Trends in business and industry over the past two decades have increased the need for firms to manage change and uncertainty. Rapid changes wrought by technology, increasing globalization, increased competition, and the need to lower costs make it more difficult for firms to create a formula to remain competitive. In light of these realities, the role of the public relations is also being transformed. As Cutlip, Center and Broom argue, like marketing, finance and manufacturing, “the public relations function in business is subject to continuing evaluation...with the ultimate yardstick being progress toward goals and objectives set by management” (459).
Profitability is one of the key goals of any organization. This is true for the sports industry where successful franchises often produce hundreds of millions of dollars in profits for owners. Nevertheless, the sports industry is unique in a manner akin to the film industry. In both of these industries just one “star”, whether an athlete or actor, can have a significant impact on the franchise’s profitability. Yet there is a crucial difference. Bad press often makes a popular star even more appealing to his or her audience. With respect to star athletes and sports organizations, the opposite is often true. Take, for example, the notorious bad publicity that erupted when Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker spewed a raft of disparaging remarks to a reporter doing an interview for Sport’s Illustrated. Rocker managed to offend every race and ethnic group in existence, including calling one anonymous teammate a “fat monkey” (Elsasser 28). The incident turned into a public relations (PR) case study minutes after the story ran. The Atlanta Braves immediately issues a press statement distancing the organization from the views of any player and Rocker’s agent read a prepared statement from his client: “Everyone makes mistakes and I hope everyone can put this a...