- Rumors of the team moving
- Fan violence in relation to the stadium and game experience
- The stadium itself being dilapidated.
As a franchise and a front office, we have to work on minimizing the damage done by any of these crisis situations should they arise. I have chosen to adopt the Special Olympics method for Crisis Communication planning and management:
"ACTION ITEM 1: Identify the Crisis
ACTION ITEM 2: Assess and Review Crisis
ACTION ITEM 3: Meeting of Crisis Communications Team
ACTION ITEM 4: Planning Crisis Communications Response"
In the case of rumors that the team is relocating, we would:
- Identify source(s) of rumor and work to silence the rumor, including digital communications with media members
- Decide what would be better: killing rumor directly with press release or letting it hopefully get brushed aside
- Bring together key team personnel for talking points and coaching as to how to address rumors in the media, including coaches and player leaders
- In key team personnel meeting, formulate plan to sidestep all rumors and focus on football, Sunday, and Oakland & its fans.
- Using social media, plant tweets using hashtag "#WeAreOakland" or "#ForeverBlackHole" or something akin to those to drive community support.
In the case of any fan violence in any way related to the Raiders' home games,
- Identify where and how violence escalated
- Figure out how to best curb future instances where security breaks down, including beefing up security in key sections and areas.
- If security efforts are lacking, review any and all security members and leadership.
- Respond to any and all requests for comment with positivity, caring and an assurance that action has been taken to make sure nothing like that happens again.
- Create an in-game network utilizing social media (notably texts and twitter) wherein fans can report dangerous or unruly behavior directly. Empowering fans with hashtag "#notinourhouse" could make it both helpful and memorable, complete with in-game announcements.
- Create a team of public relations-minded team members to monitor social media and key blogs for negative reports about the stadium.
- Develop standard response to issue in the case of any large-scale media reports about structural integrity, plumbing, etc. deriding reports and defending the fan experience.
- Using social media, establish hashtag "#BlackHoleMemories", "#ColiseumMoments" etc that our team can use to promote legendary moments and also encourage fans to contribute their favorite memories. Promote at all games and regularly online.
References
2002 Special Olympics Public Relations Guide. (2002, January 1). Retrieved September 27, 2014.