The NFL: Responses to Greg's Questions
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Did the NFL's senior management have a duty to inform the public about different incidents of NFL players charged with domestic violence?
The NFL’s senior management had a duty to discipline
the players charged with domestic violence, and to inform the public about these incidents. However, the general public has had access to information about several--if not all--of these cases, and the NFL has disciplined the players involved, though the severity of the punishments is debatable. Though it may not have been the NFL's duty, per se, it would have been socially responsible to publicly condemn domestic abuse, especially given the organization's size, scope, and influence.
How can the NFL apply the RACE method to address
stakeholders across different social media outlets?
Based on the given scenario, I would first search the web and social media
to gauge public perception of domestic violence in the NFL. It would also be important to research the
history of domestic violence in the NFL, including what kinds of disciplinary
action have been taken in the past, how well the League adheres to its policy on
domestic abuse, and how the general public has learned about and responded to
similar cases in the past. Further, I would analyze current political and cultural
trends to gauge their potential effect on public perception in light of recent
events. Researching past PR efforts surrounding similar issues—outside of the
NFL if necessary—might also be beneficial. The next step would be to develop an
action plan based on my findings. The plan would be designed to communicate the NFL’s message
to all of its publics through traditional and social media.
Ultimately, the NFL’s communications would be open and transparent about its
approach to domestic violence. This would involve taking responsibility for the
League’s shortcomings, condemning misconduct, and describing the actions it
will take to prevent domestic violence within and outside the NFL. The NFL will also need to continue to keep the
public informed about its actions to discipline players charged with domestic
violence, and to discourage future offenses.
The final step would be to evaluate the actions taken, including their effects
on the NFL’s publics and their perceptions of the organization (Turney,
2011). This would lead to continued research to begin the process again with
new information and insight.
References:
Pennington, B., & Eder, S. (2014, September 19).
In Domestic Violence Cases, N.F.L. Has a History of Lenience - NYTimes.com.
Retrieved September 25, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/20/sports/football/in-domestic-violence-cases-nfl-has-a-history-of-lenience.html?_r=0&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Pro%20Football&action=keypress®ion=FixedLeft&pgtype=article
Turney, Michael (2011). Acronyms for the public
relations process. Retrieved: September 22, 2014. http://www.nku.edu/~turney/prclass/readings/process_acronyms.html
5 comments
G. Cruz: Response to Lydia
ReplyDeleteOne key condition the NFL management failed to immediately acknowledge and inform the public, is the NFL and its players are public figures with the same level of responsibility as any other public figure albeit in politics, the entertainment industry (music, film, sports, etc.) or any industry where your personal life can be subjected public scrutiny by virtue of the choices and the social behavior the public figure “chooses” to participate in exposes his or her behavior to become exposed to the public for material gain, or as a matter of principle. The public figure, their management, and their employer – in Ray Rice’s case his employer was the NFL -- will also cause all individuals connected to that public figure to be judged and/or scrutinized. Case-in-point, the public questioned and (is still questions) why did it take the NFL’s reps and management take so long to respond, including Ray’s agent / manager, Ray’s family (especially his wife, relatives and friends), etc. As a result of the NFL’s past behavior and how they approached different issues that required a response, the league practically thumbed their noses at the public, and arrogantly refused to respond to any questions!
On September 23, 2014, ESPN provided commentary which discussed the public’s perception of the NFL. The commentary also supports the argument, whether-or-not the NFL would have had a duty to inform the public about different incidents involving NFL players being charged with domestic violence? The Ray Rice incident and other issues that the NFL deliberately avoided are the reasons why the public questions the integrity of specific league management and their failure to inform their stakeholders. The report stated: “… Over-and-over, the NFL and its owners have acted in an arrogant manner. … The result is they have no reserve of goodwill to fall back on when times are tough. If the NFL's owners were beloved -- or perceived as playing positive roles in their communities -- they would have a reserve of public goodwill. They have none. … Some people don't like the outsize role football plays in American politics and urban development. Some think a violent game should not be the United States' national sport. ” (espn.com)
These strong words are the aftermath of the NFL’s management and reps not utilizing the RACE and PACE strategies during the discovery phrase of the NFL’s past and present behavioral patterns when it comes to addressing public concerns and answering the public's questions regarding the league’s management and their players.
Retrieved: September 25, 2014. From: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/TMQWeekThree140923/nfl-tried-too-hard-control-message-tuesday-morning-quarterback
Lydia,
ReplyDeleteGreat response!
You mention the evaluation of action piece and how the NFL's publics are effected, as well as the perception of the NFL. In what ways do you think this can be evaluated? I think that evaluation is incredibly important because it tells whether the actions were appropriate and if they warranted a positive or negative response. It is a great indicator as to whether situations should be handled the same way next time or if they need to be changed. Furthermore, the evaluations would give insight as to what needs to be researched further.
Jackie
Hi Jackie, thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteThe NFL PR team’s evaluation efforts should ensure that the chosen communication methods clearly and effectively transmitted the organization’s message to the intended audiences. For TV spots, the NFL can monitor ratings to assess the number of people who saw the ad (Ozyasar, n.d.). The NFL’s PR team can also analyze traffic to the website(s) and social media pages where it focused its efforts. Google Analytics is useful to this end. The organization’s PR practitioners can also monitor public sentiment online using SocialMention (Walker, n.d.) or a similar tool, and personally check Facebook comments, Tweets, magazine and newspaper articles, blog posts, and comments on blog posts and articles when possible.
References:
Ozyasar, H. (n.d.). How to Evaluate TV Advertising Results | Chron.com. Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/evaluate-tv-advertising-results-22135.html
Walker, L. (n.d.). Social Mention Tutorial: Monitoring Social Media. Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://personalweb.about.com/od/easyblogsandwebpages/ss/10-Step-Tutorial-For-Using-Social-Mention.htm
Hi Gerri,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the response! You made some very important points, and the ESPN commentary you mentioned does raise questions about the strength of the NFL’s RACE and PACE strategies, to whatever extent these may have been implemented. Because the NFL is so influential, and football is arguably a symbol of American culture and traditional masculinity, the NFL’s treatment of sensitive issues is uniquely powerful. If the NFL took a more outspoken stance against domestic violence, it might help to lessen the stigma against DV survivors, foster more open public dialogue, and send the message that domestic violence is worth taking seriously.
Hi Lydia,
ReplyDeleteNice job on this post. My question is regarding your action section. What do you think the NFL's message should be? They have obviously made mistakes with their handling of domestic violence situations in the past, and the Ray Rice incident has really magnified that. With the reach and influence of the NFL, I think they could become a huge advocate for domestic violence victims if they chose, and even though it may seem like an obvious attempt to make up for past mistakes at first, it could lead to a lot of good in the future.