Today in Ridiculously Overpaid Athletes Are People Too news, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is the latest beefed-up domino to fall in baseball’s ongoing steroid scandal. MLB commissioner Bud Selig decided to make an example of “Captain Rodriguez” with the longest suspension in the history of America’s Pastime.

The MLB Players Association appealed the decision on behalf of A-Rod, who is the only one of the 13 accused players to fight his suspension. Quite telling that the other 12 immediately ‘fessed up, isn’t it? The ensuing legal back-and-forth ensures that he will be able to wear a Yankees uniform for the rest of the season (which won’t last very long, considering the Bronx Bombers’ current 56-55 record).

PR to the rescue! According to The USA Today, Berk Communications President and “A-Fraud” publicist Ron Berkowitz posted a since-deleted tweet on Tuesday that read a little, shall we say, combative.

Hello Chicago!!! Lets do this!!! #fighting

—   Ron Berkowitz (@ronberk1) August 5, 2013

What was that all about? Well, in what one reporter called “an exceptional lack of self awareness,” A-Rod told the media “I’m fighting for my life,” strongly implying that Major League Baseball has it in for him. Poor guy.

So what will he do? And what should he do?

Read more

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law that bans ”propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” and threatens openly gay or “pro-gay” citizens and foreigners with fines, arrests and possible jail time. Another new law restricts adoptions of Russian children by people in countries that allow same-sex marriage.

With the 2014 Winter Olympics set to take place in Sochi, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it has received assurances ”from the highest level of government in Russia that the legislation will not affect those attending or taking part in the Games.” It pledged to ensure there would be no discrimination against athletes, officials, spectators or the media during the games.

Many equal-rights activists are unimpressed with the IOC’s response, and feel that whether or not the laws directly affect the games is far from the point. ”They should be advocating for the safety of all LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people in Russia, not simply those visiting for the Olympics,” said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin. ”Rescinding this heinous law must be our collective goal.”

In order to make their voices heard, activists have been writing petitions and staging boycotts.

The “Dump Russian Vodka” campaign, started by internationally syndicated sex columnist Dan Savage, has prompted bars across the US, UK, Canada and Australia to stop serving Russian brands like Stolichnaya. In response, Stolichnaya’s CEO Val Mendeleev wrote an open letter last week condemning the recent laws and reaffirming the brand’s commitment to the LGBT community. The brand’s website has also undergone an overhaul, and now features a rainbow block of text boasting that the brand “stands strong and proud with the global LGBT community against the attitude and actions of the Russian government.” (We’d call this a winning damage control response) Read more

“You keep it boring, String. You keep it dead f*cking boring.” – Joseph “Prop Joe” Stewart

Gangster’s motto or PR strategy? It’s both: the quote succinctly explains how drug kingpin Stringer Bell avoids attracting too much attention from the cops and how Bill Belichick, coach of football’s incredibly successful New England Patriots, manages to keep his team in the media’s good graces despite several recent run-ins with the Bad News Bears.

In an article titled “Nobody outworks Belichick in the game of media control,” former Patriot and current Sporting News analyst Ross Tucker explains the man’s secret: keep things nice and dull.

Sounds too simple, doesn’t it? For most pigskin squads, news of a top receiver’s indictment for murder and the arrival of Tim “Jesus Is My Homeboy” Tebow would attract more bad press than a Kardashian wedding. Yet the Patriots have so far managed to avoid the fallout from the Aaron Hernandez and Tebow sideshows. According to Tucker, it’s because the team is “uniquely suited to handle the media scrutiny,” and it all comes back to the man in charge and his diligent approach to PR.

Read more

As a tennis champion renowned for disputing line calls, John McEnroe also draws a sharp line between his time playing and commentating. “I’ve been broadcasting now for 20 years and haven’t used a bad word yet in the booth. But it was harder to control myself on the court.”

McEnroe looks back fondly on his playing days, recalling his rivals’ colorful personalities and varied playing styles. He preferred having fewer on-court rules and the freedom of not touring with a big entourage as players do now. He’s come to terms with his former bad-boy reputation, but his biggest regret isn’t his tirades, it’s not learning another language. And don’t even get him started on his career commentating: he loves it, immersing himself in the game of tennis and in the players’ highs and lows.

McEnroe discussed a range of tennis topics at a TimesTalks event with New York Times sports editor Jason Stallman on Tuesday. They also showed the audience an amusing video of “Johnny Mac” in his heyday, with his trademark headband and curly hair, berating the umpires.

Below are selected interview highlights and comments from McEnroe.

Playing experience: McEnroe’s line call challenges may have sparked criticism, but he had a good eye, and his actions may have eventually led to the player challenge system in place now. But even though fellow tennis star Arthur Ashe used to tell him, “All the calls would even out”, McEnroe clearly didn’t subscribe to that notion:

“I did a terrible job of composing myself. I was a spoiled brat from Long Island who benefitted from the energy of New York. I got a lot of publicity but it steamrolled. Event organizers weren’t used to that kind of behavior, so later they tightened the rules. Sometimes my negativity worked to my advantage, and early in my career it got me going. But you need to understand that you’re not just fighting opponents, you’re also fighting yourself.”

Read more

The entire country watched in horror this month as Paula Deen’s deep-fried, butter-soaked career came crashing down in a mess of outrageous statements and one of the most painful non-apologies we’ve ever had the misfortune to witness.

Mrs. Deen’s fall was so epic, in fact, that it distracted us from another perfectly served case study in poor media relations. This one came courtesy of clay court champ Serena Williams, who ruined what should have been a complimentary Rolling Stone profile with a few ill-advised comments and a passive-aggressive “apology.”

While visiting a nail salon with reporter Stephen Rodrick, Williams saw a news report about the Steubenville, Ohio rape case that sent two high school football stars to jail and led to a PR fail for CNN when anchors Poppy Harlow and Candy Crowley appeared to express more sympathy for the rapists than their victim.

Serena said of the perpetrators: “Do you think it was fair, what they got? They did something stupid, but I don’t know.” Beyond classifying the rape of a 16-year-old girl as “something stupid” and wondering whether the offenders were punished too harshly, Williams also had some less-than-flattering words for the victim:

“I’m not blaming the girl, but…why was she that drunk where she doesn’t remember? She’s lucky… she shouldn’t have put herself in that position, unless they slipped her something, then that’s different.”

Did she really need to throw a “but” in there?

Read more

As PR experts we specialize in reality. Our job is take reality and put it into a context that works best for clients. The very first, and oftentimes the most difficult step, is to convince clients to accept reality. This can be a daunting challenge.

Judging from NBC’s commercials promoting the Tour de France, reality is something they have yet to face. Lance Armstrong happened. You can’t ignore him or the decade of controversy and scandal that resulted from his horrible behavior and the sport’s inability to regulate itself and maintain even a semblance of sportsmanship. Sure, today all professional sports are tainted in one way or another, but Lance Armstrong was a disaster for the Tour de France and the sport of cycling.

In order to move on the sport, the tournament and NBC must address the Lance Armstrong issue. It is still at the forefront of the public’s consciousness and any mental images we conjure of the Tour de France involve Lance Armstrong. You can’t ignore reality. In public relations, when you ignore reality you’re giving it power. Acting like nothing happened is what guilty people do. The public knows what you’re up to, because we were there for the Lance Armstrong debacle. We were part of it.

So NBC and the Tour de France should start there: in reality. Acknowledge what happened and build a vision for moving forward. Start all over. Elevate the people in the sport who don’t cheat and give them a platform, even if they are less than spectacular. The public doesn’t want a superhero; it wants something real—a person we can all relate to. And it wants the Tour de France to come clean.

Lance Armstrong tried to hide his drug use. Now the Tour de France is trying to hide Lance Armstrong. But the public knows better. The commercial above showcases the history of the Tour de France, and Lance Armstrong is part of that history.

History is an important part of reality.

“It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it” is an apt description of Roger Goodell’s role as NFL Commissioner. He’s worked at the NFL for 31 years, recalling that It took five years just to be former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s Super Bowl driver.

Jonathan Tisch, New York Giants’ co-owner, interviewed Goodell at NYU’s Hospitality Investment Conference on Tuesday, covering a range of serious and fun topics. Below are excerpts from Goodell’s comments.

On football’s evolution and what’s at stake: “The business has changed from a sophistication standpoint. It’s a high profile business, so the responsibilities are higher. Sometimes I make decisions that aren’t popular, but I’m proud of those.”

On meeting football fan’s needs: “For the in-stadium experience we must do a better job of creating value, delivering options that customers want. We need to make it unique, safe and have the proper concessions. There’s also great potential for events like the NFL Draft, and we’re looking at more off-season events to create a year-round experience.”

On adapting to changing technology and media platforms: “Our biggest fear is being complacent, so we keep trying to find innovative solutions. A big piece is technology, since we ask fans to disconnect for a few hours, so we need to wi-fi the stadiums.”

“The biggest opportunity is meeting the continuing demand as technology changes rapidly. We’ll keep delivering NFL news on several different devices. As more content is available, we’ll have more ability to reach fans directly.”

On the 2014 New Jersey Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium, the first northern host city without a roof: “It’s a great opportunity to promote football and the Super Bowl. Football is designed to be played in the elements, which makes it special. It’s great for this community, and I have more ticket requests for this game than before.”

“We’re embracing the weather and the opportunity to keep fans warmer, and will give them electric warming devices. We’re prepared to deal with bad weather. We’re planning a Super Bowl Boulevard in Times Square, an outdoor festival that’s truly unique. The buzz and excitement created will be great.”

Read more

Let’s face it: the marketing industry is partially responsible for promoting the stereotypes that we all seem more than willing to embrace. Real men are interesting, handsome and confident. Real women are sexy, supportive and apparently love to do laundry. And then there are the rest of us, the real people.

Brands want us to think that we need their products to land that dream job, take that dream date home to bed or be that perfect parent to our children. Reality, of course, is much more complicated. Unlike the actors in commercials, not everyone in life has straight teeth, perfect hair or the driving ability to park an SUV atop a mesa.

Marketers, of course, believe that by selling us a varnished version of our tarnished real lives, the public will gladly hand over its money for a taste of the life exalted in the advertising. And that’s fine. This is how human beings have sold products to each other for centuries. This dynamic, however, may be changing. In many respects, the public is becoming more self-aware and self-accepting. The public wants models that look more like regular people and products that don’t specifically target stereotypes of men or women.

The public also wants brands to recognize our humanity, and that humanity includes our need to be old, vulnerable and far from perfect. Enter NFL star Tony Siragusa, the new face of Depend Guards and Shields—products aimed at men with bladder leakage problems. You heard that correctly, leakage. It’s not a word many advertising copywriters would circle and say, “Let’s leverage the power of this word.” Read more

If you, like us, were tuned in to Saturday’s Red Sox game (yes, this PRNewser writer is from MA and is a Sox fan — can’t we still be friends, New Yorkers?), you likely saw the rousing speech that David Ortiz gave to a shaken but strengthened Boston crowd. Just one day after the manhunt for the surviving suspect of last week’s bombings at the Boston Marathon shut down the majority of the city, Big Papi had this to say: ““This is our f—ing city! Nobody’s gonna dictate our freedom. Stay strong.” (Note: Video contains explicit language…obviously)

While the crowd roared its approval and the clip went viral on social media, many wondered whether the FCC would be as thrilled with such strong language gracing the airwaves during a family-friendly program. But in response, outgoing head of the FCC Julius Genachowski tweeted the following statement: “David Ortiz spoke from the heart at today’s Red Sox game. I stand with Big Papi and the people of Boston.”

And we, too, speak from the heart when we cheer: Damn f—ing straight! Three cheers for “the fellas at the freakin’ FCC“!

Chances are you, or someone you know, owns a pair of shoes. Now consider there are currently about 7.078 billion people on earth. That’s how big and lucrative the shoe industry is, and for decades Nike has been at the forefront of shoe sales.

But times changed.

Nike’s original young demographic grew up and had its own kids. Spokesman Michael Jordan retired… twice. Competing brands gained influence. Technology turned the world inside out, and the public began consuming information a la carte instead of off the menu of mainstream television networks and newspapers.

Instead of being a lumpy, amorphous, loosely-defined mass of humanity, the public became a collection of niches. This may be a welcome development if you sell horse magazines or pirate-themed paper plates, but for Nike this changing reality is a big challenge. To reach customers Nike must exploit every channel from Twitter and Facebook to Youtube and traditional television, and it must do it in a way that resonates with the various sensibilities of different niches of people.

That’s hard to do.

Instead of courting famous athletes like Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong (look how well that turned out), Nike should exploit the new niche reality by going directly to its source: customers. The future of Nike’s brand shouldn’t focus on how far someone can jump from the free throw line, but on health, competition and style—the core interests of its dynamic target demographic.

Or it should go back to selling the original Air Jordans. Those are timeless.