Black Lives Matter C. Wise R. Animashaun C. Busch M. Mancini K. Pavia - Courtney Wise
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Black Lives Matter
C. Wise
R. Animashaun
C. Busch
M. Mancini
K. Pavia
Black Lives Matter
All content in this paper is for educational purposes
only. The sale or reuse of such information for
commercial gain is NOT permitted. This survey was
conduct as a course assignment for University of
Southern California’s Annenberg School for
Communication and Journalism. As such, the
students make no representations as to the
accuracy or completeness of any information and no
claims that this information is representative of USC
Annenberg, BLM, or the NBA.
In July 2020, the National Basketball Association (NBA) unveiled Black Lives
Matter (BLM) painting on the court in Orlando, and allowed optional social
justice messaging on jerseys and on other courts. In August, it was announced
the police officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor in her home would
not be convicted for murder.
On August 26, the Milwaukee Bucks players announced just prior to game
time that they would not participate in their first-round playoff game against
the Orlando Magic in protest of this decision. The rest of the NBA playoff
teams soon joined in this wildcat strike and the organization became a key
focus in the BLM movement. The protest lasted a few days and ended with
new social justice initiatives, which received mixed reactions.
The NBA recently announced that it will halt BLM messaging for the 2021
season. Many are now paying attention to what the NBA will do next
regarding BLM initiatives.
PAGE 02
1. Raise awareness of the NBA Foundation through a one-year integrated
communications campaign
2. Develop and create a digital video highlighting the NBA Foundation’s
story, goals and partnerships to underscore the NBA’s commitment to
Black communities off the court
3. Identify official spokespeople (board members) and offer exclusive
interviews with top tier broadcast segments to discuss the NBA
Foundation’s story and goals
4. Leverage existing partnerships with all 30 NBA teams to identify national
and local storytelling opportunities focused on the NBA Foundation’s
support of education and career development in Black Communities
5. Collaborate with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as
grassroots and local organizations to further integrate the NBA's to
empower Black excellence
6. Keep BLM and social justice messaging on the court and jerseys
Overall, create a mindset that aligns the NBA's
commitment to eradicating racial injustice.
PAGE 03
Global presence Lack of awareness of the
Loyal following NBA's advocacy work
Strong media presence with the Black
Players have a strong community beyond the
social media following court
Players and coaches are No past advocacy
very influential initiatives
Partnerships with
companies like AT&T
that are seen as "anti-
BLM"
Involvement in social and Alienating fans,
political matters viewers and other
Be a stand out organization stakeholders
to speak on important Backlash from the
human rights issues public
Create a meaningful and Competition from the
tangible impact in the Black NFL, NHL, MLB,
community MLS
Global expansion
Strong social media
dominance
PAGE 04
O u r g r o u p ca m e up wi th que st io ns to g uid e o ur
r e s e a r c h o f w ha t i ns i g hts we h o pe to gai n fr om our
p r i m a r y a n d se co n dar y re s e ar ch . We a l s o c re a ted a g o al
w e f e l t w o u ld b es t p osi ti on th e NBA for s uc ce ss m o vi ng
f o r w a r d b a se d on our hyp othesi s t hat f ans w oul d
s u p p o r t B L M ad voc acy f rom the or gani z at i on .
1. Ho w a r e c u rre nt NB A e x t er na l com m un i ca ti on s
r e s o n a t ing wi th the or ga ni za ti o n ’s co ns ti t ue n ts (f a n s
a n d v i e we rs ) i n r e g ar ds t o Bla c k Li ve s M att e r?
2. W h a t a re NBA a udi en ces ’ a war e ne s s o f a nd att it u d e s
t o w a r d s t he org a ni za ti on ’ s ha ndli ng of r aci a l
i n j u st i c e in the l e ague ?
B e t h e lea d i ng s p or ts or g an iza tio n a d voc at in g f o r
s o c i a l j u st ic e
PAGE 05
1. To identify barriers, concerns and opportunities related
to current external NBA communications
2. To assess changes in audience perception and attitude
towards the NBA brand in relation to issues of Black
Lives Matter and racial injustice
1. Increase player support of the organization by 15% by
the end of the NBA final 2021
2. Increase positive earned media coverage by 5%
regarding stance on BLM by end of the NBA final 2021
3. Increase viewership ratings by 10% by the end of the
NBA final 2021
1. Enhance US and Canadian millennial awareness of the
NBA as the champion for advocating for social justice
by 15% by the end of the NBA final 2021
2. Increase positive media coverage by 10% by the end of
the NBA final 2021
PAGE 06
We conducted a media scan and a social
media listening exercise to get a preliminary
understanding of the PR implications posed
by the new messaging on jerseys and courts,
the strike and the 2020 season.
What we found was that there was a surplus
of social media buzz criticizing the NBA's
short-lived and surface level efforts to
support and advocate for the BLM cause,
especially with such a large percentage of its
players being black.
We conducted a survey through Qualtrics that
was sent to USC graduate students, our own
personal networks, and social media channels
(Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and
Reddit) in order to get a wide range of
respondents online. We focused the sharing of
our survey on social media because our end goal
is to see how fans are reacting to the NBA's
decisions online. When they are happy or upset
with decisions made by the NBA, they take to
social media to express those feelings, and those
online posts impact the NBA's reputation.
PAGE 07
Survey Insight: NBA news consumption & news
distribution:
We asked respondents how they consumed their NBA news
and where they go to get their news. In addition, we found
that out of over 300 people that responded to our survey.
The majority of respondents (49.3%) consume NBA news
from third-party sources (i.e. sports outlets
[ESPN.com/SportsNet.com] or non-official NBA social
media [Reddit]). Plus, over 90% of respondents expressed
that the NBA communicates effectively, noting the
organization relays transparent information via their
official channels as well as traditional media reporting as a
result of official statements and press releases.
Survey Insight: Audience perception/attitude
towards NBA + political matters:
We also asked participants whether they agree or disagree
with the following statement "The NBA should be involved
in political matters" with 25.4% strongly agreeing and 40.2%
agreeing to that statement in which 59.8% of respondents
support the NBA's overall support of BLM.
Survey Insight: Behavioral change of NBA
viewership:
To determine further behavioral changes of NBA
viewership, we asked respondents to indicate if their
viewership of the NBA's stance on BLM would stay the same
or stop watching the games if they either too a stronger
stance on BLM or if the NBA stopped advocating for BLM.
With that being said, respondents indicated that their
viewership would largely stay the same with 81% stating that
they would still continue watching NBA games if the
organization stopped advocating for BLM. Additionally, 88%
of respondents stated that their viewership has not changed
since the NBA announced their support of BLM.
PAGE 08Survey Insight: Top priorities for the NBA moving
forward:
We found that 54% of respondents stated that the main priority
for the NBA is to develop a COVID-safe plan for the next NBA
season. Additionally, 17% of respondents stated that racial justice
advocacy is the second most important factor for the NBA to
prioritize moving forward. Plus, 13% of respondents stated that
they would support players’ and coaches’ freedom of expression
and 10% believed that fan and viewer engagement should be
prioritized while only 4% stated that diversity amongst executive
leadership and ranks should be the last to prioritize for the NBA
moving forward.
Survey Insight: Has the NBA done enough to support
BLM?:
We also found that participants are almost 50/50 in their
perspectives on this matter with many voicing that the NBA’s
support of BLM is a good start but there needs to be more
tangible action towards the Black community, including pushing
for legislation, education, financial support and more action from
team owners.
Survey Insight Summary:
In sum, our survey insights showed us that people use different
media outlets to watch the NBA, have different views on the NBA
and BLM matter, have different priorities for the NBA moving
forward, and if the NBA has done enough to support the BLM
movement. We feel that if the NBA must must solidify strength
and strength its position in social justice work if the NBA wants to
be a big-time advocator in professional sports.
We also feel that based on the results and insights of our survey,
we believe that an integrated PR campaign that promotes the
NBA Foundation is a profitable way for the NBA to demonstrate
substantial contribution to Black communities and communicate
to key target audiences that these fundamental initiatives are
currently commencing as a result of the organization’s bold
proactivity.
PAGE 09The NBA Foundation is a newly formed charity organization, in partnership with
the National Basketball Players Association, dedicated to creating greater economic
empowerment in the Black community across the U.S. and Canada. Over the next
10 years, all 30 NBA team owners will contribute $30 million each year for the
charity's initial funding.
Heading into a new year and a new NBA season, we recommend the NBA move
forward with a one-year integrated public relations campaign focused on its newly
formed NBA Foundation. The campaign will aim to:
1. Raise awareness of the first-ever NBA Foundation, highlighting that the NBA,
and all 30 affiliated teams, will contribute $300 million in initial funding for the
new charity over the next 10 years
2. Demonstrate the NBA’s commitment to supporting Black excellence with a
mission that will drive economic empowerment for Black communities through
employment and career advancement
3. Promote social justice and address racial inequality through tangible
collaboration, with all 30 NBA teams, for funding and additional programming
on local and national levels in the U.S. & Canada
Our strategy will demonstrate the NBA’s long-standing commitment to social
justice and racial inequality by promoting awareness of the NBA Foundation
through traditional, social and digital media.
Since the NBA Foundation was newly launched this past summer we believe this is
a timely opportunity for the NBA to continue its support of Black Lives Matter off
the court and create meaningful impact towards eradicating racial injustices in the
real world. Additionally, this campaign is an opportunity for the NBA to show its
proactivity on the issue and speak directly to key audiences to outline the NBA
Foundation’s goals, initiatives and story of elevating Black communities.
PAGE 10"As a Black man, as a former player, I think it's best for me to support
the players and just not be here tonight."Kenny Smith walked off the TNT
set in solidarity with the NBA players' strike of tonight's games.
pic.twitter.com/HgurJPqHKB. (2020, August 26). Retrieved November 16,
2020, from
https://twitter.com/bleacherreport/status/1298752778655813633.
Karanth, S., & O’Connor, L. (2020, August 26). NBA Teams Boycott Playoff
Games After Kenosha Police Shooting. Huffington Post.
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/milwaukee-bucks-boycott-playoff-
game-kenosha-police-shooting_n_5f46c1bbc5b64f17e137dbd9?
ri18n=true
NBA Press Release. (2020, August 5). NBA Board of Governors launch first-
ever NBA Foundation with NBPA to support Black communities and drive
generational change. NBA website. https://www.nba.com/news/nba-
board-governors-launch-nba-foundation-official-release
People who are upset don't even care about the NBA players well-being,
mental health, voice, non of it. So dehumanizing. Which is exactly why
they shouldn't play. (2020, August 26). Retrieved November 16, 2020 from
https://twitter.com/quintabrunson/status/1298733443832938496
Reynolds, Daniel. (2020, August 26). When the NBA's conversation is not
enough. RaptorsHQ.com.
https://www.raptorshq.com/2020/8/26/21402025/nba-playoffs-2020-
conversation-around-black-lives-matter-police-brutality
To the same league that has "Black Lives Matter" boldly plastered at halfcourt
and "Education Reform" stitched on the back of jerseys. Let this message
ring clear: Performance activism is not enough and will no longer be
tolerated. @NBA (2020, August 26). Retrieved November 16, 2020, from
https://twitter.com/lashnolen/status/1298737369118658561?lang=en
Watson, Terrence. (2020, August 21). How NBA & WBA players became
leaders in the BLM movement. Slamonline.com.
https://www.slamonline.com/nba/nba-wnba-players-leaders/
PAGE 11PAGE 12
Other:
Reddit - 119 The Athletic - 4 theringer.com - 1
YouTube - 8 Yahoo - 1 ESPN Fantasy Basketball - 1
Podcasts - 3 Newspapers - 1 NBA League Pass - 1
Twitter - 3 CBS - 1 Bleacher Report - 1
Blogs - 2 theringer.com - 1
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