For the 32nd consecutive year, The University of Alabama’s Office of Media Relations offers predictions from faculty experts for the coming year.
The scandal that rocked the cycling world could well make its way into other American sports in 2013, causing advertisers to think twice about whom they support, says Dr. Lance Kinney, associate professor of advertising and public relations at The University of Alabama.
“The Lance Armstrong doping scandal is likely to ripple into other major U.S. sports,” Kinney says. “Not only is Armstrong currently a pariah among his former sponsor brands, Armstrong’s sponsors are suing him to have their already paid sponsorship fees returned.”
This could result in more athletes choosing to forgo questionable behaviors that could result in loss of sponsorship money.
“If sponsors successfully recoup their money, all brands sponsoring scandalized athletes will expect refunds,” Kinney says.
Kinney says the effects could stretch to all sports if brands begin to expect refunds for any action on the athlete’s part that reflects negatively on the brand.
“Baseball is addressing the doping issue, so it might have things under control,” Kinney says. “However, the frequent reports of collegiate and professional football player violence might be the first high-profile cases.”