I’m constantly fascinated by the series of carefully orchestrated and rigidly controlled public apologies and ‘coming out” media events created by "crisis management experts" and assorted "spinmeisters" who are hired regularly now by tarnished sports stars like Mark McGwire, Tiger Woods and Roger Clemens.
 
We have reached the point in our media-mad world where the conflict between the athletes and the public has created a whole new culture, based on the unproven notion that Americans will always forgive and offer a second chance to any celebrity who makes a public apology, no matter how vague or disingenuous it appears.

The same touch is being applied now to sports organisations, leagues, teams and even players facing some perceived crisis of public acceptance or understanding. Former George W. Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer is the poster boy these days for the band of image and communications consultants plying their trade amidst the murky and ever-changing world of spin and the remaking of issue.

Fleischer was hired by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) in May, 2009, at a critical time for the USOC related to Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, the ouster of popular CEO Jim Scherr and the sudden departure of chief communications Officer Darryl Seibel.

Fleischer said at the time that he would work on overall communications issues by helping "the USOC to think about the big picture" and work with the organisation’s communications staff as it goes through a transition period with the impending leadership change. He also said he would be able to offer the organisation both domestic and international political expertise as it pushes Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee then threw Chicago out in the first round on October 2.

"The USOC is one of the most exciting brands in sports," Fleischer said. "Everyone looks up to Olympians, and it’s an honour to be able to work with them."

There is no record of just what Fleischer actually did during his time with the USOC and acting CEO Stephanie Streeter, but his profile has exploded since with the activity for his newest clients, Mark McGwire, Tiger Woods, and the BCS (Bowl Championship Series). He also had handled the sticky issues surrounding the divorce between the Green Bay Packers and Bret Favre.

Fleischer (pictured) is just one of a growing legion of image and crisis experts in sports and politics who are making a lot of money to help athletes and organisations deal with a multitude of issues, from scandals, melt-downs and bad decisions to other embarrassments.

Say what you want about how the McGwire and Woods performances were received or staged, but it doesn’t matter anymore.

The idea is to get out there at a selected time, in front of a carefully chosen audience, take no questions or limit the questions, stay "on message", repeat particular lines over and over when an interviewer tries to take the questions outside the managed boundaries, tear up appropriately, and open up in a way that you did not as an athlete, ever.

The reviews are split on how these two performed, from ridicule to columnists insisting it’s time to move on. And that is the key to this peculiar dance now: move on and get off the stage and back to playing or coaching. No more interviews except perhaps another choreographed appearance at a tightly-controlled venue where media is restrained or the room is full of shouting, adoring fans openly hostile to reporters and television crews.

We live in a sports world where today’s news cycle changes rapidly, and whatever the big issue is will swiftly be replaced by the next, predictable scandal or controversy, and the sports public, wired to the internet, blogs and talk-shows, will quickly dive into the newest mess to chow down on. These spinmeisters and "handlers" know this all too well, and use that knowledge to pick the right time, the right audience and the venue to create the big event that simply shuts off further heavy attention or scrutiny, barring a relapse or previously unknown elements or facts.

But the public is not always that easily cajoled, duped or rendered sedated, and the artful apology is sometimes now parsed and seized upon, like McGwire’s stultifying insistence to stay on message that his use of steroids did not have an impact on his performance and the staggering numbers, despite the repeated attempts by interviewer Bob Costas to question him on the issue.

Then, recently, my old friend Bill Hancock, the chief executive of the BCS, fired back at critics in Congress about their concerns over how the organisation distributes its riches and which conferences seem to make out better than others. "I sure do think that Congress has more important things to do, with all the issues facing our country," said Hancock in an arranged phone interview with the Associated Press [That one of the standard actions in the crisis control playbook these days - no face-to-face sitdowns that could go wrong]. "The BCS is fair. Access is fair, revenue is distributed fairly, and frankly, we welcome the opportunity to tell our story every chance we get."

I love Hancock like a brother, brought him to the Olympic Games years ago on my staff to handle sensitive special tickets for the media, and we worked together in the old Big 8 Conference in sports publicity, but I would have not advised Hancock to be critical of what, and what not, The Congress should be dealing with. I would bet there are scores of young, ambitious Congressional staffers who took his statement to their bosses and offered them even more openings to meddle in the BCS issue and further create attention and scrutiny, when just the opposite is the desired end game.

The statement drew a quick, sharp response from critics of the BCS like the political action group The Playoff PAC that lobbies for a football playoff. "It’s astoundingly arrogant of the BCS to suggest that Congress has no business asking questions here. Students across the country are protesting tuition hikes, public universities are operating in the red. The BCS is holding an enormous pot of school-bound money, and they refuse to tell anyone how much they have, how much they spend, and how they’ll distribute funds."

That was the beginning of March, but today is towards the end of March, and the sports public has moved on to the amazing story of the Northern Iowa Panthers and their history-making upset of the Kansas Jayhawks, Tiger’s announcement that he will play in the Masters, prompting CBS Sports President Sean McManus to breathlessly say that Woods’ return to golf will be "the biggest media event other than the Obama inauguration in the past 10 or 15 years." Yup, Mission Accomplished.

McGwire is teaching hitting to Cardinal betters in spring training and taking no questions other than those from ESPN baseball analysts in high chairs between himself and the amazing Albert Pujols, on the art of hitting.

I’m no outsider to this phenomenon, trust me. I created scores of media events spotlighting USOC leadership and Olympic athletes, both to get ahead of an issue or quickly respond to it.

To spotlight a positive story and deliver it when media had not been interested, or to tell our side of the story. But none of these enjoyed the ambiance and luxury of a controlled audience and venue, nor any embargo on reporters’ questions and followup. Nor vapid, prepared text delivered to a mute throng of selected media and supporters.

We put it out there and took our lumps, not waiting a month after the incident, or leaving calls unreturned or avoided. That earned us consideration and maybe a break or two the next time, but we never ducked.

But that is ancient history now.

Mike Moran was the chief communications officer of the USOC for nearly 25 years before retiring in 2003. In 2002 he was awarded with the USOC's highest award, the General Douglas MacArthur Award. He worked on New York's unsuccessful bid to host the 2012 Olympics and is now director of communications for the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation.