THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SPORTSPERSON

The amount of money invested in, and made, in professional sports today along with the complexity of such revenue resources, has created an inextricable symbiotic relationship between the players, global PR activity, media, along with fans, followers and spectators. The various avenues which can be utilized for massive returns require fine tuning and careful monitoring. This means managing the play and the player. Most of the brands today, be it luxury, clothing, real estate, and all other merchandise either are being promoted by “Star Players” or celebrities from movies etc. The pull of sports in our country is primarily due to the global image of cricket and India’s makeover from just-another-team to being one of the most widely revered teams, or A-list team. This shapeshifting has been a cosmetic surgery of sorts while retaining the game in all its glory, because now the players’ mind-set, their approach to the game, their philosophy and what drives them to be what they are is, of as much interest to the audience who are hooked to reality of their idols. While all this seems very entertaining, this strategically planned approach has inspired people, brought their life stories, struggles, success, hurdles to the fore making them more human, to a game fanatic. In this way media has transformed the face of sports culture converting it into a following, a business, and a trade of emotions manipulating them to suit the needs of the highest bidder. Needless to say it has led to production of movies, ad films, songs and jingles that narrate stories of sports stars making people believe in hard work and due rewards. The life altering experience of coming from run down shacks in small towns or villages, playing through mud and grime with grit and dedication can be shared in a million different ways, and this portrayal makes all the difference. Movies like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Mary Kom, the Rocky series etc., are all inspired from real life personalities who beat all odds to achieve the pinnacle of success. Energized PR stimulates thinking and improves interaction.Sports is that area which has untamed potential.

Nowadays the dialogue has moved from commentators’ boxes and spilled all over social media. The public holds an emotional thread to the game and the players. The aura surrounding players has been modulated to the specifications of a positive public reception. Take for instance the case of Tiger Woods. A man best in his game lost everything due to bad publicity, and never managed to recover.  

The game of cricket for instance, also called The Gentleman’s Game is a treat with its on-the-field notoriety of certain players. However, more than coverage, televised or written, media management helps boost player earnings, increase in cost of global competition which reels in sponsors seeking exposure to large audiences, which now thrives on gossip and information about players as much as the sport itself. This is the role played by PR firms creating a sports’ celebrity while managing fans expectations. Today the player cannot exist in isolation. Considering the heightened level of interest coupled with stakeholders spread over the world fans are as much interested in behind-the-scenes footage, private information, and gossip about their private/public lives, which can create or spoil a Brand. This unfettered adulation often turns into hero worship weighed on the social scale, bringing them under strict scrutiny. They automatically become symbols due to which it doesn’t take long for commentators or analysers to commend, vilify or criticise sports stars when they fail to live up to the standard commonly accepted by society denoting them as bastions of exemplary behaviour and courage.

Expert PR is also managing expectation of fans who produce and consume news at a rapid rate of success and failure. The method to capitalise on it can potentially affect the morale of the team or any member in particular. In an age where nothing is private, players also fall prey to hype, and generate their own news too. Personal accounts, twitter feeds, blogs, etc., maintained by them independently is a forum to express themselves, and while that is completely their prerogative, most players now being in contracts have to submit everything to a PR department. This is an essential restriction to contain frenzy and maintain the dignity of the sport which is reflected by the sportspersons themselves. One needs to conduct an evaluation through studies, discussions, and engage in conversations to understand perceptions about celebrities and project an image that would benefit the game and the player equally.

In this way a proper strategy can tap this massive opportunity and elevate Public Relations through concentrated focus on its importance to expertly manoeuvre creation of expectations and viewpoints in the media.