Athlete Brand Revitalization After a Transgression, Essay Example

Abstract

Over the past decade there have been substantial changes with regards to professional athletics. The athletes who are professionals in all of the sports are emerging stronger, faster and bigger than the professional athletes of the previous decades. As the athletes reach the collegiate level, it is anticipated that a sports career with all of the associated pressures will be imposed upon them. The professional athlete has a job which requires effective management. The athletes are anticipated to continuously train their bodies and minds. This essay will review the conceptual framework of the requisites for the effective management of the athletes. In addition, case studies will be reviewed in order to justify the framework. The framework for the management of athletes was explored with regards to the components of athletic management. The perspective of athletic management will be reviewed from the perspective of different sports and athletes.

Background

Psychological

Effective athletic management is essential to the efficient and long term production of professional athletes (Acevedo 532).Maria Sharapova made her debut in 2004. It had been perceived that Serena Williams, the incumbent champion was providing an exhibition opportunity for the seventeen year old Maria Sharapova to make her professional tennis debut. Maria Sharapova took the opportunity seriously. As a result, Maria was able to emerge victorious at the Ladies’ Singles Championship with straight sets. This event had the outcome of Maria Sharapova being placed into the public light. One event influenced Maria’s life in a profound way. The successful tennis debut also influenced her manager, Max Eisenbud (Gilbert 1; Wallin 3). Maria continues being placed in the public light and refuses to accept American citizenship in place of her Russian heritage (Cosgrave 1).  As the athletes emerge victorious from competitive events, they are thrust into the media limelight and require counseling (Acevedo 532).

Legal

The star athletes can be made or broken with just one event. An example is the case of Michael Vicks. Michael Vicks emerged victorious as the superstar quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. He was the recipient of all types of endorsements. Illegal dog fighting changed Michael Vick’s life. Michael Vicks was found guilty of dog fighting in a court of law. As a result, his career was ruined and the endorsements that he received from a number of organizations, which included Coca- Cola were retracted (ALDF 1). The endorsers retracted their endorsement of Michael Vicks due to fear of contamination of their brands (Agyemang 137; Steinmann, 77)

Nutritional

In addition to legal management, the professional athletes also require management with their personal lives in order to remain competitive (Turocy 322). The professional management with regards to their professional careers in order to remain competitive extends to their dietary and personal habits (Acevedo 532). The Cincinnati Bengalscontracted Max Montoya, who had been one of the heaviest offensive linemen during the 1979 season. Max Montoya weight was measured at 285 pounds (Pro- Football Reference 1). This is a significant characteristic due to the fact that at the heavier weights in a competition, the professional athletes incur a higher risk of sustaining injury (Jonnalaqadda 198).

In February, during the NFL scouting interviews, almost 90% of the linemen were assessed as weighing more than three hundred pounds (Huguenin 1). The receivers continue to be faster than they were during the previous seasons. At the weight of three hundred pounds in the absence of proper management, the larger athletes become highly susceptible to injury, which can effectively reduce the duration of their professional careers. Dietary management and physical training management is integral for these athletes avoiding injuries during competition (Jonnalaqadda 198).

Alex Rodriguez, the famous baseball athlete for the New York Yankees, confessed to ingesting steroids during 2001 to 2003 season with the Texas Rangers (Hoch 1; Snyder 1). The allegations arose after Alex Rodriguez had been considered for a $252 million contract. There had been no legal punitive action taken against him due to the premise that steroids were not illegal in 2003 (Kersey 567; Pope 341).

Training

One of the wide receivers for the Dallas cowboys, who also won an Olympic Gold Medal for sprinting in the Olympics was Bob Hayes. Bob Hayes’ time in the competition of the forty years dash was 4.4 seconds. Bob Hayes was weighed at 185 pounds (Fox Sports 1). Jevon Kearse is another wide receiver who weighed thirty pounds more than Bob Hayes and was able to complete the forty yard sprint with a time of 4.7 seconds (Glenn 1). There is an intense competitiveness that motivates the athletes to achieve higher and higher levels of success (DiRocco 1).

Effective administrative intervention from a manager would have prevented Alex Rodriguez from ingesting steroids during the 2003 season and ruining his career (Turocy 322). President Obama said that the news caused him to feel depressed and pondered upon the impact of Alex Rodriguez’s confession with respect to the children of the world (Agyemang 47; Weaver 1). As a result of the confession and the subsequent investigations, Alex Rodriguez was suspended from Major League Baseball for the 2014 season (Hoch 1).

Physical

The characteristic of nutrition, training and competition has been the causal attribute of professional athletes in the NFL becoming faster, bigger and stronger (Acevedo 532). As a result of the competitive drive to emerge victorious, the larger, faster and stronger characteristics of the athletes has led many in the professional sports associations, which include the NBA and the NHL to amend the rules (Associated Press 1). These amendments in the regulations of the sports are attributed to the elevated number of sports injuries that are being incurred by the athletes. There have been recommendations in modifications of the size of the basketball courts in the NBA and the hockey rinks in the NHL. These types of changes are parts of the administration of the athletes’ competition and training (Associated Press 1).

In the NHL, there has been pressure placed upon the leagues to modify the practices of leading and cross checking with elbows during the hockey matches (Associated Press 1). The sports nutrition and training is causing the athletes to become stronger, bigger and faster. As a result, the force that is delivered when the athletes collide with an opponent is substantial. Injuries incurred to the cranial areas have been a concern in all types of professional sports. There are a number of athletes who are recipients of head concussions. There are some athletes who are forced into retirement as a result of multiple head concussions (Detting e23). The National Hockey League is examining ways to prevent their athletes from receiving head injuries. The modifications of the rules of the game that have originated with the requests from the managers and owners. Two of the requested modifications have been to create the Plexiglas panels from a material that is softer and to eliminate checking in hockey (Associated Press 1).

Competition

As the professional athletes continue to get stronger, bigger and faster, the interactions cause greater levels of injuries. In the second week of the 2014 season, there had been over twenty injuries to NFL athletes (NFL 1). These injuries were correlated with broken bones, torn ligaments and sprains. In the harsh interactions and injuries which are results of the athletes’ increased size and strength, there has been pressure from the owners and managers of the athletic teams. The pressure has been directed toward the leagues to amend the regulations with regards to contact among the athletes in the NFL (Oehser 1).

Conclusion

Effective administration is required for the professional athletes. The administration varies from psychological administration of the athlete with regards to the media exposure of Maria Sharapova or legal administration of the athlete in the case of Michael Vicks. In addition, professional athletes require administration with regards to competition, nutritional and training characteristics. The effective administration of the manager can enable the professional athlete to effectively perform. Our nation reveres its professional athletes. The reverence that is manifested toward the professional athletes is one of the reasons that they should be effectively administrated by professional managers.

Works Cited

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