New anthology looks at recent high-profile crises and legal cases making news; Also includes interviews with leading sports commentators and executives
NEW YORK, March 31, 2025 -- Hart + Harvest Press is pleased to announce the upcoming release of its latest book – Sports Crisis Communications: Cases and Controversy – co-authored by prominent sports and crisis communications experts Jim Rocco and Thom Weidlich.
The new book, scheduled for release on April 22, 2025, is a cutting-edge look at the importance of crisis communications planning and response in this age of media and social media saturation.
Sports Crisis Communications: Cases and Controversy is an anthology and analysis of high-profile sports crises involving professional, collegiate and high-school athletes, teams, leagues and brands taken from more than a decade of content and interviews developed by Rocco and Weidlich – both managing directors at PRCG | Haggerty LLC and its sports brand, PRCG | Sports. Among the many case histories are those involving Tom Brady, FIFA, the NFL, and many others, as well as penetrating interviews with prominent sports figures such as Bob Costas, Mary Carillo and Michele Tafoya.
By delving into the crises featured in Sports Crisis Communications: Cases and Controversy, the reader will become well-versed in crisis communications planning and response in the sports context. Absorbing the lessons in the book will put the reader ahead of the game in terms of dealing with negative situations that can destroy both reputations and revenue.
The book offers insightful answers to critical questions, including how brands can navigate a reputational crisis involving a sponsored athlete, how athletes can safeguard their image from scandal, and how teams can effectively communicate with fans during an emerging crisis.
"The role that sports play in our lives, and the passion they elicit, can't be overestimated by any crisis communicator who may be dealing with a sports-related crisis," co-author Jim Rocco said. "That passion that fans feel about the athletes and teams they support undeniably affects perception and should absolutely be taken into consideration when developing a comms strategy."
"It's fascinating how many crises crop up in sports and how varied they are," co-author Thom Weidlich said. "It's frustrating that sports organizations don't take responding well to them more seriously. It's our hope that, by doing a deep dive into sports crises of the past decade, readers will gain a solid grounding in how to do this."
Uncorrected page proofs are available for review upon request.
About the Authors
Jim Rocco has a broad background in sports marketing, branding, public relations and crisis communications. For more than 20 years he has worked within the sports and entertainment space and has previously held positions at HBO Sports and Barclays Center. In addition to managing new business initiatives, Jim serves as the host of the Crisis Communications in Sports podcast and frequently provides commentary on breaking sports crises.
After a long career in journalism, Thom Weidlich now specializes in crisis management, media relations and legal communications. The former Bloomberg reporter was a journalist for more than 20 years, including at the National Law Journal and PRWeek. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, the ABA Journal and many other publications.
About PRCG | Sports
As the sports public relations brand of PRCG | Haggerty, PRCG | Sports is part of an internationally known agency with a record of excellence in the management of challenging, and often sensitive, communications matters. PRCG | Sports has worked around the world on sports-related matters, and brings to the field a breadth of resources and depth of expertise unique to sports marketing firms of any size.
About Hart + Harvest Press
Hart + Harvest Press is an independent publishing company specializing in compelling nonfiction written by experts in business, communications, public policy and related fields. Founded by PRCG in 2019, Hart + Harvest is driven by a genuine passion for storytelling—narratives that inspire, thoughts that provoke and critical thinking that test conventional wisdom. Above all, Hart + Harvest firmly believes in the power of language to entertain, enlighten and persuade.
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