The past few months have reminded us how fast things can change in the sporting world. Matthew Johns has gone from rugby hero to outcast in light of the NRL sex scandal, and more recently Andrew Symonds, who was once ranked 23rd on the Sweeney Sports list of most marketable Australian athletes, has been sent home from England in disgrace and may be banished from international cricket forever. The incidents have left the NRL and Cricket Australia in damage control mode and corporate sponsors such as LG, Aussie Home Loans and Telstra seriously considering their ongoing support.
There is more than a little deja vu surrounding both these incidents. Scandal is not new in the sporting world and nor is the innevitable fall out. In a sphere where the actions of one individual can taint a team, a league and sport in general, sponsors take a big risk when choosing to associate their brand.
Am I saying that all sponsors should abandon sport? No. Nor am I saying that sport is not worth supporting. Sport is an essential part of the Australian identity and sponsorship thereof can bring great commercial value.
Rather, I’m suggesting that sponsors need to be more careful about how they choose to spend their marketing money, particularly when it comes to sport. The millions upon millions of dollars that are poured into sports sponsorship have the potential to make an incredible difference, particularly if they are linked to creating positive change both within sport and more generally. However, they also have the ability to be a huge waste of money if a sponsor’s brand is tainted by association with scandal.
Moreover, sports leagues and clubs need to be proactive in their work to limit scandals and promote positive exposure. Whether we like it or not, sports stars are role models. Leagues and clubs have a choice: they can help to mould players into positive role models in every area of their lives, or they can ignore misdemeanours and hope that they never become the source of public outrage. It’s clear that the latter option isn’t an option.
