought it was the best move
to elongate the crisis and have him speak to only specific people for almost fourteen minutes
straight to try to recoup and better his image. However, at that time, it was almost too late to
mention all of this. He could have started the recovery phase way before and maybe his crisis
would not have been as terrible as it truly was.
In all, when discussing Woods’ terrible crisis, not only were these statements and
timeline of incidents harmful to his image and reputation as a professional golfer and husband,
they also triggered a financial loss because of the several sponsors who dropped him as a
spokesperson. Information spread so rapidly about this crisis that it was all over social media,
harming Woods’ reputation and image one tweet at a time. Wood’s current day reputation,
standing in the golf world and finances continues to evolve despite his crisis. According to The

212
"Tiger Woods' Apology: Full Transcript." CNN. Cable News Network, 19 Feb. 2010. Web.
213
Ibid.
214
Ibid.
215
Ibid.

55

Motely Fool, Woods has fallen from the top since the crisis and hasn't won a major event since
2008, which made his net worth and income suffer severely.
216
Matthew DiLallo argues that
though he suffered from finances, he was one of the 10 highest-paid athletes in 2014 and his net
worth is still high.
217
Though the crisis tarnished his reputation and hurt his earnings, Woods is
still worth a lot, just not as much as before.

Case Study 5: Tom Brady and the NFL
The star and quarterback of the New England Patriots, Tom Brady, has won four Super
Bowls. Brady was named Super Bowl MVP three times throughout his career, and is married to
the famous supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
218
What could possibly go wrong with someone
beloved such as Brady? That is the real question a PR professional or PR team should have
asked about Brady right when his career began to soar. Unfortunately, the NFL may need to
practice a bit more in their crisis communication efforts, or lack there of.
On Jan. 18, 2015, the Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7, however after the second-half
kickoff, the officials replaced the 12 balls used in the first half with 12 backup balls, which
were approved ahead of time before the game.
219
A day later, a Colts reporter Bob Kravitz
tweeted that the Patriots would be investigated for allegedly deflating the footballs.
220
With one
tweet, the crisis began. Deflated balls are known to be easier to throw and catch. Rule 2 of the
Official Playing Rules of the NFL requires that footballs used during NFL games must be

216
DiLallo, Matthew. “How Much Is Tiger Woods Worth?” The Motley Fool, 11 Oct. 2015
217
Ibid.
218
Pennington, Bill. "Patriots' Tom Brady Suspended for Four Games in Deflation Case." The
New York Times., 11 May 2015. Web.
219
"Deflategate Timeline: After 544 Days, Tom Brady Gives in." ESPN. ESPN Internet
Ventures, 15 July 2016. Web.
220
Ibid.

56

inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 PSI.
221
Eleven footballs that were supposedly replaced were
between 1.0 and 2.0 PSI, which is below the 12.5 minimum on both measurements.
222

On the radio, Brady first called the alleged deflating ‘ridiculous.’
223
This seems as though
Brady spoke out irrationally on his own before consulting what to say with his PR team or
publicist. At times, some athletes speak on their own and go against what their PR team tells
them what to say. Before using the term ‘ridiculous’, he should have consulted with his PR
team for better language. Reports showed that the Colts detected something strange after Colts
linebacker D’ Qwell Jackson intercepted the football before the second half was over.
224

Jackson then gave the football to the Colts' equipment staff, and they too believed that the
football was underinflated.
225
Reports from ESPN show that eleven of the twelve balls used in
the first half were indeed underinflated.
226
While the Patriots coach Bill Belichick addressed the
media by saying, “I have no explanation for what happened. That's what they're looking into,”
Brady stated, “I didn't alter the ball in any way.”
227
Whether or not Brady actually did this,
should not matter. He should not have been saying that he didn’t do it, instead his PR team
should have been advising him to say that he will cooperate with whatever needed to be done.
On January 23, 2015, the NFL issued a statement stating that Theodore V. Wells, Jr. and
the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (“Paul, Weiss”) along with NFL

221
"DeflateGate: The Full Ted Wells Report." The Washington Post. WP Company, n.d. Web.
222
Gaines, Cork. "Several of the Patriots' 'Deflategate' Footballs Were Way below the Allowed
PSI Level." Business Insider., 06 May 2015. Web.
223
"Deflategate Timeline: After 544 Days, Tom Brady Gives in." ESPN. ESPN Internet
Ventures, 15 July 2016. Web.
224
"Deflategate Timeline: After 544 Days, Tom Brady Gives in." ESPN. ESPN Internet
Ventures, 15 July 2016. Web.
225
Ibid.
226
"Deflategate Timeline: After 544 Days, Tom Brady Gives in." ESPN. ESPN Internet
Ventures, 15 July 2016. Web.
227
Ibid.

57

Executive Vice President Jeff Pash were to conduct an investigation.
228
Three days later Fox
Sports reported that a Patriots' locker room attendant was captured on surveillance video
carrying two bags of balls into the bathroom and exiting the bathroom 90 seconds later.
229
On
February 1, 2015, the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX, however the investigation was still
ongoing.
230
A few months later sometime in May, a report prepared by Wells and the law firm
stated that “based on the evidence developed in connection with the investigation and
summarized in this Report, we have concluded that it is more probable than not that New
England Patriots personnel participated in violations of the NFL Playing Rules and were
involved in a deliberate attempt to circumvent those rules.”
231
The report also concluded that “it
is more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate
activities of McNally and Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls.”
232

Though the investigation stated that Brady did not supposedly deflate the footballs, the fact that
he was even involved or accused, threatened his image and legacy as an all-time favorite
quarterback. Knowing that Brady is a top quarterback who will always have eyes on him, and
that the NFL has had some major crises before, Brady’s PR team should have been ready with a
communications plan for any violation of the playing rules Brady could get himself wrapped
around.
After the report was released, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released the following
written statement: “As with other recent matters involving violations of competitive rules, Troy
Vincent [the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations] and his team will consider

228
"DeflateGate: The Full Ted Wells Report." The Washington Post. WP Company, n.d. Web.
229
"Deflategate Timeline: After 544 Days, Tom Brady Gives in." ESPN. ESPN Internet
Ventures, 15 July 2016. Web.
230
Ibid.
231
Maske, Mark. "DeflateGate: ‘More Probable than Not’ Patriots Violated Rules, Tom Brady
Aware." The Washington Post. WP Company, 06 May 2015. Web.
232
Ibid.

58

what steps to take in light of the report, both with respect to possible disciplinary action and to
any changes in protocols that are necessary to avoid future incidents of this type.”
233
The NFL
suspended Brady for four regular-season games without pay after the investigation concluded
violation of NFL rules.
234
In addition, the NFL fined the Patriots one million dollars and
stripped them of two draft picks because of what is now famously known as, “deflate-gate.”
235

While Brady did not comment immediately on the suspension, his agent, Don Yee, said Brady
would appeal the suspension releasing the following statement: “There is no evidence that Tom
directed footballs be set at pressures below the allowable limits. In fact, the evidence shows
Tom clearly emphasized that footballs be set at pressures within the rules. The Wells report
presents significant evidence, however, that the N.F.L. lacks standards or protocols with respect
to its handling of footballs prior to games; this is not the fault of Tom or the Patriots.”
236
On
June 23
rd
, Brady testified at a ten-hour appeal hearing, which was held at the NFL's Park
Avenue offices.
237
A month later, Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the NFL stuck to the
original suspension and disclosed that Brady destroyed a cellphone that the investigators had
requested for the investigation.
238
Following this information, on July 29, 2015 Brady appealed
to federal court and posted a lengthy statement on his official Facebook page stating his
disappointment on the NFL’s decision to uphold his suspension. “I am very disappointed by the

233
Maske, Mark. "DeflateGate: ‘More Probable than Not’ Patriots Violated Rules, Tom Brady
Aware." The Washington Post. WP Company, 06 May 2015. Web.
234
Pennington, Bill. "Patriots' Tom Brady Suspended for Four Games in Deflation Case." The
New York Times., 11 May 2015. Web.
235
"Deflate-gate: Tom Brady Sorry NFL 'had to Endure' Scandal." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web
236
Pennington, Bill. "Patriots' Tom Brady Suspended for Four Games in Deflation Case." The
New York Times., 11 May 2015. Web.
237
"Timeline: A Rundown of the NFL, Tom Brady 'Deflategate' Saga." USA Today. Gannett
Satellite Information Network, 13 July 2016. Web.
238
Ibid.

59

NFL’s decision to uphold the 4-game suspension against me,” said Brady.
239
“I did nothing
wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either. Despite submitting to hours of
testimony over the past six months, it is disappointing that the Commissioner upheld my
suspension based upon a standard that it was “probable” that I was “generally aware” of
misconduct. The fact is that neither I, nor any equipment person, did anything of which we
have been accused. He dismissed my hours of testimony and it is disappointing that he found it
unreliable.”
240
Brady also felt the need to clarify the cellphone accusations. “I also disagree
with yesterday’s narrative surrounding my cellphone,” said Brady.
241
“I replaced my broken
Samsung phone with a new iPhone 6 AFTER my attorneys made it clear to the NFL that my
actual phone device would not be subjected to investigation under ANY circumstances. As a
member of a union, I was under no obligation to set a new precedent going forward, nor was I
made aware at any time during Mr. Wells investigation, that failing to subject my cell phone to
investigation would result in ANY discipline.”
242

Though Brady felt the need to explain everything in detail to his fans and Facebook
friends, it was not the best way to go about a crisis such as this one. Facebook is definitely a
social media platform where you can express ones feelings and emotions, except when one is a
famous athlete and celebrity under investigation. Anything can be used against a celebrity in an
investigation. Even a professional golfer agrees. Generally speaking, Lee Lopez expressed “it's
probably safer to allow a PR professional or publicist to run one's social media accounts.”
243

Therefore, it does not seem like his agent or lawyer advised him to post this long and detailed

239
Tom Brady Official Facebook. “Tom Brady - I Am Very Disappointed by the NFL's
Decision.” N.p., 29 July 2015. Web.
240
Ibid.
241
Ibid.
242
Ibid.

243
Interview with Lee Lopez

60

statement on his page. Instead Brady was probably acting on his own and posting his thoughts
and feelings, which can be very difficult to control if ones PR team doesn’t run ones social
media channels. His PR team and lawyers could have advised him against posting this
statement and should have taken over his social media channels until the investigation was over
in case Brady decided to post or rant about other details that could have jeopardized the
investigation. According to Anaheim Ducks Publicist Keren Lynch, “if you’re questioning
something you should ask someone on your PR team or your publicists if you should post that
or what they think.”
244
Brady should’ve taken into consideration who his stakeholders were at
the time and if his statements may affect them. “All athletes need to understand they are not
only representing not just themselves, but they are representing organizations in which they
play for,”
245
said Keren Lynch. “So if they do write something controversial, that could have a
negative impact on their career. As much it is your account and you are free to say whatever
you’d like, you also have to understand the organization may be represented in a certain light.
And if it is something you think they might not agree with or alright with, it is probably best
not to be said on a social media platform and maybe just be kept private.”
246

Throughout the week of August 11
th
, Brady and Goodell went to the federal district court
since Judge Richard Berman told them to negotiate a solution; however they could not reach a
settlement.
247
On May 25
th
, the Patriots filed a brief in support of Brady, which was interesting
as that was the first time the Patriots had broken with the league in the case.
248
Two months
later, on July 13
th
, the second circuit rejected Brady's appeal and two days later Brady posted

244
Interview with Keren Lynch
245
Interview with Keren Lynch
246
Ibid.
247
"Timeline: A Rundown of the NFL, Tom Brady 'Deflategate' Saga." USA Today. Gannett
Satellite Information Network, 13 July 2016. Web.

248
Ibid.

61

his next statement on his Facebook page that he would not appeal his suspension to the U.S.
Supreme Court.
249
“I'm very grateful for the overwhelming support I've received from Mr.
Kraft, the Kraft family, Coach Belichick, my coaches and teammates, the NFLPA, my agents,
my loving family and most of all, our fans,” said Brady.
250
“It has been a challenging 18
months and I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process. I'm
going to work hard to be the best player I can be for the New England Patriots and I look
forward to having the opportunity to return to the field this fall.”
251
This statement made it
seem as though Brady had given up and accepted defeat. In addition, it is possible this was
done purposely to put a stop to the rumors and let Brady and the Patriots focus on the new
season and end the crisis. Brady definitely showed enough humiliation, so this short and
straight-to-the-point statement showed he was ready to move on and throw in the towel.
It is unfortunate to see one of the most recognized and admired quarterbacks taint his
image and reputation over a mistake like deflate-gate. The York Times made an interesting
point in which the reporter mentioned “the public relations damage may be felt greatest by
Brady.”
252
He had everything going for him; all-American, married, good looks, the face of the
Patriots, had tons of sponsorship money and tied to a franchise worth nearly $3 billion.
253
The
deflating of a ball sounds a bit childish and petty, but Brady must have felt humiliated, and
from the research conducted, his PR team did not seem to care. It was almost as if they knew
the NFL would have a small punishment for Brady and hoped that after it was all said and

249
"Deflategate Timeline: After 544 Days, Tom Brady Gives in." ESPN. ESPN Internet
Ventures, 15 July 2016. Web.
250
"Tom Brady Won't Appeal Suspension to Supreme Court." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures,
15 July 2016. Web.
251
Ibid.
252
Pennington, Bill. "Patriots' Tom Brady Suspended for Four Games in Deflation Case." The
New York Times., 11 May 2015. Web.
253
Ibid.

62

done, he could return to playing as quarterback and everything would return to normal. Lucky
for Brady, he is well respected and has tons of loyal fans who wanted to see him back out on
the field.
Even though breaking the NFL rules is definitely wrong, his reputation has not been
completely tarnished and probably got more viewers to watch Patriots games. On February 5,
2017, deflate-gate seemed to be behind Brady because of his historic comeback from a 25-point
deficit win on Super Bowl Sunday.
254
Four minutes into overtime, James White, New England
running back scored his third touchdown and finished the game with a 34-28 Patriots’
victory.
255
This was not only Brady’s fifth Super Bowl win, but he is also the only quarterback
to win the most Super Bowl’s.
256
Christine Brennan from USA TODAY Sports makes a great
argument that because of Brady’s record, deflate-gate can be shoved under the rug.
257
“No
other quarterback in history has more than 1,200 yards passing in Super Bowl play, and
Brady’s 207 completions are more than twice as many as any other quarterback in Super Bowl
history,”
258
says Brennan. “Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Deflategate
or no Deflategate.”
259
Brennan also argues that New Englanders should let deflate-gate go. For
example, several reporters asked Brady after the win about the “struggles” the franchise has
endured.
260
Brady was media trained pretty well as he didn’t budge. “There was a lot at stake
tonight,”
261
he said. “You know, we played our tails off all season to get to this point and it’s
hard to win a game in the NFL. And to beat this team and to get down, 28-3, it was just a lot of

254
Brennan, Christine. “With Patriots Super Bowl LI Win, Air Goes out of Deflategate.” USA
Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 6 Feb. 2017.
255
Ibid.
256
Ibid.
257
Ibid.
258
Ibid.
259
Ibid.
260
Ibid.

261
Ibid.

63

mental toughness by our team and we’re all going to remember this for the rest of our lives.”
262

After this successful and stunning win, one could say this crisis is behind Brady and the public.
A couple of tips that Brady’s PR team can learn from this crisis: accept the punishment,
manage the news cycle and collaborate with other spokespeople. No matter how prideful Brady
was, he needed to accept his punishment and avoid opening more cans of worms with
unnecessary comments to the press. Managing the news cycle throughout the crisis is also
extremely important. Any time the Patriots have an important date coming up where Brady or
his teammates will be present, he and his teammates need to be ready with talking points or
memorized statements in case a reporter asks them questions about this incident. When
reporters ask questions, Brady and his teammates need to stay on message and relay the correct
information to ensure the narrative is correct. If you avoid steering away from the prepared
statements or talking points, reporters will not get juicy or interesting quotes. Therefore, you
can derail the direction of the story. Lastly, Brady, his agent and PR team are not the only
spokespeople. His PR team needs to collaborate and connect with the Patriots PR team to
ensure that everyone is on the same page when addressing the media. Don’t let the Patriots PR
team talk about Brady without his PR team talking to them first.

262
Brennan, Christine. “With Patriots Super Bowl LI Win, Air Goes out of Deflategate.” USA
Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 6 Feb. 2017.

64

Future Sports Public Relations Professionals
Today, the crisis environment in the sports realm is a lot like any crisis in any company
or organization. Why?– the Internet is changing crisis communication. No matter who the
client is, there are many social media platforms and channels in which the public, athletes and
the media can express their opinions, post statements and comment on what they don’t like in
an instant. Unfortunately, social media can either hurt or help you in a crisis because it brings
real time into play and people are able to interpret it however they choose to. “Social media has
brought the news to everyone in real time but there isn’t one set of facts,” said crisis expert
Brenda Lynch.
263
“Everyone can report on an event as they perceive it and interpret it. We are
living in the era where news, fake news, opinion and conjecture all have equal weighting.”
264

The future of sports PR is promising and there should be more PR professionals out there
willing to work for these athletes who desperately need their help to avoid crisis. However, a
team and athlete must be prepared for the change in media. From a sports communication
standpoint, Alex Caulfield, Senior Director of Communications for the Seattle Sounders
believes we’re seeing major shifts with media relations. “It’s an exciting time to be involved in
this business,”
265
said Caulfield. “Traditional communications and public relations, in the
professional world – it’s things with news releases, players bios, player liaising with media
members setting up interviews. All that traditional sports PR combined with the digital age.
Where broadcast platforms are revolving now where digital radio platforms are revolving.”
266

Caulfield also expressed how exciting it is to be living in a time where working for a

263
Interview with Brenda Lynch
264
Ibid.
265
Interview with Alex Caulfield
266
Ibid.

65

professional sports team, one has “more levers to pull to help maximize what you’re to do and
what you’re trying to do to communicate to the fans, to the press to the public constituents.”
267

It was also interesting to see from a professional athletes standpoint, professional golfer
in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), Lee Lopez also believes the future of
sports PR is crucial. “I don't think PR has ever been as critical as it is today,”
268
said Lopez.
“Every single person has the resources to keep up to date and communicate quickly and
effectively with people all over the world.”
269
From a team standpoint, the future of sports PR
is changing through “athlete representation, brand representation and organization
representation,”
270
according to Keren Lynch. It’s about “getting your brand exposure through
what your athletes and your organization are doing,”
271
continued Keren Lynch. “Today’s age
is through social media. Position your brand in the ever- changing environment of the media
and it’s important that the brand is being portrayed the way that you want it to be.”
272
Since
social media does play a huge role in today’s society, it’s important to give social media tips to
athletes, teams, coaches and team owners to help maintain their image. The Anaheim Ducks
have an amazing technique they provide to their franchise. According to Keren Lynch, “they
[team] go through these useful techniques and process things that have gone bad in the past.”
273

Every sports team should take notes after this model team, the Anaheim Ducks, as they sure
know how to maintain their image with these valuable tips.
Here are eight simple things to avoid:
274

267
Interview with Alex Caulfield
268
Interview with Lee Lopez
269
Ibid.
270
Interview with Keren Lynch
271
Interview with Keren Lynch
272
Ibid.
273
Ibid.

274
Ibid.

66

1. Be cautious with direct messages, because people can take screenshots. Know that
direct messages can be made public.
2. Don’t insult teammates, coaches, general mangers, organization or fans.
3. Don’t question or insult the refs.
4. Don’t tweet posts about injuries of your own or your teammates.
5. Don’t tweet or re-tweet anything that can be seen as offensive or illegal activity.
6. Don’t tweet wearing opposing team logos.
7. Don’t air your dirty laundry.
8. Keep your personal life private.
275

Though their publicist mentions the Anaheim Ducks Franchise encourages and likes when their
players “are open about showing off their personality and what they’re doing in Southern
California,”
276
they also want to make sure they are “doing it in a safe and appropriate way.”
277

It is unfortunate to know that there are still some athletes and sports team owners who
may not have crisis communication plans or the right PR professionals to lead them in times of
crisis. We live in a world now where social media can either ruin a client or help them. “Many
times, significant damage is done when correcting previous inaccurate statements, said crisis
expert Brenda Lynch.
278
“Visiting and revisiting details allows social media to report the false
information again while updating with the new information. It also allows the reader to choose
which “facts” are true the first or the second statement.”
279
The growth potential of crisis
communication is huge and should not be ignored. In my opinion, every athlete and sports team
owners who want a personal brand for themselves should have a detailed crisis plan in place. “I

275
Interview with Keren Lynch
276
Ibid.
277
Ibid.
278
Interview with Brenda Lynch
279
Ibid.

67

believe any athlete that wants to have a personal brand that is built while playing and lives on
after their time on the court or field must have PR,” said crisis expert Brenda Lynch.
280
In
addition, one of the main reasons for a PR professional is to ensure a loyal following. “To stand
out and create a following that cares, the athlete must get the news out beyond a small circle of
friends and family,” continued Lynch.
281
“PR can play a big role in helping an athlete
understand what should and should not be shared as well as how to be authentic to who they are
while engaging with fans.”
So why are fans so important? It is because they have so much influence over an athlete’s
image. “Fans are the people who create or break athletes,”
282
said Keren Lynch. “They are the
fundamentals of sports and athletes creating their own brand, and whether they will become
success or unsuccessful. They win over the fan base and can have a longer career. Fans make
sports. If you don’t try and give back to your fans and acknowledge and make sure they know
how much they appreciate them, you’re doing yourself a disservice.”
283
It is also because sports
fans, both adults and children, view athletes as heroes. “A big part of it is, all sports have so
much talent,
284
Keren Lynch further elaborated. “If you’re an athlete on a professional stage,
you have to be the best of the best. You really have to work hard and dedicate your life to the
game that you’re playing. There is something to be said about being a professional athlete and
considered as a hero. Keren Lynch also shared that, “growing up in that team environment and
sports environment usually breeds good values and has that sort of team sense to it. The
dedication that you see from these athletes is pretty inspiring and impressive and I think that is
something that people look up to and see as they aspire to do.”

280
Interview with Brenda Lynch
281
Interview with Keren Lynch
282
Interview with Keren Lynch
283
Ibid.
284
Ibid.

68

A study done by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that American
children not only believe athletes motivate them to follow their dreams, but that they’re also
mimicking the bad behavior of their sports heroes on the playing field.
285
Many children who
are also huge sports fans are learning about sports and life from watching these famous athletes
and seeing them as heroes. Researchers explained that, “nine out of 10 kids said famous
athletes teach children mostly ‘good things,’ said ABC News reporter Tracy L. Ziemer.
286

However, some of the lessons learned from these athletes are considered to be less than
admirable.
287
The study also surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and 1,950 parents. Three-fourths of
the 1,500 10- to 17-year-olds children and teens category along with the 1,950 parents said
“athletes teach children that being a good sport and playing fair are as important as winning.”
288

The study also revealed “one in five teens surveyed said kids learn from professional athletes
that you don’t have to worry about the consequences of sex, and 16 percent said kids learn it’s
OK to use alcohol and drugs.”
289

Athletes are sending a message to the world and kids are taking it in and thinking the
actions of those athletes or their heroes are okay to do. According to ABC News, Bob Still,
public relations manager for the National Association of Sports Officials, says “Kids … will
definitely take their cue from their heroes on TV.”
290
An example Still provided was when a
Cleveland Indians player spit on an umpire. After that incident, there were three calls reporting

285
Ziemer, Tracy L. "Study Says Kids Emulate Athletes." ABC News. ABC News Network, 13
Oct. 2000. Web.
286
Ibid.
287
Ziemer, Tracy L. "Study Says Kids Emulate Athletes." ABC News. ABC News Network, 13
Oct. 2000. Web.
288
Ibid.
289
Ibid.
290
Ibid.

69

spitting at youth sports officials.
291
The survey also suggests that kids believe athletes get
special perks because of their talent. The research showed that of the one in four (24 percent)
children surveyed stated that it one doesn’t need to study and graduate school if you are great at
sports.
292
In addition, thirty-four percent of children that were surveyed believed these athletes
received special treatment when they didn’t abide by the law.
293
When discussing sexual
intercourse, 45 percent of 10-12 year-olds believed that these celebrity athletes weren’t as
likely to participate in promiscuous sex in relation to the rest of the world.
294
On the contrary,
the 27 percent of teens surveyed believed that these celebrity athletes could have sex with
whomever, and one in three teens believed that the wild parties and careless sex these athletes
engaged in were part of their regular social activities.
295
This study clearly shows that our
future generation is learning so much from watching sports and reading about famous athletes.
That is why it is important for athletes to keep an acceptable image and reputation.
Sports fans and fans in general view the athletes in this thesis, sports team owners and
many others in the sports industry as heroes versus celebrities, even though they have
encountered some crises throughout their careers. Viewing athletes as heroes is important to
discuss in order to explain the role of PR professionals. In this case, a PR professional should
be utilized to revamp athletes’ images after a crisis and identify which strategic practices are
successful and which are not. When things go south, a PR professional is there to provide
insight as to whether or not the team the athlete is affiliated with should get involved in the
crisis or go nowhere near it. Keren Lynch believes that the typical trend that she has seen in

291
Ziemer, Tracy L. "Study Says Kids Emulate Athletes." ABC News. ABC News Network, 13
Oct. 2000. Web.
292
Ibid.
293
Ibid.
294
Ibid.
295
Ibid.

70

many cases is dependent on the situation. An example she provided was the most recent and
notable NHL Patrick King crisis. “People were very upset with that,”
296
said Keren Lynch. “He
had a press conference and he didn’t answer questions the whole time. Don’t just bring people
together to say you’re going to address the issue.”
297
From an athlete’s perspective, Lee Lopez
believes there is a negative effect on the individual when it comes to a typical trend seen in any
of these cases. “Sure it may get them more attention and a larger following but I feel that it is at
the expense of their personal life and that of their family,”
298
noted Lopez. “When I hear about
the individuals involved in these cases the first thing that pops to my mind unfortunately is the
negative part of their reputation.”
299

Keren Lynch further explained that the media has a responsibility to report the news to
the public, and the PR professionals’ duty is to provide the most honest and transparent
answers. On the contrary, Keren Lynch mentioned, “athletes need to be protected in a legal
standpoint.”
300
That is why there needs to be some game of give and take. “You need to take
that into consideration and make sure your player is also protected in that sense. Give the
public and media what they want to know, but also know that these issues are private matters
and you want to keep them as private as possible.”
301
Lynch believes that the best way to
overcome the common trends in times of crisis is to “come up with a strategy with the athlete
themselves, make sure you are all [your PR team and athlete and/or sports team] on the same
page and try to do the best you can given the circumstances.”
302

296
Interview with Keren Lynch
297
Ibid.
298
Interview with Lee Lopez
299
Interview with Lee Lopez
300
Interview with Keren Lynch
301
Ibid.
302
Ibid.

71

Conclusion
After reviewing and analyzing a few case studies, one can conclude that some crisis
communication plans have worked, while others have not. That is why the researcher created
this thesis to demonstrate the helpful tips and techniques that all PR professionals should fully
be aware and understand when dealing with a crisis. With these techniques, a PR professional
should be able to plan a successful crisis communication plan before it hits. Many PR
professionals may identify the best practices and lessons by crisis experts, researchers and
analysts. However, these PR professionals will not fully understand how to use these
techniques until they have been in a crisis. With experience comes practice and with effective
crisis communication techniques, a PR professional can minimize the damage or even help an
athlete become stronger than before the crisis hit. Though crises are not the best ways to help
better an athlete, a PR professional can help them prepare for the next one that can occur.
Keren Lynch believes you need a PR team or publicist during a crisis, but also the right PR
professional or team so that the athlete can be prepared for a crisis. “A lot of PR professionals
have been in this business for quite some time, and they have a good lay of the land. They can
give you their judgment, which is based on their experience. They have a better understanding
of how things can play out better than someone who just got put into the market and may not
know how something may pan out.”
303

It’s important for an athlete to engage a PR team or publicist in times of a crisis. Many
effects can result from not having this team or individual. Alex Caulfield believes “being
trained in this is very crucial”
304
and that “a lot of athletes might not have that training.”
305

303
Interview with Keren Lynch
304
Interview with Alex Caulfield
305
Ibid.

72

The change in media and the social media environment has taken a toll on many athletes, sports
team owners and teams. “Social media has changed the baseline function of what a PR staff
might have been 20 years ago when those things didn’t exist,”
306
said Caulfield. “PR staff and
the relationship with the media was really the only conduit to an athlete. Certainly, that’s no
longer the case. Athletes now have a direct line to their constituents, but they may not have the
training or the support systems needed to navigate a tricky crisis. I think that’s actually one of
the most valuable areas for PR staffs per communications professionals offer to their athletes, is
that formal training.”
307
Keren Lynch also agreed. “With social media and the media how easy
it is to pick up your phone and send a video or snap a photo,”
308
said Keren Lynch. “You can be
doing something innocent and somebody can take a picture, and it can be taken the wrong way.
When you’re in this position and people know who you are, always have somebody you can go
to who can give you an unbiased opinion to tell you how something can play out.”
309
There are
also are other problems that may arise in an adverse scenario. Caulfield explained “if you talk
to any representative in any PR staff in different sports, they’re going to give you different
scenarios that can arise from legal troubles, to natural disasters, to stadium issues, to protecting
the fans and spectators.”
310
In Soccer, Caulfield expressed that “they are really an example of
the latter, as there’s been a variety of those.”
311
“How do you react to those [problems]?,”
questioned Caulfield. “How do you appropriately respond? What is the right thing to say? The

306
Interview with Alex Caulfield
307
Ibid.
308
Interview with Keren Lynch
309
Ibid.
310
Interview with Alex Caulfield
311
Ibid.

73

crafting in that is one of the most valuable areas that PR staff can offer and to the people that
they work with.”
312

There are also more opportunities than ever for a PR team and PR professional according
to Caulfield, “It requires a bit of a different approach as to how folks want to utilize those
assets to get the most clear message across and ultimately support from the respective
organizations they work for,”
313
said Caulfield. “You’re trying to imply and get various news
items out all for the greater good so people can learn more about the organization you
represent. So that’s exciting and evolving right now. And I think in the next 10 to 15 years the
landscape will look a lot different than it does today.”
314

In conclusion, crisis communication is the practice that all public relations professionals
should have knowledge about and have these tips and techniques in place for any client or
future employer. This thesis serves as a call to action that crisis communication should be a
required training for all public relations professionals and this practice should always be run by
the communications team.

312
Interview with Alex Caulfield
313
Ibid.
314
Ibid.

74

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81

List of Appendices

Appendix A: Crisis Communication Expert Interview

Brenda Lynch, Senior Partner At Rogers Finn Partners

Questions:

What is the role and responsibility of the PR person at the pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis
phases?

A deck with detailed information was provided for this question.

How is the Internet changing crisis communication?
Social media has brought the news to everyone in real time but there isn’t one set of facts.
Everyone can report on an event as they perceive it and interpret it. We are living in the era
where news, fake news, opinion and conjecture all have equal weighting.
Many times, significant damage is done when correcting previous inaccurate statements. Visiting
and revisiting details allows the social media to report the false information again while updating
with the new information. It also allows the reader to choose which “facts” are true the first or
the second statement.

How do you know when to sound the alarm of a major communications crisis vs. less severe
issue?

Go into every situation as if it is a major communications crisis. You are prepared, poised and
actively engaged. If the situation is actually less severe than you thought, you can stand down
and let it fade away. It is almost impossible to catch up and manage a situation, if you go in
unprepared.

What are your thoughts on all athletes having a PR team or a publicist? Do you think they
should only be present when a crisis occurs?

I believe any athlete that wants to have a personal brand that is built while playing and lives on
after their time on the court or field must have PR. To stand out and create a following that
cares, the athlete must get the news out beyond a small circle of friends and family. PR can play
a big role in helping an athlete understand what should and should not be shared as well as how
be authentic to who they are while engaging with fans.

How important is it to react to the crisis before the news starts reporting on it? What’s the
best way to handle this?

It is always better to play offense than defensive when managing a crisis. If you control the
playbook, you can control the playing field.

During a crisis, what is the first thing that a PR professional should do for this client?

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Set up a gatekeeper for information coming out from the athlete and the team. There must be
clear chain of command to manage the situation as it evolves with clear, consistent and truthful
statements. There must be a strong bond of trust that the athlete has been fully transparent with
the PR professional and that the PR professional will use this information in the best interest of
the athlete to address the situation head-on, be forthright with as much information as the team
can and should reveal based on the complexities of the matter.

In a crisis, how critical and important is the timing of a statement? What about its content?
Would you say the timing is more important than the content? Can you explain why or
why not?

Quick and decisive action regarding your first and subsequent statements is essential. In many
cases the timing of the statement is part of the content. How quickly you respond has a direct
correlation to how much of the narrative can you manage or at least insert your side of the story.

After a crisis, how should PR professionals manage the narrative for their client?

The impact of the tone that the team takes is often overlooked. It sets the playing field for how
reporters/bloggers/social media engage.
Responding in a confident and unruffled manner signals that the athlete is dealing with this
matter or incident but not spooked or devastated.
Responding in a hesitant or timid manner signals that the athlete is vulnerable and that there
might be more to the story.

Once the media or social media smells blood, they will circle around an athlete and keep picking
at the matter until they undercover very bit of information that they can share and keep the story
alive and their followers interested.

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Appendix B: Sports Public Relations Expert Interview
Keren Lynch, Publicist, Anaheim Ducks

Questions:

Where do you think the future of sports PR stands today?

From a team standpoint, athlete representation, brand representation, organization rep. Getting
your brand exposure through what your athletes and your organization are doing. Today’s age is
through social media. Position your band in the ever changing environment of the media. And
being portrayed the way that you want it to be.

Why are fans so important?

Fans are the people who create or break athletes. They are the fundamentals of sports and
athletes creating their own brand and whether they will become success or unsuccessful. They
win over the fan base and can have a longer career. Fans make sports. If you don’t try and give
back to your fans and acknowledge and make sure they know how much they appreciate them,
you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Some sports fans, both adults and children, view athletes as heroes. Can you explain why
you think that is?

A big part of it is, all sports have so much talent. If you’re an athlete on a professional stage, you
have to be the best of the best. You really have to work hard and dedicate your life to the game
that your playing. There is something to be said about that. Growing up in that team environment
and sports environment it usually breeds good values and has that sort of team sense to it. The
dedication that you see from these athletes is pretty inspiring and impressive and I think that is
something that people look up to and see as they aspire to do.

What do you do if an athlete speaks on his own or posts on social media without having
consulted with you (their PR team). Or is it better to have a PR professional or publicist
run your social media accounts?

If you have an understanding of social media and don’t bring up cost sudden subjects and you
understand the lay of the land, athletes can run their own accounts. But if you’re questioning
something you should ask someone on your PR team or their publicists if you should post that or
what they think. All athletes need to understand they are not only representing not just
themselves, but they are representing organizations in which they play for. So if they do right
something controversial that could have a negative impact on their career. As much it is your
account and you are free to say whatever you’d like, you also have to understand the
organization may be represented in a certain light. And if it’s something you think they might not
agree with or alright with, it’s probably best not to be said on a social media platform and maybe
just be kept private.

How do you tell an athlete that they have to accept that a crisis is occurring and that they

84

have to trust you? What happens when you get pushback? How do you handle that?

In hockey, most of these guys have grown up in an environment in which media was a daily
basics for them. They have media availability after their morning skate. I think they have an
understanding that you know the market in which you work in. Players really trust us, no
pushback. “Explaining to them the situation in a rational way and giving them their options on
the way we see things go about it. Working with them. It’s their brand and brand perception.
Were trying to help them build. You definitely need to work with them and come up with a
strategy together that they are comfortable with. Give your guidance and expertise to the
situation.”

How important is media training for an athlete? This entails media training right?

Media training is HUGE! Great things about growing up in Hockey. You get that from a really
young age. You get it in junior hockey or if you end up playing in college. And as you go
through the system you get media training all along the way. And It’s part of the majority of all
of our development camps. Social media and media training.

What type of reaction do you think these 5 athletes experienced on social media. How
effective were the PR stunts that were pulled in these 5 crises?

Kobe is the perfect example who really turned around his entire brand. Dropped by a lot of
sponsors. He did a lot in the community service and fan base outreach which he hadn’t done
much before. Good example of going back to your roots and giving back to your fans and
winning them back over. He did Pretty good job of not letting it drag out and settling it in court
and providing the public apology. Like Donald Sterling dragging out for months because there
was a whole court battle. The wife sued the mistress who had released the tapes and it kept going
and there wasn’t really any comment from Sterling’s team. There were from the clippers. Kobe
is a good example of addressing the issue with a statement and trying to move on and move fwd.
I think there is a lot to be said about. I know he didn’t admit guilt in this situation, but at least he
came out and apologized for everything that had gone on.

What is the typical trend that you have seen in any of these cases or in sports crises cases in
general?

This is very dependent on the situation. I know the one thing that I know of. NHL Patrick King
scandal is the most recent and notable. People were very upset with that. Had a press conference
and that he couldn’t answer the whole time. Don’t just bring people together to say you’re going
to address the issue. Athletes need to protected in a legal standpoint. You also need to take that
into consideration and make sure your player is also protected in that sense. Give and take. Give
the public and media that they want to know, but also they issues are private matters and you
want to keep them as private as possible. Come up with a strategy with the athlete and make sure
you are all on the same page and try to do the best you can given the circumstances.

Why do you think it’s important for an athlete to have a PR team or publicist in times of a
crisis? What effects can result from not having this team or individual?

85

With social media and the media how easy it is to pick up your phone and send a video or snap a
photo. Really important to understand the change in environment and you can be doing
something innocent and somebody can take a picture it can be taken the wrong way. When
you’re in this position and people know who you are, Always have somebody you can go to who
can give you an unbiased opinion to tell you how something can play out. A lot of PR
professionals have been in this business for quite some time, and they have a good lay of the land
so they can give you their judgment which is based on their ex and have a better understanding
of how things can play out better than someone who just got put into the market and may not
know how something may pan out.

How do you restore an athlete’s image and repair their reputation after a crisis settles
down?

Important to address the issue in an organic way. Depending on the issue, definitely taking a look
at your overall brand and seeing if there’s way you could give back to the community and
making sure your doing it in a natural and organic way so it’s not seen as something that your
just doing because you got into these issues. You need to take it from a brew about your
intentions, You can’t just do something because you think its going to make you look good.
Make sure this is (if your going to give back or start charities) Something that your passionate
about and you do it for the right reasons.

What are your techniques to help an athlete maintain their image?

We give them social media tips. 8 simple things to avoid. Go through and process things that
have gone bad in the past. Be cautious with your Direct messages, because people can take
screenshots. Know that direct messages can be made public. Don’t insult your teammates,
coaches, general mangers, organization or fans. Don’t question or insult the refs. Don’t tweet
posts about injuries of your own or your teammates. Don’t tweet or re-tweet anything that can be
seen as offensive or illegal activity. Don’t tweet wearing opposing team logos, and don’t air your
dirty laundry, keep your personal life private. Our things to avoid (8 rules). We really like that
are players are open about showing off their personality and what they’re doing in Southern
California and we encourage, but want to make sure they are doing it in a safe and appropriate
way.

86

Appendix C: Sports Public Relations Expert Interview
Alex Caulfield, Senior Director of Communications, Seattle Sounders FC

Questions:

Where do you think the future of sports PR stands today?

I think it’s an exciting time to be involved in this business. In sports communications in the
sports industry in general. Traditional communications and public relations, in the professional
world it’s things with news releases, players bios, player liaising with media members setting up
interviews. All that traditional sports PR combined with the digital age. Where broadcast
platforms are revolving now where digital radio platforms are revolving now certainly we’re
seeing major shifts. In the print world.
So media relations is really shifting right now. It’s an exiting time to be involved on the PR side
specifically and if you work for a professional sports team. Never have we had more levers to
pull to help maximize what you’re to do and what you’re trying to do to communicate to the
fans, to the press to the public constituents, there’s more opportunities than ever, but I think that
also requires a bit of a different approach as to how folks want to utilize those assets to get the
most clear message across and ultimately support from the respective organizations they work
for. You’re trying to imply and get various news items out all for the greater good so people can
learn more about the organization you represent. So that’s exciting and evolving right now. And
I think in the next 10 to 15 years the landscape will look a lot different than it does today.
Why do you think it’s important for an athlete to have a PR team or publicist in times of a
crisis? What effects can result from not having this team or individual?
Crisis communications is a really interesting area of the business and a passion of mine in a way
in that I think a lot of PR people who have been here long enough you will get involved in some
contentious scenarios and being trained in this is very crucial. A lot of athletes might not have
that training, a lot of these guys nowadays have a direct line to the fans. Social media has
changed the baseline function of what a PR staff might have been 20 years ago when those
things didn’t exist. And a PR staff and the relationship with the media was really the only
conduit to an athlete. Certainly, that’s no longer the case. Athletes now have a direct line to their
constituents, but they may not having the training or the support systems needed to navigate a
tricky crisis. I think that’s actually one of the most valuable areas for PR staffs per
communications professionals offer to their athletes, is that formal training. What do you do if
there is an adverse scenario? If you talk to any representative in any PR staff in different sports,
their going to give you a different scenarios that can arise from legal troubles to natural disasters
to stadium issues to protect the fans and spectators. In Soccer for example, they are really an
example of the latter, there’s been a variety of those. How you react to those how do you
appropriate respond, what is the right thing to say, the crafting in that is one of the most valuable
areas that PR staff can offer and the people that they work with.

87

How do you restore an athlete’s image and repair their reputation after a crisis settles
down?

I don’t necessarily think there’s a one size fits all when it comes to crisis communications. I
don’t think there is one direct playbook for any one situation. Because every club and every city
and every crisis scenario are so different, you really have to be really fluid on how you respond.
With that said, there are some best practices that you can implement. Restoration is contingent
upon what the incident might be.

88

Appendix D: Professional Athlete Interview
Lee Lopez, Professional Golfer, Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA)

Questions:

Where do you think the future of sports PR stands today?

I don't think PR has ever been as critical as it is today. Every single person has the resources to
keep up to date and communicate quickly and effectively with people all over the world.

What is the typical trend that you have seen in any of these cases or other crises cases in
general?

It seems to have a very negative effect on the individual. Sure it may get them more attention and
a larger following but I feel that it is at the expense of their personal life and that of their family.
When I hear about the individuals involved in these cases the first thing that pops to my mind
unfortunately is the negative part of their reputation.

Why are fans so important?

I truly think fans are the reason athletes continue to get paid and have a job. Without anyone
watching there is no game really.

Some sports fans, both adults and children, view athletes as heroes. Can you explain why
you think that is?

I think it's because they see the best of the best at their prime. Most adults and children have
played sports at a time in their life and I think they can appreciate how difficult it is to even
remotely master a sport let alone be one of the greatest in the game.

Why do you think it’s important for an athlete to have a PR team or publicist in times of a
crisis? What effects can result from not having this team or individual?

Because they can help one do some damage control. Having someone in your corner can be
crucial to not letting a situation be blown out of proportion which the media tends to do in my
opinion. They can keep a short term crisis from becoming long term and can protect an
individual's reputation.

What do you do if an athlete speaks on his own or posts on social media without having
consulted with you (their PR team). Or is it better to have a PR professional or publicist
run your social media accounts?

I truly think it depends on the individual and what kind of brand they want for themselves. But
speaking generically I think it's probably safer to allow a PR professional or publicist to run one's
social media accounts.

89

How do you tell an athlete that they have to accept that a crisis is occurring and that they
have to trust you? What happens when you get pushback?

I'm all for face to face communication. The less people the better so you can develop a
relationship and get the athlete to trust you. I think it's important to establish an open and honest
line of communication from the very beginning so if and when a crisis does occur then you
already have a strong relationship. If you get pushback, then maybe explain the different ways
they may be ruining their reputation or how it can lead to problems down the road. Support what
you are trying to communicate with examples and/or real life situations that have happened in
the past.

What type of reaction do you think these 5 athletes experienced on social media. How
effective were the PR stunts that were pulled in these 5 crises?

I think it grew their following but experienced very negative comments and opinions on social
media. I'm not sure what the PR stunts were but I can't think they were effective since the first
thing that comes to my mind when I hear these athletes names are the negative things they are
known for.

How do you restore an athlete’s image and repair their reputation after a crisis settles
down?

I think it's never a bad idea to tie them to family and humanitarian values. Posts about their
charity work (most athletes seem to be involved in at least one charity) and with their family and
maybe focus on their hard work and abilities in the sport so people are seeing more about the
individual and the people in their life instead of previous actions.

What are your techniques to help an athlete maintain their image?

To share aspects of their individual life that they are passionate about. Whether it be family or a
charity or simply going to school while playing professional sports can help them relate to many
different kinds of people and create an image that is well rounded.

How important is media training for an athlete?

It is important an athlete has an understanding of the spotlight they are in and that they have a
large responsibility to be good role models and inspire future athletes.

Abstract (if available)

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Asset Metadata

Creator Gonzalez, Brenda (author)

Core Title Managing professional athletes’ and sports team owners’ reputation in times of crisis: why it’s necessary to follow these crisis communication and public relations techniques

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Strategic Public Relations

Publication Date 04/13/2017

Defense Date 04/13/2017

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag crisis communication,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Floto, Jennifer (committee chair), Lynch, Brenda (committee member), Tenderich, Burghardt (committee member)

Creator Email bgonzalez0606@gmail.com,brendago@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-353618

Unique identifier UC11258251

Identifier etd-GonzalezBr-5178.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-353618 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-GonzalezBr-5178.pdf

Dmrecord 353618

Document Type Thesis

Rights Gonzalez, Brenda

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA