Why Sponsors Stuck With an Unvaccinated Kyrie Irving

In both sports and sports marketing, you compete as hard as you can to win. Sometimes, that means pulling your team together and running out the clock with a narrow (and questionable) lead. Kyrie Irving missed large swaths of the National Basketball Association’s 2021-22 season after refusing vaccinations required for home teams (but not visiting players) under New York City’s Covid-19 mandate. He still plays only road games outside the city. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed portions of the National Football League’s 2021 season after contracting Covid-19 while insisting he was “immunized,” only to attack the “woke mob” and “cancel culture” during a talk-show appearance touting “bodily autonomy.” He’s currently in a contractual dispute with the Packers. Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, spent 11 days this year disputing his entry visa to Australia. He avoided vaccination protocols, only to be deported and miss the Australian Open. He has since lost his No. 1 world ranking. And has said he’ll skip Grand Slam tournaments with vaccine mandates. The long game will always favor the brands relative to nearly any individual controversy.Erik Palmer, associate professor and chair of communications at Southern Oregon University. Yet of the dozens of companies that support those three athletes, only one—a health care provider that backed Rodgers—stopped doing so because of their stance on vaccinations. With countries and cities (including New York) lifting restrictions as Covid-19’s omicron variant wanes, an athlete’s anti-vaccine stance becomes less of an issue for sponsors. Sometimes, doing nothing and waiting it out is a winning strategy. “I’m pretty sure the brands will bounce back from all Covid impacts with more resilience than Djokovic,” said Erik Palmer, associate professor and chair of communications at Southern Oregon University. “[It’s] a little more complicated with U.S. athletes, but the long game will always favor the brands relative to nearly any individual controversy.” CDC Social Campaign Aimed at Vaccine-Hesitant Multicultural Gen-Z, Millennials Backlash vs bankroll Brands accepted a fair degree of risk by simply brushing off their athletes’ anti-vaccine positions. A survey conducted by Hart Research for ESPN found that 66% of fans wanted to see athletes vaccinated, while 55% agreed that athletes should publicly disclose whether they are vaccinated. Another 59% believed unvaccinated players hurt their team by missing games. Yet sports fans sent a mixed message about how athletes handled the situation. More than half (56%) felt players were standing up for their rights by not getting vaccinated. More approved of Irving’s stance than disapproved (45% to 40%, with 15% unsure), but Rodgers and Djokovic each had a larger percentage of fans criticize their stance on vaccines. About half (49%) disapproved of Rodgers’ approach, compared to 40% in his corner, while 46% disliked Djokovic’s approach (though 42% approved). The reality is there will be ‘backlash’ whatever the decision is made by brands and athletes as society is always divided.Adam Holt, svp of sales for FanAI “There is likely to always be some level of noise and controversy in sports sponsorship—and many of the most powerful sports influencers are not equally loved by all (which often increases their exposure and media coverage and is often beneficial for the sponsors),” said Michael Goldman, an associate professor with University of San Francisco’s Sport Management master’s degree program. “Companies that manage sponsorships professionally filter out the noise (especially on social media and the 24-hour news cycle) and focus on real data about customer (and other stakeholder) perceptions, preferences, and behaviors.” When poll responses are a bit murky, behavioral data can help clear things up. Analytics firm EDO notes that fans have been 7% more likely to search brands during NFL playoff games featuring Aaron Rodgers, than during games without him. Rodgers also inspires a 3% uptick in brand search during regular season games, which is a sizable surge when NFL audiences number in the millions. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving prompted a 9% increase in brand searches during the few games he’s played for the Nets during the 2021-22 season. While the Nets themselves typically spur 13% more searches than the average NBA team, Irving’s presence still inspires more interaction with brands, including his own sponsors Nike and Pepsi. “With the global pandemic increasing strain between governments and society, brands are faced with increasingly difficult decisions,” said Adam Holt, svp of sales for analytics firm FanAI. “The reality is there will be ‘backlash’ whatever the decision is made by brands and athletes as society is always divided.” Meta Responds to US FDA Emergency Use Authorization for Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine for Ages 5-11 No safe bets Even a strong return on investment for brands doesn’t completely inoculate athletes against negative consequences. As mentioned earlier, Rodgers lost a sponsor strictly for speaking against mandates and preventative measures that the health care provider firmly believes saves lives. https://twitter.com/Prevea/status/1457044791951233030 While Djokovic missing the Australian Open isn’t such a big deal for sponsors like Hublot, which just needs him to wear its watches, others including Lacoste, Head, and Asics benefit largely from Djokovic sporting their logo on tennis’ largest stages. Lacoste, in particular, has called for a “review” of Djokovic’s adventures in Australia. “The product category of the sponsor is a key consideration for sponsors when they need to respond to athlete transgressions or controversy,” Goldman said.” If a sponsor’s product value proposition or brand promise conflicts with a sponsored athlete or team or event’s actions or beliefs, the sponsor is more likely to renegotiate the relationship, distance themselves, or cut ties.” Athletes with stronger lifestyle or athletic performance brand images have stronger bargaining powers at the table, and are able to dictate more of the terms.Michael Goldman, associate professor with the University of San Francisco’s Sport Management master’s degree program A sponsor doesn’t necessarily need to drop an athlete completely to send a message. As Apex Marketing Group told Action Network, ads featuring Rodgers went from 25% of the company’s Sunday football spots in the weeks prior to the quarterback’s anti-vaccine tirade to just 1.5% afterward. Rodgers went from the star of State Farm’s first Super Bowl ad to completely absent from the company’s latest Big Game campaign. Some consequences may be even less visible. Goldman noted that force majeure contract clauses became a much bigger issue for athletes in 2020 and 2021 as brands recouped their investments by giving athletes additional duties to make up for lost opportunities. Sponsorship contracts already including rigorous risk identification as part of the due diligence process. As a result, brands have tightened contract language to balance their concerns with those of athletes’ increasingly powerful personal brands. “Athlete endorsement deals in the past few years have become more specific and comprehensive about potential transgressions, negative brand exposure and legal opportunities to renegotiate the relationship, distance themselves or cut ties,” Goldman said. “Athletes with stronger lifestyle or athletic performance brand images have stronger bargaining powers at the table—and are able to dictate more of the terms.” Why Manny MUA Dove Headlong Into the Divisive Vaccine Debate, at the Urging of the President

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Why Sponsors Stuck With Kyrie Irving—Even As He Refused to Get Vaccinated

With sponsors still in his corner, the Brooklyn Nets star joins Aaron Rodgers and Novak Djokovic in waiting out pandemic vaccine requirements.

Jason Notte

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Jason Notte