| Course | MT242 Managing Sport Programs |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 9 |
| Paper type | Crisis communication memo |
| Length | About 1,000 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MT242 Unit 9
Gas in the Church Gym at 10:40: A Unit 9 Crisis Communication Memo With Five Drafts
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
MT242: Managing Sport Programs
Unit 9 Crisis Communication Memo
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Linden Valley Youth Basketball, the church, the incident, the people and every message are composite and illustrative; the sources cited are real.
Memo
To: Board President, Linden Valley Youth Basketball From: Program Coordinator Date: Saturday, February 14, 3:00 p.m. Re: Gas leak at the church gym today; messages for each audience
What Happened
At 10:40 this morning a parent at the church gym reported a strong smell of gas near the kitchen hallway. The site supervisor stopped the game, ordered the gym cleared and called 911. By 10:44 everyone in the building, about 140 players, coaches, referees and family members, was at the assembly point in the parking lot, and coaches had counted their players. The fire department arrived at 10:51 and confirmed a leak near the kitchen. The gas utility shut off the line at 11:20. The church has closed the building until a repair and a city inspection are complete, which it expects to take at least a week.
Nobody was hurt. One player who felt lightheaded was checked by paramedics as a precaution and released to her parents. A television crew arrived at about 11:30 after hearing the fire call on a scanner and filmed the parking lot.
The evacuation worked as the risk plan intended: one adult directed, the gym was clear in four minutes and every team was counted. What remains is communication.
What Each Audience Needs
Each group needs different information, and some need it sooner than others. Coombs (2007) argues that the first duty in any crisis is to give people the information they need to protect themselves, and only then to address the organization's reputation. Today the safety information has largely been delivered. The remaining messages need to be accurate, consistent and timed so that no group learns something important from another group or from television first.
Families at the church gym already know about the evacuation; they need to know everyone is safe and that today's games are postponed. All other families need to hear the facts from the league before they hear a version on the news. Coaches need a script for questions from their families. Referees need to know their assignments for the rest of the day and next week. The church deserves thanks. And the television station needs a short statement.
Seeger (2006), summarizing an expert panel on crisis communication, recommends that organizations communicate early, acknowledge uncertainty and speak with one voice. All five drafts below follow those rules: each one gives the confirmed facts, admits what is still unsettled, such as the reopening date, and points to one source for updates.
Draft 1: Text to Families at the Church Gym, Sent 11:05
"Linden Valley Hoops: Everyone at the church gym is safe. The building was cleared after a gas smell and the fire department is on site. Today's remaining games at this gym are postponed. Please pick up your child from your coach in the parking lot. We will email all families this afternoon."
Draft 2: Email to All 612 Families, Send at 4:00 p.m.
"Dear families, this morning a gas leak was found at the church gym during games. The building was cleared within four minutes, the fire department and gas utility responded, and no one was injured. Games at the other two gyms continued as scheduled. The church gym is closed while repairs and an inspection are completed. Games scheduled there today and next Saturday are postponed, and we will send a revised schedule by Wednesday. Thank you to the coaches, referees and supervisor who moved everyone out quickly and calmly."
The email says no one was injured and names no one, because the one player checked by paramedics is a family's business, not the league's.
Draft 3: Call Script for Coaches
"Everyone is safe. The church gym was cleared because of a gas leak, and the fire department and gas company handled it. The building is closed for repairs. Today's and next week's games there are postponed, and the league will send a new schedule by Wednesday. If you have questions, the coordinator is the contact. Please do not discuss any individual player with other families or reporters."
Draft 4: Notice to Referees Through the Assignor
"Today's afternoon assignments at the church gym are canceled and will be paid in full under our cancellation policy. Next Saturday's church gym assignments are on hold until the revised schedule is set on Wednesday. Assignments at the other gyms are unchanged."
Draft 5: Note to the Church and Holding Statement for Media
To the church: "Thank you for your quick help today and for hosting our league. We are grateful no one was hurt. Please let us know how we can help while the repair is completed, and when you expect the gym to be available."
Holding statement for the television station: "This morning a gas smell was reported at a church gym where Linden Valley Youth Basketball was holding games. The building was cleared within minutes, the fire department responded and no one was injured. We thank our volunteers and first responders. Further questions can go to the league's board president."
Recommendations
I recommend that you approve the drafts by 3:45 p.m. so the email can go at 4:00. Only you should speak to the television station; if the reporter calls, read the holding statement and offer no details about the player who was checked. I will work with the scheduling committee on Monday to move the postponed games, likely to the reserve Saturday, and will send the revised schedule Wednesday as promised. Masteralexis et al. (2019) note that a program's credibility in a crisis depends on keeping the promises it makes in its first messages, so the Wednesday date should not slip.
References
Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organization reputations during a crisis: The development and application of situational crisis communication theory. Corporate Reputation Review, 10(3), 163-176. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1550049
Masteralexis, L. P., Barr, C. A., & Hums, M. A. (2019). Principles and practice of sport management (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Seeger, M. W. (2006). Best practices in crisis communication: An expert panel process. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 34(3), 232-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909880600769944
Reading the MT 242 Unit 9 instructions
For the ninth unit, the task is a memo to the person who must sign off on messages after a sport program incident, with a draft for each audience attached. The prompt expects a factual timeline, a judgment about what each group needs to know and when, and drafts that are consistent with each other. Typical audiences are participants and families, staff and volunteers, officials, partners such as facility hosts, and the media. Privacy matters: drafts should not name or describe an injured participant. Base the approach on crisis communication research and keep promises in early messages that the program can keep. Three pages of memo plus attached drafts is common, and the memo should cite three or more crisis communication sources in APA 7.
How this MT242 Unit 9 example is built
The memo opens with its header and a timeline from the 10:40 report to the church closing the building, and a margin note confirms the evacuation worked before turning to messages. A section on audiences cites Coombs on safety information first and Seeger on speaking early and with one voice. Five drafts follow in the order they would go out, from the 11:05 text to the 4 p.m. email, and the highlighted line explains why the email names no one. A coach script and a referee notice keep details consistent. The church note and the holding statement come last, with a note on keeping the statement to four sentences, and recommendations set the approval time and the Wednesday schedule promise.
MT242 Unit 9 rubric: what earns full points
Crisis memos are marked on accuracy and order of the timeline, judgment about audiences and timing, consistency across drafts and protection of privacy. A timeline with times rather than a narrative earns more. Graders reward drafts tailored to each group's needs, with the most urgent sent first. Consistency matters: every draft should state the same facts. Protecting an injured participant's identity is expected, and drafts that name or describe the person lose credit. A short holding statement for media and a single spokesperson show discipline. Recommendations with times, and correct citations of crisis communication research, take the remaining credit. A memo the president can approve in a few minutes, with drafts ready to send, shows the writer understood the pressure of the day.
Common MT242 Unit 9 mistakes, and how to avoid them
The most common error is writing one message for everyone, which gives families too little and reporters too much. Another is sending the all-family message hours after the news has already reached people another way. Some drafts disagree on facts, such as when games will resume. Others mention a participant's condition, which belongs to the family. Avoid promising a date you cannot meet, because the next message will be judged against it. Tell us what happened at your program and when, and a writer can draft the timeline and a message for each audience in the order they should go out.
Get an MT242 Unit 9 example written to your instructions
Tell us the incident your Unit 9 prompt describes, an evacuation, an injury, a gym closed without warning, a coach removed, and the audiences it names. Include the rubric. A first custom memo comes back free inside 24-48h with a timeline, a separate draft for each audience, send times, and a single spokesperson named. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
More MT242 papers and BS in Business Administration samples
- MT242 Unit 1: Discussion Board Post
- MT242 Unit 2: Program Structure Analysis
- MT242 Unit 3: Scheduling Exercise
- MT242 Unit 4: Facility Allocation Plan
- MT242 Unit 5: Staffing and Volunteer Plan
- MT242 Unit 6: Seminar Reflection
- MT242 Unit 7: Program Budget
- MT242 Unit 8: Risk and Safety Plan
- MT242 Unit 10: Program Management Plan
- MT241 Unit 9: Recruitment Recommendation
- MT240 Unit 9: Global Sport Analysis
- MT237 Unit 9: Disruption Response Plan
- MT236 Unit 9: Seminar Reflection
MT242 Unit 9 questions, answered
Why write separate messages for each audience in a crisis?
Because each group needs something different at a different moment. Families on site need immediate safety instructions; families at home need facts and next steps; coaches need a script; officials need schedule changes; reporters need a short confirmed statement. One message for all either overloads some readers or leaves others without what they need, and it rarely arrives in time for the most urgent group.
What is a holding statement?
A short prepared statement released while facts are still being confirmed, acknowledging the event, stating what is known, noting what is being done and saying when more information will follow. It lets an organization respond quickly without speculating. The example's holding statement runs four sentences and is delivered by the board president alone, so the league speaks with one voice.
How should a program handle an injured participant's privacy in communications?
By leaving the participant unnamed and describing only what is necessary, such as that one person was checked as a precaution and released. Questions about that person's health should be referred to the family. Coaches and volunteers need to hear this rule directly, since well-meaning updates on social media are the most common way private details leak.
Where can I find a free MT242 Unit 9 sample paper?
The complete MT242 Unit 9 crisis communication memo is here. It follows a gas leak at a church gym from the first report to a 3 p.m. memo, with five drafted messages for families, coaches, referees, the church and the media.
Why does the MT242 Unit 9 email not mention the player checked by paramedics?
She was released unhurt, and her condition is her family's information. The email says no one was injured and names no one, which keeps families informed without exposing a child.