The Rest Is...The 2025 Ryder Cup - Event Communications & What Happens When Things Don’t Go To Plan

The 2025 Ryder Cup - Event Communications & What Happens When Things Don’t Go To Plan This week on The Rest Is PR, Jacki and Lyle turn their attention to the fallout from this year’s Ryder Cup – where Europe edged a thrilling 15–13 victory over Team USA. But while the golf delivered drama, the real talking point was the behaviour of American supporters. From aggressive chanting aimed at Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry to incidents that saw spectators ejected, the atmosphere at times crossed the line. Jacki highlights how poor communication choices – including comedian MC Heather McMahan leading chants of “f*** you Rory” before being stood down, and captain Keegan Bradley’s fiery “kick their ass” locker room speech – stoked the crowd into a frenzy and overshadowed an otherwise world-class event. Lyle digs into the PR damage caused by fans’ actions, from McIlroy's reaction to taunts to his wife, Erica, being struck by a beer as tensions boiled over. Both agree this is the kind of reputational headache America can ill afford right now. They argue that clearer rules of engagement, better planning, and stronger leadership were needed in the planning of this year's Ryder Cup, and that these will be vital in order to avoid similar fallout in future competitions. Can major sporting events manage passion without letting it tip into chaos? And what lessons should Team USA – and event organisers more widely – take from this? Join the conversation in the comments: how should organisers strike the balance between hype and hostility? For more The Rest Is PR, head to www.therestispr.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ✅ Subscribe: @TheRestIsPR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 🎙️ Listen: https://shows.acast.com/the-rest-is-pr ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 📱 Follow Us: Instagram: / @therestispr TikTok: / @therestispr LinkedIn: / www.linkedin.com/company/the-rest-is-pr/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ #RyderCup #RyderCup2025 #RoryMcIlroy #TeamEurope #TeamUSA #GolfFans #GolfLife #SportsPR #CrisisPR #ReputationManagement #SportsBusiness #TheRestIsPR #PopCulture #PRStrategy #BrandBuilding #SportsScandal #GolfCommunity #SportsPodcast #EventManagement #SportsMarketing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.