More than just the media: Considering the role of public relations in the creation of sporting celebrity and the management of fan expectations

Abstract

This article considers the complex nature of sporting celebrity and the role of media and public relations in the creation of both sports celebrity and the fan expectations associated with that celebrity. While public relations literature has traditionally considered PR as a promotion and communication tool, this article acknowledges that in the cultural and ideological world of sport, PR has a much more sophisticated role to play. In the event of either positive or negative media attention, a sporting celebrity is subjected to unprecedented scrutiny and the increasingly high expectations of fans. However, the expectations of fans are not based on the simple notion of hero worship and role models, and this exploratory study suggests that fans are capable of very complex reactions to the 1 behaviours and marketing personas of sporting celebrities. The use of PR in sport deserves close examination and the reactive spin doctoring techniques of the past should give way to the strategic integration of public relations and media planning in both the creation of the sporting celebrity, balancing the sport versus private sides of that celebrity, and the varying fan expectations associated with each. 2More than Just the Media: Considering the role of public relations in the creation of sporting celebrity and the management of fan expectations.

Athlete brand construction: A perspective based on fans' perceptions

“…Specifically, for the participants in the three countries where the data were collected, mass media, social media, major sport events, and video games were identified as media sources that increase fans' awareness. These findings are consistent with those reported by Summers and Johnson 54 , thereby suggesting the important role of mass media in the process of creating and spreading an athlete's good image. Sierra, Taute, and Heiser 55 mentioned that social media helps generate interest in and deepens fans' knowledge about athletes.…”

The Impact of Negative Publicity on Celebrity Ad Endorsements

“…Other research findings have observed more complex reactions that contradict such a linear endorser blame‐brand evaluation relationship (Summers & Morgan, ). Early work by Lerner and Miller () suggests that to avoid the consideration whereby negative events can fall on innocent people, consumers may actually lower their opinion of the person so that they seem deserving of a bad fate.…”

The Type of Sport Celebrity Transgression Does it Impact on the Associated Sponsors and Sport

“…Evidence of transparency and consistency were accomplished in this study with the use of a pre-designed contact summary sheet to record all steps and dates followed in this study; and to summarize the lists of websites used. This consistency and transparency of data management helped to address the validity in the research program (27).…”