Web sites as public relations tools : serving internal and external stakeholders

While the number of research studies conducted on the topic of the Internet increases frequently, it was determined that the number of studies that investigates how public relations, the Internet, and sports relate with one another was quite low. Thus, in this study, one collegiate sports Web site will be investigated with the purpose of gaining a deeper understanding of how sports teams’ Web sites are used as public relations tools. More specifically, this study investigates the objectives of sports Web sites and the stakeholders served on sports Web sites. In addition, the issue of Web site design on sports Web sites will be a point of focus. The data was gathered through personal interviews with internal stakeholders (one student-athlete, one athletic administrator, and one coach) and external stakeholders (one fan, one alum, and one journalist). The findings and conclusions indicated, in part, that improving communication amongst the organization, its leadership and other publics is a more important objective of sports Web sites than communicating with stakeholders and the media. Moreover, the closer the stakeholder is to the point of sports action (such as coaches and athletic department staff), the more these stakeholders are served by sports Web sites. Finally, the provision of strong, relevant content was found to be more important on sports Web sites than bulletin boards and chat line discussion groups.Validerat; 20101217 (root