Defining Spin in Sports

With today's fully immersed media environment, it seems almost quaint to talk about the days in which "spin" had impact. From The Sports Commentary, an excellent essay on the cost of continuing to manage negative events and one of the best definitions of what spin means from the PR professional's aspect I've ever seen.

The authors sets up his spin definition with a great statement regarding the expectations of the public today -- a public that has more tools to gain alternate points of view from the one you are attempting to sell them than ever before in human history.

Turning a potential negative into a positive does not mean you have to lie or “spin” a situation. Turning it around starts with telling the truth, being authentic, being honest, being responsible, and understanding that your consumers, fans, listeners, viewers, readers, shareholders, etc., will stand by and support you if you do not bullsh*t them. They will respect you more if you don’t lie, hide or try to run.

Just like volleyball, after the set comes the kill:

To “spin” is to understand those principles, yet decide you are still going to try to force your position down the throats of a caring and compassionate public and believe that the more you say it, the more they will eventually buy it.

As I've joked, the Adam Savage/Mythbusters School of Spin.