The European sponsorship community favours relaxing the media commitment required from professional sportspeople, new research from the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) has found.
The findings were revealed in Wave 11 of ESA’s Sponsorship Sentiment Tracker (SST), which also revealed an upsurge in confidence about the health of the sponsorship industry.
In the wake of the withdrawal of world No.2 tennis player Naomi Osaka from the 2021 French Open, citing stress resulting from post-match media interviews, respondents were asked their views on the obligations of professional sportspeople to talk to the media during competitions.
The findings revealed:
- Nearly half (46%) of respondents did not think professional sportspeople should be obliged to take part in media interviews immediately after competing
- Sponsors (67%) were nearly twice as likely as agencies (35%) to take this view, with 40% of rights holders in favour of relaxing post-match commitments
- Almost two-thirds (65%) of respondents felt that rights holders should let professional sportspeople opt out of a specific number of media interviews
- Again it was the sponsors that took the most sympathetic view, with 71% of brands backing a reduction in media commitments and only 23% of all respondents insisting that professional sportspeople should commit to all interviews
On the eve of The Championships 2021 at Wimbledon, the subject has stimulated debate among the sponsorship community. The four Grand Slams collectively promised to “advance mental health and wellbeing” in the wake of Osaka refusing to play at Roland Garros, having initially taken a firm stance in fining the Japanese player $15,000 for a breach of contractual media obligations.
Francesca Castelli, Brand Communications and Sponsorship Manager at Orange, said: “I think what the Osaka case has shown is that sponsors are prepared to get behind their top athletes even when things get uncomfortable. And we know that the fans expect brands to take a stand, they won’t tolerate wishy-washiness.
“Granted, Naomi is part of the 1% of athletes who can afford to pay any fines imposed on her, but she is also a trailblazer and a courageous agent for change – a real influencer.
“This shift is huge and I believe it will increasingly determine the way brand v athletes relationships are shaped going forward.”
Shannon Fisher, Partnerships Specialist at McLaren Racing Limited, said: “I think athletes should be committed to completing media interviews but these should not necessarily be directly after their competition/race, particularly [in the event of a] poor performance.
“I think more could be done by governing bodies to work in preparing athletes and training the media to create a more positive atmosphere for press conferences and interviews etc and allow flexibility under extreme circumstances.”
John Mulcahy, Director at Sport Science Agency, said: “Post-match interviews are part of the sporting environment. Any change to media requirements needs to be considered from a performance perspective, particularly during major tournaments when the need for maximum recovery over a short period of time is paramount.
“There is certainly scope for a discussion around the timing of media commitments, as long as there remains a level playing field with no potential for unfair performance advantages.”
In the survey, the question “Should professional sportspeople be obliged to take part in media interviews immediately after competing?” resulted in the following responses:
- Yes – 32%*
- No, but if they don’t then there should be some form of penalty / sanction to prevent everyone from opting out of media interviews – 15%
- No – 46%
- Don’t know – 7%
* Those who answered “Yes” included 35% of agency respondents, 29% of rights holders and only 19% of brands.
The question “Should rights holders consider reducing the media commitment required from professional sportspeople competing in their events?” resulted in the following responses:
- Yes, they should let them opt out of all media interviews – 13%
- Yes, they should let them opt out of a specific number of media interviews – 65%
- No, those involved in professional sports should commit to all media interviews – 23%*
* Those who answered “No” included 30% of agency respondents, 24% of rights holders and only 14% of brands.
The 11th edition of ESA’s SST contained highly encouraging signs as the sponsorship industry continues to rebound from the damaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall confidence rose from an average of 6.7/10 in Wave 10 to 7/10 in Wave 11, with brands driving the upsurge in positivity (up from 5.8 to 7.4). Rights holders’ confidence rose slightly from 7.0 to 7.1, while agency confidence increased from 6.8 to 7.0.
The SST has gauged the health and confidence of leading sponsorship organisations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, attracting more than 1,500 responses from senior industry leaders across Europe.
ESA Chairman, Andy Westlake, said: “It was fascinating to read the results of the 11th ESA Sponsorship Sentiment Tracker and in particular the response of our industry to questions relating to professional sportspeople and media commitments.
“Media coverage of post-match, post-race and post-competition interviews has been a staple of sports sponsorship for many years, providing important visibility for brands. There is food for thought for all stakeholders in the responses to this survey.
“It was also very pleasing to see the increase in confidence revealed by Wave 11 of the SST. This is a vital study that has charted the ups and downs in industry sentiment throughout the pandemic and I would urge all ESA Members to continue taking a few minutes to answer the survey.”
-ENDS-
For media queries, please contact:
Jonathan Coates | ESA Marketing, Communications and Events Manager
marketing@sponsorship.org