Crisis Communication in Sports

Kruse (1981), in one of the initial studies devoted to crisis communication in sport, investigated apologia in team sport and concluded that the success and failure of the team was more important than the team’s and its individual players’ images. However, given the financial success and extensive media coverage surrounding sports, threats to the image of athletes, teams, and leagues occur often and usually require mitigation through image repair and crisis communication, countering Kruse’s (1981) argument. This book chapter details the importance of examining crisis communication in sport through the lens of Benoit’s Image Repair Theory, the central theory in the study of sports crisis communication. After an overview of the theory, two case studies are presented. First, after a controversial press conference where football quarterback Aaron Rodgers gave misleading remarks about his COVID-19 vaccination status, he appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to discuss the controversy. Second, after FIFA came under fire for hosting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, defended the decision at a press conference prior to the start of the tournament.