Monday marked the beginning of Pride Month. This year marks the 27th annual national recognition of June as a period to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. It’s easily considered the most controversial month-long community observance in the United States, where it’s not universally recognized by all citizens, states, local communities and politicians.
An interesting wrinkle over the last decade has been sports leagues and teams embracing the month-long commemoration. In turn, that has led to increased controversy and outcry, especially on social media. Yet despite the criticism and backlash, leagues and teams continue to mark the start of Pride Month with social posts, logo swaps, promotional messaging, and planned events. But as much as sports teams embrace the moment, sports radio stations around the country, however, generally do not.
It’s an interesting paradox that exists between sports teams and their local sports radio brands. Sports radio stations always tend to support team causes and aim to own a small piece of every team promotion or community initiative. This can range from watch parties to charity drives throughout the year.
Yet, using the example of recognizing Pride Month, it’s often more oil and water between the two.
To be fair, the decision to recognize is a difficult one depending on the market audience a station serves. It’s a decision that often extends beyond programming, promotions, and sales. Yet, most leagues and teams continue plan for June 1 to recognize the month in some fashion, while sports radio stations remain silent. Why?
Silence Connects With No One
For example, the San Francisco Giants cater to the same audience as KNBR and 95.7 The Game. The team went all in on social media recognizing the start of Pride Month, yet neither sports radio outlet did anything relatively the same on social.
You could say the same about Detroit, Seattle, and New York City as other examples.
Certainly, every market isn’t the same. A decision made in one region of the country is not exactly the same as one made in another. What is consistent, however, is the difference in participation and planning. Teams consistently show up for these initiatives, while sports radio outlets often do not.
For example, 29 of 30 MLB parks will host a Pride Night game this month. That means 29 MLB franchises will participate in an event that celebrates Pride Month in their home market. MLB marked June 1 as a day when the league would post social messaging, change the league’s logo to a rainbow design, and share posts from teams celebrating the kickoff of Pride Month.
Yet nearly all sports radio stations remain silent. Doesn’t participate in the acknowledgment. Just business as usual. No change, nothing unique on social. No events planned and no mention of anything remotely close to recognizing the start of Pride Month.
To be clear, this isn’t just a Pride Month discussion. You could easily apply this to heritage observances such as Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and others. In fact, you could also apply it to Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. Each of those observances is celebrated and recognized annually by professional leagues and teams around the country. Yet the vast majority receive little to no recognition from sports radio stations.
That’s a disconnect that’s hard to ignore. Why is it that teams and leagues can find time for simple acknowledgment, but the connective tissue of sports radio that ties fans to teams cannot?
Lost Community Connection
Again, this isn’t about stations recognizing Pride Month. It’s just the latest example to the overall approach that’s severely lacking where others are leading the way. More than anything, sports radio needs to show a greater commitment to representing the community it serves. The reality is that sports radio has never been at its best when observing from a distance.
The foundation of the format’s existence is connection and community. The format thrives when it’s embedded in the community, showing up for the causes, celebrations, and conversations that matter to the people it serves. That doesn’t mean every station must approach every observance the same way, nor does it require taking a political position.
It simply means recognizing that communities are made up of different people, experiences, and events that deserve acknowledgment. Teams have received that message and acted accordingly. Sports radio still has it sitting in its inbox waiting to be read.
Teams and leagues have increasingly recognized that being part of a community requires more than broadcasting games and selling tickets. It requires participation. Sports radio should be asking itself whether it’s doing enough to participate too. Because more often than not, the silence tells the story for you.
Whether it’s Pride Month, Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, or countless local initiatives that bring people together, there are opportunities to connect with listeners beyond the scoreboard.
Too often, the industry chooses to sit on the sidelines, avoiding the conversation altogether. That can no longer happen. In a business built on local connection, that is the definition of a missed opportunity. The stations that win in the years ahead won’t simply be the ones that talk about their communities.
They’ll be the ones that show up for them.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
