Blog 4: Commenting on 2 classmates blogs

My blog focuses solely on the sports industry in the public relations world, but this week I want to take a look at the different aspects of pr.  I wanted to compare my blog to another student that has a different focus and one student that has a similar focus (of sports).

The first blog I enjoyed reading was Blains blog about research results in the media.  It makes sense that research would be an important aspect of the media, but I never put too much thought into it.  With television it's so essential to research what is working and what isn't in order for a television show to succeed.  I thought the example of "The Hills" was perfect because it showed how successful a television show could be, when the viewers were manipulated into thinking it was real.  I think with these research results, they can use them to produce more successful shows.

The second blog I took a look at was from the second week about ethics in public relations.  Andrews blog also focuses on the sports industry, mainly baseball, so I thought it would be a good idea to compare ours and to see if there was anything I could take from his blog and use towards mine.  I liked how he focused on PED's or steroids because that is the number one problem relating to ethics in public relations.  He compared two different baseball players who were on steroids that handled the situation completely different.  Andy Pettitte came right out and addressed that he did take performance enhancing drugs and the situation was dropped shortly after.  Roger Clemens, though, denied the reports and is still dealing with the repercussions.  This was similar to my blog because Michael Vick also denied the allegations of dog fighting and people still talk about this issue whenever his name comes up.

In reading other classmates blogs, I was able to take away new ideas for future blog postings.  I also liked learning about the different industries pr deals with and how each student has a different interest.

Research in the sports industry

Research is essential no matter what part of the pr world you end up in.  It's a necessity in order for a company or industry to move ahead.  The sports industry is no different.  Teams, sporting goods, trends, and television coverage are just some of the many areas that need to be researched.

One website I came across focuses on every sport known to mankind.  If you ask anyone that knows anything about sports, statistics would be high up on the list of things that are essential in this industry.  Not only does it focus on statistics, but it also shows trends, reports, articles, and anything a fan would need to know about a team/sport.

Ethical issues in sports

So we all know the sports industry is full of ethical issues that athletes face everyday.  Issues that vary from steroid usage to dogfights, but how do these athletes recover from the big hits they take from the media?  They may never fully recover, in the sense of regaining respect from fans or other athletes, but how does it effect their sports career?

One athlete that got media coverage across the nation is Michael Vick.  He was sent to federal prison for torturing and killing dogs and lying to the feds about it.  Before getting caught, Vick played for the Atlanta Falcons, but was dropped from the team after the incident.  He currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL, but how well has he recovered?

Almost 2 and a half years later, he is still the topic of debate.  Fanhouse.com wrote an article, speaking highly of Michael Vick's athletic ability, but they mention the "dogfighting thing" a total of 4 separate times.  The article, though, also reaffirmed that the fans still love him and many say the Falcons never should have let him go.

In reading the article, the main thing I took away from it was the dogfighting.  The media focuses on negativity because gossip is what makes the world go round.

It's safe to say that Michael Vick will always be associated with dogfighting.  Wherever you see his name, that's probably going to be the first thing that pops up in your head, but people always love a comeback.

Blog Focus

I've been playing sports since the age of 4 and I wouldn't know a life without them.  My father played college soccer and he passed on the love of the game to me, where I now play at Quinnipiac University. With a minor in Sports Studies, I thought it was appropriate to start a blog that focuses on the sports industry.
My blog will incorporate the various sports that we are surrounded by daily.  Along with my own thoughts, I will be posting links from an assortment of different websites in order to support my ideas. Week to week each post will differ in topic and the ideas surrounding sports.