| Athletic Departments must help to their support systems meet the evolving newspaper, television, and Internet demands. Historically, the role of an athletic media relations staff, also called the sports information department, has filled the role of a press agent for the university's teams, but this role has not allowed maximum effectiveness.;One way to change press agent role is for a crisis to develop at a university where a solution is for the sports information contact to assume a managerial role and practice two-way symmetrical communication. Such a crisis takes place in athletics when a major sport, such as football, is introduced. This thesis identified why football presents a crisis situation by looking at a case study, the University of South Alabama. It then measures the impact of this crisis situation in producing change by surveying sports information football contacts representing institutions that have added football within the past 10 years.;The results indicate the sports information, or public relations, football contacts practice management principles during a crisis. The respondents indicated their office is and is perceived as above average in applying management principles when compared to other units of the Athletic Department. This evidence contradicts the work expectations of the contacts' supervisors. Most of the respondents said their superiors value their contributions in terms of task, rather than management, techniques. Further research should review whether the findings of the survey are reflective of a national trend or special to schools with new football programs. |
