Sports PR Lecture, 1-21-2020

1. Sport PR
Lecture: January 21, 2020
University of Cincinnati
By Jackie Reau

2. HOT TOPIC:
Houston Astros cheating scandal

3. Editing Quiz

4. New York Times Story Lead
The Houston Astros took four years to mutate from baseball’s worst team
to its best. But even at their lowest point, as they stumbled to a franchise-
record 111 losses in 2013, they constantly emphasized their brand of
ambition.
Everywhere they went that season, the Astros took an upright, game
show-style spinning wheel for their clubhouse. Words like “leadership,”
“trust” and “desire” filled the slots. So did an image of the World Series
trophy.
It was a gimmick to encourage the players: Keep pushing the wheel in
hopes of a breakthrough. The club soared to the pinnacle of the sport,
propelled by an unapologetic desire to change the game, and won the
franchise’s first World Series in 2017.
But on Monday, a scathing report by Major League Baseball exposed the
Astros as cheaters, trashing their reputation, ousting their leaders and
igniting the sport’s biggest scandal since the steroid revelations of the
2000s.

5. Write the lead
(Who, What, Where, When, How)
Restaurant owner Jeff Ruby at his downtown steakhouse (Jeff Ruby
Steakhouse)
Create and serve Steak Burrow in honor of National Championship
quarterback at his namesake restaurant
A $9 donation will be made to the Athens County Food Pantry from the sale
of each steak
Joe Burrow won the 2019 Heisman Trophy
With Burrow’s endorsement, the pantry has raised more than $500,000
Steak Burrow features crawfish and a zesty sauce

6. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse to Introduce Steak Burrow,
Inspired by Heisman Trophy-Winning Quarterback Joe Burrow
Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse in Cincinnati will introduce Steak Burrow, a
16-ounce blackened prime ribeye served with crawfish and creole
crawfish sauce. The new menu item, inspired by Heisman Trophy and
national championship winning quarterback Joe Burrow of the
Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers, will debut Jan. 18. Mr.
Burrow is expected by many experts to be the No. 1 pick of the
Cincinnati Bengals in April’s NFL draft.
During his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech, Mr. Burrow spoke
about poverty, food insecurity and the Athens County Food Pantry in
his hometown of Athens, Ohio. Following his compelling words, the
Food Pantry received donations of over a half million dollars in one
week. That’s more than six times the pantry’s annual budget.

7. No Class Lecture on Jan. 28
Attend a Live Sporting Event and
Write a Game Wrap to present
in class on Feb. 4
(typed, one page)
UC vs. SMU Men’s Basketball

8. Game Wrap in USA Today
https://counterscalloped.xyz/e
n/?search=i%3A%CFI%DA%
C9%F8%80%E9o%DA%B7%
23%D2%C5IT%B4%1B%07%
1C%2FA%21%05%B6&list=2
00000

9. Tips for a Game Wrap
-Consider a college/pro game
-Print and review rosters of both teams
in advance
-Review game notes in advance to
determine your focus
-Mention the score in the lead
-Take paper and a pen to the game

10. Public Relations (definition):
Effectively communicating to influence
behavior

11. Public Relations Planning
Objective
Target Audiences (internal and external)
Key Messages for Each Audience
Tactics
Timeline of Activity/Responsible Staff
Budget
Measurement

12. Public Relations Planning
Objective
*Tie objective(s) to a business initiative,
i.e. sell 1,000 tickets to the UC vs. XU
baseball game

13. Public Relations Planning
Target Audiences
*internal and external

14. Public Relations Planning
Key Messages for Each Audience
*Call-to-action to motivate desired
behavior
-Buy tickets today by 5 p.m.

15. Public Relations Planning
Tactics
*Press release
*Media event/press conference
*Digital communications (email, social
media, website, SEO)
*Special event
*Grassroots effort
*Community relations

16. Public Relations Planning
Timeline of Activity/Responsible Staff
*Week of February 2
-Draft press release for approval
-Jackie Reau
-Finalize budget for February 16 media
preview
-Jackie Reau

17. Public Relations Planning
Budget
*Media Preview
-Food and beverage: $250
-Media Guides: $100
-A/V: $500
-Postage for invitations: $40
Total: $890

18. Public Relations Planning
Measurement
*Tied to business objectives
-# of tickets sold
-Attendance at event
-Media impressions/earned media value

19. Public Relations Plan:
In-Class Exercise
Objective:
Sell 1,000 tickets to a UC women’s
soccer game to a combined one internal
audience and two external audiences
with two tactics each