We're more than just dumb jocks...

Ever wonder what else college athletes do other than practice, eat, and go to class? There's a lot more to it than most people think and I'm proud to say that we, college athletes, do a good job of participating in helping our communities. Sure there are some of us who give lessons to local kids, or get paid to do camps over summer, but there is also a bit of volunteering that I don't think people know about. I think this is something that would shed a better light on NCAA athletics if people knew just a bit more about us. 

Last week the post season began for the GCSU soccer team and yesterday they received their first bid to the post season in the five-year history of the program. Congrats ladies. But even more important to this blog, last week the team participated in Breakfast with the Champions in Augusta during the 2008 Peach Belt Conference Tournament. Five men's and five women's teams met at a park and hosted 120 area youth soccer players for breakfast and a clinic. The clinic was free to the soccer-tots and gave the chance for the kids to learn skills and collect autographs from the players. 

How cool is that?

This is the first time the PBC has done something like this during a post season, but definitely not the first time for college athletics. When we, the GCSU softball team (woop!), went to Nationals in 2006 we also had a community project. The tournament is almost a week long and along with games, banquets, and picnics we were required to visit the Veteran's Hospital in Virginia. That was so much fun! We walked around the rooms, visited and joked with the patients, and really had a good time talking softball and representing our school. It was something I never thought we would be required to do when participating in nationals but absolutely something we all enjoyed. 

On the other side, GCSU is going to honor a "community hero" each week of the basketball season. The hero must be a resident of Milledgeville, have made a significant impact in a certain specified area. The women's basketball team is known for their volunteer work and I think it's awesome they are going to recognize others for the same thing. 

I'm happy to read that this is the plan for the PBC, to include some sort of community engagement project at each of the championships every year. I hope by the time we're setting up to win our second PBC title this April that we can do something like this. Do [community] work, Bobcats!

(The picture is from last season when one of our teammate's mom was hit by a car Easter weekend standing on the side of the road. She was hospitalized, endured several surgeries, and has been working to walk by herself since. We wore ribbons to honor and support her recovery. Love you, Mrs. Smith!)

Pull it. Bop it. Tip it.

I was glad to find that The Tipping Point was really a concept that was carried out and not a faux title like The Red Pony that I read in seventh grade in which the pony died in the first chapter. This book has things to look forward to and concepts to learn and consider. The tipping point, Malcom Gladwell describes, is the stage at which an idea becomes an “epidemic” and people are “swept up” moving from “hostility to acceptance” (p.166). What makes the AIDS virus envelop countries in the blink of an eye? Why does Generation Y remember rockin’ our Airwalks with pride and now we laugh at them? Both are concepts that tipped and accelerated without warning. 

Gladwell discusses three concepts that are similar to the big kid on the teeter-totter: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. I think we need to target the few and get like glue to ensure the success of “One Team, One Spirit” and create a [bob]cat scratch fever across Georgia College & State University. 

The Law of the Few is what makes movies like Mean Girls so funny and could also help our campaign. Why can Regina George and her Plastics say something is cool (but not “fetch”, Gretchen) and the whole junior class obeys without thought? The Law is based on the idea that not a lot of people have to accept an idea, but the right people have to accept it. Like with Hush Puppies, it only took one community in Manhattan to start wearing them to send the shoe onto the award stand the next year. If we can find the movers and shakers on our campus, in the RSOs, and in other sports around campus we can attract a bigger, more loyal, crowd. 

Stickiness is like “Just Do It” for Nike that has not been there campaign in years but is still what people think when they think of Nike. We are hoping that our idea of Blue Thunder will catch on and become a tradition at basketball games. Stickiness does not exactly correlate with creativity as much as repetition and therefore ease of recall. If we can get the GCSU Bobcats thinking like the Cameron Crazies of Duke University sticky we will become. 

Mavens, Connectors, and Salesmen are the three types of people that Gladwell describes; where do I fit? I actually decided when I was fourteen that I wanted to pursue public relations because as long as I could remember my softball coach called me his PR representative and I finally found out what it meant. I think what he saw and what I now see is that I have qualities that are both Maven and Saleswoman-ish, but I’m not sure that I am one or the other.

A Maven, the coolest of the names in my opinion, is someone who knows a lot about a lot. I take pride in knowing that I have knowledge in not always everything, but things that most people do not know. For instance when I travel I like to do what the locals do, I like to eat at the dirty hole-in-the-wall restaurants, find the little sights you should be but are not what is recommended, and find the cheapest, easiest ways around the city. In this sense I am a Maven, constantly taking in information and making myself an expert on various subjects so I can share with others. 

Salespeople, those who can sell you on almost anything and you really do not always know why. When I talk about things I know, like or dislike, I am passionate. I believe the Ultimate Stuffed Sticks at the Brick are the most delicious item on their menu and I have spread the craze through all my friends and family since freshman year. I think Wal-Mart is the worst place to shop for groceries and push Kroger for their savings and fresh produce. I do have grey areas, however, where I often say things like, “the movie was OK. If you go in with low hopes it will be good,” but even then most people will heed my warning and not see it. It is the mix of Maven and Saleswoman that I feel are my strong points in PR and will help push my career. 

Oh social media, the new catalyst in the PR world and one of our favorite assignments. I think for me Twitter, PROpenMic, and probably the least important to me right now LinkedIN are all in the tipping process. Obviously, being assigned to sign up for these was the first step in the tip, and boredom has helped it’s process, but I still have not found the passion for it that I do Facebook. I got the Twitter and PROpenMic bug a couple weekends ago when I found I could personalize them and began connecting. However, for me I think the biggest tip will be when I have a broader pool of colleagues and more experience in the field. Tippers topple but they don’t fall down!

Almost a year later...

While watching (I don't know why my W is purple... moving on) the ALCS my roommate and I discussed how much the Rays have changed during the past year. They came out at the beginning of the year with a new look and then out of nowhere and had a season that wowed any baseball fan. Now the 2008 ALCS champions and hopefully the 2008 World Series champions (sorry Phillies... but the green bird mascot can't break this Florida girl) are getting the attention for which St. Pete has been begging. 

So being the females we are my roommate and I began discussing how much we like the Rays new uniforms during the championship game last night. (I know, I know, but give us credit that we watched every game!) I decided to hop on google and see what I could find out about the shiny thing in the corner of their "R." I figure it is probably a ray of light and how it looks when it spreads underwater, the refraction of light added my fellow undercover-nerd roomie. 

While I was googling a ran across a self-titled "faithful Red Sox fan, i.e. Red Sox Evangelist['s]" article about the upcoming (it was written in Nov. 2007) Rays new look. This guy didn't think that this would help the program at all and that it would take more than a makeover to give the Rays talent. Haha... ironic, huh? Just like in the picture above (CoCo Crisp after he charged the mound in a game in the regular season... didn't go like he planned) the Rays made a huge turnaround and had a monumental season at the Sox's expense. So none of it had to do with the look?

I think it did. Marketers get paid huge bucks to find out what attracts consumers and how to reach the audiences that are not responsive. Working in the great establishment of the Hat Shack for the past year, I can attest to the changing of the look making waves.(.. or shining rays? Bad attempt at a joke.) People came into our store and bought the TB hat initially because of it's appealing logo, but even more when they started to win. I even bought one for a friend who requested it and at first I thought, "Really? A Rays hat? No one in Florida is even a fan." So why is it a bad assumption that the new look maybe opened a few eyes to the potential of a different club?

Again, being a female and having the love for sports like I do I started tearing up when manager Joe Maddon came on after the championship game. He said over the mic that projected to the entire Tropicana Field, "Thank you, you've been with us, supporting us all season!" That is something the Rays have never been able to say, and hopefully will be able to say for a long time. 

The Rays have had their share of PR problems this season with their WWE week featuring MVP pitcher Matt Garza and Dioner Navarro fighting in the dugout and the other Rays/Sox brawl pictured above. Who said baseball fans don't enjoy a little bit of hockey, too? But the intensity and testosterone that brought these fights about carried a finally loyal fan base into the post season. Trading an uppercut for a full house works for me!

I think maybe this is what the Rays have needed. You can see the confidence boost in a kid when he receives his little league jersey so what says that the excitement ever dies? Also note that the crowd shots had people in the new jerseys and hats, I don't recall seeing the old, now vintage, logos... everyone caught the fever! 

Go Rays. You guys have represented your new logo well and proved that there was something new coming to your club: Champions. 

My major league dreams stay alive

In senior seminar we have been talking about finding internships, jobs, making resumes, and our infamous/famous portfolios and it's really starting to get to me. There is so much I need to be doing on top of how much I have been doing and I'm feeling a little un-Chelsea-like in the fact that I'm a little worried about it. I'm in the ring with my honors thesis, grad school applications, and need to find an internship all jabbing at me. I'm waiting to hear the bell and get the chance to sit in my corner to heal the worry-cuts... maybe even spit out the water they're not letting me drink. 

I sat in the press box at the now demolished Yankee Stadium last December and noticed the "Visiting PR" plaque on one of the seats. It felt right sitting in that seat. As of late, however, I have tossed around the idea of maybe shrinking my major league dreams into a minor league club or even working at a college in the sports information department. All aspects sound exciting and something I would love to get into but the major leagues have my heart. 

Just when I needed a little boost there it was. Maybe a sign, maybe coincidence, but it was there. Again I was perusing the Sports PR blog and there it was "Internship tips from the MLB PR professional."  It then lead me to this article that brought a huge smile to my face... "Women in sports." 

It can happen! There are women everywhere from on television broadcasting the game, on the field taking interviews, to grounds crew and, hark, public relations directors. Awesome. The article goes on to talk about how, "A love and knowledge of the game, along with confidence, the ability to think outside-the-box, and strong organizational skills," are what they are looking for in and out of sports. Bingo. Baseball/softball are the two things I can talk about, " 'Til the cows come home... or whatever that freggin' saying is," as Bobcat soccer head coach JuanPa yelled at the game two weeks ago. I know my stuff, I don't think like most people (you could say I'm a bit odd in the creative sense), and my planner and I are one. 

Paige Novack also wrote, "As long as you stay true to who you are, feel continually challenged intellectually and creatively by your job at hand and strive to always be your best only greatness is headed your way." I feel like I'm in the corner, the dude with the towels is pressing quarters into my cuts and slathering me with vaseline, and she is there holding my attention and talking me through this. I want to thank her, maybe give her a hug of relief from me, or even send her an Edible Arrangement. I'm going to do it, you'll see. 

 Had to take that picture; it fits me! Even if Florida kid is seeing snow for the first time! Wish it would have fallen while we were there. The field was covered though... it was beautiful!

"I just went out there and gave a 110%"

Is anyone as tired of hearing that as I am? Anyone seen the Brenden Fraiser movie Bedazzled where he is turned into a pro-athlete that is stupid and doesn't know more than three sentences about how he played? While I think that was a good idea at one point, I honestly believe that athletes are more intelligent and educated these days and could really speak eloquently in interviews if they just knew what to say. 

Thanks to PJ (little shoutout) I read an article on athletes taking PR classes to help them deal with the media. Brilliant! (I hope you heard the Guinness commercial... finally my beer reference!) Why not just put a little bug into an athletes ear that says, "This is ok. That is not. Stand up. Speak clearly. Be sure you want to say that before you make the ESPN top 10 stupid list." 

Take Terrell Owens (more commonly known as T.O.), the cowboys biggest PR mistake. I remember the day he made the switch my texas-native coach fell to her knees and cursed the Dallas franchise. He is now talking to the media about how if the ball was in his hands more often the Cowboys would win more games. OK, cocky and confident are two things talked about in sports often... but rude and completely vain are what T.O. is coming across as. How does that look on the Cowboys? I'm sure you have a few fans that agree and think it's cool that he talks like that, but then there are the lifetime fans who can't even remember why they like the Cowboys that are embarrassed with this behavior. I'm a Jags fan and I'm upset about it! 

What if he had taken a couple suggestions from someone who knew that tact is important. He could still say what he feels but maybe more like, "I wish I had a more constant role in our games. I feel like I do make good things happen and I'll work hard to make good things happen." What's so wrong with that? Honesty without pomposity. The media will do the rest of the work for him. When I was watching SportsCenter and this topic came up they created a graphic of possessions, yardage, total points, and other things comparing T.O. and his other teammates combined. That could and should be enough to open eyes but he had to be rude about it. 

Some athletes won't change, I understand this. The article said maybe Mike Vick would have thought more about the dog fighting participation; I doubt that. I think they are going to do what they want but maybe a PR look on things could polish some players enough to make a difference. I think that the power of PR is misunderstood and I hope that we can someday spread tact and it's importance. 

These thing-a-ma-jiggers are handy!

We're all opening our eyes to how technology is changing not only the world in general but our world, the PR world. We have been MySpacing and Facebooking for years now, but now we're blogging, linking, tweeting and who knows what else as a requirement in class and really in our profession. So are these tools just helping us keep up with the Jones's, or are they making us lazy and no longer personal?

Our favorite Gluten-free professor attended a conference this weekend that spoke on the importance of knowing all these new technologies and correctly using them. Conferences on Facebookish things? Crazy. This article on Bad Pitch Blog talks about all the different tools for PR like press release graders, online news wires that send out those releases, and of course the several networking sites. 

I agree with this blog that these tools are absolutely amazing for their luxury assets, but I believe when it comes to meeting people a little hard work and effort to actually get out there is important. What would happen if Congress no longer met, they just opened a chat room? Ha ha how would someone create a filibuster? That could be interesting. Now I know that is a little extreme, however, who knows how far this technology is going to take us? I still think a smile, good eye contact, and a firm handshake is the best way to make a connection and I hope this isn't something of the past. 

The blog does discuss the importance of taking out a second to at least personalize the messages sent around sites. I believe this is crucial. How would you make a good first impression if you can't electronically crack a joke or throw out your best professional pick-up line? 

I hope that all these sites keep up professionalism too. It's hard for me not to type this blog 'n not use contractions 'cuz it isn't formal 'n they're my words. 

Instant replay?! You have got to be kidding me.

Baseball, America's favorite pastime and one of the only games that has truly stuck to it's origins. Unlike the NFL or the NBA, baseball hasn't added a two point conversion, three point line, or media time outs that alter the length and flow of the game. MLB still uses wooden bats, simple leather gloves, a 60'6" distance to the mound, and a methodical game. 

I'm sorry to announce that I can't move to beer yet because my heart was broken by the MLB. 

This weekend my dad dropped the bomb on me: MLB on 8/20/08 announced that the implementation of the instant-replay will begin before the end of this season. Luckily, they are restricting this second-look to three types of controversial home run calls: fair/foul, clearing the fence, and fan interference. Why would you take the fun out of giving a scowl to a fan that thinks they're Willie Mays? 

The MLB has now joined the band-wagon and is the last of the four major North American professionals sports to let technology mess with their game. In  the article the PR senior vice president's only quote was about how all the stadiums hadn't been finished. Is that all he has to say for himself? I need some expansion!

Why would they do this? Are they going to start using metal bats like the colleges do and let a bunt amount to a home run? I thought it was a good idea to put mics on players that would allow them, put cameras in front of home plate so fans can get a different look, or even the programs they have to break down a swing and explain every element. But none of that messed with the game. In sports marketing we discussed that "changes to the core product" should only be made to help the competition or help the players and excite the fans. Who is excited about this? What true hardballer thinks that it's ok to not wan to get in the umps face and scream or try and point out the ball mark on a padded wall?

Instead of charging the mound, or having a bench clear, I hope players come with spray cans and cover the lenses. Also, ironic how the headquaters for these replays are in Chelsea (Manhattan)... is this a personal stab?

Hoo needs a title? (haha...yeah.)

So not many need an introduction for the lovely logo to the left. Wings, beer, short shorts, big boobs, but who ever thought about men?

I was just sitting around chatting with my roommate yesterday and she brought up that once upon a time (sorry this is nowhere near a new release it was settled in 1997) Hooters had been sued for denying men serving jobs. It had never occured to me! The Hooters Girl has been so ingrained I had never even thought about dudes wanting to serve. I tried looking up the story behind all this and find out a little more and unfortunately the only decent thing I could find was this http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9904E6DA1E3AF932A35753C1A961958260 and it really wasn't all that great.

However, my interest really isn't in all that happened with that case; I think it is AMAZING that Hooters hasn't skipped a beat since! How can such an equality-driven society in which women are shooting up the power ladder with ease and jobs are readily interchangable between the sexes not let all that affect this company? It's nuts. It's also awesome.

What kind of PR would something like that normally have? My google responded with a lot about Wal-Mart having gender issues but only one decent response about this issue. That says something about the power Hooters has over people, men and women. I think that the company really held their stance well by paying the $3.75 million settlement and going on their merry way. They did have to include a bona fide occupation qualification (informs my brilliant roomie) that is basically, "Hey, bro, you don't fit what we need. If we were looking for a nursing mother we wouldn't pick you either. Here's a couple bucks 'cuz we can't lose the ladies."

So, readers, do we think that Hooters handled this right? Or do we think it's demeaning to one sex or the other that sex appeal is really a basis of their business? In the PR sense, was it a good idea to pay the settlement and carry on? Yes. No. Yes.

Incredible. I'm going to have to giggle now at the guys who dress up as Hooters waitresses on Halloween because that's the closest their going to get.

Side note- now that I have blogged about baseball and boobs... should I hit beer next? Let's see what I can find.

Party like a Rockstar, eh?

So after watching Palin speak this Wednesday my interest in this presidential race sky-rocketed. She was just a wow VP nominee and a fire-ball that I even went back and watched the Obama and Biden speeches. I looked for the supposed over-the-top flashy things that Obama was doing and really I didn't think it was all too much. So, as I was poking around looking for something to blog I went to my comfort news site The Florida Times-Union and saw the headline "Rocker Bon Jovi hosts Obama fundraiser." Interesting. The comedic mud-slinging by firery Palin didn't really change his rock-star mentality. The article also included, "He vowed to fight Republican attacks on his character," but it doesn't really seem like it.

Left: I think that the Obama-Biden PR team has done a really good job with their campaign and the spunk they have brought to the race. I do wonder, though, why they would continue on their rockstar path with someone like Bon Jovi and not take a counter-step and maybe harden their appeal a bit. I know mud-slinging is just that, mud-slinging, but for the serious political aspect I would think they would take the smallest chance to send a "boo-ya we're serious too" message to those people in the middle that may have perked their ears to Palin's tease. Does that make sense? Or should Obama stay true to his so-called rockstar mentality and keep the speakers cranked up in the Democratic Party?

Right: In terms of public relations I really think that the Republican party stepping outside of its' traditional male-only ticket and throwing a curve-ball with Palin was an awesome idea. She is smart, witty, motivated, and yeah... a woman. She's something this party hasn't really had and I'm interested to see where it goes. She is going to connect to those hockey-mom's and their lipstick as well as have an edge that men can stand behind. I just hope all the serious right-wingers can stand behind her too.

http://wire.jacksonville.com/pstories/entertainment/20080905/329050250.shtml

MLB again

So since I have some out-of-class followers apparently interested in the MLB like I am I decided to look a little more into it. This time I just did a google search for "MLB blogs" and came across http://octobergonzo.mlblogs.com/. Even though it is still the same site, this blogger is a fan and not a player this time. He gives his opinions as the season progresses and even attaches video of plays that catch his eye. One of my commentors noticed that Frenchy hadn't updated his post in a while so I checked this one and it looks like OG fairly regularly updates his. This looks like a blog I could easily follow and get the quick updates on the post season from a different eye. I ironically think my favorite part of his blog though is that beside the MLB.com logo it says "Official Affiliate/ Unofficial Opinons." It's cool to know that the MLB would allow this to legally attach to their site and fans can openly comment. I do wonder, however, how much Gonzo's blog is regulated. Hm.

A good idea or insight to dumb athletes?

So I was stressing about finding an article to get in depth with on this blog when I decided to visit MLB.com. I hadn't noticed in past times visiting the site that there is actually a section for blogging about or with your favorite teams on this site. It was pretty interesting to me that even the baseball world, which tries to stay with tradition, is opening its' doors to the people and creating another way for them to connect with their fellow fans.

Moving on from my find, I decided to move to the Braves website and see what sort of blogging they have. Interestingly enough I came across "Frenchy's Forum" that according to the site is Jeff Francoeur's blog. I quickly read through his newest blog about their road trip this weekend. My problem comes up because I'm bothered that while his vocabulary is developed, his sentence structure and overall syntax is awkward. I know blogs aren't the most formal writing but it makes me wonder if the thoughts in his head are that choppy.

I'm interested to look through this site a little more and find out what is really going through the heads of some of my favorite players. I'm sure this is a PR tactic of some sort by asking the players to do this but hey it got me, right?

http://jefffrancoeur.mlblogs.com/

Yay for blogging!

I will admit that this is my first personal blog and I am pretty excited about getting into the swing of things. I am ready to dip my toes into the new-fangled world of blogging. This semester in PR Administration is going to be a blast and a real look into what PR is all about. Bring it on!