Background
Issues of reputation management are negotiated in a wide array of contexts, yet arguably one of the most visible of these areas involves how such stories unfold within the sporting arena. Whether involving individual athletes, teams, organizations, leagues, or global entities, the process of navigating issues of image repair and/or restoration and crisis-based communication have never been more byzantine with a plethora of communicative media outlets functioning in myriad manners.
This special issue of the Journal of Global Sport Management seeks to advance scholarship as it relates to the advancement of reputation in sports management contexts, specifically as it relates to crisis communication, image repair, and methods of modern apologia. Intersections of sport, reputation, and society are all welcome, whether mediated, organizational, or interpersonal in nature. Special issue editors practice epistemological egalitarianism; as such, submissions are not limited in scope by any desired methodological practice. Submissions should be grounded in appropriate theory, which could include Situational Crisis Communication Theory, Image Repair Theory, theories of Apologia, or other approaches related to persuasion and impression management.
Potential topics could include (but are not limited to):
- Management of athlete criminal and personal transgressions.
- Management of perceived team inequalities or corrupt practices.
- Facilitation of league or organizational brand influence mechanisms.
- The role of online/social media in fan management of player, team, and organizational inadequacies.
- The impact of celebrity on the ability to manage crisis or rehabilitate an image.
- The impact of athletic success or failure in reputational management strategies.
Submission Guidelines
Submitted articles should maximum of 8,000 words, including references, tables, figures, and appendices. All submissions should appropriately utilize the citation system of the American Psychological Association (APA).
Submissions should be made via the journal’s ScholarOne online submission system: click here.
Authors should indicate in their cover letter that the submission is to be considered for the Special Issue on the “Reputational Management in Sport.”
For further information, please read the full instructions for authors: click here.
Questions related to the special issue may be directed to the guest editors.
Guest Editors
- Andrew C. Billings, Department of Journalism & Creative Media, The University of Alabama, USA (acbillings@ua.edu)
- W. Timothy Coombs, Department of Communication, Texas A&M University, USA (timothy.coombs@tamu.edu)
- Kenon A. Brown, Department of Advertising & Public Relations, The University of Alabama, USA (brown@apr.ua.edu)
