In the New York Times article, “The Wrong Time to Make the Right Point” by Juliet Macur talked about the comments made by tennis’s biggest super start, Serena Williams, during the U.S Open this weekend. After being penalized three times by chair umpire Carlos Ramos during the women’s final at the U.S Open, Serena William shifted her focus away from her match 20-year-old Naomi Osaka, to complain about equal rights of all women. As I read the article about the championship match, I decided that I would be representing Serena Williams as my client where her comments overshadowed the final outcome of a historic women’s finals.

Recently, the sports world has been the center of attention regarding a multitude of issues. The Women’s National Basketball Association, WNBA, fight for receiving equal pay as the Men who play in the NBA.  In the case surrounding Serena Williams, her campaign for equal rights of all women was put on display this weekend. The main audience for these issues are women in professional sports. Though this article is negative coverage for my client, the article serves its purpose by bringing attention to what my client has been and will continue to fight for.

My client appropriately attempted to shift the focus away from her actions during the match and to focus on her opponent’s achievement on the awards podium. A very professional act, but there are still a number of measures that need to be taken care off in response to my client’s tantrum. Serena Williams has a powerful voice for women in their everyday life as well as those in the sports world. Her choice of words on Saturday were strong and effective, it just was not the right the platform to speak them.

With such a big platform and following that my client has developed over the years, I would send out a new release formally apologizing for Saturday’s uncharacteristic display. Within the release, I would also make sure to include how my client will continue to be an advocate for equal rights of all women.

Like Colin Kaepernick’s recent advertisement with Nike, my client, who is also a Nike athlete can develop an advertising campaign of her own. Focusing on issues centering around fighting for equal rights for women in sports and life. This would be a great way to reach an audience much larger than just the tennis world, and capture the attention of millions like Kaepernick has done. To make sure that my client’s message is as powerful as her trademark serve, creating a commercial of her own that talks about issues of women’s inequalities in the sport would prove to be an effective toll that brings awareness to a longtime issue.

In the Monday edition of The New York Times, an article reported on the deadly shooting that occurred the day prior at EA’s Madden NFL video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida. The article entitled, “3 Dead, Including Gunman, in Shooting at Florida Gaming Event,” was reported by Alan Blinder, Christopher Mele and Patricia Mazzei. As I read the piece, I analyzed the situation as if Electronic Arts, EA Sports, was my client.

On Aug. 26, at approximately 1:34 p.m., everything changed in a matter of seconds at the Madden NFL Championship Series, a video game tournament, when David Katz armed with a handgun, killed two people and injured 11 others, according to the article. Katz, 24, eventually took his own life at the tournament located at the Jacksonville Landing, a riverfront featuring a variety of shops, restaurants and an open-air performance space.

The events of the deadly shooting were broadcasted to the thousands watching the live-stream across the country. Authorities rushed to the scene, helping hundreds escape to safe and those who were wounded to a nearby hospital. Those who were wounded received treatment at UF Health Jacksonville and Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville.

Lenny Curry, the mayor of Jacksonville, offered his prays for the family who lost their loved ones. Mayor Curry  said “we have faced an occurrence that is all too common” as Florida has become all too familiar with these deadly acts of violence as they recover from the deadly shooting that occurred just six month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The reporters focused on the important elements of the breaking news event, making sure the article contained factual information without speculating or bringing up highly debated topics, such as gun control. Nonetheless, having EA Sports as my client, this news coverage is clearly negative for my client’s reputation but also for others who plan to host gaming tournaments in the future.

When planning a gaming event, EA’s last area of concern should be security. Since these events, my client needs to take into account the safety of the participants and audience when hosting their next major gaming tournament. EA tweeted out a news release on its Twitter account, offering their thoughts and prayers to those who were affected and they will continue to work with law enforcement authorities in any way possible.

The next move I would make for my client is revise the setup plans for future gaming events and ramp up the security to ensure that these events will never happen again. It’s important to make the gaming audience and public know that gaming events are indeed a safe, fun and enjoyable experience.