What Baseball Taught Me About Strategic Communications

By Paddi LeShane, CEO, Sullivan & LeShane Public Relations, Inc.

There was a time when Saturdays meant baseball.

As a young girl, my father recruited me every Saturday morning to keep the scorebook for his Little League team, and then we’d head over to my big brother’s game and sit in the stands while Dad coached him from the bleachers!

At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted the job. Before long, I was hooked. I learned the game one pitch at a time, watching strategy play out across the scorebook. I loved the pace of the game, the activity on the field, the tight calls on the bases, and just as much, the camaraderie among the players.

All through high school, I substituted for the scorekeeper. Later at college, my buddy and I had the privilege of co-managing Coach Archie Allen‘s baseball teams until we graduated. Looking back, some of the best times weren’t about the final score. They were about being part of a group of individuals focused on a goal and trusting one another.

For many years, career, family, and the basketball court replaced afternoons at the ballpark. Several years ago, baseball found me again when a family member became involved with a Major League Baseball organization. Suddenly, our weeks revolved around the schedule, trips to the stadium, and who’s on the injury list. It has been fun watching the next generation discover a sport that was such a fun part of my younger years.

What surprised me most wasn’t how much baseball has changed. It was how much it reminded me of the communications profession.

The fundamentals remain exactly as I remember them. Pitchers still have to throw strikes. Fielders still have to catch the ball. Hitters still have to produce when the pressure is on. Teams still win because talented people trust one another and execute consistently. Outfielders have to know who’s going to call the ball as it descends through the lights, clouds, or weather; the pitcher and catcher have to understand sign language to manage the lineup and create that one-two punch that affects the outcome of so many games; and the infielders need to know who to trust when they dive for the ball and need someone to cover the base to guard it from the runner.

Everything around those fundamentals, however, has evolved. Baseball used to rely heavily on instinct and experience. Today, managers and front offices have access to tons and tons of data. They study the balls’ angles, the pitcher’s speed and spin, and batting averages are still critical, as are countless other statistics that help them make smarter decisions. The movie Moneyball captured that transformation and became far more than a baseball story. It demonstrated that data can reveal opportunities others overlook if experienced people know how to interpret it.

That lesson should sound familiar to anyone in strategic communications.

Today we have media monitoring, audience segmentation, sentiment analysis, predictive analytics, digital dashboards, and artificial intelligence. We can measure almost everything.

But data has not replaced judgment.

Analytics can tell us what people are saying. Experience helps us understand why they’re saying it and what leaders should do next. Artificial intelligence can summarize thousands of conversations in seconds. It cannot replace the instincts developed through years of advising clients, navigating crises, building relationships, and understanding the people behind the headlines.

Baseball also has recognized something else. The game is no longer just about nine innings and a win! Especially if you’re not leading your league in wins after the All-Star break.

The fan experience has become part of the strategy of a winning team. Stadiums now feature chef-inspired food and local food vendors, gathering spaces, family attractions, team stores, and technology that connects fans long before the first pitch. Many teams have introduced unique uniforms that celebrate their cities and communities, creating excitement that extends well beyond the field. They’re not simply selling baseball anymore. They’re building a brand and inviting fans to become part of it.

Communications has experienced a similar evolution. Organizations are no longer communicating with a single audience through a single channel. They are engaging employees, customers, investors, elected officials, community leaders, and online audiences who expect information to be timely, authentic, and relevant. Every interaction contributes to the overall experience people have with the organization.

Whether you’re leading a baseball team or an organization, there will be seasons when things don’t go your way. Winning every game isn’t realistic. Keeping the confidence of the people who believe in you is. That’s why reputation, relationships, and the experience you create every day matter long before you need them most.

Maybe that’s why baseball still resonates after all these years. The uniforms may change. The statistics may become more sophisticated. Technology may reshape the game. But success still comes down to people working together, making smart decisions, earning trust, and executing the fundamentals. That’s as true in strategic communications as it is on the baseball diamond.

So, if you’ll excuse me, I think there’s a game I need to catch.