Circuit of Culture & Press Releases

Assignment 1 by Campbell Case

Introduction

This past summer I was an PR and Communications intern for the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). Some of my responsibilities were to write press releases for different sponsorship announcements, streaming data releases and/or other official league news. It was initially really challenging to navigate keeping the language consistent with previous PLL press releases without sounding redundant, making sure I included enough information but not too much and matching the diction of whoever I was writing a quote for (for them to approve later). I ended up using Chat GPT a lot to help with rephrasing, simplifying or matching what might be considered ‘CEO tone of voice’. For this assignment, I wanted to do something similar but have more freedom to make the press release what I want rather than what my manager would want. I chose the NHL because I am a big hockey fan and am interested in how much data can be used to predict games. I wanted to be specific with how the quotes sounded from the employees of the NHL and see what Chat GPT would generate when given two very different requests. Press releases also have a very specific structure to them and I was curious to see what structure would be generated naturally whereas over the summer I would only ask for specific prompted paragraphs to input into an already established structure.  

Prompt

Write a 4 paragraph press release from Alex Townsend-Mitchell, VP of the National Hockey League discussing his point of view against technological humanity’s ability to predict the outcomes of games. Include some references to sports betting and if games will be worth watching in the future if the potential ability of the internet might be able to predict the outcome.  include one quote from Alex Townsend-Mitchell with specific CEO sounding diction and a quote from Eric Schneider, senior VP of Information Technology, Development with extremely basic sentence structure.  

Output

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Office of the Vice President

National Hockey League (NHL)

Contact: Press Office

Email: press@nhl.com

Phone: (555) 987-6543

Vice President of NHL Advocates for the Intrigue and Unpredictability of Sports Amidst Technological Advancements

City, Date — Alex Townsend-Mitchell, the Vice President of the National Hockey League (NHL), has expressed his resolute stance against the growing notion of technological prowess in foreseeing the outcomes of sports events, particularly within the context of the dynamic realm of sports betting. In a candid statement, Townsend-Mitchell underscored the enduring human spirit that propels sports, emphasizing the intrinsic excitement and the irreplaceable value of unpredictability.

“As we navigate an era of rapid technological evolution, we must remember that at the core of every game lies the human essence of determination, passion, and the sheer will to overcome odds,” said Townsend-Mitchell, capturing the essence of his perspective with the gravitas of a CEO. “While data and algorithms hold merit, they cannot encapsulate the pulse-pounding drama that makes each game a unique narrative.”

Addressing the potential impact of advanced predictive capabilities facilitated by the internet, Townsend-Mitchell posed a critical question: “Shall we witness a decline in the timeless allure of sports, should the internet unlock the secrets of game outcomes?” He spoke on behalf of fans and enthusiasts who cherish the unforeseeable twists and turns, the last-minute heroics, and the astonishing underdog victories that hallmark the spirit of sports.

Eric Schneider, Senior VP of Information Technology, Development, echoed the sentiment with succinct simplicity, stating, “Tech shifts, games adapt.”

As the NHL continues to embrace innovation while honoring the essence of sportsmanship, Townsend-Mitchell’s stance reinforces the League’s commitment to preserving the cherished uncertainty that keeps fans on the edge of their seats. He concluded by stating, “In our relentless pursuit of excellence, let us safeguard the intangible magic that resides in the sheer unpredictability of sports – an enduring testament to the undying human spirit.”

For media inquiries, please contact the NHL Press Office at press@nhl.com or (555) 987-6543.

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Note to Editors: This press release is a creative representation and does not convey actual statements or positions of the National Hockey League, Alex Townsend-Mitchell, or Eric Schneider.

Reflection

It is interesting to think about how a press release of a professional sports league relates to the dimensions of representation and identity but also the circuit of culture as a whole. The corporate office of a professional sports league has its own circuit of culture and facilitates interactions between the individual teams’ circuits of culture. Each team is owned by different people and operates through different cultures and standards but the NHL corporate office manages the league as a whole through a different circuit of culture. 

When reflecting on this output through the specific dimensions of representation and identity, I think it does a really good job of matching the input’s request. A press release is a great way to show representation and identity because it is an official document produced by an enterprise. It represents the perspective of the league and how they want the public to see their stance on a specific topic. It also demonstrates the identity of a company in terms of diction, the spokespeople, overall opinion and how the enterprise chooses to navigate/acknowledge the topic in question. 

The input’s requests for specific tone of voice, diction, or perspective in the quotes are additional methods for representing the identity of these individuals. During my internship, it was hardest for me to match quotes to identifiable roles, like CEO, that have to have specific identity components in order to properly represent that individual. The output’s quote from Alex Townsend-Mitchell does a really good job of matching the needed professional tone to match the identity of his role in the company. I was curious to see how the AI chatbot would produce Eric Schneider a quote under the request of basic tone of voice and sentence structure. I was expecting more than just four words in the quote, but it does match the request of the input to an extreme degree. The four words demonstrate the identity of the individual as well as the perspective of the league in terms of sports continuing to adapt to fulfill the excitement of in person experiences. 

The chatbot does a good job fulfilling the inputs request on the representation of the league. I had a specific request opposing the claim that future technologies could predict game outcomes, potentially making attending live games obsolete. It represents the league’s stance against it as well as encouraging the continued attendance of fans, unpredictability of live sports and how athletes’ determination/competitiveness plays a role. 

The other components of the circuit of culture, regulation, consumption and production, are present in the chatbot’s output. The dimension of regulation is shown through how it manages the interaction between live sports and progressive technology of sports statistics. The consumption identity can be seen as the public’s consumption of the leagues product, hockey games. Finally, as the league persists, it fulfills the production dimension by organizing live events and offering products for fans to enjoy. The chatbot represents how the league has to continue to manage internal cultural dimensions to manage and sustain the mentioned external dimensions.