Athlete Brand Reputation: Developing a Conceptual Framework

The concept of reputation and its management is a very important topic, but the application of the concept in the context of athlete branding lags behind. Accordingly, the present study was conducted with the aim of identifying salient dimensions of athletes’ reputation. Thematic analysis technique was used to analyze the data obtained from in-depth interviews with 19 reputation experts in sports. A list of 11 components in 5 themes emerged: athletic performance (team and club status, athletic achievement, and sportsmanship), social responsibility (charitable activities, and community engagement), public relations (relationship with the media, and relationship with the fan), financial performance (high salary, and endorsement) and physical attractiveness (fitness, and being stylish and up-to-date). By providing a comprehensive and coherent framework of the key components of athlete reputation, the present study contributes to the development of a systematic understanding of the emerging research field and provides a foundation for future research.