Two-Way Symmetrical Communication and Twitter in Professional Sports Public Relations

Social media has transformed the way professional sports organizations disseminate information and develop relationships with stakeholders. Organizations and public relations professionals strive to build and maintain connections with stakeholders by creating mutually beneficial relationships. The Excellence Study recommended forming this relationship through the two-way symmetrical model of public relations, creating an open dialogue that is at the core of relationship theory and organizational-public relationships. This research analyzed the Twitter content traits of professional sports organizations, providing a deeper understanding of policies and practices utilized for social media. The methodology of the study consisted of a two-fold approach: A web-based survey of representatives of teams in five of the major North American professional sports leagues and a content analysis of the Twitter accounts for the 17 California organizations. Results suggest that an asymmetrical communication model is utilized on Twitter by the majority of professional sports organizations.