WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
Plainview Campus
Don A. Williams School of Education
Division of Exercise and Sport Science
2. Wayland Mission Statement:
Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically challenging, learning-focused, and
distinctively Christian environment for professional success and service to God and humankind.
3. Course Name:
EXSS 4320-PL01 Sport Communication
4. Term:
Spring 2015
5. First and Last Name of Instructor: Jim Giacomazzi
6. Office Phone and Email:
Office: 806.291.3790
email:
giacomazzij@wbu.edu
Cell:
806.683-2044
EXSS Front Office:
806.291.1056
Laney Center Front Desk:
806.291.3780
7. Office Hours:
Hutcherson Gym
M/W – 10:00 – 12:00
T/R – 10:00 – 11:00
8. Class Meeting Time and Location:
Laney Center, Room 207
T/R – 10:50 – 12:05
9. Catalog Description:
Sport Communication - acquaints students with public and media relations in sport administration; presentation
principles, standards and guideline in sport public relations; information technology and its role in sport; concepts
of public relations with sport and leisure organizations. Prerequisite: EXSS 3322.
10. Prerequisites:
Prerequisite: EXSS 3322
11. Required Textbook and Resource Materials:
Sport Public Relations; Stoldt; 2nd Edition 2012; 9780736090384;
Human Kinetics. (
12. Optional Materials:
- Sport Business Journal.
Sports Business Journal.
- Video Resources:
Watch the following two movies by the end of the second week of the class. The content of these movies will be
used for class discussion when relevant issues are covered.
Professional Sports: Any Given Sunday (directed by Oliver Stone)
College Sports: The Program (directed by David Ward)
13. Course Outcome Competencies:
1. The student will demonstrate the linkages between sport public relations and strategic management.
2. The student will understand the function(s) of media relations, including publications and events.
3. The student will understand the methods of communicating with a variety of publics, not limited to internal
and external publics.
4. The student will identify legal in ethical issues related to sport public relations.
14. Attendance Requirements:
Students should make every effort to attend all class meetings. Any student who misses twenty–five (25%) or
more of the regularly scheduled class meetings will receive a grade of F for that course.
Tardiness: Roll will be taken at the beginning of class. If you walk in late and attendance has already been taken,
you must make a point to see the professor after class so that you are marked off as being at class, however, you
will be counted as tardy. Failure to see the instructor after class if you missed roll call will result in being marked
as absent that day. NOTE: *2 tardies = 1 absence!*
Work due when a student is scheduled to be absent for any reason should be turned-in before the class meets.
LATE WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR PLANNED ABSENCES, INCLUDING ATHLETIC
EVENTS. If you are ill or have an unplanned absence, all work must be turned-in BEFORE the next class
meeting.
15. Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty:
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Wayland students are expected to conduct themselves according to the highest standards of academic
honesty. Academic misconduct for which a student is subject to penalty includes all forms of cheating, such as
possession of examinations or examination materials, forgery, or plagiarism. Disciplinary action for academic
misconduct is the responsibility of the faculty member assigned to the course. The faculty member is charged
with assessing the gravity of any case of academic dishonesty and with giving sanctions to any student
involved. The faculty member involved will file a record of the offense and the punishment imposed with the
dean of the division, campus dean, and the provost/academic vice president. Any student who has been penalized
for academic dishonesty has the right to appeal the judgment or the penalty assessed.
Plagiarism
“Plagiarism — The attempt to represent the work of another, as it may relate to written or oral works, computerbased work, mode of creative expression (i.e. music, media or the visual arts), as the product of one's own
thought, whether the other's work is published or unpublished, or simply the work of a fellow student.
When a student submits oral or written work for credit that includes the words, ideas, or data of others, the
source of that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific references, and, if
verbatim statements are included, through use of quotation marks as well. By placing one’s name on work
submitted for credit, the student certifies the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate
acknowledgements. A student will avoid being charged with plagiarism if there is an acknowledgement of
indebtedness.”
http://catalog.wbu.edu/content.php?catoid=3&navoid=210
16. Disability Statement:
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is the policy of Wayland Baptist
University that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the
benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the university. The
Coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator of students with a disability and should be contacted
concerning accommodation requests at (806) 291-3765. Documentation of a disability must accompany any
request for accommodations.
17. Course Requirements and Grading Criteria:
This course will provide a framework for understanding how various marketing strategies
are formulated,
implemented, and evaluated in sports context. Sports have been one of the major economic activities of our
modern society, and knowledge of the role marketing plays in its operation has emerged as a valuable asset to all
the parties involved (e.g., firms, governments, consumers, and players).
The course is organized into two themes; 1) sports as product and 2) sports as medium. The first theme focuses on
the applications of marketing theories and principles to promote sports and sport related products. The second
theme considers sports as one of the vehicles to promote a product or service. It covers how non-sport related
businesses can benefit from utilizing sports as a part of their marketing communication program.
Course Outcomes:
1. Define and apply key sport marketing concepts
2. Understand the theories that underline sport marketing processes and analyze case studies.
3. Understand how to create and apply a sport marketing plan
4. Identify future trends and challenges in sport marketing and how they can be associated with current sport
marketing practices
A. Daily Quizzes
10 points each
B. News Release
50 points
C. Feature Story 40 points
D. News Conference 40 points
E. Media Guide Assignment 25 points
F. Charitable Programs Brochure 40 points
G. Website Evaluation 25 points
H. Newsletter 40 points
I. Visitor’s Guide 75 points
J. Exam 1 100 points
Exam 2 100 points
Exam 3 100 points
Total 795
GRADING STRUCTURE:
90-100% A
80-89% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
≤ 59% F
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Quizzes: Daily quizzes will be given to ensure that students are current with assigned readings and class
lecture/discussion from the previous class meeting. Additional quiz grades may be given for in-class assignments.
2. Exams: Three exams will be given during the semester. Exams will consist of true/false, multiple choice, and
short answer questions. Students may be asked to respond to a “mini case study” as a part of the exam.
3. “Other Assignments”: The nature of this course requires that the students be involved in writing as well as
other public relations activities. As such, specific guidelines for these assignments will be given at the appropriate
time during the semester.
4. Class Decorum: Students are expected to arrive on time prepared and ready to contribute to the topics of
discussion for that day. Students are expected to be respectful of the experiences and opinions of others and to
enhance the learning environment. Students should take care to ensure that cell phones/pagers are turned off
during class. Students needing to leave class early need to make the instructor aware of this need prior to the start
of class.
5. Contribution: In this class, the instructor is interested in class contribution rather than just participation.
Participation is social interaction—talking, sharing, and taking part.
Contribution goes beyond the social and invites intellectual involvement, the sharing of knowledge, and the
construction of knowledge. Contribution assists others in the quest for knowledge and understanding.
Grade Appeals: Students shall have protection through orderly procedures against prejudices or capricious
academic evaluation. A student who believes that he or she has not been held to realistic academic standards, just
evaluation procedures, or appropriate grading, may appeal the final grade given in the course by using the student
grade appeal process described in the Academic Catalog. Appeals may not be made for advanced placement
examinations or course bypass examinations. Appeals are limited to the final course grade, which may be upheld,
raised, or lowered at any stage of the appeal process. Any recommendation to lower a course grade must be
submitted through the Executive Vice President/Provost to the Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee for
review and approval. The Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee may instruct that the course grade be
upheld, raised, or lowered to a more proper evaluation.
18. Tentative Schedule:
[see attached calendar]
EXSS 4320-PL01
Sports Communication
Class
Meeting
1
2
3
Date
Special
1/13 1st day
1/15 Chapter 1 Intro to Sport Public Relations
Reading
Ch. 1
Ch. 2
4
1/20 Chap. 2 Public Relations & Strategic
Management
1/22 Sport Management Symposium
5
1/27 Chap. 3 Creating Public Relations Campaigns
Ch. 3
6
1/29 Chap. 4 Focusing on the Sport Organization Media Relationship
Ch. 4
7
2/3 Chap. 5 Managing the Sport Organization Media Relationship
2/5 Chap. 6 Providing Information Services
Ch. 5
8
9
2/10
10
11
2/17
2/19
12
2/24 Chap. 7 Staging Interviews, News Conferences,
and Media Events
2/26
13
14
Ch. 2
Ch. 6
Ch. 7
3/5 Media in Society
3/10 Developing Organizational
17
3/12 Media Guides
News Release Due: Peer Review
Feature Stories
Exam 1
Final News Release Due
Feature Story: Peer Review
Final Feature Story Due
News Conferences
3/3
15
16
Topic & Activity
Syllabus, Introductions
News Conferences
Ch. 8
3/16-20 Spring Break
18
3/24 Review of Various media guides
19
20
21
22
3/26 Communicating in Times
3/31
4/2 Chap. 10 Exploring Direct-Contact
4/7 Chap. 11 Developing and Supporting
23
24
4/9 Brochure Workday
4/14 Chap. 12 Using the Internet in Sport Public
Relations
25
26
27
4/16
4/21 Chap. 13 Communicating with Internal Publics
4/23
4/28
28
29
4/30 Due on day of final - Visitor’s Guide, Newsletter
Ch. 9
Examination 2
Ch. 10
Ch. 11
Ch. 12
Ch.13
Brochure Workday
Brochures Due
Website Evaluations Workday
Website Evaluations Due
Newsletter Workday
Visitor’s Guide Workday
Exam 3