Use of stimulating medicines, a responsibility of a sponsor?

Market research institute MarketResponse researched under more than 400 Dutch people about the effect of negative publicity of a sport event on the sponsors of the event or the participating teams and athletes.

One-third of the respondents get a more negative image of the sponsor, when they sponsor a team or athlete who is accused of the use of stimulating medicine. More than 25% of the respondents say that they will use less products or services when is established that the team or athlete used stimulating medicines.

The reaction of the sponsor on this statement is of major importance for the image of the sponsor. 40% of the respondents declare that they don’t want to purchase products of the sponsor in case they don’t take action. In general they think that the sponsor has to withdraw. 21% of the respondents said that spontaneous. Other actions of the sponsor to react are: fire the athlete, and don’t take the whole team out of the event.

Furthermore MarketResearch concludes that there are divided meanings about the responsibilities of the sponsor. Almost half of the respondents (45%) are of the opinion that a sponsor has to take care that the team or athletes don’t take stimulating medicines. And if they identify stimulating medicines, three-quarter thinks the sponsor attaches no blame.