Length of tennis ban is key in Sharapova's brand value

[rooster59]

Length of tennis ban is key in Sharapova's brand value

PAN PYLAS, Associated Press


LONDON (AP) — So far, Maria Sharapova's attempts to limit the damage from her doping revelation have been well-judged, branding and crisis managers say. But whether she can hold onto her financial and sporting clout will ultimately depend on the length of any ban she is handed.

The five-time Grand Slam champion has apparently been upfront and contrite in the scandal that erupted Monday, when she revealed she had failed a drug test for meldonium, which had just been banned by authorities because it aids oxygen uptake and endurance. She admitted taking the drug for ten years for medical reasons. No dishonesty was involved, Sharapova says, she had merely neglected to click on an updated list of banned drugs.

The scandal threatens to undo years of meticulous brand building that have seen Sharapova become one of the most commercially successful female athletes ever. Major sponsors Nike, Tag Heuer and Porsche have suspended their deals with the 28-year-old Russian.

One, though, hasn't: racket manufacturer Head, which publicly backed her and even extended her contract. The Austria-based company's CEO Johan Eliasch even questioned WADA's decision to add meldonium to its banned substances list and said the anti-doping body should have imposed a "dosage limitation" instead.

"Head clearly buys her claim that this was just an honest mistake," said Michael Gordon, CEO of corporate and crisis communications firm Group Gordon. "Are they trying to read the tea leaves in terms of how severe her punishment will be? Sure. But as long as no shocking revelations emerge that challenge the truth of her statements thus far, all signs point to a lenient punishment."

Numerous tennis players, including two-time Grand Slam champion and fellow Head racket-user Andy Murray, say she has to accept her punishment. Murray has also described Head's response as a "strange stance."

Sharapova could potentially face a four-year ban, according to former World Anti-Doping Agency president Dick Pound, which would to all intents and purposes spell the end of her career at the top of the women's game — and seriously damage the worth of her hard-won brand. Pound has said Sharapova was guilty of "willful negligence" for using meldonium.

A lenient punishment from the International Tennis Federation, say a year or less, would give some validation to Sharapova's claim that her mistake, though big, was honest. It would last as long as some injuries, which is something Sharapova has struggled with through her career. A short ban would potentially allow brands to ride out the storm and forgive her. And if it's a short ban, then Sharapova, who has won all four Grand Slam titles, won't need to do much to rebuild her brand.

"Sharapova's commercial worth would hinge significantly on the length of a ban should there be one," said Jon Stainer, managing director of the U.K. and Ireland operations of sports and entertainment sponsorship consultants Repucom.

"At 28, she still has many years of playing at the top of the game — Serena Williams for example is six years Sharapova's senior — but the longer it would take to return to the game, the less time she would have to rebuild that image she's done so well to build," he added.

Sharapova, according to Repucom research, is the most marketable female athlete in the world, ranking above the likes of her tennis peer Serena Williams and skier Lindsey Vonn. Of the 76 percent of people that know of her globally, 74 percent say they like the tennis ace and 75 percent say they find her aspirational, Repucom's Stainer said.

Those positive numbers tell the story of Sharapova's value to sponsors and why no sponsor has yet ditched her for good. Sharapova is one of the top female players of her generation, with 35 career singles titles and over $36 million in career earnings. Those earnings, however, are thought to be dwarfed by what she gets from her endorsements and business ventures, like her candy brand Sugarpova.

Sportswear giant Nike, Swiss watch brand Tag Heuer and German luxury car company Porsche have distanced themselves from Sharapova. But, crucially, they all left the door ajar for a return. Nike, for one, said, it had "decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the investigation continues" but that it "will continue to monitor the situation."

The stakes for Head, though, are different to those of Nike, which has many more brand ambassadors and across a wider array of sports. "Head is proud to stand behind Maria, now and into the future and we intend to extend her contract," the company said in a statement Thursday. "We look forward to working with her and to announcing new sponsorships in the weeks and months ahead."

Though acknowledging that Head has much more at stake given its business model is so focused on tennis, crisis manager Gordon said the company is betting that fans will forgive Sharapova.

"Everyone loves a comeback story," Gordon said.

How this all pans out will depend on what happens next and what, if anything else, emerges.

Nigel Currie, a British-based sponsorship and PR consultant, said her return to the high financial grounds she's occupied since she won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004 will "depend on the length of the ban" and that anything in excess of a couple of years will be "very hard" as the game would have moved.

"But if it's a slap on the wrist, say a six-month ban, it's game-on again," she said.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-03-12

[grumpyoldman]

I'm a huge fan and I really hope they play fair with her as they just recently made this a banned substance.

Doesn't seem right if she has been taking it for medical reasons and all of a sudden they say "oh, now this is on the banned list".

I don't see her as a cheater, she's a heck of a talent as well as a babe (o.k. sexist, sorry), and I hope she can continue her career.

[Andaman Al]

People always seem to jump on the outrage bus when they first hear athletes have faileddrug tests. The long extensive lists of chemicals and substances is now beyond ridiculous. An athlete will fail a drugs test if they have a strepsil and should they eat a bread roll with poppyseeds on they would be deemed to be on class A drugs. Much street cred to 'Head' for standing by her!

Edited March 12, 2016 by Andaman Al

[Thongkorn]

People always seem to jump on the outrage bus when they first hear athletes have faileddrug tests. The long extensive lists of chemicals and substances is now beyond ridiculous. An athlete will fail a drugs test if they have a strepsil and should they eat a bread roll with poppyseeds on they would be deemed to be on class A drugs. Much street cred to 'Head' for standing by her!

True but you don't take strepsil continuously for ten years. It's called cheating and should have life ban and striped of all tittles won. Edited March 12, 2016 by Thongkorn

[Andaman Al]

People always seem to jump on the outrage bus when they first hear athletes have faileddrug tests. The long extensive lists of chemicals and substances is now beyond ridiculous. An athlete will fail a drugs test if they have a strepsil and should they eat a bread roll with poppyseeds on they would be deemed to be on class A drugs. Much street cred to 'Head' for standing by her!

True but you don't take strepsil continuously for ten years. It's called cheating and should have life ban and striped of all tittles won.

So you want to apply retrospective punishment to long before the chemical was even banned? That seems fair then

[Briggsy]

Anyone who has followed tennis throughout the EPO era will know that tennis has a massive doping problem which has been successfully buried by the ATP and the WTA.

Until recently they didn't even make positive tests public, just advise the player he or she has to take an injury break for a couple of months until his or her levels have normalised.

All the top players are on a drug regime. These regimes are very well regulated and designed to avoid positive tests by well-paid teams of sports doctors. The way this is done is by being aware of glow times, knowing when the tests will be administered, what tests will be administered and keeping ahead of the curve using the latest drugs that are not yet on the banned list.

The only surprise here is that they caught Sharapova and that then the test was announced (although Sharapova spiked the news by holding a press conference).

I suspect this is political. The doping regimes in Russia are state-sponsored and there is a global battle to reduce Russian influence in sports politics at present. Exposing Russia's very dirty laundry is one way of achieving this.

[Nobbie49]

Hear hear! She says she has been taking Meldonium for years. So she is this great tennis player despite suffering from angina and myocardial infarctions (aka heart attacks) for years? Gimme a break!

[SgtRock]

Performance enhancing drugs in sports.

What a stunning revelation.