Change to Communications Much More Than Name Change

I have to admit that when the trend started a few years ago to change the name of sports information to communications, I didn't quite understand it. At the time to me, the term "communications" seemed to more characterize someone who worked with telephones rather than public relations.

(On a side note, I'm very fortunate at Florida because I work with one of the best phone communications specialists out there. He was hired at about the same time as I was and he's really great because - ironically enough - he's a great communicator. He really understands the people he works with, what their cell phone needs are and operates in a really practical manner with regard to his job. Plus, he's extremely helpful and always willing to go the extra mile.)

Over the past couple of years, I've really come to embrace the communications title. By definition, communication is "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs." That's what we as SIDs do. We advise our head coaches, student-athletes and administration in the realm of public relations, we work well with members of the media and use our communications skills to serve as a mediator between all kinds of different parties. On a daily basis, we coordinate an interview time that works with a student-athlete's practice and class schedule, the reporter and ourselves. We do this, generally seamlessly, without even giving it much thought. We are master communicators in doing this and we just regard it as a routine task.

I have to admit, I kind of like the acronym SID. People know what it means, it's easy to say and it covers all of the people in our profession whether their department calls it sports information, media relations, public affairs, public relations, external affairs or communications. We know what it means, and we've been using this term since practically the start of our profession. (Actually, one of the early terms often used in the 1950s and 1960s was sports publicity director.)

Why is the "sports information" label bad for us at times? I think when the people you report to (your administrators and coaches) think "sports information," they think of a person who provides "information about sports." Well, of course, you might be saying. That's common sense. But, we do much more than that. While providing "information about sports" is an important part of our jobs, that's not all we do. A person who provides "information about sports" goes to games, does the stats, sits in their office and pours through research, is a sports fanatic and then goes home. While we do, actually, do all of those things (and enjoy them), I don't think those should be our defining traits. It would be like calling an athletic trainer an "ankle taper." Sure, that's generally what you see, but it takes a highly trained professional who has keen medical insight and a knowledge of preventative care to be an athletic trainer.

One of the common definitions of public relations is "the management function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends." I almost completely agree with one caveat.

I strongly dislike the terms "management" or "manager." Why? Management and managers are one-way streets. Management is a hierarchal classification that dictates to non-management what tasks they are to perform, how they are to inform them and in what amount of time they have to complete them. Managers manage their employees. A tyrant (defined: "an absolute ruler") could qualify as a manager. There is no two-way street. You are being managed. There is someone in a position of power and someone who is not. No debating that.

"Leadership" and "leaders" are much, much better words. A leader empowers his or her employees to do their best and exceed the job expectations. Leadership is people-based, not results-based. Sure, someone has to oversee an operation and, ultimately mentor junior (in experience) employees. But it needs to be a two-way street and the leader needs to empower his/her employees, not supress them.

With that, here's why it's important for us to be known as communications professionals. We, as athletics communicators, practice the leadership function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an athletics department and its key publics, serving as internal public relations advisors to top administration. That's my definition.

If you're an effective athletics commmunications professional, you read and anticipate trends, issues and questions that will affect the positive public image of your organization and advise that athletics department's leadership how best to handle that situation from a communications standpoint.

That's why I was so pleased to hear of CoSIDA's new rebranding campaign. "Strategic Communicators for College Athletics." That's what we are and that's why the switch to communications is beneficial for all involved.

Again, in my definition, athletics communications is the leadership function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an athletics department and its key publics, serving as internal public relations advisors to top administration.

CoSIDA and PRSA Experiences Mutually Beneficial for SIDs

An important theme that has been prevalent throughout CoSIDA this year has been the importance of the communications professional “having a seat at the table” in the world of intercollegiate athletics.

That theme was best demonstrated by the convention's keynote speaker Kevin Sullivan, former White House Director of Communications, this past June in San Antonio.

Perhaps the most significant stride our organization has made this year towards that end is teaming with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to, as the press release announcing the partnership states, allow "members to interact at one common site and discuss issues and share ideas that may not have previously been discussed by both sides on a national level."

At the time, then-CoSIDA President Nick Joos said “This partnership will afford all CoSIDA members tremendous professional development opportunities while at the same time enhancing CoSIDA’s visibility and brand within the intercollegiate athletics community."

I completely agree and think that all CoSIDA members should applaud and take advantage of this partnership. I will discuss how I think CoSIDA members can and should expand their networks and skill sets through this partnership in a later post.

But, I think there are two main "tables" that athletics communications professionals need a seat at in order to best benefit our organizations and our own professional development.

Certainly the emphasis on public relations as a management function within athletics departments is of extreme importance. However, we also need to have a seat, a voice and influence within the main organization of all communications professionals - the Public Relations Society of America.

Very few SIDs are members of PRSA - a self-defined "community of more than 21,000 public relations and communications professionals across the United States, from recent college graduates to the leaders of the world’s largest multinational firms." But, SIDs themselves are adhering to the principles of PRSA on a daily basis. In fact, most of the principles in the new CoSIDA Strategic Plan, developed by Executive Director John Humenik and others, have been based on PRSA's own principles.

How do we as SIDs shed the misinformed image that we are just stat guys, just sports fans or just press-release writers? I think joining and participating in the activities of PRSA would go a long way in achieving this goal. What I'm saying is, let's not just focus on ourselves as communicators in the athletics world, but as strategic communicators in general.

Not only can you join the national PRSA organization, but also (and maybe more important), I encourage SIDs to get involved with their local PRSA chapters for regular meetings, opportunities to network, professional development and the ability to participate in the APR process.

Perhaps there is no greater professional development accomplishment for a communications professional than the Accredited in Public Relations credential. According to the description on PRSA.org, "Accredited professionals contribute to greater understanding of public relations as a vital management function, and undermine those who would refer to our craft as spin, our professionals as flacks, and our currency as misrepresentation and disinformation." Isn't that what we want as SIDs, too?

I would also argue that CoSIDA should develop a process for accreditation of SIDs. We have Registered Nurses, certified court reporters, certified computer programmers, but no distinction for SIDs that we are trained and have the skill set to excel in our craft.

That is another post for another day.

For now, I strongly suggest that sports communicators involve themselves in their local PRSA chapter, join the PRSA national organization, participate in the free on-demand Webinars and, if you have the experience and are willing to put in the time, invest in APR certification. There is a lot of carry-over from corporate/agency PR to collegiate athletics and I think, if we all work together, the experience can be mutually beneficial.

From the perspective of a SID department head, I would encourage your employees to participate in PRSA. The sharper the skill set and the better "globally" informed your employees are, the more they will be able to bring to your organization, which in turn will benefit as a whole.