Kansas City Royals have not had a winning season since 1994. Everything just never went right for this team, which once had glorious history. What’s worse, the team’s mascot was sued for hurting a fan’s retina when throwing hot dogs improperly. The man, still suffers from bad vision, filed the lawsuit and criticized the team’s carelessness to the safety of their fans. Mascots are responsible for bringing marry to fans and creating good publicity in teams’ community service. However, the bad publicity induced by the lawsuit infringed the team’s public image if not dealt wisely.

Last September, John Coomer attended a Royal’s home game. During the intermission between innings, Sluggerrr threw hot dogs into stands routinely as a part of the in-game tradition. The hot dogs were supposed to be thrown to the higher stands. However, Sluggerrr lost target and the hot dog hit John, who was just a few seats away from Sluggerrr in his eyes. John was reported under medication for his retina. He decided to file the lawsuit for the medication expense he has made. He asked for compensation worth $25000 from the Royals. So far, the Royals have not commented on this issue.

From the perspective of PR, the Royals should be more active in dealing with this incident. Since the mascot is a part of the organization and iconic for family fan base, the Royals should be responsible. The in-game tradition is part of assets that the Royals should be taking more care of. Apparently, the publicity has spread out. Fans may lose their confidence if the Royals does not take immediate action. Mascot, a symbol of good luck, can been seen in every level of games. With the development of professional sport, mascots are portrayed to be cartoon-style. Trained with acrobatics and exaggerated actions, mascots have become eye-catchers for children in events like baseball games, which children oftentimes find to be rather boring. Parents can be more relieved as children have something to do during the game and enjoy the game more. The presence of mascot in community service always produces positive publicity and helps team reach different segments. Some mascots enjoy reputation equal to star players.

In my opinion, John Coomer does not ask for astronomical amount of money. Once the mascot is tagged as a dangerous figure that hurt people, the contradict image will sharply reduce the positive reaction the Royals expect from fan-mascot interaction. Fans may not be fully engaged in the in-game activities if they do not trust the mascot and the team. The emotional engagement has long been the motivation for fans to repeatedly attend games. Once the negative publicity keeps reminding them of the fact that the games are not safe, they loyalty for the game will falter.

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics is overshadowed by tragedy and injuries ensued from the dangerous nature of the games. How should they shape the Games’s public image for sports mixed with intense competition and danger? The inspiring stories from the basic of the game may help the Games bounce back.

A young luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, from Georgia was killed during his last training run. Nodar Kumaritashvili,21, was reported that he miscalculated while speeding at 89.4 miles per hour through the last curve and died within an hour during the emergency care at a nearby medical facility. The Whistler Luge Track, the designated track for the luge event was then criticized for designing a track in the mere pursuit of max speed. What’s worse, the rumor of the training restriction that only Team Canada was allowed to practice in the Whistler until Dec. 20, 2009 was heated after the tragedy. The “home court” advantage worsen the image of the host city.

Actually, injuries in sports are inevitable. However, injuries that cause death are rarely seen. The death of Nodar Kumaritashvili was the first ever since 1992. Therefore, the officials for the 2010 Winter Olympics are under great pressure for people are watching more closely into injuries following Kumaritashvili’s tragedy. This has become a serious PR issue for Vancouver, the host city of the Winter Olympics. Viewers are overshadowed by the potential of watching athletes perform under life-threatening conditions. The spread of the video of Kumaritashvili’s death further damaged the public image of the Games. Though IOC has pulled out virtually every related video on YouTube, users can still watch it which the video has virally spread.

IOC should not look back anymore. It is impossible to stop news from spreading. IOC has to focus on the safety and inspection of all the facilities with the highest standard and reveal all the efforts to the common.
They have to make the information available to people about the cause of this incident. Honesty is the best policy especially when people do not just let it go. They need to actively solve any possible problem related to the tragedy and prepare for questions from everywhere.

There is one other thing the Winter Olympics can do to fix its public image. They should forgo the emphasis on records. Instead, the focus on the spirit of athletes is pivotal to the Games. After all, the game is made by human not number. The great performance by Lindsay Vonn, a US ski racer, was a great start. Lindsay Vonn was injury-prone with a previous injury jeopardizing her game right before the Winter Olympics. She overcame her injury and ended up winning the gold medal for American in the Women’s Downhill. It was a great PR story for the Winter Olympics that they are able to provide high-quality facility for players to compete with all their hearts. They can shift their concentration on competition to the spirit of game where players challenge themselves to be the best they can. After the tragedy, too much emphasis on players’ push to the limit is likely to backfire following the tragedy. However, it is an opportunity for the IOC to reshape the game to its basics and address the love of the game.

According to TMZ.com, the nude photos of George Hill, shooting guard of the San Antonio Spurs, were published. TheDirty.com posted his nude photos snapped from his cell phone. George Hill soon apologized. The Spurs reacted quickly by asking the website to remove them. They made a formal statement to a legal representative of TheDirty.com regarding the legal status of the team. Based on the statement, the Spurs believed that the incident has infringed the team’s image.

The Spurs are not the only team disturbed by the exposure of nude photos. More accurately, NBA has faced a similar problem recently. Greg Oden, center of the Portland Trail Blazers, was reported that his nude pictures were leaked. He soon admitted he was the person on the picture and apologized. He claimed that his ex-girlfriend uploaded the pictures. For a team, which once mocked as the “Jail Blazers“, this is certainly not good news. Greg Oden was indeed the injured party; however, such image, though extremely private, is distraction to their professional.

In recent years, NBA has tried many ways to improve their public images . They enact dress code when players attend formal events for their teams or the leagues. They encourage player to join public services. However, gossips and misdemeanors like these have discounted the effects of their PR efforts. The Spurs’s concern about the infringement on the team’s reputation is totally understandable.

First, they do not want their players to be related to porn. The league has long been positioned as healthy and professional sport organization. Players have to set positive examples for their fans, who consist of a huge part of teenagers. Issues like this are devastating when they try to educate and interact with them. Second, parents’ decision to children’s entertainment choice are reconsidered to prevent their children from imitating or rationalizing such behavior. Besides, the NBA has tried to appeal to consumers of higher social status. The leaked pictures apparently contradict their reputation. As for players, they are likely to be distracted and thus influence their performance on court. PR issues are not merely off-court.

In fact, players’ privacy should be respected. However, as public figures, they have to remind themselves of the fact that their fortune have a price. They need to heed their reputation more carefully even if they deal with personal issues. For Spurs and Trail Blazers, they should not look back since it is almost impossible to stop distribution. It is a great time to educate their players how to handle with social media platforms. The high-pace characteristics of technology are two-sided. They can definitely repair their images by utilizing online media while people’s memory does not last long.

Gilbert Arenas (middle of the hurdle) was suspended for the rest of the 2009-10 NBA season without pay. (Source: Getty Image)

The publicists of  Washington Wizards fell asleep and did not wake in time to prevent a disaster from happening. It is interesting to see how they clean up the mess starting from Gilbert Arenas’s apology letter on the Washington Post.

Gilbert Arenas, nicknamed “Agent Zero”, is an All-Star point guard of the Washington Wizards. He was suspended for the rest of the season without pay after he confessed in the court that he brought guns into an NBA facility. His deed was against the regulation of the NBA. What made this issue more controversial was his careless attitude towards this issue before the investigation begun.

Last month, Gilbert Arenas was reported to bring a gun into the stadium. According to Gilbert Arenas, he brought the gun with him to keep it away from his baby daughter. He soon handed it to a security guard. However, the team’s publicists might not remind him that he should keep a low profile. Gilbert Arenas talked the issue with frivolous attitude on his Twitter.. What’s worse? He even made fun of it by mocking a gunshot gesture during a game. Four of his teammates were fined because they were laughing along with him. Apparently, the communication between the team’s PR personnels and players was lacking. The whole team should have taken this incident seriously not jokingly.

After a few days, investigation revealed that Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton, one of his teammates, drew guns on each other in the locker room. All of a sudden, Gilbert Arenas worsened his public images by covering the truth and joking on his own scandal.

From the standpoint of public relations, Gilbert Arenas did not follow the proverb, “Honesty is the best policy.” He did not tell the truth in the first place. He did not show any introspection but made fun of his misdemeanor. The Washington Wizards signed a contract worth 100 million with Gilbert Arenas over six years. It is hard to believe they could not have come up with better PR efforts before things got out of control. They could not stop bad publicity from spreading out for nearly a month. Their image was further damaged again as TMZ posted Gilbert Arena’s mug shot on the website. Washington Bullets, the team’s previous name, was replaced to avoid association with violence and guns. Ironically, their poor PR efforts ruined their expensive investment on a franchise player and recalled fans of the old image they wanted to get rid of.

Michael Jordan’s publicists have done a great job since his second retirement. His “are-you-stupid-of-course-I-can-dunk” statement in the Jay Leno show has documented his transformation from a basketball king to a humorous and approachable celebrity living on earth with us.

Michael Jordan, arguably the best NBA player ever, has not lost spotlights for both himself and for the Jordan Brand. He became more like a “human” and a lovable figure. In the past, people always regarded Michael Jordan as a tough and even aggressive player. He was criticized for being mean to his teammates, who, as secular figures, had a hard time living up to the high standard Michael Jordan had always striven to be. A report on his former GM Jerry Klause’s reaction when Jordan was introduced in to the Hall of Fame revealed Jordan’s alienation with people around him during his NBA career.

However, things seemed to change after Michael stepped down his shrine on basketball court. When he gave his Hall of Fame introduction speech, he wept and moved the audiences. He sensitiveness stood out the ceremony and showed the public he had feeling and emotion. He was a six-time NBA Finals MVP, but, after all, he was still a human. Such image is very important for him after he was no longer playing basketball, say, in public.

His recent appearance in the Jay Leno Show was the epitome of his turnaround in recent years. He revealed anecdotes people rarely knew before. When asked if he had ever asked for someone’s autograph, he answered “I don’t know what someone’s name on a piece of paper is gonna do for you.” He contradicted himself soon after he was asked to name a figure he wanted to be. His answer was Dr. Martin Luther King, and he would like to have his autograph. Like us, he also has his idol.

The highlight came as Jay Leno asked the “dunk” question. Not sure whether it was a delay in the teleconferencing signal or Jordan’s shocked by the no-brainer, he hesitated for a while before spitting out:

“Can I still dunk? Are you stupid? Of course I can dunk. I am old, but I am not lame,” he was, for sure, not serious at all.

His straightforward but humorous answering style has showcased a different image from people’s stereotype. His charity work was revealed when introduced at the beginning of Jay Leno’s teleconference. His publicists are trying to convey the message of Michael’s being a more approachable figure. We see that Jordan has been endowed a new image, which is positive to his post-player career in the long run.

Besides, he did not forget to assure his avid basketball fans Bill Jones could still dunk if he wanted.

From the standpoint of public relations, Michael Jordan’s publicists have successfully made a twist on his public images. It is just like his games. When he jumped lower, he won more.

P.S. Bill Jones was one of the alias he used when he checked in.