Press practices of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which have won an award of Professional Football Writers of America, show that flow of information and flow of money are related. PR people can use this example to encourage clients to loosen their lips.

“Lynch”Marshawn Lynch

Fan interest and patronage in many sports are setting records and one reason is the increased amount of information available via TV coverage including instant, slow-motion replays.

The latest Super Bowl, in which Seattle threw an interception on second down at the New England goal line, losing 28-24, was the most watched TV show in U.S. history, said NBC-TV. Audience was more than 114.4 million. The crucial play that perplexed many was shown numerous times in slo-mo.

Baseball has at last adopted an appeal process and we have seen a number of umpire calls reversed in recent weeks. Plays are recorded from multiple angles and played back in slow motion. Umpires in offices removed from the field view close plays from angles not available to umpires.

Football, basketball, tennis, golf, hockey and other sports are lavishing on their fans a banquet of information that is helping to build traffic.

tshirtA public that is used to such a full plate of info and access to newsmakers is bound to be put off by companies and institutions that are not communicative and transparent.

Current PR fashion is to emphasize story-telling. But stories not only need lots of facts but availability of principals for questioning.

Press Availability Mandatory in Sports

The 4,090-word, 22-point National Football League media relations policy starts with this sentence:

“Reasonable cooperation with the news media is essential to the continuing popularity of our game and its players and coaches.”

“Vines”Vines

Locker rooms must be opened to reporters 10-12 minutes after a game with “immediate access to all players and the head coach,” says the policy.

The head coach and at least one star player of the game must be presented for interviews “as soon as possible.”

Some NFL teams supply media access to players before and after practice on a daily basis. The NFL minimum is that there be 45-minutes of interview time on four days of the practice week.

All NFL players, upon request of their club PR director, are required to participate in weekly conference calls with the media from the opposing team’s city.

“Talk to Media,” Says Troop PR

Troop PR, Lanham, Md., is distributing a T-shirt with the words, “I talked to a reporter and I liked it.” Pamela Vines, president, retired U.S. Army officer who was its spokesperson at the Office of Chief of PA at the Pentagon, is urging all sports figures to follow the NFL guidelines.

Vines had a 24-year career with the Army. After advising general officers and top leadership in the military, she was a communications consultant advising civilian and military clients. She opened Troop PR in 2014.

Her advice is appropriate to public figures everywhere.

“Public figures have rights, too,” she says. “Foremost, they have the right to be respected by the media. But seemingly no media reps have disrespected any of the [football] players.”

Vines faulted Marshawn Lynch of Seattle for not being cooperative with reporters.

“Lauten,Steelers PR chief
Burt Lauten

Vines quotes the NFL media policy and notes that players receive annual media training sessions. New players get separate sessions. Failure to be responsive to reporters results in “more media training.

Steelers Win Rozelle Award

The Steelers PR unit, headed by Burt Lauten since 2011, also includes Dave Lockett as communications coordinator, Ryan Scarpino and Dom Rinelli. It won the Pete Rozelle Award of Professional Football Writers of America as the "best PR staff."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports reporter Ed Bouchette said the Steelers PR staff works with reporters and offers “guidance when asked or even when not.”