Sport Public Relations

Sport Public Relations, Third Edition With HKPropel Access, offers a comprehensive examination of the value and practice of public relations in sport. Extensively updated and substantially reorganized, this third edition reflects the evolution of the field with modern applications across a wide range of media channels. The book's topics align with the Common Professional Component topics outlined by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA).

The author team brings together significant professional and educational backgrounds in sport public relations to offer an engaging look at the full range of public relations functions. Readers will learn the importance of consistent brand communication and how to manage organizational relationships, both internal and external, to attain key strategic goals.

The thorough coverage of the field is built around three common themes: 1. Public relations is a managerial function focused on advancing the brand and engaging key stakeholders.
2. The communications environment is continuously evolving.
3. Community relations, employee relations, and donor relations are as critical as media relations within the sport industry.
Woven throughout these themes are public relations theories applied in sport-specific contexts to help students further understand the complexity of the sport communication ecosystem.

Throughout the book, there is guidance for practical application, including samples of public relations materials such as news releases and employee newsletters. Be Your Own Media sidebars highlight how sport organizations are proactively telling their stories across various media platforms. New to this edition, case studies and discussion questions serve as a foundation for additional learning. Other updates include the following:

• Discussion of engaging key publics through social media and other forms of digital media--such as blogs, podcasts, virtual fan communities, and video--as well as approaches to developing content, metrics for measuring success, and skills for managing media in sport
• An examination of customer experience (CX) and how to enhance those relationships by defining customer touch points and mapping the customer journey
• Considerations for social media usage during crisis communication, with modern examples of effective and ineffective ways prominent sport entities have managed recent crises

Also new to the third edition are related online learning aids delivered through HKPropel and designed to generate discussion and highlight the opportunities and challenges that exist in sport public relations. Commentary on current topics is accompanied by links to associated content, discussion questions, and applied learning activities to promote engaged student learning. A live Twitter feed for specific hashtags within HKPropel ensures regular updates.

With Sport Public Relations, Third Edition, students will better understand the various demands of the field and learn to successfully and proactively develop consistent communication and stronger relationships between sport organizations and their key publics.

Note: A code for accessing HKPropel is included with all new print books.

G. Clayton Stoldt, EdD, is associate dean, a professor of sport management, and the faculty athletics representative at Wichita State University in Kansas. He has taught and conducted research in sport public relations for more than 20 years, was a college sport information director for 10 years, and currently maintains involvement in sport public relations practice through media service roles for select events with ESPN, CBS Sports, and Fox Sports Midwest.

In addition to Sport Public Relations, Stoldt has published 11 book chapters and 51 articles in academic and professional publications, and he has made 30 presentations on the subject of sport public relations at various academic and professional conferences. His work as a sport information director has also been recognized in various state and national competitions, and in 2019 he received the Committed Service Award from the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) and was inducted into the COSMA Hall of Fame. Stoldt is a member of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Stoldt enjoys spending time with his family and friends, attending sporting events, and reading.

Stephen W. Dittmore, PhD, is the assistant dean for outreach and innovation as well as a professor of recreation and sport management at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He worked in sport public relations in both the 1996 and 2002 Olympic Games as director for the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee, coordinator for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, and public relations manager for USA Wrestling. In 2015, he served as the venue media manager for the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. He is an assistant editor for the AthleticDirectorU site and is on the editorial board of International Journal of Sport Communication.

Dittmore is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. He has been recognized with multiple awards from the University of Arkansas, including the Rising Star Award in 2011 and the Outstanding Advising and Mentoring Award in 2016.

Dittmore enjoys traveling with his family, supporting his son's athletics activities, reading, and writing.

Mike Ross, EdD, is an assistant professor of sport management at Wichita State University (WSU), with teaching specializations in sport public relations, technology in sport management, and sport marketing. Prior to joining the faculty in 2010, Ross was the assistant media relations director for WSU Athletics. He has sustained his involvement in sport communication practice in a number of ways, most recently serving as director of media operations for the 2018 NCAA men's basketball regional hosted in Wichita.

Ross is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He was the recipient of the Leadership in the Advancement of Teaching Award in 2016 and the College of Education Emory Lindquist Faculty Teaching Award in 2018, both from WSU.

Scott Branvold, EdD, is a professor of sport management at Robert Morris University and a former faculty athletics representative at the university. He has over 30 years of teaching experience in the sport management field and practical experience in sport information and event management. In 2017 he was the recipient of the university's School of Business Service Award.

Branvold earned his doctorate in education from the University of Utah. He has contributed chapters to two publications dealing with ethics in sport management and marketing and public relations in college athletics. He has written articles for several sport marketing and management journals and has given several presentations on topics relating to sports.