The recent PRWeek Sports Conference offered a clear look at where the industry is heading and, just as importantly, how quickly it’s getting there. The playbook is evolving, and in some cases, being rewritten in real time.
Coyne PR was proud to be part of the event as a sponsor, but more importantly, as an attendee taking in the conversations shaping what comes next.
The media landscape isn’t “fragmented”
Many still use this word, but it no longer quite fits. What’s actually happening is faster, more fluid and far less predictable than “fragmented” suggests. Stories don’t move in straight lines anymore; they flow through a decentralized ecosystem that includes platforms, creators, team-owned channels and traditional media.
As Tyger Danger of TNT Sports pointed out, the real shift isn’t just about distribution; it’s about control. Fans are deciding how and where they consume content, and brands are reacting in real time.
Fans aren’t waiting for highlights; they’re seeing them instantly, in whatever format they prefer, such as a clip, meme or a creator breaking it down in their own voice. Traditional media still matters, but it is one piece of a much bigger puzzle.
For us as PR professionals, that shifts our job. We’re not only pitching stories, but we’re also thinking about how those stories travel, where they show up and who carries them. Increasingly, that “who” isn’t a reporter, it’s a network of creators and communities shaping the narrative in real time.
Women’s sports isn’t a “moment” anymore
The conversation around women’s sports has evolved in a positive way. What used to feel like future potential now feels like present-day momentum, and the focus has shifted to growth, scale and real business impact.
Leagues are expanding, and brands aren’t debating whether to get involved; they’re debating how to do so meaningfully and effectively. In some cases, this growth is measurable in real time, such as attendance jumps of more than 70 percent in emerging leagues. It’s also showing up in the visibility and influence of athletes like Breanna Stewart, who is helping to bring new audiences to basketball.
As panelist Jennifer Skyler of American Express noted, the shift is also being reflected on the brand side, where investment decisions are increasingly driven by audience alignment and shared values, not just reach.
One thought that stood out to us: Lead with the sport itself – the competition, the rivalries and the performance. Tell those stories first, and everything else follows.
This sounds simple, but it forces a shift in how brands and media approach storytelling. The ones getting it right are treating these leagues with the same editorial lens as any other major sport, not as a separate category.
If it doesn’t feel real, it won’t work
This was a recurring theme: fans can tell when something is forced.
The days of slapping a logo on an event and calling it a partnership are long gone. The brands getting it right are building from the fan outward: how they watch, what they care about and what they already do.
The more actionable takeaway here is this: start with behavior, not the brand message. Where are fans already spending time? What rituals already exist? The most effective partnerships we heard about didn’t try to change fan behavior; they plugged into it.
Partnerships are less about control and more about collaboration. While this can be uncomfortable, it’s where the best work is happening.
Creators aren’t “part of the mix.” They are the mix.
We’ve all been talking about creators for a while, and at this point, it’s clear where they fit. They’re not just amplifying stories, they’re shaping them.
Creators are covering events in ways traditional media doesn’t, bringing fans closer to the action, and connecting with audiences that brands have a harder time reaching on their own. This trend is less about “replacing” but more about expanding how stories get told and who gets to tell them.
This was one of the clearest signals from the conference: creators are no longer an add-on to a campaign; they’re often the starting point. The brands and leagues that treat them that way are moving faster and landing closer to culture.
Big events still matter, but the lead-up and the follow-through matter more
The Super Bowl was a key topic, along with the World Cup and the Olympics, and for good reason.
We’ve seen this firsthand in our work: the real impact of these events isn’t only the moments themselves; it’s everything built around them. This includes the months leading up, the steady drumbeat of storytelling, activation after activation, and then finding a way to carry that momentum forward once it’s over. This is where brands have the biggest opportunity and often where they leave the most on the table.
The most effective campaigns don’t just show up on game day; they build relevance ahead of the event and expand the audience in the process. In our work with Telemundo Deportes around the FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup Russia, the focus wasn’t just on coverage; it was on positioning the network early as the destination for soccer fans. Through executive storytelling, consistent tune-in messaging and a broader campaign, the audience was built before the first match even kicked off.
Final Thoughts
Sports still does something that nothing else can: It gets people to care. This hasn’t changed, and if anything, it’s gotten stronger. But the way brands show up in this space has changed considerably. Brands can generate attention the second they step into sports, but what they do with it is where the real work begins. After this conference, it’s pretty clear: the bar is higher than it used to be.
