Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
A Little Late, or a Little Early
Sports Illustrated did a lengthy feature story on five-year-old Ariel Antigua this week that took a peek into this peewee Internet sensation's life. Don't remember Antigua? He was the so-called five-year-old slugger who could hit 85-mph fastballs. Honestly, I didn't remember Antigua either. Like many "YouTube" celebrities, they are forgotten almost as soon as the clip airs (kind of like this blog to our readers).
Anyway, many people doubted the Antigua story. He wasn't really five. The ball wasn't that fast. He really didn't hit the ball that well. SI, which is known for its in-depth reporting to get on top of these kinds of stories, sent a writer to talk to the Antiguas in May. He spent a few days with the boy, his parents and his siblings. The story painted a picture of a little boy from a lower, middle class background who probably didn't get to be a little boy like he should, but obviously loved to talk. And pout. And cry. And get scared by all the attention, yet love the attention all the same.
The story, though, didn't quite answer all of the hype. It was a fascinating story and it was one free of spin by the parents and a hype machine. Of course, if Antigua is the real deal, the hype machine will come and be very well armed.
Did SI report the story a little early or a little late? That question may never be answered. If they got him early, SI will let us know ala they did with Bryce Harper. If not, he is another...hold up, who was that guy they overhyped again?
Anyway, many people doubted the Antigua story. He wasn't really five. The ball wasn't that fast. He really didn't hit the ball that well. SI, which is known for its in-depth reporting to get on top of these kinds of stories, sent a writer to talk to the Antiguas in May. He spent a few days with the boy, his parents and his siblings. The story painted a picture of a little boy from a lower, middle class background who probably didn't get to be a little boy like he should, but obviously loved to talk. And pout. And cry. And get scared by all the attention, yet love the attention all the same.
The story, though, didn't quite answer all of the hype. It was a fascinating story and it was one free of spin by the parents and a hype machine. Of course, if Antigua is the real deal, the hype machine will come and be very well armed.
Did SI report the story a little early or a little late? That question may never be answered. If they got him early, SI will let us know ala they did with Bryce Harper. If not, he is another...hold up, who was that guy they overhyped again?
The Fast World of Euphoria
Kyle Parker will play another season of Clemson Tiger football -- ending months of speculation as to whether the talented signal caller would be back at Death Valley or trying to make his way through the minor-league valleys of the Colorado Rockies.
How did we hear about it? Through friends on Facebook posting how happy they were. No links. No news trucks. Just word of mouth as it spread like wildfire amongst Clemson fans. Welcome to the ever-changing world of breaking news coverage. The old days of waiting for a newspaper to drop a story off on the porch step are gone, but not quite obsolete. Newspapers, magazines, television stations and radio still serve an amazing purpose in the world of news gathering. But social media has found a platform...delivering news fast and quickly. Not always accurately, but always quickly. This changes how we see and seek media. As a media relations firm, Brett is constantly finding ways to fine tune the media message.
It's the fast world of euphoria now.
How did we hear about it? Through friends on Facebook posting how happy they were. No links. No news trucks. Just word of mouth as it spread like wildfire amongst Clemson fans. Welcome to the ever-changing world of breaking news coverage. The old days of waiting for a newspaper to drop a story off on the porch step are gone, but not quite obsolete. Newspapers, magazines, television stations and radio still serve an amazing purpose in the world of news gathering. But social media has found a platform...delivering news fast and quickly. Not always accurately, but always quickly. This changes how we see and seek media. As a media relations firm, Brett is constantly finding ways to fine tune the media message.
It's the fast world of euphoria now.
Bad public relations decisions of the week
So you're a major league baseball team in the midst of a 17-year streak of losing seasons and likely heading for an 18th. What to do? Rebuild? Fire the front office? Fire the manager? How about fire one of the mascots? If you are the Pittsburgh Pirates, you've tried three of those over the past 17 years, so why not fire the racing pierogi. It can't hurt.
Well, it kind of did. The Pirates continue to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Two weeks ago when heralded rookie Stephen Strasburg struck out 14 hitters in his MLB debut, many were quick to dismiss because it came against the Pirates. And now comes firing a mascot because he posted anti-Pirate questioning on his Facebook page. Sadly, this is not even the worst thing in Pirate mascot history. That says a lot about the Pirates.
But who made the bigger mistake? The Pirates for firing a part-time employee or the employee for defaming his company. In reality, both are bad decisions. The question for your company is how often does your team make the same mistakes? Maybe its time to call Brett.
Well, it kind of did. The Pirates continue to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Two weeks ago when heralded rookie Stephen Strasburg struck out 14 hitters in his MLB debut, many were quick to dismiss because it came against the Pirates. And now comes firing a mascot because he posted anti-Pirate questioning on his Facebook page. Sadly, this is not even the worst thing in Pirate mascot history. That says a lot about the Pirates.
But who made the bigger mistake? The Pirates for firing a part-time employee or the employee for defaming his company. In reality, both are bad decisions. The question for your company is how often does your team make the same mistakes? Maybe its time to call Brett.
Posts
