NBA All Stars Get Their Revenge…And A Lot of Air-time

For those of you who are fans of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, you are probably familiar with his reoccurring segment, “Tonight Show Superlatives.” This segment consists of Jimmy Fallon rewarding various sports athletes with “high school superlatives” awards in disguise as a reason for the writers to poke fun at these athletes’ appearances. To someone just hearing about this segment for the first time, it might sound quite mean-spiritied, but in reality it’s all in good fun. And, it’s great press for the sports leagues that are being featured in the segment.

Jimmy Fallon’s most recent “Tonight Show Superlatives” centered around NBA All Stars. After the segment aired, the NBA All Stars featured physically came to The Tonight Show studio to reward Jimmy Fallon and his writing staff silly superlatives of their own. While the segment was meant to get “revenge” on the staff, it was actually a great way to gain press for the NBA. The Tonight Show has a strong following, so seeing these NBA All Stars in a light-hearted situation that proves they can laugh at themselves can ultimately provide a positive spotlight for the NBA.

NBA All Stars – “Tonight Show Superlatives”

So you want to learn about Sports PR?

Hello readers! Thank you for stumbling upon my blog. The fact that you made it to this sentence must mean you have even the slightest interest in the mix of public relations and the sports industry. For those of you who are new to the term “public relations,” or “PR” for short, PR is the industry responsible for gathering positive attention and spreading brand awareness for a company or celebrity. This is usually done through press releases, interviews, event appearances, the list goes on. So, if this practice is meant to benefit companies and celebrities, why does the sports industry need PR? Well, like it or not, sports teams are their own brand that need to be in the spotlight every now and then to ensure ticket sales. Also, especially in the social media age, athletes have turned into celebrities themselves. If people fall in love with an athlete’s personality, they might feel the need to buy tickets to their game.

According to an article in The Huffington Post, social media has presented a great opportunity for sports leagues. This social media platform could be used to increase the value of sponsorships and endorsements, or to promote a personal cause. Former Yankee and current Cleveland Indians player, Nick Swisher, is a prime example of an athlete taking advantage of the medium. Nick Swisher’s A+ social media skills have earned him participation in Mercedes’ Super Bowl campaign. With the help of Swisher’s Twitter followers in this campaign, Swisher has raised money for his charity, while making himself and his team look good. And looking good is what PR is all about. Catalyst Public Relations also conducted a study, and it concluded that sports fans that follow their favorite athletes on social media are 55% more likely to purchase a brand if an athlete mentions it on Facebook or Twitter.

My blog will explore the efforts of these athletes and sports team who utilize social media and public relations tools. And now, I leave you with a montage of great viral video material that aided in the brand awareness of some these sports teams and athletes since the 1970s, courtesy of SNL 40th Anniversary Special.

SNL 40th Anniversary Special – Celebrating 40 Years of Sports

Athletes and Social Media: Untapped Goldmine or PR Landmine?  by Ben Pickering