Sports PR, Journalism and New Media Course

This 8 week online sports media training course catapults your career in sports public relations and sports journalism around the world.

(Learn how to get paid for your passion via new opportunities in sports including blogging, twitter, facebook, message boards, media, journalism, and public relations.)
 

The Sport PR, Journalism and New Media course provides aspiring students around the globe an opportunity to learn the skills and inside secrets that hiring sports executives seek when hiring new media contacts for sports teams and organizations. This is a one of a kind, eight week online course for individuals who are passionate about securing or improving a sports journalism, public relations, new media, and sports promotions career whether it be internationally, globally, or for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NCAA, minor league, or professional sports or governing bodies.

• When a country hosts a major sporting event, who lives locally and can cover the story for major news outlets?
  
• How would you promote a sports entity in your area via sports publicity and new media communications?
  
• Who writes a statement for a team to release to the media?
• Who manages the team or sports entity facebook, twitter, blogs, and you tube accounts?
• Who works on behalf of sports teams and sports venues?
• Who manages the Sports Blogs and Message Boards?
• Where are those jobs and what do you need to know to acquire them?

If you are interested in doing PR, marketing, new media or journalism in the world of sports, this course can provide a great foundation for a successful career.

This course is for you if you want to pursue a sports career in the following capacities:

• Media
• Public Relations
• Communications
• New Media Communications & Social Networking
• Team Sports Blogger
• Sports information director (SID) for a university
• Journalism jobs in radio, TV, internet and newspaper
• Fan communications
• Integrated Marketing Communications

Sports organizations look for individuals with strong communication skills who can handle the spotlight of big time professional sports. Teams and agencies are looking for individuals who can help their organization be perceived positively and can handle when a PR problem develops. When that call comes, will you be prepared? Can you organize a press conference at a moment's notice and get results? How do you keep your team relevant when they aren't winning? Maybe you already work for a sports entity and are looking for ways to increase your value or move into a new department.

Get the "what you know" and the "who you know" to attain a job for your favorite team in the communications department.

The Sports PR, Journalism and New Media Course is designed to give you the skill set and competitive edge that will distinguish you from others when applying for sports journalism and communication jobs. Upon completion of the course you will be thoroughly trained and ready to make a difference in the operation of a sports organization. In addition, students will get hands on experience in the field of sports media to add to their resume. The goal of this course is to give you specific training you will need while also providing you with job strategy for sports careers you have a passion for. This Sports PR and Journalism Course is designed to give you the "who you know" and "what you know" to launch your sports career.

You do not need to relocate, this course can be taken from anywhere in the world.

Sports PR, Journalism and New Media training includes:

• Promotion, publicity and public relations
• Conflict resolution
• Press releases
• Press conferences
• New Media Resources
• Effective press materials for game day
• Sports Information Director
• Team website writing
• Sports Blogs & Sports Message boards
• Promoting a "losing team" versus "the winning season"
• Overcoming reputations - handling the media for athletes and teams
• Event and game management promotions
• Professional athlete interviews
• Social Networking for sports: Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Getting athletes and top execs exposure on radio and TV
• Internet based publicity
• Internet Journalism
• Product promotion versus professional athlete promotion
• Media Kits and great headlines
• Developing sports websites
• Developing media contacts
• New media journalism techniques
• Community relations 

Weekly Live Interactive Audio Chats:
A unique aspect of each 8 week course is the opportunity for students to participate weekly in live interactive audio chats with fellow students, Mentors Bill Robertson, and Instructor Dr. Lynn Lashbrook and renowned guest speakers. This is a tremendous opportunity to network within Sports PR & New Media Communications community and get to know your instructors and fellow students personally via the internet. This is available via any online computer with a microphone (we provide the headset). The networking connections via these live audio chats, you will utilize throughout your career.

Bill Robertson
Bill Robertson, former Minnesota Wild Vice President of Communications and Broadcast for the past 12 years. Robertson's responsibilities with Minnesota Sports & Entertainment included overseeing the organization's media relations, community giving, team publications, website content and broadcasting efforts, along with the club's NHL and broadcast schedules. In this role Bill oversaw communications for all events at Xcel Energy Center including the National Lacrosse League's Minnesota Swarm and the Saint Paul RiverCentre. In addition, Robertson played a role in the club's team marketing and corporate partner initiatives. He served as the organization's main liaison and led the strategic planning of both the 2004 NHL All-Star Weekend events and World Cup of Hockey 2004 held in Saint Paul.

Robertson, has played a major role in the inception of four professional sports franchises and the opening of four major sporting venues - Target Center, Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Edison International Field of Anaheim and Xcel Energy Center. He came to the Minnesota Wild from The Walt Disney Company, where he joined the organization in May of 1993 and oversaw the media relations efforts of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim during its inaugural season. Following Disney's purchase of Major League Baseball's California Angels in 1996, his duties expanded to include the management of media relations, team publications and community relations for the Mighty Ducks and Angels. Prior to joining Disney, Robertson worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Target Center from 1989 to 1993.

"Billy Rob" is a Speech Communication graduate of California State University-Fullerton and has received several distinguished media awards including the prestigious 2005-06 Dick Dillman Award, given to the NHL's top public relations staff. Robertson was also a recipient of the award four consecutive seasons in Anaheim (1994-97). In 2003, The Hockey News selected the Minnesota Wild as possessing the NHL's best media relations department in its "The Best of Everything in Hockey" issue. In 2000, Robertson was honored as one of the "100 People to Watch" in Minnesota by Minneapolis/Saint Paul Magazine and one of Twin Cites Business Journal's "40 Under 40." He also has twice been chosen to serve as media relations liaison for the U.S. Olympic men's and women's ice hockey teams at both the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah and the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, Is an online sport education evangelist who has coordinated a team of sports business experts to train students to transform their current career into a sports business career that they are passionate. Lynn has been working and teaching in Sports Management for over 35 years and has demonstrated a lifelong passion for helping students strategize and reach their career goals in the world of sports. Dr. Lashbrook has served at the collegiate level as an athletic director and athletic academic advisor. At the professional level he has been an NFL sports agent for the past fifteen years.His high energy and well known motivating personality captivates students and athletes.

Under Dr. Lashbrook's leadership, Sports Management Worldwide is the first ever online sports management company with a mission to educate future sports business executives. SMWW trains thousands of students every year for sports business careers, offering a global sports faculty via online training, with over 5000 alumni from over 125 countries.

Guest Speakers include:

Rodney Knox, Nike Inc., Communications Director,
Team Sports
Rodney Knox is currently the Director of Communications for Team Sports (football, basketball and baseball) for Nike, Inc. Knox is responsible for overseeing Nike's multi-media campaigns for its athletes and products. Knox works closely with Nike's executive staff and professional athletes on communicating with the media and the public.

Prior to working for Nike Inc., Knox served as the Sr. Director of Communications for the San Francisco 49ers. During his 19 years with the 49ers, Knox negotiated media deals, created marketing & promotional initiatives, worked on media and community relations efforts, oversaw the production of all team publications (media guide, yearbook and game day programs) and coordinated the distribution of grants to non-profit organizations on behalf of the 49ers. Knox got his start in sports at the San Diego Chargers in 1981. As the Chargers assistant Director of Public Relations, he served as the conduit to the media and was responsible for writing press releases, feature stories and information for team publications.

Joe Favorito, Public Relations Freelancer

Joe has almost a quarter century of strategic communications/marketing, business development and public relations expertise in sports, entertainment, brand building, media training, television, athletic administration and business. He is a producer of award winning and cutting edge programs designed to increase ROI and minimize cost. Joe has managed the day-to-day and assisted in significantly growing exposure by creating long-term integrated communications/marketing plans for the New York Knicks, and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Womens Tennis Association, the United States Tennis Association and US Open. He also oversaw the strategic planning, investor relations, communications and digital business development of the International Fight League during its two year run as a startup Mixed Martial Arts venture.
Joe now maintains a blog on the sports marketing and publicity field, writes for the Huffington Post and New Jersey Newsroom on sports marketing, and has a newsletter for the industry with almost 20,000 members from over 22 countries, as well as handling a consulting practice with clients that include: Bloomberg LLC, Ketchum Sports, Ponturo Management Group/The Leverage Agency (chaired by former head of Anheuser Busch sports marketing Tony Ponturo), Wizard Entertainment/Comic-con, Fantasy Sports Ventures, the security company Global Options (chaired by former USOC, Turner Sports and YES Netowrk head Dr. Harvey Schiller) TikiVentures (the business and philanthropy brand chaired by former NFL great Tiki Barber), and RotoHog, among others. He is an author of "Sports Publicity," the most used collegiate text on the industry.

Course Details:

The Sports PR, & New Media Course is an 8 week online course designed to provide skills aspiring sports business executives seek. This might be for a job in community relations, public relations, communications or marketing department. This course can be taken at any time and any place around the world to fit your schedule. All you need is access to the internet with a computer.

Students will learn fundamental and successful business principles that hiring sports executives look for when adding personnel. Take this course to get your first position or to enhance your current job situation. All graduates of the course will have a well-rounded understanding of the sports business industry, specifically in the areas of grass roots public relations, media relations, community relations, marketing, personnel, customer service, promotions and event management.

Online Education

This innovative academic course is facilitated through a Web-based educational delivery system. You will enjoy the online discussion boards, weekly readings, weekly quizzes, course projects, and interaction amongst fellow sports business-minded students and faculty. All the text books and course materials are included in the course fee.

Global Participation - SMWW students participate from over 125 countries. Courses have a international influence and instructors will cater assignments to specific countries or leagues. Countries with economic challenges are eligible for economic dicounts.

Earn College Credit: Most participants are not college students. Most participants are working full time in a variety of careers including many in sports from all over the world. (Many wish they had taken this course in college!) For those of you who are in college and would like transferable credits (graduate or undergraduate) to your school, two-three hours of college credit is available. Click here for more information.

Military Discount - For those individuals who represent their country in military service we offer a discount. Please contact info@smww.com if you are active, reserve, or a retired member of your countries military system. Thank you for serving your country! (Please include what country and specific part of the military.)

Tax Write Off - (For USA Citizens) SMWW course tuition, books and supplies can be used for education tax credits. Save your receipts and consult with your tax advisor on how this applies to you.

Sports Career Conferences - throughout the year, Sports Management Worldwide hosts Sports Career Conferences at a variety of sporting events. These are fabulous networking events that put SMWW Alumni in the heart of the action. Opportunities to meet Head Coaches, GM's, Chief Executives, Player Personnel, Scouts, and fellow Sports Agents are facilitated. Visit SMWW Sports Career Conferences to learn more.

Career Guidance, Strategy and Interview Techniques

Each Sports PR & New Media student will be active during the course in learning how to obtain a position in the sports field. This will vary for each student based on their career goals and location but SMWW's goal is to assist you in learning how to obtain a position once you finish the course. From whom to contact, the methods for contacting them and interviewing techniques, the course give you the ins and outs and gets you on your way to a dream job in sports. The instructors for the course will work with each student one-on-one and provide strategy that will help them reach their sports career goals.

The course's main objective is to develop a new generation of Sports Publicity and Journalism professionals by teaching skills and strategies that are unique to sports communication jobs.

Course Certificate & Resume Reference:

Successful graduates of the Sports Management Worldwide courses will be sent a SMWW Certificate of Accomplishment. This certificate represents not only your achievements in the course but also demonstrates your personal commitment to self-improvement and ability to "self train" yourself for higher positions within the sports business industry.

In addition to your certificate, you will be given the stamp of approval by SMWW. This approval includes a personal reference you may add to your resume with contact information for Dr. Lynn Lashbrook and a reference to the mentors of this course.

Apply Now - Free

Cost: $995 (includes all course textbooks, headset, microphone and access to web based classroom. Shipping additional.) Payment plans available (as little as $350 a month). See if you are eligible for an economic discount based on your country of residence. Length: 8 Weeks; "Live" audio online chats weekly with renowned instructors! Prerequisites: Must be 18 or older to participate and have a passion for sports Payment: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover. CALL TODAY: 1-877-SMWW-NOW (In the UK: 087 12884799) Register Now

Academic Credit - Graduate & Undergraduate

Western Oregon University (WOU), a member of the Oregon University System, offers a separate Credit Overlay Program for Sports Management Worldwide's courses. Students interested in obtaining college credit (graduate or undergraduate) for Sports Management Worldwide courses must apply for the credit with Western Oregon University directly.

 

For more information, please visit the following webpage.