Public Relations in Collegiate Sports at a Midwestern University

Public relations strategies demonstrate various narratives to advance their agenda by applying multiple communication tools, disseminating messages from an individual or an organization to the public, and aiming to influence their perception. In sports at a Midwestern university, public relations accomplish and endorse practices to ensure the image of sports, athletes, and teams through various media. Public relations professionals have a significant role in sports public relations at the Midwestern university, building relationships among multiple entities like media, teams, sponsors, advertisers, fans, and other outside organizations. This study included interviews with various communication offices (N=6) (e.g., strategic communication, university communication, public relations, athletics department, and radio station) at a large Midwestern University and local areas to learn their experiences and public relations strategies. Results indicate that participants emphasized using social media platforms and print and digital newspapers. Results also found some strategies to encounter crisis in sports on addressing misinformation. Findings suggest that the Midwestern university formed a strong media team and disseminated various roles among individuals to ensure effective campaigns. These results offer insight into how public relations strategies determine and influence sports in a university.