As can be seen in all the posts, publicity plays a major role in sponsoring. It is kind of a mediator between the sponsor, the public and the sponsor object. By means of publicity the public notes, and hopefully the target group, the messages of the sponsor. Sponsoring of a big sports event, like the Olympic Games, is attractive because of the high numbers of spectators at the event, the people who are watching it at home via television or reading it in the newspaper. Events or sports teams who carry the name of the sponsor profit by this attention, because mentioning of the sponsor name in a press release or reportage is almost inevitable.
A lot of the reportage in the American newspapers consists of sports. The visibility range of sports in the media enlarges the chance that negative publicity about a sport or athlete can lead to the fact that consumers change their minds or even turn away from a sport. This can have negative consequences for the sponsor.
Media has a preference for bad news, that is why media gives faster publicity to bad news than good news. Negative publicity is almost relevant by definition. Negative press and word-of-mouth about a brand have severe effects on brand perceptions and brand performance. So it forms a serious threat for brands. It can damage the functional and the emotional characteristics a consumer assigns to a brand, it can have consequences for the financial appreciation for a brand and it can even damage the competitive position of a brand.
A sponsor has no influence at the external factors. A sponsor never knows beforehand how a athlete or team will perform. The organization of an event is not in their own hands and it’s also not always clear how the target group will react on the sponsor object.
After evaluating this, I think we can state that negative publicity has an influence on the brand image of sport sponsors. Affairs like drugs abuse, poor performance, and failing management are not good for the image of the brand.