Useful as a textbook for students studying sport communications and public relations, this text also serves as a reference for sport public relations, media relations, and communications personnel. It outlines the basics of public relations, including the differences between public relations and marketing, and focuses on the importance of public relations in sport, including issues related to reputation management, campaign planning and media relations. It discusses the legal and ethical issues sport PR professionals may encounter, and also presents actual examples in which sport communication work was used for specific purposes to demonstrate how the field of sport PR has developed and its importance to effective sport management.

Author Biography

G. Clayton Stoldt, EdD, is an associate professor of sport administration at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. He has 10 years of experience in college sport media relations and has won several awards for publications he has produced as a public relations professional. He has taught courses in sport public relations for eight years and has written more than 30 articles and presented at numerous conferences to academic and professional audiences. He is a member of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), the Sport Marketing Association, and the College Sports Information Directors of America. Stephen W. Dittmore, MA, has 10 years of experience in sport public relations. He is pursuing a PhD in sport administration and has been a sport administration instructor and lecturer at the University of Louisville and Wichita State University. He served as director of Venue Press Services for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and as the public relations manager for USA Wrestling. He is a member of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and has presented several papers relating to sport public relations at NASSM conferences. Scott Branvold, MA, EdD, is a professor of sport management at Robert Morris University. He has over 20 years of experience in sport management. He has contributed chapters to two publications, written articles for sport marketing and management journals, and has given several presentations on topics relating to sports. Branvold earned his doctorate in education from the University of Utah.