Date Approved

5-7-2003

Embargo Period

5-10-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in Public Relations

Department

Public Relations & Advertising

College

Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts

Advisor

Bagin, Don

Subject(s)

Baseball; Sports--Public relations

Disciplines

Public Relations and Advertising

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to accumulate information relative to the various public relations practices, methods and procedures utilized by the 60 Class A Minor League Baseball teams and to determine the extent of common public relations elements. Although the 60 teams are located in different markets, results of interviews and surveys of the teams led the author to conclude that some current practices are common among them.

Phone interviews were conducted with four practitioners to determine a preliminary list of items important to a Minor League Baseball promotional campaign. From that list a survey was created and mailed out to all 60 Class A Minor League Baseball teams. Within the survey, each team was asked to rank ten aspects of a Minor League Baseball promotion in terms of weighted importance to determine areas of focus for the manual. More in-depth open-ended questions followed allowing practitioners to further explore areas mentioned in the ranking section or those left out by the author.

Through the mentioned research, it was determined that each team uses similar techniques to communicate with its various audiences. Each team stresses the family entertainment and relative low-cost of the sport itself as the main focuses of their annual public relations campaigns. And each team, though not on the same monetary scale as the Major League clubs, has firmly cemented a foundation of fans to make Minor League Baseball a major deal in their markets.

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