Sportsmanship Goes Viral

Storytelling - National media

A parent on the sidelines with a camera caught a picture of a Charles City football player aiding the opposing team’s football player with a leg cramp on the field. The photo was shared by the parent with us and some local media. This was a feel-good story we wanted to share, and we started with a simple social media post.

Any target audience we thought we identified quickly got blown out of the water when Des Moines media picked up the story 36 hours after the photo was taken. At this point, we thought this was a one-week state-wide news cycle. We were wrong.

This went viral through various social media channels. Soon midwest and national media picked up on the story, and the office of communications helped coordinate national media coverage. We also asked the two players involved to be part of a local speaking tour and organized a day in the community honoring sportsmanship and Mario Hoefer (the player who stopped and helped the opposing team’s player).

We emphasized this story as an example of our mission and vision for Charles City Community School students. We talked about how we teach character and how it is important to #BeABetterHuman.

We took a one-week news cycle story and made this a consistent story showcasing our students and school for four months. We worked with both students to prepare them for national media and started a speaking tour with local community groups with Mario in a 20-mile radius of the school.

Our messaging was to highlight our mission, vision, and character education. We used this as an example to showcase our students doing the right thing even when it was an opponent who the student helped. We also highlighted the fact Charles City offers a larger stage vs other smaller community schools and that we help tell their stories in a positive light.